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The Companion Guide to Rome (Companion Guides) by: Georgina Masson List Price: £16.99 City Travel Guides Price: £16.14 You Save: £0.85 ( 5%)Prices subject to change. |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 914 EAN: 9781900639422 ISBN: 1900639424 Label: Companion Guides Manufacturer: Companion Guides Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 698 Publication Date: June 21, 2007 Publisher: Companion Guides Studio: Companion Guides Sales Rank: 129155 Related Items:
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Editorial Review: Wanted in Rome, December 2003: [Comparison of] the original and this revised version gives invaluable insight into how Rome has changed in 40 years. The Times, Saturday 7 February: There’s only one classic guide to Rome and someone has had the temerity to revise it. The result is masterly. Synopsis: This classic guide to Rome begins at the Capitol, 'rising as it does like an island of peace out of the strident roar of the Piazza Venezia in the heart of the city, leading us backwards by degrees through the centuries to the time when Rome first emerged from a collection of pastoral villages set upon seven hills...And at night it is not so difficult to picture the stately ranks of colonnaded temples crowned with gilded statues and the basilicas rearing their great bulk against the night sky, or to imagine the faint glow of the sacred fire warming the marbles of the Temple of Vesta, and above them all the vast palace of the emperors on the Palatine overshadowing the whole scene, as it then dominated the civilized world.' From this seductive start, the glories of Rome are unrolled; Masson's home was in the grounds of the Villa Pamphilj, on the outskirts of Rome, during the years when she was writing this book, and she knew Rome intimately. She has been fortunate in her reviser John Fort, resident in Rome for thirty years - who has brought this latest edition up to date. Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Fantastic Guidebook for Architecture, Art and Cultural HistoryI used this book for a four day visit to Rome. It is excellent. It does not have photos, the plans are small and it is quite dense. However, its virtues far outweigh any deficiencies. It fits snugly into one's pocket and has a wealth of interesting and useful information. One can turn any street corner in Rome and see something one wants to know about; and nine times out of ten, this guide book has it there with all the relevant facts and anecdotes. Rating: - Not for touristThis is an indispensable, unique, brilliant book. I have lived in Rome three years, and I guarantee that Georgina Masson captures the hidden powerful essence of the Eternal city like no one else: she succeeds in putting on paper the soul of Rome, which cannot but delight people who have been living in the City for long like me.Still, for this very reason, I would not recommend the book to tourists. This is not a Kleenex-book, this is not a book to spot out the best restaurant, to find out at what time the latest art exhibition opens,or to make the best of a 7-day-tour in Italy. This book is written for the ones who have time, who want to taste, not just to bite and go. This is why I like the book:this is The book for the ones who are in tune ... Read More: Rating:  - Not for the average touristI was extremely disappointed in this book. Although undoubtedly a great literary work, it is necessary to appreciate the difficulty that an average tourist (like myself) would have in using the book. With massive amounts of inordinately detailed text on every entry, with no sub-headings or pointers for the wandering visitor, this book would be much more appropriate as an audio guide. It is next to impossible to fully appreciate your surroundings whilst reading the book as it is necessary to constantly refer to the text in order to maintain your bearings during the walks. The lack of pictures is appreciated since it gives the opportunity to really see things for the first time (so rare these days) however this does not compensate ... Read More: Rating: - Complete and in depth knowledgeAs someone who relies heavily on travel guides.I can say that this, for me is the best I have ever read. If you are interested in the history of the city and want to know more that the locals, this is the book for you. The books format is to divide the city up into two weeks worth of walks through the different parts of the city. It is not the usual guide book and you will need to buy both this and a DK eyewitness guide or something similar if you want the full benifit. Rating: - The eternal guide book of the Eternal CityI live and work in Rome and Georgina Masson's guide is the best I have read - no other guide book on Rome matches it. Written by someone who knows the city well and has lived here for a number of years, the book sets out, in chapters, a number of walks around Rome and has small, simple to use maps. The walks are not exhausting and each area is explained in considerable detail. The text is enlightened, excellently researched, entertaining and infomative. In addition, there is a comprehensive index from which you can find the appropriate piece of text for the site you are in. If you are a discerning traveller rather than an ignorant tourist you should be carrying a copy of this book on your next visit to the eternal city. |
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