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WEBSITE REVIEW: Italy Eyewitness Travel Guides DK Publishers, 2003. 672 pgs. After a trip to Italy, I must write a review of Italy, a travel guide, published as part of the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide series. This invaluable guide helped my wife and I get the most out of our trip Northern and Central Italy because it is full of valuable information, presented in a clear and attractive format. Full of three-dimensional drawings, detailed neighborhood maps, timelines, and plans of various buildings, as well as brief descriptions of various cities and sites, the book will appeal to those who find visual information more appealing than thick textual descriptions. And while the book is helpful while traveling, I believe, it is best for planning a trip and for getting an appreciative overview of the sights before visiting the country. The book starts with an introduction to Italy, providing an overview of the country's art, literature, music and culture. Each page is colorfully illustrated with many pictures of paintings, buildings, and statutes as well as drawings that provide the reader with insights on various topics. For example, on a page describing "The Golden Age of Rome," the reader will view a statute of Augustus, a household shrine, and an illustration of a house of the Vetti, which is cut-away to show the various rooms and architectural features of the building. While none of the introductions offer the depth of a genuine history or art book, they do offer insightful facts and illustrations that can enhance a tourist's appreciation of Italy. After the introduction, the majority of the book is divided by geographical regions: Northeast Italy, Northwest Italy, Central Italy, Rome and Lazio, and Southern Italy. Many cities are profiled in detail throughout these sections. For instance, Venice is described in 50 pages where one can get an introduction to Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the Accademia, and much more. While none of these introductions is meant as a comprehensive description, each offers the reader interesting facts and colored illustrations of important highlights. For example, the pages devoted to the Scuola di San Rocco provide the visitor with brief paragraphs describing each floor, a key to the titles and subjects of each painting, and several pictures and details of key works of art. A visitor's checklist includes the address, a key to a map, telephone number, and hours of operations, all updated yearly. The guidebook has many interesting segments. One segment introduces the traveler to the wines of central Italy while another presents the regional food of southern Italy. Of course, there are numerous color illustrations, always surrounded by captions and a brief paragraph describing what one is seeing. While these descriptions are brief, I was surprised how many contained interesting facts that enhanced our trip. For instance, an introduction to the Sistine Chapel describes the restoration of the ceiling during which restorers used computers, photography, and spectrum technology to distinguish Michelangelo's work from the work of previous restorers. The guidebook contains many valuable features for the traveler. Appealing to modern tastes for visuals, the book contains over 2000 photographs, illustrations and maps. There are also cutaways and floor plans of major sights. Tourists will appreciate the many walks, scenic routes, and thematic tours presented throughout the book as well as the advice on where to eat, where to stay, and how to get around the major cities and the many small villages of Italy, all of which is annually revised. Critics may claim that, as with most DK publications, photographs and illustrations dominate over detailed content, and while this is true, I found that as a general guidebook, Italy was both comprehensive and interesting. When we visited a new town, my wife and I found it easier to purchase a local map, which was lighter and usually easier to read and more detailed than the one's provided in the guidebook. Also, we never expected the guidebook to be a detailed account of each sight; for that purpose, we usually purchased books dedicated to a specific city or site. As an attractive introduction to Italy for planning our trip and as useful guide while traveling, my wife and I found DK's Italy both easy to use and interesting. Others may prefer a more detailed and textual guidebook, but for many travelers, this colorfully illustrated book, full of interesting facts and concise introductions, will be a valuable introduction to Italy. Vince Piro is a member of Brach 39 and can be reached at vfp@aol.com (This review by Vince originally was published in July of 2004. ) Italian Catholic Federation, 8393 Capwell Drive, Suite 110, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE