Review of La Bella Lingua is by Susan Spalt

Some years ago I took a class in the history of the Italian language. It was somewhat difficult, as it was taught in Italian, but I learned so much about a language that I love, that I became completely absorbed in studying and reading.

Imagine my surprise when I came across a book that has much of the same information, and more, written in English! The book, La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales, is the story of one woman’s love affair with Italian. This book includes chapters on the history of Italian, including entertaining descriptions of Dante, Machiavelli and other famous Italian writers. There are also chapters which address the uniquely Italian approach to loving, eating, living, and even getting angry.

If you have ever wondered why In boca al lupo (In the mouth of the wolf) means good luck in Italian and buona fortuna (good luck) is considered unlucky—this is the book for you. It is highly entertaining and readable—and will be enjoyed whether you speak fluent Italian or just a few words.

The conventional wisdom about shoes for travel is to bring ones that are old and trusted. I have noticed that sometimes old shoes can be so worn that they no longer support my feet as I hike around new and wonderful places on my trips.

Some years ago I had a bout with plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot which most often causes severe heel pain. I learned from that experience to check the soles and arches of my shoes before a trip. It is usually possible to see where the soles are worn.

To check arch support is more difficult. I check by comparing my old shoes with a similar pair in the store. If I can tell a real difference I replace the shoes. It is important to do this far enough in advance of a trip to make sure the shoes are comfortable. Sandals may take longer to “break in” than tennis shoes.

Having had problems with my feet has made me appreciate their importance to any travel planning!

Do you every order a decaf drink and wonder if it is really decaf? If you are like me you try to limit the amount of caffeine you drink. I don’t worry too much when I am in the US since we tend to be obsessed with our caffeine intake and would call out a coffee shop if they deceived us. I do worry, however, when I travel.

I can drink some caffeine but too much and I am wired. Drink it too late in the day and I am up all night. That is where the Watersafe D+Caf Strips (caffeine test strips) come in. I heard about the Watersafe D+Caf Strips somewhere – on the news maybe or in a magazine. In any case I thought I would give them a try and they work!

When I order coffee in Italy I am never sure if I am actually ordering decaf and if I do manage to order something decaf I am not sure that is what I am getting. Watersafe D+Caf strips let me know for sure.

Here is what you do: Pour a little coffee in a spoon or some other small container, you only need a few drops, then take one of the Watersafe D+Caf strips and dip it in the coffee. If the liquid goes towards the D it is decaf, towards the C and you are drinking a caffeinated drink.

It’s the heat of Sicily in August that is the main character in the latest entry in Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano mystery Series. Montalbano is as melancholy as ever, but the heat is making him more morose. It is even too hot to eat.

Camilleri always interjects some new information about Sicily. In this case it is the heat of Sicily in August and the rather lax building codes that exist in this part of Italy (actually given what happen in L’Aquila after the earthquake this may be the case everywhere in Italy). There is also a rather short description of what happens on Montalbano's least favorite of holiday's: Ferragosto. Ferragosto, August 15, is Italy’s biggest holiday of the summer. It is a day off for almost everyone which leaves the beaches littered with trash and with garbage floating in the waters off Vigata.

Once again Montalbano takes long swims to escape the heat, defies the Italian bureaucracy and struggles with his complex relationship with his long suffering love Livia. As has been apparent in the last few Montalbano books the Inspector is feeling his age more and more and that perhaps is causing him to behave a little strangely and out of character. And as is the case in most of his books Camilleri cannot avoid taking a swipe at Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The Paper Moon is the ninth book in Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano series. Montalbano is the food loving inspector from the Sicilian town of Vigàta.

Paper Moon finds Montalbano in his normal melancholy mood, this time worried about his seemingly deteriorating memory and general fatigue that has set in. In fact, he now finds that he needs to set his alarm clock each morning rather than waking to his inner clock as he has done for most of his life.

The mystery here centers around a pharmaceutical salesman, Angelo Pardo, found dead in his rooftop sunroom with his zipper open. There are secret bank accounts, drugs, discrete and indiscrete love affairs and the musings of Montalbano on how two beautiful women could be involved in such a case. As is often the case in this series there is the suggestion of Mafia involvement in the circumstances surrounding the murder.

Traveling to new places or familiar ones is an exciting experience. Helping someone get ready for a trip and sharing in their excitement may not be as much fun as preparing for your own trip but it is still fun.

Giving a small gift to someone getting ready for a trip is a nice token that lets them know you are sharing in their excitement. Whether you are helping a novice traveler or someone who boards a plane weekly everyone can use a few travel gadgets to make their trip easier.

There are a few things to keep in mind when buying a travel gift. Gifts should be small; you don’t want to be the one to prevent your friend from only taking carry-on luggage. They should be inexpensive; you don’t want to give someone a gift they have to worry about if they lose it or it is stolen. Travel gifts should be lightweight; no one wants to lug around something that is going to weigh down their suitcase. And they should be useful; you don’t want to give a gift that is going to be left behind.

Up at the Villa is part travel journal, part cookbook (yes, there are recipes!) and part poetry book. There are even a few travel tips and language guides. It is just the kind of book I love because you never get bored reading it. Linda Dini Jenkins has done a superb job of capturing the joy of traveling whether it is a day trip or a two week adventure in Italy.

Jenkins is a storyteller and a poet which is an interesting combination in an author. Some of her stories read as poems and some of her poems tell a story. Ms Jenkins tells stories of traveling in groups or with her husband Tim both of which bring their own challenges and joys.

Anyone who has traveled will relate to the stories in Up at the Villa. I laughed out loud when she told the tale of arriving in Italy at the rental car agency only to find that instead of the smaller car her group had requested they were given a SUV – one that would be difficult, if not impossible to navigate in the narrow streets of the small towns in Italy. Having had a similar experience I found myself remembering and laughing at my own trip. Maybe that is what makes Up at the Villa so much fun is that the stories are so different and varied and common that everyone can relate to at least one of them whether they are experienced world travelers or never venture further than an overnight trip a few hours from home.

Travels in Italy are the primary theme of Up at the Villa, but there are also stories of trips to Paris, Brussels, Vermont and even South Orange, New Jersey (which happens to be where I was born).

Ok, so you waited until the last minute to learn Italian.  Now your trip is only a couple of weeks away and the most you can muster is “Grazie” and even that you are not sure you are pronouncing correctly. The Franklin TGA-495 12-Language Speaking Global Translator is the solution to your problem.

The Franklin TGA-495 12-Language Speaking Global Translator was selected as one of Time Magazine’s Best Travel Products. You can spend a lot on a translator but I don't think you get more for your money if you are a casual traveler. Some of the more expensive translators allow you to scan text, but unless you plan on translating Dante I am not sure that is a feature you will use.

Although 12 languages may be overkill I have not been able to find a translator that is only for Italian, so you may as well get a translator that will cover you should you find yourself in Japan on your way to Italy.

The Franklin TGA-495 12-Language Speaking Global Translator is small enough to fit in your pocket.  It is 3 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches and weighs only 0.6 ounces.

GPS systems were built for people like me and the Garmin nüvi 270 is the best for the price. I am pretty much lost the minute I get in my car. I do a little better on foot, but still you don’t want me to be the one responsible for getting a travel group from one place to the next unless it involves trains.

The Garmin nüvi 270 will help you navigate the small cities and towns of Italy as well as other places in Europe. The device is especially useful when you are driving as it keeps you from having to look at maps while you are trying to avoid speeding motorcycles and lumbering trucks on the narrow, winding roads in Italy.

Product Description for the Garmin nüvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator:

The nüvi 270 is built with a high-sensitivity WAAS-enabled GPS receiver for extreme accuracy, as well as an SD card slot for storing your media and additional navigation tools, and a USB interface for loading data. All this is wrapped up in a package that measures 3.8 x 2.8 x .8 inches (W x H x D) and weighs just 5.2 ounces. The nüvi 270's 3.5-inch (diagonal) display is touchscreen-enabled, making it a cinch to control the device with your fingertips.

A rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to five hours of battery life depending on use.
The nüvi 270 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, nüvi 270 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.

I consider my purchase of these JVC Noise Cancelling Headphones to be my best purchase of the year. When I fly I like to pretend I am not flying which is pretty hard to do when you have kids screaming, passengers ringing their service bell and pilots and flight attendants making those annoying announcements. These headphones block all that out (though I suggest you take them off or at least turn them off to hear the announcements just in case it is something important).

The headphones are very comfortable and lightweight. You can turn the noise cancelling feature off and use these as regular headphones which lets you hear what is going on around you including people speaking to you.

The JVC HANC250 Noise Cancelling Headphones use 1 AAA battery so make sure you put a couple extra in the storage bag so you will never be without a battery.

JVC HANC250 Noise Cancelling Headphones Product Description

The HANC250 is an extremely effective pair of noise-cancelling headphones, with 85% noise reduction with feedback technology, as well as memory foam cushion and extremely smooth ear-pad surface that isolate background noise effectively. They also function as a pair of normal headphones when turned off. Memory Foam cushion earpads Also function as regular headphones

Putumayo Presents: Italian Café is different from the Rough Guide to the Music of Italy. Whereas Rough Guide presents more traditional, folk music, Putumayo sounds like it is from the 1950’s through maybe the 1980’s or so. The music is fun and light.

I like the upbeat tempo of the Putumayo Presents CD. Not that you hear this type of music in the cafés these days but it does remind me of Italy even if it is the Italy of movies. When I listen to this CD I think of Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida and Dean Martin with a little Frank Sinatra thrown in.

Interestingly, most music was banned under the Italian fascists. I found the following interesting; it is from the product description:

“While most foreign music was banned under the Italian fascist regime, Fred Buscaglione wound up in a U.S. internment camp, where he was able to get a jumpstart in trying out the styles emerging from America. Quartetto Cetra emerged in the late ’40s, when they provided the overdubs for the Italian versions of the movies Dumbo and Wizard of Oz. The following decade found Renato Carosone blending Neapolitan folk music with American jazz and boogie-woogie to create a signature style that made him a household name in Italy and a chart-topping crooner in the U.S.

Nicola Arigliano is the only 1950s-era artist on Italian Café performing to this day. Born in 1923 in a small village in southern Italy, Arigliano ran away from home when he was just 11 years old to play music in the nightclubs of Milan. Arigliano disappeared from the concert stage for 30 years. In the past decade he re-emerged with four new albums.

Gianmaria Testa is more famous abroad than he is at home in Italy, where he works as a train station manager. You can hear his trademark gruff, whispering voice on two songs on Italian Café. Daniele Silvestri’s "Le Cose in Comune" won Italy’s equivalent of the Grammy, as best song of the year.

I love this CD! The Rough Guide to the Music of Italy is a great overview of traditional Italian music. This is not a Pizza Pie in the Sky That’s Amore kind of CD. There is no Dean Martin or Perry Como, not that they are bad. I love Perry Como he is from my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, but that is not what you will find on this CD.

The CD features a wide variety of Italian musical styles including a Tarantella. The Tarantella is actually an Italian folk dance that originated in the town of Taranto. When you hear the music associated with the Tarantella you will recognize it. Though a Tarantella is different in each region they all have the same basic upbeat tempo – it is the kind of music you often hear in pizza parlors.

The music on the Rough Guide to the Music of Italy comes from all over Italy. It is primarily traditional music though there are some contemporary styles. The songs are sung in Italian including a few of the lesser known dialects.

I downloaded the songs onto my iPod. Since I usually listen to my iPod on shuffle, especially when I am driving, it is fun to have songs from my Italian CD’s start playing at random.

I initially bought the Kensington 64343 Lock because I work at a University where laptop theft is a huge problem. After I bought it I thought well this was a good idea because now I can take it when I travel and lock my laptop up rather than trying to hide it in drawers and closets.

I was originally planning to order the Kensington ComboSaver Lock since it was one of Time Magazine’s top 25 travel gadgets. It got such bad reviews from users that I continued looking. When I saw one reviewer describe the Kensinton 64343 as robust I thought that’s it! Robust is what I need.

A big advantage of the Kensington 64343 is that it has keys rather than a number lock. Locks using numbers can be difficult to unlock as anyone who has spent 10 minutes at their health club trying to open their locker knows.

The last thing I need is to be unable to unlock my computer that would be both embarrassing and maddening. I have not had to do this yet, but you can get replacement keys if you lose yours.

Engineers love Venice – a completely man-made environment rising from the sea, with no visible means of support. Romantics revel in its atmosphere of elegant decay, seeing the peeling plaster and seaweed-covered stairs as a metaphor for beauty in decline. And first-time visitors are often stirred deeply, awaking from their ordinary lives to a fantasy world unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. –Reprinted from Rick Steves’ Venice, Italy

Pages: 352 pages

Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches

Weight: 13.6 ounces

Maps: Rick Steves includes hand drawn maps in his books which can be helpful in showing you the layout of an area but are not helpful in getting you to a specific place, especially in larger cities where more street names and landmarks would be helpful. You will definitely need a supplemental street map to accompany those in this book.

Pictures: There are no photographs to speak of

In few places can it be claimed that the entire city is one panoramic work of art. There seems barely a building in Venice that does not contain hundreds of years of precious historical testimony. Of course, much changed down the centuries. A great deal of the city’s early Romanesque and Byzantine buildings were swept away to make room for Gothic splendours. – Reprinted from Lonely Planet Venice and the Veneto

Pages: 308 pages

Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 9.6 ounces

Maps: The maps in the Lonely Planet books are the best I have found in any guidebooks. There are city maps, regional maps and a country map. You can actually use the street maps to find your way around a city.

Pictures: There are a limited number of photos.

Ever since Grand Tourists invaded in the 18th century, Rome has been a major tourist attraction. Every year millions of visitors pour into town, lured by a reputation that modern advertisers would be pushed to improve.

The city’s main gateway is Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (aka Fiumicino), although if you are flying with a low-cost European airline you’ll probably land at Ciampino. Both are well connected with the city centre. Once in town, you will find the centre is best explored on foot – it’s not big and the streets are wonderfully vibrant. – Reprinted from Lonely Planet Rome, Italy

Pages: 322 pages

Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches

Weight: 11.4 ounces

Maps: The maps in the Lonely Planet books are the best I have found in any guidebooks. There are city maps, regional maps and a country map. You can actually use the street maps to find your way around a city.

Pictures: There are a limited number of photos.

Italy has created many of the world’s most sublime works of art, literature, and architecture, spawned some of the greatest empires of the ancient and medieval world, and since World War II, has emerged as one of Europe’s wealthiest and more economically vibrant countries. It also designs and produces many of the world’s most exquisite fashions, has evolved one of the world’s finest cuisines and posses a medley of landscapes as beautiful and varied as any in Europe. Few cultures are as beguiling, and few countries are as rich and endlessly fascinating.- Reprinted from National Geographic Italy

Pages: 400

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches

Weight: 1.4 pounds

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

Florence, Italy is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It is known for it's art and architecture and the thousands of tourists that traipse through the city each year. At first glance the city appears dark and gothic but there are a number of green spaces and of course the Arno River. Touring churches, art museums, palazzi and visiting stores both expensive and not so expensive are favorite activities of vistors to Florence. But the thing I like best about Florence is that there is so much free entertainment from listening to musicians perform near the Uffizi or on the Ponte Vecchio to watching the people in one of the many Piazze.

Pages: 210

Dimensions: 8 x 4.7 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 9.6 ounces

Maps: Detailed street maps of Florence and Siena

Pictures: Good pictures of most major sites

Tuscany is a storybook landscape, home to medieval hill towns, fabled wines and, as crucible of the Renaissance, an unrivaled collection of artistic masterpieces. - Reprinted from the Top 10 Travel Guide for Tuscany

Pages: 160 pages

Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches

Weight: 7.5 ounces

Maps: There are very small maps of Tuscany and Florence and an even smaller one of Siena.You will need a supplemental map of Florence to help you get around the city.

Pictures: These books have pictures though because the books are small, most of the pictures are small

Florence overflows with art and architecture, a city-size shrine to the Renaissance whose streets and galleries are filled with the paintings and sculptures of Europe’s greatest artistic flowering. – Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 336

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches

Weight: 1.3 pounds

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps.  Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

The uniquely romantic city of Venice was built entirely on water and has managed to survive into the 21st century without cars. Narrow alleyways and canals pass between sumptuous palaces and magnificent churches, colorful neighborhood markets and quiet backwaters, unchanged for centuries. – Reprinted from Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide for Venice

Pages: 160 pages

Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches

Weight: 7.5 ounces

Maps: There are very small maps of Venice including one showing the vaporetto routes.

Pictures: These books have pictures though because the books are small, most of the pictures are small

The Flip Video Camcorder is the new must have gadget. Oprah, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal say so and they can’t all be wrong. You can watch Oprah backstage with her Flip Video on YouTube.

The Flip Video allows you to capture memories as they happen. This pocket-sized gadget is a camcorder that lets you capture video images everywhere and anywhere. With a Flip Video you can take a video of the view from your hotel in the Cinque Terre to send to your co-workers slaving at their desks. At home you can take a video of your baby’s first steps and send them to grandparents within minutes of that first tentative toe touching the ground.

Northwest Italy boasts major cities, but its greatest lures are sublime food and wine, its many outdoor activities, and the beauty of its magnificent mountain and coastal landscapes. - Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 12.8 ounces

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

Venice is a city beyond description and compare.  Or as the English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning put it in 1851: “Nothing is like it; nothing is equal to it, not a second Venice in the world.” – Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 272

Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 1.1 pounds

Maps: Regional Venice, Italy maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

If you get it right, traveling in Tuscany and Umbria is one of those rare experiences in life – like a perfect spring day or the power of first love – that cannot be overrated. Despite incessant praise, the bellezza (beauty) of this region continues to defy description, for Tuscany and Umbria, it seems really do have it all; extraordinary art and architecture; colorful festivals; a season-driven cuisine emulated the world over; and a never-ending landscape of olive groves, vineyards, and poplars. In few places do art and life intermingle so completely. –Reprinted from Lonely Planet Tuscany and Umbria, Italy

Pages: 444 pages

Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches

Weight: 11.2 ounces

Maps: The maps in the Lonely Planet books are the best I have found in any guidebooks. There are city maps, regional maps and a country map. You can actually use the street maps to find your way around a city.

Pictures: The Lonely Planet books have some photographs and sketches.

Palermo is a city that’s quite apart from the rest of Sicily’s urban spaces. Though it’s on the traditional end of the scale, it carries with it a sense of unpredictability and adventure: its streets are jam-packed with traffic; its markets are a hive of hollers, smells and countless gastronomic offerings; the winding, palazzo- strewn streets of the old quarter contrast with the wide boulevards and glam shops of the new town. It’s a European city with a chaotic nature and a penchant for rule bending. –Reprinted from Lonely Planet Sicily, Italy

Pages: 332 pages

Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches

Weight: 11.2 ounces

Maps: The maps in the Lonely Planet books are the best I have found in any guidebooks. There are city maps, regional maps and a country map. You can actually use the street maps to find your way around a city.

Pictures: The Lonely Planet books have some photographs and sketches.

Rome is an unforgettable city. Still, we sometimes need a book to jog our memories. “Four Seasons in Rome” is just that book.

And if you have never been to Rome? This is the book to get you to save your pennies so you can make the journey.

Mr. Doerr does a wonderful job of relating the feel and uniqueness of each season in Rome. This book is at times thought provoking and inspiring. The book manages to be all this in just a little over 200 pages.

I have started downloading podcasts of Italian lessons to my iPod and it is working very well. I can listen to the podcasts while I am taking a walk or traveling.  Of course, people look at me oddly since I am talking to myself while I walk. There are a bunch of free podcasts you can subscribe to at iTunes if you have an iPod.

Many sites other than iTunes also offer free and subscription based podcasts. I subscribe to the free ones and if I like them I either make a donation to that organization or if they have a higher level subscription rate that adds value I will buy that.

You could keep visiting Italy for the rest of your life and still not exhaust all it has to offer. It’s a treasure chest of art, a living tableau of human history, a culinary delight and a natural wonder with everything from craggy mountains and glistening glaciers to sparkling seas and golden beaches. –Reprinted from Lonely Planet Italy

Pages: 926 pages

Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.5 inches

Weight: 1.5 pounds

Maps: The maps in the Lonely Planet books are the best I have found in any guidebooks. There are city maps, regional maps and a country map.  You can actually use the street maps to find your way around a city.

Pictures: The Lonely Planet books have some photographs and sketches.

Rome is a city of popes, emperors, romance, sunny days, and fountain filled piazzas; a city filled with museums, galleries, churches, and glorious monuments to almost a thousand years of empire. – Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 272

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 1.1 pounds

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

The best of Florence lies mostly on the north bank of the Arno River. The main historical sites cluster around the redbrick dome of the cathedral (Duomo). Everything is within a 20-minute walk of the train station, cathedral, or Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). The less impressive but more characteristic Oltrarno area (south bank) is just over the bridge. Though small, Florence is intense.–Reprinted from Rick Steves’ Florence and Tuscany

Pages: 408 pages

Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 1 inches

Weight: 1.1 pounds

Maps: Rick Steves includes hand drawn maps in his books which can be helpful in showing you the layout of an area but are not helpful in getting you to a specific place, especially in larger cities where more street names and landmarks would be helpful. You will definitely need a supplemental street map to accompany those in this book.

Pictures: There are no photographs to speak of

Rome is magnificent and brutal at the same time. It’s a showcase of Western civilization, with astonishingly ancient sites and a modern vibrancy. But if you are careless, you’ll be rundown or pick-pocketed. And with the wrong attitude you will be frustrated, by the kind of chaos that only an Italian can understand. On my last visit, a cabbie struggling with traffic said, “ Roma Chaos”. I responded, “Bella Chaos”. He agreed.

While Paris is an urban garden, Rome is a tangled forest. – Reprinted from Rick Steves’ Rome, Italy

Pages: 376 pages

Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches

Weight: 12.8 ounces

Maps: Rick Steves includes hand drawn maps in his books which can be helpful in showing you the layout of an area but are not helpful in getting you to a specific place, especially in larger cities where more street names and landmarks would be helpful. You will definitely need a supplemental street map to accompany those in this book.

Pictures: There are no photographs to speak of

Italy is the cradle of European civilization, established by the Roman Empire and carried on by the Roman Catholic Church. As a traveler there, you’ll see some of the world’s most iconic images from the 2,000-year history: the Coloseum of Ancient Rome, the medieval Leaning Tower of Pisa, Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Venus that signal the Renaissance, the Trevi Fountain, and the Italian city that preserves this legacy in a state of elegant decay – Venice.

Beyond these famous sites, though, Italy offers Europe’s richest culture. Traditions still live within a country that is vibrant and fully modern. Go with an eye open to both the Italy of the past and of the present. –Reprinted from Rick Steves’ Italy

Pages: 800 pages

Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches

Weight: 1 pounds

Maps: Rick Steves includes hand drawn maps in his books which can be helpful in showing you the layout of an area but are not helpful in getting you to a specific place, especially in larger cities where more street names and landmarks would be helpful. You will definitely need a supplemental street map to accompany those in this book.

Pictures: There are no photographs to speak of

La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind, Review submitted by Susan Willey Spalt

La Bella Figura Field Guide to the Italian Mind is a fascinating exploration of Italian life as told by an Italian author as he takes his readers on a ten day “tour of Italy.” Severgnini is also the author of Cioa America, which humorously chronicles his family’s time in Washington, DC.

Severgnini’s observations are as funny as they are true. The quirks and glories of Italia are explained: Why it is immoral to drink cappuccino after 10 AM; why one never puts cheese on clam sauce; why one does not eat meat and pasta in the same course. He also explores such topics as the art and confusion of Italian conversation, Italian holidays and the perils of Italian traffic.

Rome is over 3,000 years old: that’s a lot of history. Ruins from ancient Rome are everywhere. You will be walking down a street and see an ancient column roped off right next to a very modern parking meter. Churches, ruins, fountains, piazze and the Vatican are all popular places for visitors, both local and foreign.

Pages: 192 pages

Dimensions: 7.5 x 3.9 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 5.6 ounces

Maps: There is a map of Rome, but it is very small.  You will need a supplemental map of Rome to help you get around the city

Pictures: These books have pictures though because the books are small, most of the pictures are small

The island of Sicily is Italy’s largest region and is also it’s most varied. In terms of geography, there are offshore islands, endless coastline, rugged mountains, rolling Wheatfield’s and volcano’s, but its history and architecture are also of note. Sicily formed a significant part of the Greek empire, was strategically vital to Rome, and was invaded by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Spanish and Bourbons, before unifying with Italy. Each conquest left its mark, to create a palimpsest of cultures on the island. - Reprinted from the Eyewitness Top 10 Guide to Sicily

Pages: 160 pages

Dimensions: 7.5 x 4 x 0.5 inches

Weight: 6.4 ounces

Maps: There is a map of Sicily and a street map of central Palermo and a very small almost unreadable map of Siracusa

Pictures: These books have pictures though because the books are small, most of the pictures are small

The Rough Guide to Italy is your ultimate handbook to one of Europe''s most beautiful countries. From the capitoline museums in Rome and the stylish shops of Milan to eating Pizza in Naples and watching the spectacular Palio race in Siena, this guide captures all of Italy’s highlights in a full colour introduction. The top hotels, bars and restaurants are all uncovered in the detailed listings section with the new ‘Author’s Pick’ feature highlighting the very best options. The guide also takes a detailed look at Italy’s history, art and groundbreaking film industry and comes complete with maps and plans for every area. The Rough Guide to Italy is like having a local friend plan your trip! – Reprinted from Amazon.com

Pages: 1224 pages

Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches

Weight: 1.5 pounds

Maps: Excellent maps by city and region

Pictures: Very few pictures

Rome, Italy is over 3,000 years old: that’s a lot of history. Ruins from ancient Rome are everywhere. You will be walking down a street and see an ancient column roped off right next to a very modern parking meter. Churches, ruins, fountains, piazze are all popular places for visitors, both local and foreign.

Pages: 216

Dimensions: 8 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 10.4 ounces

Maps: Detailed street maps of Rome, including Vatican City. A metro/subway map is located on the inside of the back cover

Pictures: Good pictures of most of the major sites

It is no mystery why Venice, Italy appears on many lists as the number one “dream destination” of people planning a foreign vacation. Venice is mysterious, romantic and well a little intimidating without some help from a guidebook. The canals combined with narrow alleyways create an extraordinary city.

Pages: 214

Dimensions: 8 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 11.2 ounces

Maps: Detailed street maps of Venice. A map of boat routes is located on the inside of the back cover. Venice is a very difficult city to navigate and I have yet to find a map that can get me where I want to be. I generally get around my taking note of landmarks on my route.

Pictures: Good pictures of most major sites

It was a dark and stormy night, not to mention cold and icy at the start of the 14th book in Donna Leon’s “Blood from a Stone” featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti.

Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti takes on the murder of a street vendor. Anyone who has ever been to Venice, or New York City for that matter, has seen street vendors selling fake pocketbooks and other fashion accessories. In this mystery, Donna Leon tells us how these illegal immigrants live and survive in Venice.

Southern Italy boasts active volcanoes, the sublime landscapes of Capri and Amalfi, mountains that are still the haunt of bears and wolves, the country’s most famous ancient site – Pompeii – and historic cities such as Naples and Lecce. – Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 15.2 ounces

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

PlanetFone came through for me once again. I recently visited Italy with two friends. Because there were three of us traveling together we rented hotel suites and apartments.

I decided to rent a phone from PlanetFone because of my experience with them when my sister had her purse stolen in Termini Train Station in Rome. My traveling companions agreed it was a good idea.One has a parent who is quite ill and she wanted a phone number where she could be contacted in case of an emergency.

Once again PlanetFone came to the rescue.  We rented an apartment in Venice that was near the Rialto Bridge, but to get to the apartment you have to walk through a number of winding streets, cross a few bridges, well you get the picture. If you have ever been to Venice you know how easy it is to get lost.

The Romantik Hotel Villa Pagoda is located in Nervi, Italy just outside of Genoa. The hotel is in a renovated 200 year old villa. I lived in Nervi as a child and was eager to stay there on one of my trips to Italy. There are not many hotels located in Nervi so I was excited when I found the Hotel Villa Pagoda.

I recently stayed there with two other friends. We rented a small suite with 2 single beds and a small sitting area that had a day bed. We also had a large bathroom that was clean and well-stocked with toiletries. The shower was comfortable but not as large as you would find in hotels in the US.

The nicest thing about our rooms were the three windows, two of which looked out on the Mediterranean Sea.

The hotel has its own private walkway (about 100 yards) down to the Anita Garibaldi promenade. The promenade runs along the rocky shore for about a mile, from the old harbor to Capolungo Village. There are a number of restaurants with good food and spectacular views along the promenade.

Finally, Teva sandals you can wear on your next hike and out to dinner after. These Teva sandals have the traditional straps you find on Teva's but the straps look like leather (I have no idea if they are actually made of leather or not). Because they look like leather these Teva's can be dressed up or dressed down.

Like most Teva's, the Teva Leather 2 Sandals are waterproof, so there is no need to worry about getting them wet whether you are walking in the rain or hiking through puddles.

The Teva Leather 2 Sandals are perfect if you are trying to pack light for your next trip because you can wear them all day and out for a night on the town.

Looking for a gift for someone who loves Italy? Check out one of the following:

A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany: Exploring and Eating off the Beaten Track is a gem of a book. Author Beth Elon takes readers through the few parts of Tuscany that have not yet been discovered by the thousands (or is it millions?) of tourists that visit Italy every year. The reader will be transported into the kitchens of more than 50 restaurants where cooks reveal their recipes.

The book is divided into sections organized by the different regions of Tuscany; with some jaunts into what I believe is Liguria. The regional sections begin with explanations of what makes Tuscan cooking so unique. You'll read about a bean so beloved by a village that it's been elevated to cult status-but that is totally unheard of a few kilometers down the road and the endless array of vegetable tarts found only in Lunigiana and Garfagnana.

Ms Elon has organized ten itineraries that include stops at gourmet shops, food festivals, greenmarkets, and private kitchens. She includes recipes and descriptions of different regions, along the way pointing out overlooked art, architecture, historic sites, churches and museums.

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2006: The Travel Skills Handbook (Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door)

Rick Steves is a well-known author of European travel books. I have been using his guidebooks for at least 10 years and find them to be among the best of the many books available.

When I first started using Rick's guidebooks he was much less well known than he is today. Ten years ago it was possible to visit places he recommended without seeing hoards of other Americans. Unfortunately his popularity has grown to the point where one mention by him and people start to flock to what were once out of the way areas.

Nevertheless, I still recommend his books for the common sense advice that they provide. Before traveling to Europe for the first time in a long time I read "Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door" and found the advice invaluable. I still highly recommend this book for anyone going to Europe for the first time.

It must be the weather in Venice that makes Commissario Brunetti of the Venice police so melancholy. Donna Leon paints a picture of Venice that is both dreary and wonderfully mysterious. Her mystery series shows us the city that tourists see as they spend their 2 allotted days visiting the Doge Palace and St. Mark's cathedral and the city that the natives both love and hate.

This is the Venice where it rains so much that planks are laid out over the piazze to save shoes when the water rises to knee height. The winding alleys and streets and the maze of canals are vividly described in each of Donna Leon's books.

It is interesting to read a story that takes place in a city where everything depends on the water. Water, that as Commissario Brunetti describes it, you would not even want to stick your hand in because it is so polluted. Vaporetto's are labeled like New Yorkers label their buses. You catch the number 5 boat at one corner to be dropped off at another.

Rome, Italy Hotel Description: The Hotel Genio is located within a stone's throw of Piazza Navona. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk to this beautiful Piazza know for its famous Bernini statue, The Four Rivers.

The easy access to Piazza Navona also means easy access to numerous restaurants. Though the restaurants can be touristy, they still offer good food and good people watching opportunities. On the quick walk to the Piazza Navona you will pass a glass encased view of Roman ruins. As often happens in Rome, you just happen upon structures from ancient times with little warning.

The best thing about the Hotel Genio in Rome is the rooftop terrace. From the roof you can look over Rome in all directions. You can see the domes and spires of churches all over the city. There is a particularly beautiful view of St. Peter's. A metal, spiral staircase takes you to the top level of the roof so you can be above many of the surrounding buildings.

Taormina, Sicily Hotel Description: The first thing you need to know about the Hotel Caparena is that it is located on the beach and not in the center of the town. The second thing you need to know is that a train runs about 40 yards in front of the hotel and you will hear the train day and night if you leave your windows open. Having said that the beach is beautiful and closing your windows keeps out the noise of the train.

The Hotel Caparena is located about a 15 minute car ride from the center of town. The hotel runs a shuttle that will drop you off and pick you up but you need to call the reception desk well in advance to let them know you will be taking the shuttle. The shuttle holds about 6 people so if the hotel is crowded you may have trouble getting a spot. The staff at the reception desk will call you a taxi which costs about 12€ each way. You can easily catch a taxi back to the hotel from the center of town.

The train station for Taormina is located quite a distance from the center of town.  The hotel was actually closer to the train station than a hotel in town would be. The taxi to the hotel cost 16€.

If you want a view of the sea you need to ask for it or you could end up with a view of the road.

You will find this hotel listed under different names: Hotel Lido Caparena, Hotel Caparena, Caparena Hotel, Hotel Caparena and Wellness Club, Lido Caparena, etc.

Is Sicilian Inspector Montalbano retiring? Say it's not so! In his seventh Inspector Montalbano mystery Andrea Camilleri continues his entertaining series set in Sicily.

With frustrations increasing over his department's actions while providing security at the G8 summit in Genova, Montalbano becomes disillusioned and considers retiring. He is beginning to feel old and to add to his miseries his favorite restaurant has closed. For someone who analyzes, evaluates and enjoys his food with a zeal found only in italy this is a true disaster.

Just in the nick of time Montalbano discovers a corpse. Actually he bumps into it while taking a swim in an attempt to relax and put his frustrations behind him. This discovery arouses his curiosity and he begins to investigate the death.

What could be better than a culinary trip through Southern Italy, including Sicily? Wait! Southern Italy? Like many people who have spent time in Italy, I usually mean northern Italy when I talk about my favorite country. Like many Italians, I have had the same prejudices about Southern Italy.

I have not explored much of Southern Italy, but my recent trip to Sicily was such a beautiful experience, not to mention a delicious one, that my curiosity and my appetite is whetted to see other parts of the Italian South.

This desire has been heigthtened by Salute!, a book by Gail and Kevin Donovan, and Simon Griffiths, with Robert Castellani, which describes a fascinating trip through much of Southern Italy and Sicily. The authors include a husband and wife team, a chef who runs a restaurant in Australia, and a photographer.

International cell phone rentals are the way to go for US residents traveling abroad. International cell phones are very expensive for US residents and don't make sense for most of us. If you travel internationally only a few times a year and then only for pleasure, international cell phone rental is the answer.

My sister rented a PlanetFone when were traveling in Rome. I have to admit that I was more than a little skeptical but it turned out to be a lifesaver when her wallet was stolen in Termini Train station. She was able to call her husband from the train and he cancelled all their credit cards before the train left the station.

PlanetFone makes international cell phone rental easy and convenient. In our case, my sister was in New York City for a wedding and the phone was delivered to the address where she was staying. When she returned home she put the international cell phone in the mail and the deal was complete.

It took me many years of traveling all over the world to learn that I cannot travel with any less than three pairs of shoes and that one of those pairs of shoes should be Teva Sandals. Rick Steves recommends that women take no more than two pairs of shoes. I say you can take at least three pairs of shoes and still travel with only carry-on luggage. I never check luggage on my way to a travel destination and I always take three pairs of shoes.

I resisted buying my first pair of Teva's for years, but now I am a convert. I am a shoe person; I have three closets and one basket full of shoes. I still do not find Teva’s to be particularly appealing, but I have to say for comfort and practicality you cannot go wrong with Teva's.

At the start of Sarah Dunant's novel, In the Company of the Courtesan, it is 1527 and Rome is being sacked by Spanish and German invaders. Fiammetta Bianchini, a successful Courtesan and her business manager Bucino Teodoldo, a dwarf are forced to flee Rome for the flourishing economy of Venice.

Fiammetta and Bucino swallow their jewels and hide a locked book, the contents of which is unknown to them. After what can only be described as a few "uncomfortable days" the swallowed jewels reappear and finance the start of their new lives in Venice.

Sarah Dunant has an amazing ability to develop unlikely but likeable characters. In addition to the courtesan and dwarf there is a mysterious Turk and a blind healer. In Rome this high priced prostitute's customers were cardinals, popes and other members of the church. In Venice she "services" merchants and members of the government.

How can you not love a novel that has a tattooed nun, the monk Savonarola, Lorenzo the Magnificant and all the intrigue of 15th century Florence? The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant is one of the best historical fiction novels that I have ever read, and I have read a lot of them.

Sarah Dunant's writing conjures up what life in Florence, Italy would have been like at a time when wealthy families hired artists to paint their private family chapels and Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella were places of worship and not primarily tourist attractions.

The Birth of Venus begins when Alessandra Cecchi is a precocious adolescent who has not yet realized that women of her time do not have any choices in life. This is an age when women are married off to men who can help improve the status of the family with no consideration given to their happiness. Personal freedom is something that women dare not consider even in their dreams.

About Sicily, Travellers in an Ancient Island by David D. Hume is like a wonderful stroll around the ancient island of Sicily. The book describes a trip around the island of Sicily David Hume and his wife Cathy took. The reader is provided not so much with the information found in a guidebook, but with an understanding of how to approach travel in Sicily.

About Sicily, Travellers in an Ancient Island was written by David D. Hume in 1999. Part travel guide, history and essay, David Hume provides you with a good feeling for the island of Sicily. About Sicily, Travellers in an Ancient Island is a good companion book to Sicily: An Illustrated History by Joseph Privitera which is filled with historical facts and has little commentary.

In the process of reading About Sicily, Travelllers in an Ancient Island, the reader learns about both the history and present-day life in Sicily itself. You will come away with a strong desire to book a ticket straight-away to this ancient Island.

Rome, Italy Hotel Description: The Hotel Ces� ri is located on a quiet street, more of an alley or pedestrian walkway than a street. For convenience to the major sites in Rome you will not find a better place to stay than the Hotel Ces� ri. Situated between the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon this hotel is only 100 yards from each. Tremendous and tremendously expensive shopping is available nearby on the Via Condotti, Via Veneto and Piazza di Spagna. The Piazza Navona is a 10 minute walk from the Hotel Ces� ri.

Many hotels in Rome, Italy have long histories and the Hotel Ces� ri is no exception. This hotel has been in existence since 1787 when it was first granted a license. A favorite of Stendhal, Mazzini, Gregorovius and Garibaldi the Hotel Ces� ri has been run by the Palumbo family since 1899.

Sicily: An Illustrated History by Joseph Privitera is a small and very readable book.  Dr. Privitera does an admirable job of giving a detailed history of Sicily - a daunting task. Sicily has been a part of many cultures and civilizations, with a history that goes back more than 2,000 years.

Sicily: An Illustrated History gives a good overview of the island, including a description of the Sicilian language, and the origins of the Mafia. The book also describes Sicily's fierce terrain and the impact earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have had on its convoluted and dramatic history. The book starts with the Phoenician and Greek (735 B.C.) settlements and takes you up to present day Sicily.

The Apple iPod is not just another MP3 player it's a revolution. The storage capacity and ease of use that the Apple iPod provides is amazing.

Why is a travel site talking about Apple iPod’s? Because when you travel you inevitably have some down time especially when you travel overseas. It is a long flight and you can only watch so many reruns of old American sitcoms. The flight will go much faster if you sit back and plug into your Apple iPod. What's more, you will not be forced to listen to the chatter of your fellow passengers or worse their snoring.

Traveling alone? The Apple iPod will keep you company. Traveling with a group? Let the Apple iPod give you a break from your travel companions. The Apple iPod is small enough to fit in your pocket and light weight enough that you can take it with you wherever you go.

All the recent buzz about MP3 Players has been about the Apple line of iPods and they are by far the most exciting. If you purchase one of the higher end iPods you can download most of your CD collection and will be free to listen to your CD's no matter where you are.

I travel frequently and always take a MP3 player with me. It helps to have something to listen to on long trips whether you are in a plane, train or on a boat. Having music around you can help relieve the tedium of travel and also block out unwanted noise.

When you use an MP3 player for things like working out one of the cheaper models which holds about 50 songs is fine. When you are tired of those songs you can download different ones. Once you start listening to your MP3 player for longer periods you will want one that can hold more songs. This is especially true if you are traveling and will not be able to download different songs.

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About the Apple iPod Shuffle

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About the Apple iPod Nano

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About the Apple iPod Video

Good news for lovers of Italy and readers of mysteries! Italian author Andrea Camilleri’s Montalbano mysteries are now being translated into English by Stephen Sartarelli. Camilleri has a huge international following for his Sicilian mysteries featuring Inspector Montalbano a nonconformist policeman working in the fictional town of Vig� ta.

Detective Montalbano is as committed to finding the ultimate meal as he is to solving crime, though he tends to do both in spite of himself. These novels are peopled with eccentric characters who add life and often death to the mysteries to be solved. Andrea Camilleri’s humorous story-telling skills will keep you reading long after your bed-time.