Blue Guide Rome (Ninth Edition) (Blue Guides) [Paperback]

Alta Macadam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2006 | Series: Blue Guides

"Often plagiarized by other guide writers, Blue Guides have always been a gold standard for accuracy and depth."—Daily Telegraph.

The best, most comprehensive guide to one of the world's most intriguing cities. With detailed walking tours and helpful guides to the abundance of art, this is an essential guide for anyone interested in an in-depth view of Rome. Color photographs, maps, floor plans, diagrams

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alta Macadam is a Florence-based art historian who has been writing some of the Blue Guides’ best-known titles for many years. Her Americans in Florence was published in 2003.

Product Details

• Paperback: 623 pages
• Publisher: Blue Guide; Ninth Edition edition (April 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393328872
• ISBN-13: 978-0393328875
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Probably too dense to take along, July 7, 2007

By 

John Knutsen (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Guide Rome (Ninth Edition) (Blue Guides) (Paperback)

On his website, travel guru Rick Steves says that Blue Guides take "a dry and scholarly approach to the countries of Europe. They're ideal if you want to learn as much about history, art, architecture, and culture as you possibly can." This is basically true, though I much prefer a "dry and scholarly" tone to Rick's "nerdy and precious" style. He's great when it comes to practical tips, but he can't touch the historical, artistic and architectural content of the Blue Guides.

Blue Guides pack a tremendous amount of information into their pages, much more than any other guide I've used. They're wonderful for reading before and after your trip, but they're probably too dense to pack and take along for most people. Before leaving on my honeymoon to Italy, I photocopied the relevant pages of the Northern Italy book to avoid having to pack it because I knew I wouldn't be visiting most of the cities it covers. On that trip I field-tested three guides: Rick Steves, Eyewitness, and Blue Guide.

Blue Guides are not good to use as your main guide. They're far too light on practical matters such as maps, directions, hotels and restaurants, and they're not updated every year. I used Eyewitness to plan and get around and then pulled out the Blue Guide once I reached a major site. I used Rick Steves so little and found him so unhelpful that I left his books behind in hotels along the way.

Blue Guides have come a long way over the years. I was given an older edition of the Rome guide many years ago, and I couldn't believe how small the print was; it had a lot of detail but would have been very difficult to use while traveling. The publishers have learned their lesson: the current edition of the Rome guide is far easier to use and much more attractive, with colorful maps and an easier-to-read format. They've improved on the practical aspects as well, but you'll probably be in trouble if you rely on this book to get around in Rome. I recommend packing a more comprehensive one-volume guide such as Eyewitness and using Blue Guide to learn about specific sites once the other guide gets you to them. Keep Blue Guide on your shelf as an attractive reference and let it inspire you to return to Rome in the future!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to keep, July 4, 2006

By 

K. Mitova (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Guide Rome (Ninth Edition) (Blue Guides) (Paperback)

The best guide available for those who plan to spend a longer time in Rome. It can also be used as a reference source by art historians, architects, and archeologists. Well-structured, well-written. It's printed on high quality paper, which makes it a little too heavy to carry, but this is how such books should be published -- you wouldn't like to part with your Blue Guide at the end of your trip.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent update of classic guidebook, January 4, 2007

By 

Steven C. Porter "umqhele" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Guide Rome (Ninth Edition) (Blue Guides) (Paperback)

I have used the Blue Guides all over Europe, frequently in the older French-language versions, and have found them exceptional. My Rome Blue Guide was the 1978 version and is still very functional. However with the amazing upgrades to all of Rome for the millenium I thought I'd try this 9th edition of the Blue Guide on my second trip in 2006. It is great: better graphics, better details, better suggestions for walks and how to access museums, palazzi, the Vatican, everything. For my 3rd trip in 2006 with a group of friends who'd never visited Rome before, I left behind my 1978 edition and just took this one.