Customer Reviews

Bologna & Emilia Romagna

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is nothing else available that I can find specifically on this wonderful part of Italy. And aren't we lucky it's from the Cadogan's stable!

Intelligent writing for discerning travellers; Cadogan Guides are for the independent traveller who really wants to get to grips with a place. They also provide all the essential information on how to get from here to there, hotel and restaurant suggestions. Perhaps a bit more heavily concentrating on the upper price range than what I desire, but still useful.

Cadogan Bologna & Emilia-Romagna is the first guide to cover this corner of Italy, which provides excellent art, scenery, and foods. Chapters profile the 'best' of the region with blends of historical background, cultural insights, and destination-oriented tips on what to see, where to stay and eat, and how to best enjoy the region. A recommended pick for any journeying to this corner of the world.

It's a sad reflection on just how overlooked this wonderful and important part of Italy is these days that so few guides cover it at all; in fact, this may be the first one in years that covers Emilia-Romagna comprehensively. Luckily, this effort by seasoned Europe travel writers Facaros and Pauls does the region a great turn.

The book is a convenient size -- not too large, not too small -- and is well organized. There is a fairly comprehensive, if a bit tendentious, section on the history of the region, a very good section on the arts (including a neat alphabetized list of the painters, sculptors, and architects whose works a traveler in the region is likely to encounter), another on food, followed by the mandatory practical section. Finally, there is a detailed description of the region, broken up logically into six areas: Piacenza, Parma, Reggio & Modena, Bologna, Ferrara & Ravenna, and the Romagna/Adreatic portion of the region.

The writers know what to focus on: in addition to the separate section on food, part of the section on history is devoted to Emilia-Romagna's culinary achievements, the region's strong suit. The level of the authors' erudition and up-to-date intelligence is evident throughout the guide. The descriptions of the sights are knowledgeable and engaging but also to-the-point, leaving little to be desired. There is, unfortunately, very little photography inside the guide, save for a "photo essay" in the beginning, but this contributes to the book's portable size and weight. Some of the local maps, too, could be better, but few guidebooks have good maps.

Most impressive, perhaps, have been the book's captions on restaurants in the towns where I stayed. It is clear that the authors actually ate at many of the establishments. Perhpas it's hard to go wrong in Emilia-Romagna, but all the eateries they recommended were well worth a visit.

I have now used the book on two trips to the region, both of which times it was my primary resource. It is now well-worn, and I intend to use it again. What better compliment can you give a travel guide?

This has got to be the best travel writing team alive. They are highly cultured without the slightest pretention, able to find that wonderful quirky detail or perspective, and include such basics as where the good cheap eats are. We used this book as residents of Bologna and were constantly delighted to read what they have to say on this or that art work or hidden piazza - we explored many places we would never dreamed of looking. The intelligence in these books is subtle and unusually wide-ranging - you can tell that this couple loves to learn as well as travel, with special interests and thoughts in such area as architecture and urban design. They are truly superlative writers.

Highest recommendation. It is a pity that travel writing seems to be going bare bones. This is the high culture route.

Glad to see Cadogan is paying attention to this terrific part of Italy. We spent two weeks in Bologna and visited Ravenna, Ferrara, Florence, and Siena (latter two not covered in this book) during that time. Cadogan specializes in giving a complete and very valuable historical and cultural picture of the regions covered in their books. The background is very informative; the only thing we could have desired is more logistical information, buses, trains, opening hours, etc. This information changes frequently but would nevertheless be extremely valuable--perhaps a once-a-year E-Newsletter for people who buy the book? We wasted a lot of time trying to juggle opening hours with public transport schedules.

I lived in Bologna for five years and this is an informative book.

I wish the print were larger. One needs a magnifying glass or strong reading glasses to read in comfort.