Customer Reviews

Frommer'sŪ Rome

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

 

 

I bought this book about two weeks before I visited Rome and used it and its associated map as my guide through Rome over Easter weekend. I found the book and the map pretty difficult to use. Many major attractions in the book are not noted on the map, and many street names are missing from the map. It took me an inordinate amount of time just to figure out where the catacombs really were. Further, there are beautiful descriptions of things to see, but no pictures. That's a problem if you want to get an idea of what something looks like before you decide to invest the time in your itinerary to go see it. Further, in a city that has very few signs describing its buildings and sites (or the signs are in Italian only) you really need a book with pictures just to identify what you are looking at at times. This book is not good at that. The itineraries were sometimes confusing and conflicting. There is a section on an itinerary if you have one day which takes you through ancient Rome, then in a different section of the book the ancient Rome itinerary starts at a different location. If you really are new to a city, you probably want to rely on the book to suggest a good itinerary, not offer confusing and conflicting options. The book tended to jump around a lot. What I mean is, within a paragraph it would describe nice things to see which were nowhere near each other in the city. Overall, I was pretty frustrated with this book. Of the hundreds of tourists carrying guide books around the city that weekend, I didn't notice anyone with this book. It just seems you have to invest too much time trying to figure out the best use of your time (I spent several hours reading the book in preparation for the trip.) I think the biggest shortcoming is the lack of pictures.

I have just returned from my second trip to Rome, and I used this book as my primary travel guide. I have also used this series in other cities. Compared to other series, the Frommer's guides stand out in that they focus more on hotel and restaurant recommendations than on historical or practical information.

With that in mind, the restaurant options in this edition seemed to be limited only to locations off major squares or else near the train station, offering very little off the beaten track or for budget travellers.

The information provided for the attractions, such as the museums and ruins, etc. was accurate, although very basic: hours and prices but little historical information. Sometimes the guide would direct one's attention to a particular column or square, but neglect to explain its significance. The recommended restaurants were good, but there was more missing than was included. A guide claiming to offer information on "what's worth your time and what's not" did very little to justify the exclusions... and the fact that several of the recommended restaurants and attractions didn't appear on any of the included maps doesn't support the recommendation at all!

Overall, the maps need to be more complete, to consistently reflect the textual content of the book. Furthermore, it seems suspicious for a guide with so very few included recommendations to have some that were across the street from each other, suggesting very lazy rather than comprehensive coverage of what the city has to offer. Moreover, the photographs on the cover were stock photographs, having nothing to do with any actual experiences of the writers, whose recent actual trip to Rome can only be the object of assumption.

Also, some travellers may find it difficult to trust a guide which includes advertisements for web-based hotel finding agencies.

I would recommend this book for anyone with more money than taste, or who is more interested in getting his or her passport stamped than in becoming educated about Rome, then or now. Just so you know: There's plenty of shopping on Via Corso.

I found the 36 pages of restaurant review invaluable, especially with the pricing guides and hours of opening and if booking in advance was necessary. The self-walk tours was also very helpful as we did not want to go on large guided tours. The section at the start on what you must and must not bring, what precautions to take, was also invaluable. I was pleased to get such a large map to do my planning, but disappointed that none of the major sights was displayed boldly so that I could see how to link up a certain few within a given day. Nor were any of the recommended restaurants marked on the map. It was a book essential to planning and plotting my trip, but the map was too big to bring and unfold in the middle of a busy street. I thought the shopping section very disappointing. It was all where to avoid, or make do with people-watching, on the grounds of extremely expensive, but no tips on where else one should try - except the early morning markets. It would have benefitted from more photos, even small black and white ones, as many of the recommended sights are not signposted in Rome, or else only in Italian. However, it was an absolute must have and gave me many insights and opportunities that I would not have found in other books claiming to be as good. I know that the next city I vist, whatever it may be, I will immediately get the Frommer's guide (to that city) without even looking for others. Finally, a few common phrases in Italian would have helped.

Very strong on hotel reviews (25 pages), restaurant reviews (36 pages), plus the Frommer Best Bets for both categories. Maybe a little weak on the description of the sightseeing places of interest, being perhaps too brief sometimes, but the walking tours are very good, the shopping lists and traveler's facts are very solid and reliable.

Very good pre trip book for hotel listings and walking tour ideas, not necessarily the book to carry with you in the street.

I have travelled to Rome a few times, and have compared my experiences "actually getting around" the various sights to different travelbooks. Anyone will agree that each book in its own right can provide good, acceptable information. What one may have in good recommendations for lodging, it may be out of date; while another may have good walking tours and great restaurants but have bad tips on public transportation. Each purchase is therefore a compromise - there is no "perfect" book.

But this book certainly does an excellent job trying. It not only has a little history (really, just a few pages) to help frame the significance of the 2,000+ years of continuous Roman existence, but then breaks it down in very organized sections for touring and experiencing. Similarly, lodging and dining are also expertly divided, if not a little limited in their listings. My favorite part is at the back of the book, with very well thought out self-walking tours through Rome, each with its own theme. For example, there's a self-guided tour on Ancient Imperial Rome, among others. Each tour listed gives total time to allow, which days are best, AND gives a few sentences on each place along the route.

I've read almost the entire book cover to cover and recommend it highly to anyone. I can't vouch for 100% accuracy, but any smart traveller knows how to cross reference with either a second book or online. This is an intelligent, easy to read, and very useful travel book.

This book calls Caravaggio's masterpiece "The Calling of St Matthew" in the church of San Luigi del Francesi a fresco, which it is not. If it gets details like this wrong how many other things are incorrect? It also omits some great masterpieces. No mention is made of Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses Bernini's masterpiece "The Ecstasy of St Theresa" or Santa Maria degli Angeli which Michelangelo converted from the tepidarium of the Diocletian Baths. If you are interested in art go with the Fodor's guide - it also has photographs.

I bought this book to prepare for an upcoming trip to Rome. It has some good sections. I like the inclusions of breaking down the hotels, shopping, and eating by sections of the city and by expense. However, I found that I was always flipping back and forth between chapters to get the full explanation of the main attractions. It was somewhat confusing and distracting. There were only a few pictures located at the beginning of the book. More pictures would have been a nice addition. There is a pullout color map in the back. This has been helpful in some planning aspects but lacking in some things I have tried to find. All in all, It was a good first book to try, but I will probably find another book to use during the trip.

Just got back from the Eternal City. Had Frommer's with me, and it did come in useful (most importantly, the included map). Had some quibbles--for example, the three-day transportation pass you can purchase doesn't work properly in the Metro turnstile readers; it doesn't include fare for the Leonardo Express train between Termini and the airport; the correct international calling code for the U.S.A. is "001", not "1"; and the like. But I found it to be generally reliable and informative. Reasonably priced, from Amazon sellers. No color photos or illustrations inside.

I went with Frommer's since I thought I would get good restaurant reviews. After trying a few places, I've come to the conclusion that the Frommer's reviews are probably not updated often enough, but presented as if they were. I ate at a number of places that did not match the descriptions. Different prices (not small differences either), one place did no longer serve food, and thanks to Frommer's I now have a very low opinion of Roman food. If the restaurants that Frommer's applaud are among the the best picks in Rome - well, then I'm not ever going to Rome for the culinary experience anymore. But I love the city, and found a number of small gems among the restaurants I scouted out by myself, and so I believe that Frommer's are the problem, not Rome.

I've had good experiences with other travel guides before, and this is the first time I've been really disappointed. Frommer's does nothing else better that other guides either - bad maps, difficult to follow, and rather dry.

I must not have read the description well... this was from at least 10 years ago. So funny, they were still anticipating the coming of the Euro. Historical information is still good.