Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Rome [Paperback]

Melanie Mize (Author)

Book Description

Series: Irreverent Guides | Publication Date: November 15, 2001

Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you.

We'll give you the lowdown on the Eternal City in our all-new Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Rome, with tips on where to find the most delicious pizza, how to rent a scooter so that you can zip around Rome like the locals, and where to snag that real Italian leather coat. Find out which market to visit for exotic spices and which to visit for fresh flowers, what Rome's ?talking statues? are, and which nightspot to hit for the hottest techno and house music. We'll let you know which sites to line up for (the treasures of the Vatican Museum, for one), and which ones are worth skipping. Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Rome delivers all the insights and invaluable travel tips you'll need for a visit to this vibrant city where the ancient and the modern rub elbows.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Little fluff and lots of fun." —Boston Globe "Hipper and savvier than other guides." —Diversion magazine Are you tired of cliché-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the Irreverent Guides—the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend. Look inside for the lowdown on:

• Hotels for the well-heeled and the sensibly-shod
• Where to see monks' bones, "talking" statues, and lesser-known Michelangelos
• Sites to line up for—and those to skip
• Where—and when—to enjoy a proper cappuccino
• Shops to scour for the latest bags, boots, and papal vestments
• The best piazzas, outdoor cafes, and discotheques for people watching, wine sipping, nightclubbing, and doing as the Romans do

Your Guide to a World of Travel Experience Great trips begin at Frommers.com

About the Author

A native Californian, Sylvie Hogg first came to Rome in 1977 at the age of 15 months, and screamed her way through the Sistine Chapel. She returned in 1997 on a Dartmouth foreign-study program and, not wanting to confront the real world, moved to the Eternal City upon graduation in 1998. She has worked in tourism, as a guide and writer of guidebooks, ever since. Her pastimes include talking to complete strangers over espresso, eating lots of prosciutto and mozzarella, and going nowhere in particular on her motorino, smiling to herself about how great it is to be in Rome. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 1 edition (November 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764562258
• ISBN-13: 978-0764562259
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,976,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great alternative to standard guidebooks, December 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Rome (Paperback)

I have been to Rome several times, and I am always looking for new places to eat, sleep, and shop. My friend bought me this book, and it's definitely refreshing. The Irreverent Guide to Rome tells you if a museum is worth visiting or if it's a tourist trap. I also like the way the book is laid out with brief, amusing headings. It's a guidebook, but it's also a fun read. I'm looking forward to carrying the Irreverent Guide with me on my next trip.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars great for before the trip - not so good during, December 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Rome (Paperback)

The book gives you a nice overview of the atmosphere etc. that makes it a fun read as you anticipate the trip. However the maps that I tried to use in Rome, were off by a few blocks each time - only a problem when you didn't have another source of information. This is a book that I'd suggest as your 3rd or 4th one to get - not the first one.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable travel companion, May 5, 2004

By 

K. Hogg (austin, texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Rome (Paperback)

Apparently, the five years the author spent living in Rome gave her the perfect combination of local savvy without losing her American "sensibilities". Using this book is like going to visit your ex-pat best friend, who will ensure that your trip to Rome is the most memorable (and authentic) leg of your European tour.