Customer Reviews

Italian Survival Guide: The Language and Culture You Need to Travel with Confidence in Italy

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bingham's book Italian Survival Guide is a must-have resource to pack in your travel bag for Italy! This book is practical; including pronunciation guides for many of the common phrases used to interact with native Italians. I particularly appreciated the Culture Note sections interspersed through the book. I visited Rome and Florence last year, and found these sections accurate and insightful--a big help to the traveler who does not want to look like a tourist!

This book is invaluable and I plan to have a copy stuffed in my handbag when I return to Italy in 2009!

I have bought just about every book on Italy and this is one of the best! It has great tips and information! Unlike other books, I find this information to be truthful! I lived in Italy and now take students on exchanges every year. This book has really helped them! I think it's a must! :-)

This guide is as practical and useful as Bingham's German Survival Guide. While the vocabulary lessons are helpful, the culture notes are priceless. This is a great introduction to both the Italian language and to Italy and the length is just right so that the traveler with little time to prep should not be overwhelmed.

Elizabeth Bingham's Italian Survival Guide is clear and concise in its presentation of the most important information a traveler needs to use while traveling in Italy. The guide is organized well; therefore, finding the information one wants is not difficult. The pronunciation guide is invaluable. The book itself is not so big that a person gets lost in it when trying to find a specific piece of information. The cultural notes are short and to the point, so that one can read them quickly and gain important information about interacting with the people of Italy. I would be apt to photocopy the information on the inside front and back covers to carry along on daily excursions. Overall, this guide would be extremely helpful to take on a trip to Italy!

I read the cultural insights on Italy first. They are great! The practical hints are superb. Even though I speak Italian, I will take this book with me when I go to Italy.

I'm leaving for Italy in a few days and I bought this book about a month ago. It exceeded my expectations. Inside the front and back covers are basic words that you need to know. There are many cultural tips that are helpful and interesting. I already speak some Spanish and I'm sure that helped, but I feel ready to communicate on a very basic level. I am taking this book with me!

This was an excellent preview to Roman culture. It helped to bridge the culture gap so while in Rome, I did not offend unknowingly.

This is all I need to bring with me for an education. Maybe a tiny translation book would be nice to add for words not included in this book. Yes, I read other travel books on Italy, and they are helpful. THIS is the book I will bring with me and flip through again on the flight. The cultural information is priceless.

This book is really interesting on several levels. There are lots of phrases -- and having listened to at least 3 audio instructional sets, the phrases are spot on for accuracy and usefulness. There is a mini-dictionary in the back, so you can look up words both in Italian and translate from English to Italian. The cultural notes, to me, seem invaluable. I have been studying up for a trip for several months, and author Elizabeth Bingham is the first to note how important it is to greet "the room" whenever you enter a shop, restaurant, or any other public place. For a fairly small book, it seems like it has more packed into it than many other long books. Whether you are looking for "the one Italian language book" to buy before a short trip, or an addition to your Italian language and culture library, I think this book is a MUST. Ciao!

Excellent quick resource for Italian language. Provides exactly what you need. I found it very helpful on a recent trip to Italy. Notes on Italian culture/personality sprinkled through the book are very helpful. Well written and easy to read. Good phonetic "sounding out" of Italian words/phrases. Quick guides on front and back inside covers VERY helpful. Economical. Dictionary in back of book could be larger...this book plus a small Italian-English dictionary is all you need when travelling.