Customer Reviews

Milan & The Lakes (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

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This book has served as an outstanding resource during my one-week trip to Milan, Italy - or should I say Milano? It's very well-organized, to the point, and provides moderate information for multiple neighborhoods along with regular touristy stuff. What I love about DK Publishing, in general, is extensive use of pictures, thick gloss paper, use of multiple colors, and practical color-coding; and this book offers all of these elements.

I personally cannot justify spending a week reading Fodor's for one-week trip. So I love this layout; it's so easy to consume that you can scan it on a JFK->MXP flight, and the book is small-enough to carry in your overcoat pocket. The author covers various aspects of everyday tourist life, such as sight-seeing, commute, dining, shopping, and detailed neighborhood maps.

Please note: it's a city-specific guide, so it may not appeal to many tourists because most tourists would plan on visiting multiple cities on a trip to Italy. If your destination is only Milan and its surrounding areas, I would strongly recommend this guide.

Felice Viaggio!

In 1976, I flew into the airport at Milan and then took a limousine ride to Bellagio on Lake Como. In the car with me were two ex-Presidents of the American Political Science Association. I recall our terror as the limo driver would pass cars on curves--without being able to see ahead! What an introduction to our small and intensive conference at the Villa Serbelloni (then, run by the Rockefeller Foundation). So, when I saw this book, I simply had to get it to help recall that wonderful week or so on the shores of Lake Como.

The book's purpose is laid out on page 6: "This guide helps you to get the most out of your visit to Milan and the lakes of Northern Italy by providing detailed descriptions of sights, practical information and expert advice." The volume starts out by providing context--a map of Milan, a history of Milan, events throughout the year in Milan. In a relatively few pages, one develops a sense of this historic city.

Then, the coverage of the city, region by region. In the "Historic Centre," we find one of the great cathedrals, Duomo. Several pages portray the area, the cathedral itself, and the attractions of this venue. Of course, there is also discussion of the renowned opera house, La Scala. And so on. Area by area, we get a sense of this city.

Then, the lakes nearby--including Lake Garda, Lake Como, and Lake Maggiore. Since I stayed at a villa on the shores of Lake Como, perhaps a few words are in order about this lake. The lake is in the shape of an inverted Y, with Bellagio at the point where all three arms come together. I recall the glories of walking through the village, of taking part in discussions at the Villa Serbelloni, of taking a boat across the lake to enjoy my first espresso at the village of Cadenabbia. The heights surrounding the lake were most picturesque. The description of the villages and attractions around Lake Como are brief but illustrate its attractions nicely.

On it goes, including a discussion of "Travelers'' Needs," including places to stay, places to eat bars and cafes, entertainment, and the like.

Interested in Milan and the surrounding region? This is a nice resource to guide one's travel in this region.

I recently visited Milan and the Lakes and this book was by far my saving grace. It was my first time visiting Milan and I was able to navigate myself around as if I was a local! Some of my favorite things about the book are the following:
1. The book is broken up by the sections of Milan i.e. Northwest, Northeast, Historic Center etc. This made my daily planning very easy!
2. Each highlighted historic site has a brief background and summary about its amazing past along with a "visitor's checklist". It was my private tour guide!
3. A subway map is included to make getting around the city effortless.
4. A map was included (with detailed street names) for each section.
5. Finally, a Travel Information section is included to aid you through purchasing train tickets for regional or internal travel. Getting to the Lakes and Switzerland was a breeze!

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book and I look forward to purchasing other "DK" books in the future.

This is a great travelling guide with all the details I need in a good price.