Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Italy's Cities, 2000-2007

5 star:		(7)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

...though, I haven't actually travelled anywhere. I mean, the man is friendly, spontaneous and so open-minded. From what I have gathered, from the episodes that I have seen of Rick Steves' adventures in Italy, he is as much in love with the food, culture, art and people as he is in sharing his experience with us, the humble viewers at home. Even if you have never been to Venice, Florence, Naples and the numerous other cities that he treks through, in his travels, Steves succeeds in bringing a real level of accessiblity and unabashed joy toward planning trips, venturing on to the backroads and talking with locals.

The photography in these episodes is glorious, and you can almost feel the warmth of sun, at midafternoon, when he makes his way through a cobblestoned town or a more modernized city. Rick Steves really celebrates the community of humankind with his journeys, and what's more, makes us want to celebrate it with him. If you are going to invest in anything, lay down your green for these DVDs. You won't be sorry!

Has there ever been another travel guide more amiable, more informative, more eclectic and just plain likeable than Rick Steves? This somewhat nerdish but pleasant looking fellow will immediately win the viewer over with his charm, humor and smoothing, layback manner. However what will keep you watching program after program is his consummate knowledge of the sites and people he visits.

While each journey is only 30 minutes in length Rick has a unique talent of synthesizing the many facets that make up a people and place. He leaves no stone unturned in his analysis; historical background, spiritual heritage, cultural underpinnings and political legacy are all equally touched upon to give the audience a fuller understanding of the rural and urban landscape.

However not not an individual to dwell too much on the past, he provides a delightful tour of the markets, music, restaurants and nightlife. The kind of information would really want to know if you're out for a good time.

The production values are also wonderful offering fanstastic visuals that are worth watching even if there where no commentary. Traveling with Rick Steves' is the next best thing to being there.

This particular DVD contains seven episodes, thirty minutes in length. Imagine three and one half hours in Rome, Venice, Florence and more, better get started!

I absolutely LOVE being able to see the streets and people of Italy before I go so I know what to expect. And the visual quality in the recent shows (on my up-converting DVD player) actually looks like HD on my TV.
The shows about Florence, Rome, and Venice are great. And seeing Siena and San Gimignano helps to know how uneven the ground will be.

This was a gift for my sister who recently visited Italy. She was very happy with the DVD and said that it captured the memories of the places she visited.

All Latin classrooms should have this Rick Steves Italy DVD. We watch these 25 minute television shows as part of studying Sicily, Ancient and Baroque Rome, Venice, Florence, Siena, and Cinque Terre. This DVD replaced VHS tapes I had been using. It arrived on time and in excellent packaging.

It told me everything I need to know for my trip to Venice next year. Thank you.

I haven't even watched all of the cities featured on this DVD and I absolutely love it. I plan on touring Italy in 2-3 years and Rick makes you feel so comfortable about doing so. The info is priceless for a beginner! Thanks!! Tony

I purchased Rick Steves' Italy's Cities to give to my niece for Mother's Day. I wanted to see for myself so I put on the DVD. To my disappointment it is defective. It kept repeating the same parts over and over; the sound would cut out and the picture remain. I unfortunately can't locate the receipt for it so I'm stuck with it. However, it makes me aware that when ordering anything, I must hold onto my receipts in case the item (s) are defective.