Cadogan Guide Bologna & Emilia-Romagna

by Michael Pauls and Dana Facaros

Book Overview

Second edition of the first guide to focus exclusively on this popular area of Italy. Special section on food and drink - Emilia Romagna is the home of Italy's finest cooking and is called the Food... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1860111726
• ISBN13: 9781860111723
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Cadogan Guides
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

We used this while living in Bologna and loved it

This has got to be the best travel writing team alive. They are highly cultured without the slightest pretention, able to find that wonderful quirky detail or perspective, and include such basics as where the good cheap eats are. We used this book as residents of Bologna and were constantly delighted to read what they have to say on this or that art work or hidden piazza - we explored many places we would never dreamed of looking. The intelligence in these books is subtle and unusually wide-ranging - you can tell that this couple loves to learn as well as travel, with special interests and thoughts in such area as architecture and urban design. They are truly superlative writers. Highest recommendation. It is a pity that travel writing seems to be going bare bones. This is the high culture route.

A very good guide

It's a sad reflection on just how overlooked this wonderful and important part of Italy is these days that so few guides cover it at all; in fact, this may be the first one in years that covers Emilia-Romagna comprehensively. Luckily, this effort by seasoned Europe travel writers Facaros and Pauls does the region a great turn. The book is a convenient size -- not too large, not too small -- and is well organized. There is a fairly comprehensive, if a bit tendentious, section on the history of the region, a very good section on the arts (including a neat alphabetized list of the painters, sculptors, and architects whose works a traveler in the region is likely to encounter), another on food, followed by the mandatory practical section. Finally, there is a detailed description of the region, broken up logically into six areas: Piacenza, Parma, Reggio & Modena, Bologna, Ferrara & Ravenna, and the Romagna/Adreatic portion of the region. The writers know what to focus on: in addition to the separate section on food, part of the section on history is devoted to Emilia-Romagna's culinary achievements, the region's strong suit. The level of the authors' erudition and up-to-date intelligence is evident throughout the guide. The descriptions of the sights are knowledgeable and engaging but also to-the-point, leaving little to be desired. There is, unfortunately, very little photography inside the guide, save for a "photo essay" in the beginning, but this contributes to the book's portable size and weight. Some of the local maps, too, could be better, but few guidebooks have good maps. Most impressive, perhaps, have been the book's captions on restaurants in the towns where I stayed. It is clear that the authors actually ate at many of the establishments. Perhpas it's hard to go wrong in Emilia-Romagna, but all the eateries they recommended were well worth a visit. I have now used the book on two trips to the region, both of which times it was my primary resource. It is now well-worn, and I intend to use it again. What better compliment can you give a travel guide?

Bravo!

There is nothing else available that I can find specifically on this wonderful part of Italy. And aren't we lucky it's from the Cadogan's stable! Intelligent writing for discerning travellers; Cadogan Guides are for the independent traveller who really wants to get to grips with a place. They also provide all the essential information on how to get from here to there, hotel and restaurant suggestions. Perhaps a bit more heavily concentrating on the upper price range than what I desire, but still useful.

Recommended for any journeying to this corner of Italy

Cadogan Bologna & Emilia-Romagna is the first guide to cover this corner of Italy, which provides excellent art, scenery, and foods. Chapters profile the 'best' of the region with blends of historical background, cultural insights, and destination-oriented tips on what to see, where to stay and eat, and how to best enjoy the region. A recommended pick for any journeying to this corner of the world.