Rating: 
Summary: An updated message from Fred Plotkin
Review: Dear Readers,I have read some of the newer comments from some of you. As often happens, one negative comment will carry much more weight than hundreds of positive ones. But I can assure you that I receive a few letters each week from readers who say that the Italy they discovered in my book was unlike that of other guidebooks. Which is to say that most places Americans visit in Italy tend to tailor their food and hospitality to what they perceive as American taste. In so doing, they rob the experience of authenticity. What I have tried to do is send you to the Italy that Italians know and love. Needless to say, things do change. I mention this several times in my book, and ask readers to send me updates and discoveries care of the publisher (Little, Brown). One restaurant that has declined terribly is the Anzolo Rafael in Venice. I would discourage you from eating there now as well. But the Granaro del Monte in Norcia still serves great food, and you should not avoid it just because it is popular I have also found that no matter how carefully I describe places, some people cannot find them.I do not know if the reader "from Arkansas and Genoa" got confused about my restaurants in Torino, but no one else ever has. As to why I list words in Italian that you may find on a menu -- well, that is the reason! I send you to places where Italians dine, so the menus are in Italian. And the food is more genuine. For that reason, I indicate in the book what a word means. If I only said the English word, you would never know how to ask for it from the waiter. As Italian restaurants in America have become glitzy and chi-chi, many Americans have come to believe that this is how Italians eat. Instead, Italian portions are smaller, the flavor is more straightforward, and therefore memorable. I hope that readers of "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler" take it with them to discover the real Italy. If you want imitation Italian food, stay at home. If you want a pre-packaged, pre-digested Italy, then you should opt for Frommer's, Fodor's or Rick Steves. None of these have written Italian cookbooks and know Italian food in any detail. If you want to get more of a sense of Italian food, look for my "Recipes from Paradise: Life and Food on the Italian Riviera" By the way, the only book in print written for food travelers to Italy that covers the ENTIRE nation is "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler" If you see other books about eating in Italy, check carefully before using them -- especially if you plan to visit Rome, Naples, Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, and Sardinia. Buon viaggio and ciao, Fred Plotkin
Rating: 
Summary: Hands down, my favorite travel book ever!
Review: I am over forty and lost my notes so only remembered one restaurant and wine recommendation when I went to Florence. But oh, the Vin y Pan did not disappoint! If all the recommendations are as good, you will be buying the resource that assures an absolutely satisfying trip to Tuscany.
Rating: 
Summary: Italy for the Gourmet Traveler
Review: I am over forty and lost my notes so only remembered one restaurant and wine recommendation when I went to Florence. But oh, the Vin y Pan did not disappoint! If all the recommendations are as good, you will be buying the resource that assures an absolutely satisfying trip to Tuscany.
Rating:
Summary: Hands down, my favorite travel book ever!
Review: I can honestly say that this book MADE our trip to Italy. We found ourselves visiting cities because we couldn't bear to miss a restaurant Fred recommended (San Remo, for example), & having the most memorable experiences of our trip. Where else would you find out about the little family-owned eatery tucked behind the tobacco shop?! My only wish is that Fred would update this book & visit many more countries! I would love to have a similar book for every trip.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT a gourmet experience, but some decent meals.
Review: I expected to experience wonderful taste sensations following the advice of this author. Some of the places recommended were just downright BAD FOOD! Also, lots of inaccuracies - incorrect addresses, wrong names of restaurants. Very frustrating. Worth a read for info on Italian food, but if you use it as your Bible you'll be disappointed. Fodor's recommends some better restaurants. This book seems to select decent dive/cheap restaurants that do serve decent food. And some of the restaurants which are supposed to be "off the beaten path" had English menus and many tourists, which is not what the book promised.
Rating:
Summary: A good pointer but needs more
Review: I just got back from a trip to Italy and bought the book so that I could experience the wonder's of Italian food. I found the book to be an overall a good way to avoid having an expensive but tasteless meal in Italy, however, not a guide to the the best little resturants in Italy. In addition I experienced the following problems: 1) Several resturants that we attempted to visit had closed or moved 2) I purchased several detailed road maps of Rome and Venice and still could not find some of the resturants mentioned. (Author needs to include a small map or atleast the major cross streets.) 3) I did not have any unforgettable meals using this book. AKA Jules Vernes in Paris, Russian Tea Room in New York, Etc.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST ITALIAN TRAVEL BOOK
Review: I kept buying travel books for Italy, looking for something but not quite knowing what -- until I discovered this book. It's not just a list of restaurants or a list of hotels -- you can get that in any travel book, and feel uneasy, because you can't help wondering if anyone really stayed at the place or ate the place. Plotkin's book is about the whole experience of going to Italy, with details about the specialties of each region, so that if you go into ANY restaurant anywhere in Italy, you will know what to look for.
At the same time, everything is put into a historical and cultural context, so you know what you're eating and where it's from.
So many travel books feel like they were written for the sake of writing a travel book. That is, they give the impression of a squad of writers dispatched to a location, with an expense account and a limited number of days, who have to inspect so many hotels and restaurants and write up a summary. Recommendations seem arbitrary.
THIS book seems more like a sincere journey of exploration that happened to turn into a travel book. And Plotkin is the ideal guide, because he lives there, knows the country, loves it . . . and yet he's American, so he has an American perspective. He's just one guy, so you'll inevitably, in practice, find that you disagree with some of his choices. So what? That's part of learning how to use the book. At least with this book, you know they really ARE his choices. And they're informed choices.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST ITALIAN TRAVEL BOOK
Review: I kept buying travel books for Italy, looking for something but not quite knowing what -- until I discovered this book. It's not just a list of restaurants or a list of hotels -- you can get that in any travel book, and feel uneasy, because you can't help wondering if anyone really stayed at the place or ate the place. Plotkin's book is about the whole experience of going to Italy, with details about the specialties of each region, so that if you go into ANY restaurant anywhere in Italy, you will know what to look for.
At the same time, everything is put into a historical and cultural context, so you know what you're eating and where it's from.
So many travel books feel like they were written for the sake of writing a travel book. That is, they give the impression of a squad of writers dispatched to a location, with an expense account and a limited number of days, who have to inspect so many hotels and restaurants and write up a summary. Recommendations seem arbitrary.
THIS book seems more like a sincere journey of exploration that happened to turn into a travel book. And Plotkin is the ideal guide, because he lives there, knows the country, loves it . . . and yet he's American, so he has an American perspective. He's just one guy, so you'll inevitably, in practice, find that you disagree with some of his choices. So what? That's part of learning how to use the book. At least with this book, you know they really ARE his choices. And they're informed choices.
Rating:
Summary: More than a guide, a window to culture
Review: I wouldn't travel to Italy without consulting this book! The approach is comprehensive and the information invaluable if you take Italian culture and eating seriously. My husband and I have taken 2 recent trips to Italy. One traveling through the Veneto & Emilia/Romagna (we added Bologna on Fred's recommendation & weren't disappointed!) and the second to Tuscany & Umbria. As helpful as the specifc restaurant, cafe, market & other recommendations were, I found the explanations of regional specialities the most important part of the book. Armed with this information, I could read a restaurant menu and know if it was the generic tourist fare or really represented the cooking of the area. In traveling, I felt both more comfortable in these restaurants (knowing I knew what the menu items were) but also more comfortable with staff ordering from their specialities and not just the tried-and-true. A can't miss!
Rating:
Summary: More than a guide, a window to culture
Review: I wouldn't travel to Italy without consulting this book! The approach is comprehensive and the information invaluable if you take Italian culture and eating seriously. My husband and I have taken 2 recent trips to Italy. One traveling through the Veneto & Emilia/Romagna (we added Bologna on Fred's recommendation & weren't disappointed!) and the second to Tuscany & Umbria. As helpful as the specifc restaurant, cafe, market & other recommendations were, I found the explanations of regional specialities the most important part of the book. Armed with this information, I could read a restaurant menu and know if it was the generic tourist fare or really represented the cooking of the area. In traveling, I felt both more comfortable in these restaurants (knowing I knew what the menu items were) but also more comfortable with staff ordering from their specialities and not just the tried-and-true. A can't miss!
|
