Access Rome

by Richard Saul Wurman

Book Overview

Rich with history, splendid in Renaissance beauty, brimming over with the charm embodied by her people, Rome is "The Eternal City." By transforming and adapting herself with each new epoch while... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062771957
• ISBN13: 9780062771957
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Access Press (HarperCollins)
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Unique guidbook- wouldn't travel without it

We used Access Rome and Rick Steve's books on our trip to Rome in 2003. Access Rome's organization by neighborhood with restaurants, siteseeing and parks listed how you see them is great. Restaurants were reliably excellent when you use their combination of low cost and high quality. Allows you to wander through the city and then find something good to eat or a spot to relax in whereever and whenever the spirit moves you. I recommend it to my friends and family all the time.

Everyone looked over my shoulder

I used this book when I visited Rome a few years ago. I loved it. In several places I visited I had actually had other tourists reading over my shoulder and asking to borrow my book for a few minutes. When I visited other Italian cities that didn't have an Access book, I found myself very frustrated with the guidebooks I had. None were as good as Access.

Good approach and pleasant, but needs updating

Neighbourhood-focused approach is a pleasure, and color-coding works fine too, but they need to update the book more thoroughly (I know it costs money, but it should not be an excuse, they charge good money for the book).Text is very readable and visually relaxing; while sparing use of colour illustration and old-fashioned drawings are pleasing in a strange way. Descriptions and background are a bit lightweight, but overall this is a pleasant book - perhaps as the second guide, to compliment Fodor's or Frommers.

Like getting recommendations from a friend

I've used various Access travel guides and find them to be consistently witty and on-track. I like being able to focus on a neighborhood, and see what restaurants are near the attraction I'm visiting. The color-coding (red print for restaurants, blue for hotels, black for sights) makes it particularly easy to scan for an entry. Although there aren't extensive hotel listings, the information provided is useful to determine what area I'd like to stay in. You may need more detailed maps than those in the book, however.