Official Review: Cinque Terre, Florence, Umbria

[AmandaR]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cinque Terre, Florence, Umbria" by Enrico Massetti.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Enrico Massetti endeavors to present a clear overview of life and travel in Northwestern Italy in his book “Cinque Terre, Florence, Umbria.” He presents from the very beginning of his book that his intent is to offer an overview of particular cities in which a foreigner might want to experience. With this intent, he walks the read through particular cities, providing the history and the different methods of travel for the reader to absorb.

First of all, the book itself is an attempt at a tour through Massetti’s chosen cities in Italy. He presents the first city, discusses background, offers choice sites, and even provides links to the top restaurants in the area on Trip Advisor. Massetti has completed sufficient research for each site. After the tourist has finished in that city, the author typically includes methods of travel in order to reach the next city on his list. On the whole, he has worked out a methodical guide on how to travel those part of Italy.

Perhaps the best part of Massetti’s book is in his links. At the end of each city’s section, he creates a list of the top restaurants according to Trip Advisor. The links take one directly to the website in order to learn more information about that particular establishment. The only way this list could have been better is if Massetti personally suggested a few. On a few occasions, he did so, though it would have been nice to have more personalization to this section.

The most difficult aspect to this book, however, is the format. If one desired to travel to Italy and wanted to visit these particular places for the first time, the book would not provide a simple way to navigate it while touring the city. Since Massetti said he wanted to provide a simple way in which tourists can tour the city while also getting a lesson in the history and culture, the problem of format should count as an important one. The book runs more like an informative essay with chapters rather than an easy-to-navigate tour guide. A change in format would greatly help the tourist as they are travelling the country.

On the whole, Massetti sets out with good intent for his book. He covers a wide variety of cities that have many unsung treasures. For that, the book holds value. Even more so, the links he provides are incredibly helpful. Speaking from experience, finding a good eating experience while travelling in a new area can be less than perfect. Massetti offers a great source by providing those links. The problem of format causes the book to fall quite a bit though. If a tourist needs an easy way to get from one city to another and to perhaps skip back and forth between cities, this book presents too many complexities for that. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.

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Cinque Terre, Florence, Umbria
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Like AmandaR's review? Post a comment saying so!

[bookowlie]

I enjoyed reading your review. There are so many travel books out there that it helps to know if a book has a better, or worse, format than others.

[Michelle-lit]

Your review caught my eye when it mentioned cinque terre, probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. I traveled around Italy for a time and I wish I had had something to tell me where to eat. Some places were spectacular, while others were so-so. If I ever went back to Italy, I would be interested in that part of the book, but I agree with you. I would like someone's personal opinions and experiences instead of just something off the internet.

[ReyvrexQuestor Reyes]

This book could have served better if it functions well to give cultural and historical accounts of the cities and also provide route assistance to travelers. As your review lamented on the book's shortcomings in some of these aspects, the reader may just salvage what he could of the other benefits available. Thanks for your very informative review. I may still want to read the book, after all.