To Florence Con Amore by Jane Fortune

2 CommentsSunday • July 10, 2011 • by michelle

To Florence Con Amore: 90 Ways to Love the City is, just as the name suggests, an heart-filled ode to bella Firenze, and anyone who plans on visiting would be well-served with a copy.

Head Over Heel: Seduced by Southern Italy by Chris Harrison

4 CommentsMonday • June 27, 2011 • by michelle

Chris Harrison’s Head Over Heel: Seduced by Southern Italy is a funny, touching love letter both to his now-wife Daniela and her country, which he, erm, has a special relationship with.

How Italian Food Conquered the World by John Mariani

3 CommentsSunday • June 19, 2011 • by michelle

Have you ever wondered how the world ended up with so many “Italian” restaurants with red-and-white-checkered tablecloths and a spaghetti and meatballs special when that snapshot simply doesn’t exist in Italy? Then this is the book for you.

Expat Women: Confessions by Andrea Martins and Victoria Hepworth

1 CommentSunday • May 29, 2011 • by michelle

In Expat Women: Confessions – 50 Answers to Your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroad, Andrea Martins and Victoria Hepworth share advice based on all they’ve learned in their years as expats themselves.

Travellers Calabria, 2nd Edition

8 CommentsThursday • May 12, 2011 • by michelle

If you’re headed to the toe of the boot, you’ll want to have the second edition of Travellers Calabria by Lara Dunston and Terry Carter tucked away in your travel bag. This guidebook gives a solid overview of many aspects of Calabrian culture including archaeology, history, and food, while also offering sightseeing, accommodation, and restaurant tips as well.

In short, it does exactly what a guidebook should — and it’s conveniently only slightly larger than pocket-sized to boot.

The photographs are consistently gorgeous and the text covers much more than the main tourist destinations like Tropea, Gerace, and Reggio Calabria; it also shares some of my favorite even more off-the-beaten stops like Pizzo, Le Castella, and Serra San Bruno.

I especially love the section that lists, by season, which attractions a visitor should enjoy in Calabria; first-time visitors will also appreciate the inclusion of basic information on how to arrive and get around, handle money issues, navigate national holidays, and even say some basic phrases in Italian.

If I have one slight criticism, it’s the lack of coverage of the Catanzaro province, where I happen to live in what many consider to be one of the most picturesque medieval villages in Calabria (Badolato). For the province, there are no restaurants listed outside of the city of Catanzaro, and available accommodations are also a bit ignored — there are some great agriturismi, in particular, that offer not only great lodging but also excellent dining options with food prepared from products grown and raised on the premises.

I realize this information isn’t easy to come by even for savvy guidebook researchers, but I do hope to see the Catanzaro section expanded a bit in future updates.

Overall, though, you’re not going to find a better, more comprehensive guidebook for Calabria in English, and this one comes complete with suggested one-week, two-week, and longer itineraries in case you prefer to have someone else do the planning. There are also walking tours of Reggio Calabria, Tropea, and Crotone as well as driving tours of the national parks in both the Sila and Aspromonte Mountains.

I highly recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to Calabria or who wants to learn more about the region and all it has to offer.

To see the rest of the Travellers series, visit Thomas Cook Publishing.

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