The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture Paperback – October 1, 2001

Nice companion for the Idiot's Guide to Learning Italian.

The book is probably more generalized than described. However, given its intended audience, that's to be expected. There are some mistakes (i.e., Steven Segal is of Ittalian descent? Not according to his bio.) You can spot some others.However, if you need a general introduction or are looking for some background before a trip to Italy, you could do worse.

Easy read compared to other history books

I've just glanced at this book thanks to Amazon's feature "look inside" and as an Italian, I feel like dropping some lines about what I've read.I have had the chance to read only few pages but I've encountered some inaccuracies that make me think the author has done a good research about Italy.First... There is a "di interessa" all over the book probably intended to highlight interesting points inside the chapters. The correct form is "di interesse". "Di interessa" is a pure mistake.Second thing... The author says that a typical Italian saying is "Una faccia una razza", namely "one face one race" but this is isn't a typical Italian saying at all. It is Greek and wants to state that Italians and Greeks share the same background.I didn't want to read further but what I've read is enough to me to say that this isn't the suitable book for those people who want to know more about my country. I assume that as I've found two serious mistakes in two pages, I might find many more in the rest of the book.

Euvino, et al, have done a marvelous job with what is essentially an impossible task--giving non-Italians introductory access to one of the most rich and textured cultures in the world. Their choices in topic and detail will enliven any visit (from the "boot" to the top of the country), and add a dash of knowledge (more than a pinch, less than a cup) to people contemplating such a journey. As a companion book to her guide to "Learning Italian", this book is a must buy.

For those who know little or nothing of Italian history and culture, this is a great starting place, with tidbits galore of information about people, places, and things Italian. Even for those who have an extensive knowledge of Italian culture and history, this book still offers much information for the trivia inclined.A grand portrait is painted of Italy and her music, history, culture, art, politics, wars, religion, food, women, inventors, discoverers, language, architecture, Papacy, banking, commerce, philosophies, unification, immigration, myths and magic, theater, clothing, and more.Some added touches includes appendixes with a glossary of commonly used Italian words, web resources, and suggested films and books. The index is very good.

I just returned from a fabulous trip to Italy, and I found this book to be an invaluable aid. It truly helped me get a richer and more insightful appreciation of Italian culture and history. Congrats to the authors for a superlative job. Their work was instructive, detailed and entertaining.

Gabrielle Euvino's guides to Italian language and history provide clear, consise information imbued with intelligence, warmth and humor. She has an inherent love of the culture and strong sensitivity for the neophyte student who seeks information. A desire to learn is all that's required of anyone looking to Euvino's books for understanding Italian and Italy. Expect to be charmed and entertained by the unexpected, as well as provided an education.

This 'book' gets a star for the enthusiasm of its writer for all things Italian, but that's about it. It is full of spelling mistakes and inaccurate information (eg 'contorno' are the side vegetables served with meat/fish, and cheese has nothing to do with it, as the author would have you believe instead; Vittorio Gassman was an Italian actor, not an italian-American director; 'pastasciutta' is how Italians call pasta dishes in general, not the boxes of pasta they have in their cupboards; etc etc etc). Poor work also on the part of the editor/s, who should at least have spotted the spelling mistakes.Steer well clear.

Good factual information but juvenile writing