Rome Up Close

This is a guidebook unlike any other---which is sad, because London, Paris, Zurich and Prague cry out for a book like this. What makes "Rome Up Close" unique is its district to district, street by street architectural maps which provide an aerial, isometric view of the city that includes every byway, building and (it seems) window in a particular area. The commentary accompanying the maps is succinct and to the point, but commentary isn't the point. The maps are. If you're thinking of going to Rome, this is a terrific book to pack---it's a great walking around guide, but it shouldn't be your principal one. There are no hotel or restaurant recommendations, as such, nor many of the other things you'd expect from Fodor, Frommer or Lonely Planet. But the maps...the maps are really somethin'!