Fall 2006 The Ambassadors REVIEW
115
Frecky’s and Vanessa’s guide not only succeeds to do this admirably; it turns out to
be the best overall guide to Rome that I’ve ever read. In the first place, it taught me to
think of Rome differently than I had previously—to replace my central metaphor for the
city. In Frecky’s and Vanessa’s hands, Rome becomes less an accumulation of
sedimentary civilizational strata and appears more like the concentric growth rings on a
tree. To be sure, even this metaphor isn’t perfect, but it is more apposite. It suggests the
way the Vreelands are able to see—and help the visitor see—Rome’s development and
evolution through the epochs of its history.
Each segment of their new guide provides a first-class, quite detailed and
compelling explanation of a particular portion—and historic epoch—of the city. It’s all
here: a description of how that area of the city would have looked in its time; how it
evolved and developed, architecturally and historically; charming and insightful
descriptions of the principal sights in the vicinity; timelines; fascinating vignettes and
asides. Each epochal section of Key to Rome begins with a cleverly-designed, four-page
fold out pictorial description/illustration of the nucleus of that section of the city on which
it is centered. The one on the Piazza Navona, for instance—the beginning of their section
on Renaissance and Baroque Rome—is as good or better an introduction to that captivating
square as you’ll find anywhere. Each new section is as fully engaging and engrossing as
the last.
Throughout, the Key to Rome’s glossy, four-color format is as visually engaging
and exciting as an Eyewitness Guide, and its commentaries are fully as rich and
informative as a Blue Guide—without overburdening the reader with excruciating detail.
It’s hard for guidebooks to strike the right balance between sightseeing descriptions
and routes, on the one hand, and really good tips on lodging, restaurants, the entertainment
scene, shopping and diversions, on the other. The balance that the Vreelands strike is
nearly perfect. Theater and concert information is often hard to come by when visiting
overseas. It’s presented here in the most concise, accessible format—though I seem to
recall a couple of other theaters presenting opera in Rome, at least occasionally, beyond
those that Frecky and Vanessa mention. Particularly charming are the night-time strolls
that the Vreelands map out for the visitor—though, at the risk of discouraging romance, a
little more comment on safety and security here might be helpful.
The Vreelands’ hotel recommendations are replete with insider tips on individual,
more out-of-the-way establishments, e.g., “Ask for room 402” at the Hotel Rinascimento
in the Via Giulia area, “a small double room with its own private terrace.” Side by side
with these insider tips you’ll find pithy, to-the-point thumb-nails of all the well-known
stand-bys: Hassler, Intercontinental, Excelsior, Ambasciatori Palace, Inghilterra, Eden, and
others. The Vreelands’ tips on Roman gastronomy are comparably insightful and,
thankfully, include most of the enotecchi (wine bar restaurants) that are my personal
favorites (including the humble and out-of-the-way Enoteca Corsi near the Gesu Church.)
The highest compliment that I can pay to the Vreelands’ Key to Rome is simply
this: I can’t wait to use it on my next trip.