Best of Europe: Italy Blu-ray – Blu-ray, January 22, 2010

The images are stunning. It is in 1080i but still looks fantastic. Very informative. Rudy Maxa is interesting to listen to and he gives good tips for travelling in the areas he documents. I felt I had to review this blu-ray when I saw one of three reviews from someone who apparantly did not update their firmware and had problems watching the disk and rated this one star. There are other titles in this series including France and Italy which are also filmed beautifully and are interesting. Also video is 16:9 and not 1:33. Beautiful widescreen.

I have to admit, I didn't know who Rudy Maxa was before I bought this video. My wife and I are heading out on a Mediterranean cruise soon, and I was looking for videos the help prep us and inspire us. This video hits Florence, Rome, Naples/Amalfi & Venice...and we're visiting all those places, so for the low price, I couldn't see a downside.Each episode is about 27 minutes, and therefore, there is little depth. But for quality of content, it's about the same as an episode of Rick Steves' show or Samantha Brown. I believe it falls somewhere between the two. Brown, to me, is a bit shrill and she tries too hard to be "cutesy." Steves just has better written narration, IMO. Maxa is an engaging enough guide, I suppose...just a little low energy.The quality overall, is excellent, at least on the blu-ray. You really get a good sense of the area. The best episode is the one set in Venice. I got several excellent ideas and jotted down a number of places to visit. Rome feels the most insubstantial...he tries to cover too many places and once. But honestly, that's actually a fairly minor quibble. This video provides nearly two hours of excellent "tour prep" in a solid, workmanlike fashion. If you're planning a trip, then this becomes a 5-star must-buy.

Wonderful travelogue ! Almost as good as being there. We are going to Italy soon for 2 weeks and this was exactly the video we needed, as we are going to all the places on the DVD. Thanks Amazon and of course Rudy Maxa.

This DVD gives a good overview of the main cities and attractions in Italy for first-time travelers. I am disappointed that the DVD is so old that the former lira money is still shown in transactions instead of the Eurodollar.

Probably better for potential tourist or returnees, but as far as showing panoramic scenery? Not enough sweeping views outside, way to much indoor footage and conversations about museums and cultural specifics.These types of Travel Documentaries will get better once high flying Camera Drones are utilized, but hopefully a new type of Cultural Blu-Ray will emerge, one with few words, sweeping views, and engaging footage of what life is like at ground zero in these story book villages.The Blu-Ray really could barely pass for Blu-Ray. If I didn't know what was in the slot, I really could tell for sure if it were a Blu-Ray, or DVD.IMHO, Anthony Bourdain, though his documentaries are geared at cuisine, does a much better job at capturing the magic than Rick Steves. After watching the raw style of Bourdain, one comes away with what life is actually like in these locales.

Didn't get a chance to view it due to it being shipped to a wrong address as per there mistake,otherwise could have liked it.

I have researched and researched for our upcoming trip to Italy. I bought this blu ray for more of a visual of what I had read so much about. I really enjoyed it. It's a good value and it gave me a few new ideas. Ca'Macana, the mask store in Venice is now on our list of must sees. Of course in this short of time it's impossible to cover everything, but's still pretty concise. It was nice to see St. Clemente, The Bargello, and the mask shop, which are not Must Sees compared to the Colosseum and St Marks. I also enjoyed the tips such as how to ride a bus in Rome and a vaperetto in Venice. It is a bit older since the money used is Lira, but the information presented is still relavent and only the lira gives away the age. More then anything it makes me more excited for my trip.

Dear Amazon friends,Rudy really encourages us to travel to Europe and his enthusiasm in infectious.My students and I are delighted with his travel videos.John Barnes,Bangkok, Thailand