Generally speaking, I usually find travel shows from Globe Trekker to be rather abysmal; the hosts are often obnoxious, the travel-worthiness of their coverage is, at times, questionable, and they regularly try to cover too much material in a single show. This being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the coverage of Venice; the DVD strikes a good balance between historical perspectives, contemporary culture, and practical advice for would-be travelers to the region. Moreover, the hostess - Justine Sharpiro - presents herself as a well-rounded travel guide whose primary focus is to bring the essence of Venice to her viewers. Finally, the fact that they cover only one city in this segment works to their advantage - Hopefully the producers of Globe Trekker eventually realize that the "1 hour/ 1 city" format for their shows is more conducive for creating quality programming that trying to cram coverage of an entire country into their limited 60 minute time frame (e.g., their coverage of Scotland (BAD), their coverage of New Zealand (REALLY BAD)).For anyone interested in traveling to Venice, or for those who enjoy travel DVDs, the Venice City Guide DVD would make a worthy addition to your collection.
