4/5 Great camera work, repetitive
  by Thomas Bergstrom
The first TV show that I've seen that showed the true promise of HDTVs was this show on PBS. That was several years ago. When I got my own hd TV, I wanted to see how amazing the pictures can be in Blu ray. Visions of Italy did not fail in that regards. The camera work is outstanding, the colors are vibrant, and should be in every Blu ray owner's library. However, out of the several hundred minutes of flying over one red-tiled town after another, it does get very repetitive. I was bored for too long. Sometimes a shot over a town would be so fantastic, you'd want the helicopter to just land already and show us the streets! Alas, they'd glaze over it, on to the next town. The worse parts were the section on southern Italy after the Amalfi as several non-descript towns get their flyovers. Brevity here would've worked wonders.

5/5 Plan a trip to Sicily
  by Paul J. Boucher
The photography is superb. Sicily is very different than I envisioned but the video helped me make my decision to visit. It was thorough and complete and kept me interested for the entire video. I have not viewed the other DVD on Italy but will view that before I visit.

5/5 Much Better than the DVDs
  by Zarathustra (Sacramento, CA USA)
Visions of Italy [Blu-ray] If you have a blu-ray player buy this one. It costs less than the 2 DVDs available and has a lot more material. You could spend an entire weekend watching these 2 blu-rays. The videos are beautiful, the music is great and the narrations are excellent. Sicily alone is worth the price. Divetirti!

4/5 Simply Beautiful
  by Robert in NY (New York, NY)
I bought the "regular" dvd set as a gift for a friend, and previewed it on my dvd player...very nice...then I bought the Blu-Ray set for myself -- awesome. Blu-Ray really is incomparable, and the difference is very very noticeable. At times it seems almost 3D.

The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is that it does not give you the opportunity to play the videos without the soothing narration by the "Oh-So-Italian" lady...ok the first time, but would prefer to watch the dvd's with only the music (which is quite soothing).

ps: In case youre new to all this: you must have a blu-ray dvd player, and a high-def tv. Blu-ray dvd's cannot play on regular dvd players.

5/5 BEAUTIFUL & STUNNING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR A NEAR COMPLETE VIEW OF ITALY
  by Harold Wolf (Wells, IN United States)
STUNNING! There is filmed such stunning picture composition at every moment that this DVD set is like looking at a continually changing souvenir picture postcard. Panoramic and close-up views all come from a moving helicopter mounted camera. What a ride. What a optical experience.
____AND, the accented narrator offers so much local color in her voice as all of the detailed facts she discloses. Educational as well as aesthetic. It comes on 2 DVDs, but in 3 parts. For the Blu-ray version, a third DVD is included, "VISIONS OF THE GREAT CITIES", which I have not bought and did not come with the original "Visions of Italy (2005)" dvd set. The Blu-ray also has subtitles, and the option of music only (eliminating the narration) added since the original release.

Italy, Northern Style
____Winter Alps begins the show and then takes the viewer to Mediterranean fishing villages. the views looking from the water toward land, and helicopter elevation, is a vista few have ever seen. Delightful.
____I have been to Italy, took the train along the coast, but this DVD is even more spectacular than what I saw in person from a train. With "VISIONS OF ITALY" on DVD, you see a point of observation ONLY available via a helicopter.
____Names of locations (at least 32) appear in the corner of the scene but the narrator's pronunciation is so much more sensual (and correct) than my attempts were. Add the excellent music background and this is 5-star travel excellence all the way.
____Northern bonus segment is 21 minutes long, out of the 160 total minutes contained in both Northern and Southern Style segments.

Italy, Southern Style
____This part of the Italy experience has a romantic, exotic coastal footage with an erotic beauty, making every mile a desirable destination. It was filmed in 2001, so it is 'very current.'
____41 different locations are listed on the paper insert inside the DVD case. What a perfect preview for anyone planning an Italian vacation. Look at this prior to making out your itinerary. It's better than a travel agent.
____Having traveled Italy some, I believe this DVD offers views that are better than what can be seen in person, sometimes. Honest!
____Southern bonus material last 21 minutes. It's so soothing, with the scenery rolling by and the fine music background. Do it right, have wine, cheese, and a baguette while watching.

Visions of Sicily
____This special DVD and segment on Sicily covers territory I have never seen in person. It is lovely, and the filming is a continuation of the excellence seen in VISIONS OF ITALY. Having never seen Sicily in person, I was amazed at how modern (21st century) it looks, including excellent roads and bridges. You see some spectacular bridges. It almost looks like Disney helped design Sicily. There are, even so, many very old churches and buildings to explore visually. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

This is also available for regular viewing, or NON Blu-ray.
Worth 5-stars regardless of your video equipment.
Wonderful travel documentary. Great for schools and libraries, too.