Customer Reviews

Fodor's Florence's 25 Best, 6th Edition

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I will be studying abroad in Florence in the upcoming fall semester and have been looking for books to take with me to Italy. I decided I wanted a smaller book on Florence to take with me when I'm out in the city, and I decided on this book. I am a fan of the Eyewitness Books because of the pictures and information they have, and I got the Florence version of that but it was still bigger than what I was looking for to carry on an everyday basis. I have gotten the Eyewitness Top Ten guides in the past and have been happy with those, but this book has one advantage that the Top 10 guides do not have; a waterproof map of the city in a small pouch in the back of the book. The information it provides is really useful, and as the title suggests lists the top 25 of what to see, where to go, and what to do. It also divides Florence into different sections, so you can easily access the best sights and things to do in your area. There is also another section in the back that lists good overall information about things to know when traveling to the city. Overall, I think this is the best choice for a book on a specific city to carry around when walking through a city; I am planning on picking up the Rome and Venice ones for when I travel to those cities as well.

My husband and I used the the Fodor's 25 Best for Rome, Venice, and Florence on a recent trip to Italy, and we found them extremely valuable. The compact size makes them light and easy to stick in a purse or pocket, and yet they have all of the information that a traveler needs, from tips on beating the crowds to recommendations for excellent restaurants. Also contains a pull-out map. Features like a two-day itinerary and suggestions for certain types of of activities are very helpful.

Recently, my husband and I visited Florence and during our stay in this capital of the Tuscany Region of Italy we used this guide. Fodor's products generally are very good and this guide was no exception. Full of color pictures, descriptions of the highlights, and tips regarding visiting the sites (and to which sites you need to book early for)as well as when the sites are open and if they are handicapped accessible are all there. It was obvious from looking at this "Top 25" book that even with a five day stay that we would not see it all, so a guide like this was essential. If you are a visual person and need the pictures, like I do, this guide gives you a real sense of what the sites are like so that you can choose those sites wisely and according to your tastes.

What I have found in using any guide, is ignore what everyone tells you is a "must see" as "must sees" can vary widely depending on taste. I personally love art, so for me visiting Accademia to see Michelangelo's "David" was a "must see", as was the Uffizi, which houses Boticelli's "Birth of Venus" and many pieces of Renaissance art. The book also outlines many of the churches, including the parish church of the Medici Family, which also has works commissioned by them, including the pulpit by Donatello and Staircase by Michelangelo. There is a section also of the Duomo as well as one of our favorite stops to Santa Croce and the beautiful tomb of Michelangelo. Also entombed there is Galileo & Machiavelli. Many of the Piazzas are also listed in the book, including my favorite, Piazza della Signoria, with it's beautiful sculptures, including Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women.

There is a section on hotels as well as restaurants but we basically already had decided on a hotel and restaurants are fun to choose as you walk the city in the evening strolling down little alleyways following that fabulous smell. If you like to plan ahead on the food though, it is here.

The "need to know" section was very useful, including when to go, average temperatures, what festivals are happening, useful websites to help you plan your trip, internet cafes sites, information about electricity voltage, how much it costs to use the restroom facilities (not ample-use a cafe restroom) and a short section on useful phrases.

At the end of the book, cleverly hidden in a plastic pouch is your own pull out map of the city.

The book is small enough to fit into an ample purse if you need it.

This was our first trip to Florence and we found this guide to be one of the best for our trip to this area of Italy.

I would most definitely look at more of Fodor's Top 25 Series books when the need arises again. They are well put together, with all the essentials you need.

One thing that I did find out my own that I did not see in the book was a tour company that took you to the Tuscan Countryside for the day. The company was called Artviva. Though not a frugal day, it was one of the highlights of our trip and we visited Siena, San Gimignano and visited a wine estate and had lunch in the vineyard. Would have loved to seen this added (you can however read about these areas in the book). If you have a chance to go to this area, that is definitely a worthwhile trip as well-and you can do an internet search for more specifics on more tours that they offer.

All and all a great book and highly recommended!