Customer Reviews

Frommer's Italy 2010 (Frommer's Color Complete)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the past I've generally relied on the Rough Guide or Let's Go books for travel advice, holding the opinion that books like Frommer's were geared more towards older travelers who followed a fixed and possibly boring itinerary. But I'm hoping to return to Italy this year for the first time in 7 years, and am looking forward to seeing how it's changed, so when I got the chance to check out this book, I was eager to pick it up and start some armchair planning.

Having spent some time with it, I think this book would work really well for either the armchair traveler or anyone planning a trip to Italy in the near future, as it's really just packed full of useful information for travelers of any budget or style, while at the same time teasing you with beautiful photographs and descriptions. I like the layout in particular, for finding just what you need when you need it: each section starts with a brief and slightly poetic introduction ("Venice is a preposterous monument to both the folly and obstinacy of humankind. It shouldn't exist, but it does") , immediately followed by the "Essentials" section, giving you all the necessary logistics of arrival (key phone numbers, public transit, etc). The "Neighborhoods in Brief" is a fantastic way of getting a handle on the different areas of the cities that's useful in figuring out where you really want to stay (ie., do you want to stay in the funky neighborhood with excellent shopping and local restaurants, or the upscale area near the museums?).

A quick way for me to judge an Italy guidebook is to flip to the section on Venice, a city I adore. This books gets a thumbs-up from me on this section. An accurate assessment of the indecipherable address system ("A maniac must've numbered Venice's buildings") is accompanied by some good tips on actually finding a specific address. It also accurately assess the romance (or lack thereof) in most gondola rides.

One of the things I liked best about the book was the color photographs - you don't usually get those in a travel book, at least not this many and of this quality. Since half the pleasure of the travel guide is savoring the planning and anticipation, it succeeds on that level. There's also a pretty handy pull-out map of Italy at the back of the book with street maps of Venice and Rome on the flip side. These things do make the book heavy, but you can always do what I've done, which is cut out the section you're currently touring, and just take those pages with you when you go out for the day.

When planning a trip I like to sample the opinion of several guides, as one is rarely complete or entirely aligned to my preferences. I'm planning a trip to Tuscany and Umbria next fall (I've been to Florence before), and thought this guide might be a good supplement to the Eyewitness, Michelin, and Lonely Planet guides I already have.

I was surprised at how helpful I found this guide. Like the Michelin guide, it rates key attractions with one to three stars. While I would never plan a trip based on the ratings of a single guidebook, I do find the star ratings helpful in elucidating the author's opinions in a way that sifting through different adjectives in descriptions isn't. Unlike the Michelin guide this book groups cities by geography (which is how you would visit them) rather than alphabetically across the whole country. It also has more detail on hotels. In fact, the extensive descriptions of hotels is one of the reasons I found this guide so useful.

While it is proud of it "full color", the color pictures are added here and there as an accent, and don't add a lot to the text. The Eyewitness guides are far more useful for their pictures, although they contain less helpful prose. (Seriously, if you are willing to spend the money for a vacation to Italy, invest in several guides up front, they're cheap compared to the trip itself!)

While I generally thought highly of this guide, it was not without its faults. One that struck me was that in its "Best of Italy" section it lists Todi and Spoleto as the first two entries for "most romantic getaways"; when you get to their listings they are both rated one star, without much said about why they are romantic destinations. Treat this book as one source of many in your planning, and you should be pleased.

I like big tomes of books with travel information, and I'll get to field test this book in several weeks during a crazy trip around Italy. This book's a monster, and very comprehensive. And I'm not a big fan of Frommer's in general, but I rather like this book. The book itself is easy to read unlike the Rough Guide books. The color photos were nice, but were bonuses and not really helpful to the content.

The book's layout was helpful because it's geographically based, so if you wanted to hit specific areas, attractions and lodging are logically based. The hotel and food sections were extremely helpful in trying to decide where to treat myself when I'm in Italy.

If you're looking for a good book on Italy, this is a great book to start with, but I'd never rely on just one book as a source of information. Consider this one of the good ones out there, and review them all.

I have never seen a travel guide as comprehensive as this. At almost 1000 pages and 2 1/4 lbs this is a monster of a book, yet it's still easy to find the information you are looking for. It starts off by giving you a list of the best of Italy (i.e. cathedrals, wineries, ruins, etc.) and moves to a history of Italy and how its people, architecture, and cuisine has affected popular culture. Afterwards, you are given a list of suggested itineraries and the best times to visit.

In later chapters, we are treated to massive in-depth coverage of each city with beautiful color pictures sprinkled throughout. Returning to the same city in the book is as easy as memorizing the colored tab on the side of the book. The city of Florence alone gets 75 pages of coverage and other cities and geographic areas get similar treatment. From the must-see statues to the places to stay to even the local doctors and the telephone code, you can't ask for a more comprehensive guide. Being used to the typical five-star system I had to get used to their rating system. All of the restaurants and hotels in their guide are recommended (even ones with no stars) up to three stars (exceptional). They will even point out if some of the more commonly known attractions are overrated.

Italy was the first Frommer's Guide written and it shows. If you're looking to travel to Italy, you can't do better than this book.

Italy ain't what it used to be. It has become less Italian, more international and more crowded with travelers looking for the Italy that used to be. As such, information becomes more important for the traveler who wants to enjoy the country.
This book is remarkably up-to-date (at least as of february 2010) The section on Sardegna and the one on Rome unearthed some surprises for me in these two frequently visited spots. Of course, I'm not completely happy to have this information public: the sense that one is visiting an exhibit instead of a country (See Italyland!) increases all the time. But change is inevitable and perhaps we can squeeze a few more years of pleasure out of visits to Italy with the help of books like this one.

I loved Frommer's Italy 2010. Not only is a surprisingly thick and heavy (almost 2 lbs for a smaller sized paperback) but it packs so much inside. Plus it has a fold out map that includes the bigger cites such as Venice and Rome to orient yourself as you explore the cities. But what I really liked were the color photos! There aren't a lot of them but they are certainly more exciting than the grainy black and whites ones I had in other travel guides. Plus I have to agree with much of what the Frommer's guide states.

I've been to Italy and I would definitely agree on the spots the guide book recommended as spots that are must see first. (There are museums such as the one that houses Michelangelo's David which really is only interesting because it has David.) If the rating is 3 stars I would definitely recommend visiting it. I think when they grade it 2 stars they mean that there are a couple of things of note but the rest...so-so. The only thing I didn't agree on in Rome is that the Coliseum is a must see but I think it is kinda a rip off to pay to see inside. (You can pretty much see all the ruins from the outside.) And if you can and are a lover of gardens and fountains the Villa d'Este is well worth the extra travel to check out so I think it should be 3 stars, but I am a garden buff.

The problem with Italy is there is so much to see you can actually get tired of going to museums and seeing masterpieces so pace yourself. Then if you have the extra time and energy consider trying the lesser starred attractions. So attractions are something this book excels at. As to the lodging I am not really sure since most of the time I was never there long and can't even remember the names of the places I stayed at. And the food was pretty much universally good. Most of the time we ate stuff we bought on the way and picnicked with since we were on the go so much.

Overall, I am pretty excited to take this book with me on my next trip and confident that it will prove invaluable on the cities that I haven't been to. The only thing is that it is heavy and carrying it around could really be a pain. If you plan on only going to 1 or 2 cities it might be better to photocopy those pages and take the included map with you instead.

I am planning a trip to Italy and purchased this book to supplement advice I had secured from TripAdvisor and friends. The guide is truly invaluable for several reasons: First, it provides a map of each region (and larger cities)-this helps you determine where you want to stay. Second, information on "getting there" and distances is provided. Also, solid information is provided on what the region is famous for, what sites to visit as well as restaurant and hotel recommendations. I highly recommend the guide; be sure to read chapter 3 "Planning your trip to Italy" prior to making any booking decisions, this helped me to feel more comfortable about my choice of time of year and transportation options.

Comparisons to the prior year's (2009) Frommer's Italy guide: The full color pictures throughout the book are new in the 2010 edition. Also, the 2010 edition also has more pages but somehow is more compact (not as thick). This is a plus if you decide to take the book along in your suitcase.

The foldout map included in these guides is not detailed enough. If you are planning to drive in Italy, you should get detailed driving maps.

My feeling is that the reference guide will get you started and give you ideas about what places you want to tour and where you might want to stay, but after that a website such as [...] will be more helpful when actually making hotel reservations, especially if you want to base your choices on the ratings of people like you and me who've recently stayed at the hotels.

As far as travel guides go, I have tended to prefer Fodor over Frommer's in general, however, either one will provide you with what you need as long as it's not your only point of reference. Reference guides are critical, in my opinion, if you are traveling to Italy for the first time. Italy is AMAZING! Enjoy your trip!!

I have to say that I have been partial to Dorling Kindersley guide/travel books, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked this Frommer's Italy book. I hope to go back to Italy at some point this year and will definitely be bringing this book. I also think it is in the running with Rick Steve's books too, which I have used in the past (Ireland). It is an easy to use book and information is clearly laid out so one can find the information needed without getting frustrated.

This book begins by laying out its purpose (Page 2): "Italy is so packed with attractions that it's hard to know where to start. But that's where we come in." Frommer's has published many a volume that I have used in family vacations or even long weekends. This is another strong entry in the series.

The book begins with an introductory chapter that provides background for the rest of the work. It outlines some of the best places to visit, very briefly, in Italy (e.g., best restaurants, best winegrowing region, best cathedrals). Chapter 2 continues providing context, with a discussion of history, arts and architecture, popular culture, and cuisine. Chapter 3 outlines how a person would go about planning a trip to Italy. Finally, Chapter 4 concludes the introductory portion of the book by laying out itineraries in brief. After having read the first four chapters, one is in a position to look at a trip to Italy, city by city and region by region.

Chapters 5 and 6 focus on Rome itself. Transportation is discussed, as is where to stay (hotels are noted as very expensive to very affordable), area by area within Rome Just so, where to dine--from very expensive to very affordable. There are some nice maps showing where hotels and restaurants are located. Standard tourist attractions are covered, from St. Peter's to the Roman Coliseum to the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain to. . . . Also, what to do after dark. All in all, these two chapters provide lots of useful information in seeing Rome.

There is similar coverage for cities such as Florence, Venice, Milan, Naples, and the like. Much of the coverage is by region--Tuscany, Umbria, the Dolomites, the Lake District, Piedmont, the Amalfi Coast, and so on.

This is a handy reference source, from what I can tell, for readers who either want to get a better sense of Italy or who want a guide to help them make their plans as they go to Italy. Another finer addition to the Frommer's stable of books.