Customer Reviews

Italy: A Complete Guide to 1,000 Towns and Cities and Their Landmarks, With 80 Regional Tours (Heritage Guides)

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

 

 

The map that came with the book is far better at locating small villages than some expensive maps I have recently purchased.
The book is written by Italians, not a travel writer who has never left the country, but relies on other previously printed material to make the recommendations.
In reviews of restaurants it also includes the parking facilities. Most travel books will give parking at hotels but not restaurants. In reading the ratings for restaurants I have found many places that I have previously visited, in Italy, and the ratings are very accurate. I have recently purchased 4 books on travel in Italy and find this to be superior, it is the only book I will take on my upcoming trip.

Don't be put off by the publishing date: this guidebook is timeless in that has by far the best description and explanation of Italy's immense asset of cultural masterpieces (which, being centuries old, don't change much in a few year's time) and idillic landscapes. It successfully undertakes the task of rating everything including cities and towns on a 3-tier system, which is incredibly useful both when planning the trip and on deciding what to see once there. If you have any interest whatsoever in Italy behind shopping and food, then this translation into English of the top-rated guide written by Italians for Italians cannot be beat. However, if it's your first time traveling to Italy I suggest you also get a guide like Frommer's for its up-to-date and North-American-centric travel planning and practicalities section.

We took this book with us on our 3-week vacation to Italy last month. While it does contain thorough information about many cities and towns in Italy (including many of those not covered in other guidebooks), I didn't enjoy the format of the book.

The book describes many cities through walking tours, as well as driving tours of various areas. There is a map showing the route and the text goes along with the route of the tour, but lacks a lot of the historical and artistic background that another guide might provide.

If you're the kind of vacationer who wants to explore a new city and see what it has to offer, plus get a few suggestions for hotels and restaurants, this book is for you. If you already know where you're going, what sites to see, and want more historical information, I'd suggest the Rough Guide to Italy instead.

This guide provides both ample pictorial resources and amazingly complete coverage of the exhausting cultural riches of Italy. It is sturdy and well-bound, and has many helpful detail maps. I am a fairly serious traveller and appreciate being given solid information, not only some tour guide's opinions on the bar scene.