Lonely Planet Florence (City Guide) [Paperback]

Damien Simonis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006 | Series: City Guide

Awe-inspiring art, magnificent architecture, a turbulent history - glory in the artistic and cultural wealth of this Renaissance city. Inside this indispensable guide you'll find all the stars of the city plus where to shop for designer-wear and beautiful gifts, how to avoid those touristy trattorias, and accommodation options for discerning travelers in every budget.

Focus On Florence - history, art, food and fashion intelligently covered by our expert author.

Detailed Walking Tours - mapped tours take you beyond the center so you won't miss a thing.

Festivals & Events - our month-by-month calendar makes planning your trip easy.

Honest Reviews - the best places to indulge your senses, from top-notch Tuscan fare to sumptuous fornaio pastries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lonely Planet guides are a must-pack” --Toronto Star, February 2006

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 4 edition (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740598091
• ISBN-13: 978-1740598095
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > Florence

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst travel book I have *tried* to rely on, March 26, 2005

By 

Brandon Bass - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Florence (Paperback)

On a recent trip to France and Italy, my wife and I picked up books from several different publishers to cover each of the four areas we were visiting: Paris, Florence, Venice, and Provence. Every book was a tremendous help - except for this one published by Lonely Planet. Without a doubt, this is the worst travel book I have ever tried to rely on. A heroin-addicted chimpanzee could organize a book better than the author and editor, who have eschewed alphabetizing in favor of the random topic jumps of a fashion magazine. Once the information is located, it is muddled with the author's stream of consciousness ramblings about the reader's anticipated viewing of the Florentines' summer tans. For the book to be of any use, a visitor would have to highlight and memorize the rare and sporadic meaningful passages long before setting foot on Italian soil. Finally, the publishers at Lonely Planet have elected to provide only a smattering of maps of Florence, and instead ask that you purchase a separate book for that purpose. I can say, without question, that there are only 3 legitimate reasons for purchasing this "guide": (1) you are related to the author and have some familial obligation that cannot be severed by divorce; (2) you are writing a travel guide yourself and need an example of the worst case scenario to avoid; or (3) you are suckered in by the Lonely Planet logo without a prior customer review to warn you how bad it is.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars save your money, June 2, 2007

By 

WSU Cougar! (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Florence (Paperback)

I lived in Florence for 6 months and made the mistake of taking this book along...worthless!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great restaurants and good advice, October 16, 2006

By 

IronGarden "sucker for romance" (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Florence (City Guide) (Paperback)

I just came back from Florence and I used this guide. It had great restaurants listed and I visited serveral. It also gave me some great advice for going to Fiesole. I saw a private garden that was beautiful!

If you are the type that likes to go to local hangouts, this is your guide.