Rick Steves' Italy 1998 (Serial) [Paperback]

Rick Steves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1998 | Series: Serial

All of the fabled attractions of Italy are covered in this comprehensive guide: the art and architecture of Rome, the history and religion of Vatican City, the canals of Venice, the Riviera, the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria, the lakes and mountains of northern Italy, and Palermo in Sicily. 40 maps .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rick Steves is the best travel companion you could have on your next trip to Italy: He's funny, slightly irreverent, knowledgeable, and--best of all--he fits neatly into a fanny pack and weighs practically nothing. Rick Steves's Italy is geared toward the traveler who wants to get the most out of his or her trip to the land of Augustus Caesar, Lucretia Borgia, and Gucci, regardless of budget. Traveling the Steves way, it doesn't matter if you're a millionaire or on a shoestring, so long as what interests you is meeting the people and experiencing the Italian culture as the Italians do. What makes this book so valuable is Steves's selectivity; rather than throwing in long lists of every hotel, restaurant, and tourist attraction in town, he winnows down the list to a baker's dozen or so of his favorites for each city and region. He rates the sights, from "Don't Miss" to "Worth Knowing About," and even offers some delightful self-guided walking tours of some of the towns (the Floodlit Rome Hike is particularly worthwhile). He also clues you in on everything from making phone calls to budgeting your time. So if you're planning a trip to Italy this year, take your passport, your camera, and Rick Steves's Italy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: John Muir Pubns (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156261388X
• ISBN-13: 978-1562613884
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,475,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars for the ugly american wannabe, May 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rick Steves' Italy 1998 (Serial) (Paperback)

Rick Steves produces a very engaging travel video series broadcast on many public television stations. The quality of his television production is quite high which makes his books all that more puzzeling. As with his earlier printed series, there's really not much to the books. It's a wham bam with little cultural awareness. The approach seems to be: just head for a cheap meal and watch people hang out with an emphasis on the lowest price. While saving money is a worthwhile object, it's the not the be all and end all of travel. This attitude prevalent in the 1960s and 70s leaves a huge gap in the learning and cultural awareness of a gret country such as Italy. If Rick Steves were to pick up a copy of a guidebook to Seattle written written and produced like his, he would throw it away in a minute. Others in this category, are the Let's Go and Lonely Planet guides both empty and devoid except for brat packers. Get the Rough Guides for the best of Italy and other places.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great, lightweight timesaver to savor Italy's highlights, July 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rick Steves' Italy 1998 (Serial) (Paperback)

Rick Steves' Italy proved an excellent reference for us in our recent two-week tour of Italy. It was definitely the book we used the most. Instead of including volumes of information, Steves includes just what he deems the best--and we were very happy with his judgments. He divides Italy into nine areas to visit--the Dolomites, Lake Como, Venice, Milan, Florence, Cinque Terre, hill towns in Tuscany and Umbria, Rome, and Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Then he recommends several of the very best places within those areas. Two consequences of this concise method are a light, easy-to-use book and meeting other Americans holding Rick Steves' book in their hands. We enjoyed comparing notes.

We enjoyed and traveled according to Steves' philosophy of looking for the uniqueness and character of every place and being as involved as possible with the local people. Steves' hotel and restaurant recommendations were good and accurate, based on cost, cleanliness, location, and c! haracter. Especially helpful were his brief and clear directions to stations, museums, hotels--any places of interest. Using this book, we felt we saw and did much of the best there was to see and do, without wasting time or spending too much money. Steves updates his books every year, so all the names and information were very current, though some prices had already changed.

I would definitely use Rick Steves again for any future European travel. And though I don't really watch TV, I'm going to try to find his show on PBS. People swear by it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't tour Italy without it, April 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rick Steves' Italy 1998 (Serial) (Paperback)

Forget Frommer's, Fodor's and a score of other travel books for Italy. Buy Steves' book and buy Let's Go Italy. Both are for the traveler who wants to EXPERIENCE Italy. It is almost useless for dullard type of American "traveler" who just wants to hit a few obligatory sites only to return to an American filet mignon on a Norwegian cruise boat. The Steves-Let's Go combo helped make my last visit to Italy vastly rewarding and pleasurable. Finally, take Steves' Scandanavian socialism with a grain of salt. With Mother Theresa and Princess Diana dead, who in this world is perfect? Steves knows European travel. Buy his book.