The Rough Guide to Italy, 4th edition [Paperback]

Ros Belford (Author), Martin Dunford (Author), Celia Woolfrey (Author)

Book Description

Series: 4th Edition | Publication Date: May 1, 1999

This comprehensive guide to Italy features information on areas including Florence and the Amalfi coast. It provides details on transport, restaurants, and accommodation, as well as information on activities ranging from hiking in the Dolomites to attending an Italian football match.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The most readable, comprehensive and informative guide around. -- Cosmopolitan

We recommend the Rough Guide to Italy which has excellent sections on politics and social history. -- The Daily Telegraph, London, UK

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Where to go The North is "discovered" Italy. The regions of Piemonte and Lombardy, in the northwest, make up the richest and most cosmopolitan part of the country, and the two main centres, Turin and Milan, are its wealthiest large cities. In their southern reaches, these regions are flat and scenically dull, especially Lombardy, but in the north the presence of the Alps shapes the character of each: skiing and hiking are prime activities, and the lakes and mountains of Lombardy are time-honoured tourist territory. Liguria, the small coastal province to the south, has long been known as the "Italian Riviera" and is accordingly crowded with sun-seeking holiday-makers for much of the summer season. Nonetheless it's a beautiful stretch of coast, and its capital, Genoa, is a bustling port with a long seafaring tradition.

Much of the most dramatic mountain scenery lies within the smaller northern regions. In the far northwest, the tiny bilingual region of Valle d'Aosta is home to some of the country's most frequented ski resorts, and is bordered by the tallest of the Alps - the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. Moving east, Trentino- Alto Adige, another bilingual region, and one in which the national boundary is especially blurred, marks the beginning of the Dolomites mountain range, where Italy's largest national park, the Stelvio, lies amid some of the country's most memorable landscapes.

The Dolomites stretch into the northeastern regions of the Veneto and Friuli- Venezia Giulia. However here the main focus of interest is, of course, Venice; a unique city, and every bit as beautiful as its reputation would suggest (although this means you won't be alone in appreciating it). If the crowds are too much, there's also the arc of historic towns outside the city - Verona, Padua and Vicenza, all centres of interest in their own right, although rather overshadowed by their illustrious neighbour. To the south, the region of Emilia- Romagna has been at the heart of Italy's postwar industrial boom and has a standard of living on a par with Piemonte and Lombardy, although it's also a traditional stronghold of the Italian Left. Its coast is popular among Italians, and Rimini is about Italy's brashest, tackiest (and trendiest) seaside resort, with a high reputation on the clubbing scene. You may do better to ignore the beaches altogether, however, and concentrate on the ancient centres of Ravenna, Ferrara, Parma and the regional capital of Bologna, one of Italy's liveliest, most historic but least appreciated cities.

Central Italy represents perhaps the most commonly perceived image of the country, and Tuscany, with its classic rolling countryside and the art-packed towns of Florence, Pisa and Siena, to name only the three best-known centres, is one of its most visited regions. Neighbouring Umbria is similar in all but its tourist numbers, though it gets busier every year, as visitors flock into towns such as Perugia, Spoleto and Assisi. Further east still, Marche may in time go the same way, but for the moment is comparatively untouched, its highlights being the ancient towns of Urbino and scoli Piceno. South of Marche, the hills begin to pucker into mountains in the twin regions of Abruzzo and Molise, Italy's first really remote area if you're travelling north to south, centring on the country's highest peak - the Gran Sasso d'Italia. Molise, particularly, is a taster of the South, as is Lazio to the west, in part a poor and sometimes desolate region whose often rugged landscapes contrast with the more manicured beauty of the other central regions. Lazio's real focal point, though, is Rome, Italy's capital and the one city in the country which owes allegiance neither to the North or South, its people proudly aloof from the rest of the country's squabbles. There's nowhere quite like Rome: it's a tremendous city just to be, and in terms of historical sights outstrips everywhere else in the country by a long way.

The South proper begins south of Rome, with the region of Campania, which is as far as many tourists get. Naples is a petulant, unforgettable city, the spiritual heart of the Italian South, and on hand nearby are some of Italy's finest ancient sites in Pompeii and Herculaneum, not to mention the country's most spectacular stretch of coast around Amalfi. Basilicata and Calabria, which make up the instep and toe of Italy's boot, are harder territory but still rewarding, the emphasis less on art, more on the landscape and quiet, unspoilt coastlines. Puglia, also in the "heel" of Italy, has underrated pleasures, notably the landscape of its Gargano peninsula, the souk-like quality of its capital Bari, and the Baroque glories of Lecce in the far south. As regards Sicily, the island is really a law unto itself, a wide mixture of attractions ranging from some of the finest preserved Hellenistic treasures in Europe, to a couple of Italy's fanciest beach resorts in Taormina and Cefal, not to mention some gorgeous upland scenery. Come this far south and you're closer to Africa than Milan, and it shows, in the climate, the architecture, and the cooking - with couscous featuring on many menus in the west of the island. Sardinia, too, feels far removed from the Italian mainland, especially in its relatively undiscovered interior, although you may be content to explore its fine beaches, which are among Italy's best.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1056 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 4th edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858284139
• ISBN-13: 978-1858284132
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,943,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not Ideal, July 29, 2000

By 

"sologub" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Italy, 4th edition (Paperback)

In my view, this guide has both good and bad points. Let's start with the good points first. The guide is comprehensive, and it provides a lot of information about lesser-known cities and sights. This was important for me --- so many guide books focus only on Rome, Florence, Venice and other major tourist draws, and we spent almost all of our time off the beaten track. Even better, the guide has city-center maps for many small towns. This is a great feature, since it often is hard to find the tourist office right way (where you can usually get a more inclusive map). All in all, the information about opening hours and what to expect from sights is correct and helpful. Now on to the negative aspects. Since it is so comprehensive, this guide is VERY heavy and carrying it around as you tour is a drag. If you're only planning to visit one region of Italy, you may do better to buy a lightweight guide to just that area. Secondly, the guide offers almost no tips for drivers (e.g. the best way in and out of town, parking info, etc.). If you plan to travel by bus or train, you'll get some help, but travelers by car will be left out in the cold. Finally, the authors often set themsleves up as "oh-so-knowing" arbiters of taste. The ironic, rather arrogant tone can be off-putting at times, although not all sections of the guide are as bad in this respect as others.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the Rough Guide's usual standards, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Italy, 4th edition (Paperback)

I've used the Rough Guides literally around the world. I've been to Italy before, and I'm planning my trip for next May. This book is already a disappointment. In other books in the series, the assumption is that you've got a sense of exploration. You're just as willing to eat with a pack of camels in the middle of the Sahara as you are interested in staying at some wonderful over-the-top place like the Victoria Falls Hotel, because they're both experiences in their own rights. In addition, the guides typically contain excellent tactical explanations.

This book doesn't do that. It seems targeted at the Lonely Planet crowd. Amazingly, there are only two pages of hotels and hostels listed for Florence, and only about three for Venice! There are no options for if you want to spend a lot of money staying in someplace fabulous for a few days to blow your budget. The listings for restaurants are even more sparse.

What's good about it? It does seem to cover every monument in Italy, which is saying a lot. If you're a student of antiquities, it will do a good job of helping you find things. But for the first time in about 15 years, I'm actually going to rely on the Michelin Red Guide (and the Web) to find a bed and a meal.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 19, 2001

By 

Robertomelbourne (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Italy, 4th edition (Paperback)

The majority of reviewers have missed the point. This guide is a very useful, functional and easy to use guide in travelling around Italy. The guide concentrates on the basic stuff - the major things to see and do, hotels/accomodation, getting around. It's style is entertaining, which is very useful, especially sometimes when you are waiting for a train or bus that never arrives, and its necessary sometimes to have a sense of humour when traveling. The guide came in extremely useful. Its only draw back is its size, and its sometimes not recommended to drawn attention to your self when you need to pul out such a thick tourist guide.