Lonely Planet Italy (Paperback)

~ Damien Simonis (Editor), Fiona Adams (Editor), Miles Roddis (Editor), Sally Webb (Editor), Nicola Williams (Editor) "Some things don't change..." (more)
Key Phrases: cala gonone, doubles with bath, intercity bus station, Santa Maria, Piazza del Duomo, San Francesco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

Explore the riches of Italy with Lonely Planet's essential guide. Featuring a special color feature on Italian art and architecture, this book also contains insider's advice on the best pasta and gelati; skiing and trekking information, notes on history, culture and current politics; as well as practical food and accommodation suggestions for every budget. Delightful sidebars add insight into the culture, with details on everything from gladiators to mushroom picking. --Kathryn True --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

As usual the guidebook standard is set by Lonely Planet

-- Outside (USA) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 980 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 5th edition (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1864503521
• ISBN-13: 978-1864503524
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #713,839 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

245 of 265 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're Going To Love Italy!, July 6, 2005

By	Richard R. Carlton (Ada, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lonely Planet Italy (Turtleback)

I've been to Italy several times.....Rome, Venice, Florence, Bologna, Milan, some of the hill towns, etc (most recently last April). Here are my reviews of the best guides to meet your exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!

Rick Steves' books are not recommended. They may be an interesting read but their helpfulness is very poor. They don't do well on updates, transportation details, or anything but the first-time-tourist routine and even that is somewhat superficial on anything but the mega-major sites.

Frommer's
These are time tested guides that pride themselves on being updated annually. Although I think the guides below provide information that is in more depth or more concise (depending on what the guide is known for), if your main concern is that the guide has very little old or outdated information, then this would be a good guide for you.

Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.

Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.

MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the public transportation system. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the center of the city.

Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!

Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)

Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.

Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide

62 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo! Excellent tour guide and easy to use, May 3, 2000

By	Jose A. Aponte-Lucena (San Juan, Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Italy (Italy, 4th ed) (Paperback)

I just returned from a wonderful vacation trough Italy visiting Roma, Pisa, Firenze, Venezia, Siena, and Orvieto. The Lonely Planet Italy guide provided very useful information such as history, places to stay and eat, and other up to date pertinent information on each of these places (and more).

The Lonely Planet Italy guide is medium sized and is not heavy. It fits easily on a hand bag. This book is easy to use and understand. It is organized by region, and then by town. Each regional map highlights the most important tourist attractions.

The first two chapters: Facts about Italy and Facts for the Visitors; cover Italian culture, history, and local customs, and many valuable hints for the traveller. Reading this two chapters before leaving help us to prepare and plan our trip.

This book enhanced our travel experience 100%!

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lonely planet forever, January 9, 2001

By	yohahn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Italy (Italy, 4th ed) (Paperback)

I studied for 3 months in Rome in 1999. The 3rd edition of the Italy guide was the defacto bible for travel from Sicilia to the Dolomites. Of course Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome are covered, but how about Cortona, Siena, Poggibonisi, Assizi, Orvieto, Enna, Catania, Vulcanis, Bari, Lecce, Positano, Siracusa? How to get there, what to see, what to expect in these hill towns and costal villages? If I got there could I get back to Rome by Monday's morning classes? No other single travel book is filled with all the information found in the Italy guide.

As an example, one weekend I told my roomates that I wanted to go to San Marino because according to the guide I could get my passport stamped with entry to a country within a country. Also it mentioned "spactacular views". Nothing prepared us for what we saw, a fortress castle hewn into the 2000+ ft cliffs and a city in the clouds overlooking a vast plain of farms and towns!