Lonely Planet Walking in Italy (Walking in Italy, 2nd Ed)

Rating:
Summary: Molto Bene!
Review: Seeing Italy in all its grand beauty is simply not enough by plane, train or vespa. NO my friend, you must get out and WALK. There is no better way to see the hidden wonders of this wonderful country, and Lonely planet is the only walking partner you need. Tips on the best walking tracks, great food, hidden splendors...they are all in this easy to carry wealth of a paperback. When your trip is over, you will not want to part ways with such a book. I often look over this book to conjure up memories of my trip. If your heading to Italy, get this book, I dont think there are any others that fare better in comparison to Lonely Planet.

Rating:
Summary: Molto Bene!
Review: Seeing Italy in all its grand beauty is simply not enough by plane, train or vespa. NO my friend, you must get out and WALK. There is no better way to see the hidden wonders of this wonderful country, and Lonely planet is the only walking partner you need. Tips on the best walking tracks, great food, hidden splendors...they are all in this easy to carry wealth of a paperback. When your trip is over, you will not want to part ways with such a book. I often look over this book to conjure up memories of my trip. If your heading to Italy, get this book, I dont think there are any others that fare better in comparison to Lonely Planet.

Rating:
Summary: very useful book
Review: Serious trekkers should add this invaluable guidebook to their travel shelves. In its rapidly growing walking guide series, Lonely Planet very effectively defines its audience and focus. Walking in Italy is aimed at travelers who want to include extensive hiking in their trips or those who plan long-distance trekking journeys. The authors have selected nine areas of walks and organized both regionally and thematically. Sections such as the "Volcanoes of Southern Italy" tempt readers to plan trips that will immerse them in the rich culture and natural history of the regions described.

My wife and I field-tested this guide on a recent trip to Southern Italy and greatly valued its level of detail. We found the maps and trail directions highly accurate and easy to follow, and we particularly appreciated the many sidebars on local culture, history, and the environment. Walk descriptions also include public transportation to trailheads, campgrounds, budget lodgings and restaurants, even local sources for maps and trail guides. The first quarter of this compact book, moreover, is devoted to general travel information, which just could make this single guide all the walker needs to carry on a trip to Italy.

Rating:
Summary: Just the book for choosing a walk in wild Italy
Review: The emphasis of this useful little handbook is on walking in rural, even wild Italy. It describes walks in nine areas: the western Alps, the Lake District, the Dolomites, Maritime Alps, Liguria, the southern Italian volcanoes, the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento Peninsula, Tuscany and Sardenia. Also, it describes four long-distance walks which traverse the length or, pretty nearly, the width of Italy.

Coverage of each geographic area is uneven, but it's always at least enough for a rapid overview. For example, Liguria gets just 13 pages. However, it has so many wonderful walks that it's worth a book of its own. The volcanoes of southern Italy get 40 pages. And that's just about right.

There are useful chapters about the housekeeping details of taking a walk in Italy. These cover how to get to Italy, finding transport to the site of each walk, health, safety and first aid tips, facts needed for planning a walk and those background details of Italy which may be important to a walker.

Rating:
Summary: All the details you'll ever need to walk in Italy
Review: This book walked us through some great walks in northern Italy. It has all the details you may need. The track is described in a way you can't go wrong. They warn the reader about every possible obstacle, give exact transportaion schedule, recommend maps, seasons and walking gear.

The tracks vary in length and difficulty. The book mentions the length, duration, and difficulty of every walk, so the reader can stay with what suits them.

We even took their recommendation for a hotel, and it turned out to be a good recommendation. It was not fancy, but clean and pleasant, just as the book said.

(I refer to the hotel they recommend in Malcesina, on lake Garda).

All in all - I'm very glad to have bought this book. It brought our trip to a whole different level.

There is a lot of general information about each area. I found it verey interesting, and I think you should read the descriptions carefully before you start your walks.

Have fun!!