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Summary: The Best Book on Travel in Italy!
Review: Rick Steves is the only travel writer you can trust 100% of the time. I lived in Italy for 2.5 years, so I know of what I speak. Only Rick Steves tells it like it is. Frommer and Foders are hacks for the travel industry. Following their suggestions will give you nothing but a "canned" version of Italy. Rick Steves, however, shows you Italy from the native's perspective. . . which is what most people want but never get with the "mainstream" guidebooks. Steves never compromises and is blunt and accurate in his advice. He's also a joy to read, far better than the dry writing one finds in other travel guides. If you are going to spend several thousand dollars on a trip to Europe, don't cut corners when it comes to the essentials - and Rick Steves' Italy 2001 is a bargain-priced ESSENTIAL. Study it before going and bring it with you for reference. I highly recommend all of Rick Steves' books, especially Europe Through the Backdoor for first-time travelers to Europe.
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Summary: This Book Is AWSOME!!!!
Review: Rick Steves made my trip through Italy an absolute success!!
His books are wonderfully detailed, giving you a real inside, feel like a local, sort of trip! I would suggest going to any city, staying in any sort of camere (room) that he recommends. My travel companion and I lived off of this book and traveled from city to city, with no sort of reservations, just stopping in to local businesses and inquiring about rooms. Final thought: TAKE THIS BOOK, it is honestly the only one you'll need to see the in's and out's of the true Italy!!
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Summary: the Rick Steves phenomenon is over
Review: Rick's books started out quirky and interesting and different from the rest of the field because they had a distinct personality. Now Steves has become a brand name like the rest. The books are still written in a friendly tone, but I found, traveling with this book through Tuscany, that the descriptions often bore little relation to the actual places described. Maybe Rick is a victim of his own success, but places he (and his team of writers) describe as charming and out of the way were as often as not anything but. Felt more like Italian Disneyland. The restaurants were especially disappointing. I love my fellow countrymen, but I didn't go to Italy to hang out with a bunch of American tourists.
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Summary: Reliable
Review: The Rick Steves' books were our best guides when we visited Italy this summer. They were entertaining, accurate, and full of useful tips and tricks. I would recommend buying the books that are available for individual cities, to get all the details. In addition to his phrase book, we carried Rome, Florence, and Venice. We often saw other tourists carrying these books, using them to find restaurants, tour museums, and get around town. Although his maps are not great, his tips on what to see, how to avoid waiting in line, and how to get around are tremendous.
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Summary: Usual tourist blah
Review: The sad fact about travel guides is that they're all, well, exactly alike. Rick Steves in particular reads like your average phone book of Italian listings. It's virtually indistinguishable from Rough Guide or Lonely Planet. No humor, no personality.
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Summary: A good supplemental guidebook
Review: This book offers a great summary of sights and highlights. I especially like his rating system of "must-sees" vs. "only if you have extra time." I was a little disappointed with his hotel choices (most fall into the "budget" category, which is a little scary when you're traveling overseas) and with the lack of information about some of the more out-of-the-way places in Italy. For example, the book barely mentions Capri at all. Bottom line: this book has some great suggestions, but if you've never been to Italy before, you're going to need something a little more comprehensive (like a Fodor's or Lonely Planet).
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Summary: A wonderful resource!
Review: This guidebook is great - a definite must! I took it on my first trip to Italy. Rick was right about everything! (He's pretty humorous too!) In addition to this book, I would recommend a larger guidebook such as Lonely Planet or Frommer's for maps (his are all hand-drawn).
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Summary: Indispensable practical guide
Review: This is definitely not the ONLY guide you should buy. One such as the Eyewitness guide povides much more in-depth information as well as eye-candy. I read the comprehensive books (especially on Rome) until my head was spinning. What a delight and relief it was to open Steeve's book and read such practical advice as "bus 64 is a haven for pickpockets," "taxis start at L5000, and must be hailed from a stand," "a small door at the rear allows you to escape directly to the Bascilica," avoiding tourist traffic jams. Specific prices, hours, directions, and hints on what to avoid as well as what to see, make this the book unique, and the one that I will carry in my bag!
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Summary: Buy this guide book first
Review: This was the 3rd guide that I have used in this extremely useful series. If you are planning a trip to Italy, buy this guide first. It is concise and will focus your attention on the most worthy destinations in Italy. Once you have decided on which regions to visit you can buy supplementary regional/city guides geared towards your specific interests. As expected with this series, the guide provides great coverage for compact regions served by great public transport. For example, the chapter covering the Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento/Amalfi/Paestum region is particularly excellent. The maps and directions for using the local commuter transportation were flawless. I used buses, trains, and boats to move around the region with ease, avoiding the readily available and costly tour buses. Rick also correctly instructs you to stay in Sorrento, which is pleasant and safe, rather than Naples, which is neither. I also visited Florence and the Hill Towns of Tuscany and Umbria. Once again, Rick's recommendations were on the mark, correctly focusing you on the most enjoyable destinations such as Siena and Assisi. If you want to cover the region in depth, as I did, you will need an additional guide (I recommend Blue or Green). Other chapters that looked particulary good were those for Rome, Venice (great maps and instructions for using commuter boats), Cinque Terre, and the Dolomites. I can't wait for my next trip to Italy! I found the hotel and restaurant recommendations somewhat low-end for my needs, but did have success with 2 hotels and a few of the restaurants.
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Summary: Rick Steves' Italy 2001
Review: Though I did like this book it is far to vague. Do not take this as your only guidebook when traveling to Italy as we did. I found much more in depth and usefull information in Fodor's book. This book is good for a quick read to give you an idea but by no means are the maps or discriptions enough.
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