Rating: 
Summary: entirely inaccurate ...
Review: ... and the maps are worthless.
Two examples of the many glaring inaccuracies contained in this book:
1) Rick claims you can pick up a bus map in any tourist information kiosk. The following is an actual transcript of our conversation with the tourist info lady:
us: buon giorno. do you speak english?
info lady: of course.
us: we'd like to go to Vatican city. may we have a bus map please?
info lady: a bus map? for Roma?
us: um, yes.
info lady: no such thing exists.
2) Rick claims you can see everything you want to see in the Vatican in one morning: St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel - everything. Um, Rick? Have you ever BEEN there? Did you notice the 40,000 other people there all trying to get in to the same things? Did you notice the priceless and beautiful works of art on practically every surface? Did it occur to you that people might, perhaps, want to stop and admire a large number of them? Light a candle? Say a prayer? Some of us, also, have to behind a crowd of 35 elderly Germans to look at Michaelangelo's Pieta, and everything else.
Methinks ol' Rick either spends an average of 15 minutes apiece on the most astonishing and pleasurable spots in Rome, or is comfortable elbowing foreign senior citizens in the ribs.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Guidebook for Some Tastes
Review: Having lived in Rome for several years as an American expat, I am constantly being asked about guide books and have read all of them. And Rick Steves is really the worst ever! It is the perfect guidebook for the single digit IQ teen on the "Do Europe" thang, but when I actually lived there after having bought this wretched tome and studied classics and art there, I realised how much of this book is just American stereotypes of a few days spent in tourist traps in the Eternal City. And Rome does not have good food? Rick, either your palate is as dumb as stone or you need to live with the Romans for a while and get nice and fat like those of us who came as skinny American kids and matured into solid young men under the Roman sun.
Rating:
Summary: The Romans Do What???
Review: Having lived in Rome for several years as an American expat, I am constantly being asked about guide books and have read all of them. And Rick Steves is really the worst ever! It is the perfect guidebook for the single digit IQ teen on the "Do Europe" thang, but when I actually lived there after having bought this wretched tome and studied classics and art there, I realised how much of this book is just American stereotypes of a few days spent in tourist traps in the Eternal City. And Rome does not have good food? Rick, either your palate is as dumb as stone or you need to live with the Romans for a while and get nice and fat like those of us who came as skinny American kids and matured into solid young men under the Roman sun.
Rating:
Summary: Utterly infantile!
Review: I bought this book because I had seen (and suffered through) Steves' amateurish and infantile videos on visiting Italy. I was curious to see if his books were as bad as his videos. The verdict: they are equally as bad. The problem is, Steves isn't an innate or talented traveler, though he apparently has performed a miracle and makes money fooling others that he *is* a great traveler. The Arthur Frommer Guides are much better than these Steves offerings.Problems abound. Steves concentrates most of his time on typical tourist destinations in Rome. Of course it's interesting to read about the Coliseum, but does he provide information on how to catch a taxi or streetcar? Of course not. What about hotels? His advice is universally bad. He hasn't a clue on how to locate a low-cost Pensions and opts for dingy tents on the outskirts of town. His suggestions on eating are obtuse. Snacking in Italy is a cinch: go to a bakery in the morning, buy your rolls, cheese and coffee and be on your way. His suggestions of hanging around railway stations and saving a few pennies are insulting and poorly rendered. Similarly wretched is his advice on getting about the city and Rome's environs. Forget the railway, you can rent an econo car for about $150 a week. Yes, gas is expensive, but driving is the only way to see this beautiful country, though I would not recommend driving within the city limits. Another weakness is Steves' opinions of Rome, which basically consists of 10 pages advising you to frequent the cheapest and most touris-ridden spots. If that's all there is to see and do in Rome, then we're in trouble. Truly, this is a terrible book written in plodding, patronizing style, guaranteed to set your nerves a-jangle. Rome is a sublime place: the people, the food, the sights and sounds are fantastic! This book will steer you to the worst tourist traps. Avoid it.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for those traveling to Rome
Review: I very much enjoyed this must read before setting foot on Roman soil. This book is riddled with all sorts of hints and tips to fully enjoy the experience of traveling to Rome.
Rating:
Summary: You're going to LOVE ITALY!
Review: I've been to Italy several times.....Rome, Venice, Florence, Bologna, Milan, some of the hill towns, etc. Here are my reviews of the best guides to meet you r 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
Rating:
Summary: Great Rome Reference
Review: If you're only planning to spend a day or two in Rome as part of a longer trip throughout Italy, you probably don't need this book. Its highlights are covered in Rick Steves' Italy 2003. That book includes nearly all the same hotel and restaurant information, as well as tips for seeing several of Rome's major sites (and helping you draw up an itinerary by prioritizing the different sites.) However, if you'll be staying longer, or if your trip to Italy will take you exclusively to Rome, this is a great book to have handy. The advice here helped us survive a train strike during our trip (and strikes are common!), to navigate our way back to our hotel when a peace parade shut down all transportation except the metro, and to slide our way through the Vatican museums with ease. What Rome 2003 includes that Italy 2003 doesn't is more in-depth information on the various sites and museums. He covers the exhibits at the major museums, with each museum given its own chapter, and he offers a suggested walking path through each museum so you can see all the major exhibits without having to purchase separate maps or museum guides at the individual sites. Museums covered include the Vatican/St. Peter's, the Borghese Gallery, the Baths of Diocletian, the National Museum of Rome, the Capitol Hill Museum, Trajan's Column and the Forum, the Colesseum, Palatine Hill, and the Pantheon. Rome 2003 also includes several suggested itineraries--A Night Walk of Rome, for instance, gives you a path to follow that allows you to see the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Campo di Fiori, and explains the importance/history/meaning of each location. Steves also gives some very pointed, opinionated advice about the various sites and his suggested hotels and restaurants. The only thing we didn't agree with was his opinion of Palatine Hill. He seems to think it's skippable, and we nearly did skip it after reading his chapter on it. SO glad we didn't--it was incredible! Definitely worth the less-than-fifteen-dollar cover price, once you factor in what you'd spend on individual guides at each museum without it (or hotel & restaurant mistakes!), so I highly recommend it to anyone spending more than a day or two in Rome.
Rating:
Summary: Great Rome Reference
Review: If you're only planning to spend a day or two in Rome as part of a longer trip throughout Italy, you probably don't need this book. Its highlights are covered in Rick Steves' Italy 2003. That book includes nearly all the same hotel and restaurant information, as well as tips for seeing several of Rome's major sites (and helping you draw up an itinerary by prioritizing the different sites.) However, if you'll be staying longer, or if your trip to Italy will take you exclusively to Rome, this is a great book to have handy. The advice here helped us survive a train strike during our trip (and strikes are common!), to navigate our way back to our hotel when a peace parade shut down all transportation except the metro, and to slide our way through the Vatican museums with ease. What Rome 2003 includes that Italy 2003 doesn't is more in-depth information on the various sites and museums. He covers the exhibits at the major museums, with each museum given its own chapter, and he offers a suggested walking path through each museum so you can see all the major exhibits without having to purchase separate maps or museum guides at the individual sites. Museums covered include the Vatican/St. Peter's, the Borghese Gallery, the Baths of Diocletian, the National Museum of Rome, the Capitol Hill Museum, Trajan's Column and the Forum, the Colesseum, Palatine Hill, and the Pantheon. Rome 2003 also includes several suggested itineraries--A Night Walk of Rome, for instance, gives you a path to follow that allows you to see the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Campo di Fiori, and explains the importance/history/meaning of each location. Steves also gives some very pointed, opinionated advice about the various sites and his suggested hotels and restaurants. The only thing we didn't agree with was his opinion of Palatine Hill. He seems to think it's skippable, and we nearly did skip it after reading his chapter on it. SO glad we didn't--it was incredible! Definitely worth the less-than-fifteen-dollar cover price, once you factor in what you'd spend on individual guides at each museum without it (or hotel & restaurant mistakes!), so I highly recommend it to anyone spending more than a day or two in Rome.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Guidebook for Some Tastes
Review: Rick Steves concentrates on seeing the sights in Rome & travel survival fundamentals. His coverage on what to see at various sites, and his focus on walking tours and seeing what is in a specific locale is excellent. We walked everywhere and wanted to see the sights - not shop. Excellent for this purpose. He does not focus on shopping, restaurants or hotels (there is limited coverage). He has clear opinions. He gives the facts, but also his opinion of the place and his specific recommendations. If you want book with lots of shopping and restuarant info, or just want an "opinion free" description buy something else. If you have a week or less, are willing to use your feet, are interested in walking tours, or are focusing on seeing a lot of what Rome has to offer with limited time - the book is for you. We read (not skimmed) 5 guidebooks. His was the best.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Guidebook for Some Tastes
Review: Rick Steves concentrates on seeing the sights in Rome & travel survival fundamentals. His coverage on what to see at various sites, and his focus on walking tours and seeing what is in a specific locale is excellent. We walked everywhere and wanted to see the sights - not shop. Excellent for this purpose. He does not focus on shopping, restaurants or hotels (there is limited coverage). He has clear opinions. He gives the facts, but also his opinion of the place and his specific recommendations. If you want book with lots of shopping and restuarant info, or just want an "opinion free" description buy something else. If you have a week or less, are willing to use your feet, are interested in walking tours, or are focusing on seeing a lot of what Rome has to offer with limited time - the book is for you. We read (not skimmed) 5 guidebooks. His was the best.
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