Frommer's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria

I have looked at all the guides rick steves, fodors, lonely planet, and michelin. I found the frommers to be the most helpful and diverse - the guide recommends venues in every town/city that will appeal to families, romantics, wine/food lovers, etc. I looked at the 4 reviews before this review and I think those reviews are for an older edition of the book. Those reviews were written in 2009 and this book came out in February 2010.

I'm planning a trip to Tuscany and Umbria next fall (I've been to Florence before), and found the Frommer's Italy 2010 guide* so helpful I bought this more focused guide. Some of what I said about the broader guide applies to this this one, as well: Like the Michelin guide, it rates key attractions with one to three stars. While I would never plan a trip based on the ratings of a single guidebook, I do find the star ratings helpful in elucidating the author's opinions in a way that sifting through different adjectives in descriptions isn't. Unlike the Michelin guide this book groups cities by geography (which is how you would visit them) rather than alphabetically across the whole country. It also has more detail on hotels. In fact, the extensive descriptions of hotels is one of the reasons I found this guide so useful. While the Italy guide covers Florance and Tuscany, Umbria, and The Marches in two chapters and less than 200 pages, this guide offers more than 400 pages devoted to Florence, Tuscany, and Umbria. (Yes, Florence is in Tuscany, but both guides treat it separately.) This guide has a different author from the Italy guide, and not all recommendations line up between the guides. But, as I have said, I wouldn't plan a trip based on one author's opinion, so that's not all bad. Overall, I have found this guide to be extremely helpful, and the small, pull-out map of Tuscany and Umbria included is very helpful; I'd been looking, unsuccessfully, for a map of that size and scale! One thing the guide does not have is photos; but combine the pictorial Eyewitness guides** with the wealth of prose information in this book and you have a winning combination. Note: This review is of the 6th Edition published in 2008. Other reviews may be of different editions. * Frommer's Italy 2010 (Frommer's Color Complete Guides) ** Florence and Tuscany (Eyewitness Travel Guides); Umbria (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Very nice product! Very helpful for my 4 months in Italy! Be sure to read about the Chocolate Festival in Perugia!