Lonely Planet Discover Italy

I have read many travel books by many different authors, & "Discover Italy" by Lonely Planet is one of the better ones. There are 2 big pluses about this book. One, it is not too big to take in a carry-on bag. Two, this book covers big city, tourist attractions as well as going off the beaten path. I have several travel books I love, but some of my favorites are simply too big to take on an airplane with me. Also, most travel books either emphasize big cities & the main tourist attractions or only focus on lesser known shops & eateries. I love that "Discover Italy" has some of both. The book is organized into regions, which helps greatly when traveling to Italy. I have been several times, & I would recommend deciding where you want to go based on which regions you feel would be most interesting to you. Italy is a very diverse country. I would recommend this book to first time travelers, seasoned pros, or anyone, like me, who just loves to read travel books.

Most of us in the USA have neither the money (or vacation time) to adequately "do Europe", unless it's country by country, Italy still being among a favorite destination. If you wanted to sell America as a tourist destination, you would want people to do more than just visit New York, or Orlando, and the same is true of Italy, and all of Europe for that matter. Discover Italy gives you a broader picture, all too often guided tours or itinerary based inclusive trips visit all the same old well known places we've all seen a hundred times on TV, Movies, or read about. Not that there is anything wrong with these places, it's just that there's a whole lot of other stuff worth seeing, often without spending as much money, or time, and this guide excels at some alternatives, as well as mainstream tourist haunts. The "well known" places are also a huge draw for pickpockets, rip off artists, and price hikers, who just love dollars by the way! I reviewed Lonely Planet's 8th Edition Italy guide which at 966 pages, compared to 400 here is far more comprehensive. On the positive side, there's less chaff to wade through in this version, so it's a fair trade, there's still a lot to learn. Italy is a beautiful country, criss crossed with a maze of road and rail networks, public transport systems and motorways that allow ease of travel whether you are renting your own vehicle, or using their transport (recommended). A great way to plan your trip according to your own time, and wallet size. Not as good as the 8th edition, but still a great guide.

I wanted this book because we are in the initial stages of planning our 2011 vacation to Italy. My husband and I have found this book to be so useful and a great starting place for making decisions about our trip. We have learned a lot of things we didn't know; there are many insider tips on things to see and do. There are many maps and detail on specific cities and towns. I really like the way the book has divided the country into regions and then each region has it's own section in the books makeup. We think this will help us maximize our vacation experience in the regions we have selected to visit.

I have been to Italy a couple of times in the past, and hope to return again some day. One of the reasons I got this guide was to see if it corresponded with my own experiences. Overall, I find this guide to be very helpful, accurate, and enjoyable to read, due to its slightly hip approach to a variety of topics. I especially appreciate the colorful pictures, numerous maps, and best sightseeing suggestions. From my own experiences I could add some personal suggestions such as watch out for pickpocets while riding the buses and subways and at popular toursit attractions. I liked this guide to the point that I would readily make use of the lonely planet's tour guide of other countries I would like to visit.

This beautifully produced guide has information split into sections for Rome, Milan & the Northwest, Venice & the Northeast, Florence & Central Italy, Naples, Pompeii & Amalfi, and Sicily & the South. Each part is well indexed and sections are nicely cross referenced so you can quickly jump to the destination or tours you are interested in. There are itineraries for vacations lasting for days to weeks. Each section has information on walking tours, biking tours and for finding more information from local chambers of commerce and all the details you would want on eating, sleeping and fun are described (including price, hours, and locations). There are nice brief histories with lots of integrated photographs that feed into city and detail maps for things that are "must see." The book is full of great photos and they are nicely labeled so you can get more information on anything that looks particularly beautiful or interesting. There is so much to like in this guide and no obvious drawbacks.