Pauline Frommer's Italy: Spend Less See More

I've always liked Frommer guidebooks; they are written for curious, adventurous travelers who are also on a budget. Here are some highlights from Pauline's Italy guidebook: * The best companies for in-depth tours of Rome, thereby avoiding bus tours that can be "slow, overpriced, deadly excursions in mass tourism." * Spend a day training to be a gladiator with the men and women of Gruppo Storico Romano, sort of the Latin equivalent of the Society for Creative Anachronism. * Two standout gelato places in Florence. * Good info sidebars on tackling the Uffizi, visiting the birthplace of the Vespa scooter, Bologna's thriving gay scene and whether a gondola ride is a ripoff or not. * How to find self-catering apartments (and a good coffee place!) in Venice. * A thorough review in sidebars of the various Italian museum pass options. * One- to seven-day itineraries for the major Italian cities. * Which chocolate shop in Venice has tobacco-flavored chocolates named for Sigmund Freud. (!!) * Skiing in the Dolomites. * How to book (way) ahead to see The Last Supper in Milan. * Why Lecce is a good place to visit in Puglia, why you need to see the Greco-Roman theater in Taormina, Sicily and how to find the Mafia Museum in Corleone, near Palermo. * Sections in the back on the major festivals, agritourismo and Italian cuisine and history. I highly recommend this book. My comments above are excerpted from a review I wrote on my BootsnAll Family Travel Logue - http://www.familytravellogue.com Thanks!

Pauline Frommer's book is a "must have" for both new and experieinced Italy travelers!! I have been to Italy numerous times and was surprised on what I have missed-- which only wants me to go back for more. I really enjoyed her sections of "don't leave without seeing"- gives great framweork for new agendas. I help people plan on trips and this book is invaluable for most everyone. I even showed the book to a friend and native born Italian and he was fasinated by it. Good buy

I recently traveled to Italy with three guidebooks; this one, the Rick Steves and Fodors. I ended up throwing the other two away. This one gives the best advice by far and doesn't just send you to the places where all the other tourists are (like Steves). I really enjoyed the restaurant recommendations and found a great apartment in Rome through this book (loved the non-traditional lodgings listed in this book; so different than the other books). Great sightseeing and advice on transportation too. And Italy's expensive right now, but this book helped make it affordable. I can't tell you how terrific this book was!

This book is fantastic. LOTS of websites are listed and the practical info just isn't found in other books. The DK books are great for the pics, but this book is great for the recommendations of what NOT to miss and ways to see the other non-touristy side of Italy. So far this has been my favorite book. Can't wait to go to Italy!!

I am going to Italy this Spring and I thought that this book would give me valuable information for my trip. It already saved me $400 when I used a url site for finding a cost effective flight to another place!