Great Eats Italy

I just got back from 16 days in Venice, Florence, and Rome and I took the suggestions from this book many times and was pleased each time. I agree that in these very touristy places it is easy to go wrong. It is nice to have a dependable opinion to rely upon in foreign cities. I also found the maps and neighborhood descriptions to be helpful and accurate.

Sandra Gustafson's work has been a mainstay of my travel library for many years. I had an early edition of this book when I went on my honeymoon in the early 1990s to Florence, and then again when we went to Rome. We'll be going to Venice next month and I'll be sure to by the latest edition to have with me.

If you're getting ready to take an Italian vacation, be sure to pick up this book before going. In touristy cities like Venice, Florence, and Rome it is easy to be overwhelmed by the restaraunts, many of which cater to the tourists with uninspired, low-quality dishes. Great Eats will help you avoid the tourist traps and eat at restaraunts that serve great food and reasonable prices, after all, if Italy's known for anything, it's the food. Miss the good authentic food and you've missed a lot. Besides, at ten bucks, it'll pay itself off versus going on your own by showing you where the values are. I wouldn't go to these cities without this book, it worked out GREAT for us.

We just got back from a week in Italy (Rome, Florence and Siena) and Gustafson's book helped immensely for both Rome and Florence. It is organized well and has good tips for what to eat where, so that when you are looking for a decent bite near a particular site, you can find one quickly. The book is broken down by cities, and then by locations within each city. For each of the locations, there is a wide variety of choices ("cheap eats", mid-range, expensive, and the best gelato and desserts) within that particular area. She also has other suggestions on food related products. The maps were good, but an additional map (often provided by the hotel) is helpful, as her maps are not very detailed. They are sufficient, though, for purposes of the book. Most importantly, we didn't have a bad meal at any of her recommendations.

This is a great book to have. With the number of restaurants in the major tourist centers of Italy, many serving very mediocre food, it is nice to have a way to find some good places.I have the 3rd edition of this book (published in 1999) which I just used during a trip to Rome. Even though that book is old, I found the recommended restaurants to still be excellent. I am sure that the current 4th edition is even better.A key feature of the book was the maps showing the locations of the recommended restaurants. This made finding nearby restaurants very easy. The other book I used on my trip was "Gambero Rosso Rome." That book had no maps, so was very hard to use.