The Garden Entertaining Cookbook: Recipes and Menus for Casual Dining Outdoors

This book was useful to me in some previous trips to Italy. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I wish the info was kept more current.

Bought this book to help me plan a New Years Trip to italy, and though it was helpful and interesting, I think I had better luck browsing around on the internet on sights like Venere and rick steves bulletin boards. The one thing i really did like is that she gives honest opinions about the hotels, and most of them were spot on. I would recommend this book as a baseline for finding hotels, but also look for reviews online. It was also really nice that she has a range of price options, though most of them were a little over our budget. Good if you want to spend $150 and up a night, then it would be a really great book. Otherwise, stick to the Let's Go books.

I picked this book up along with Rick Steves'. I've found Great Sleeps Italy to have many more choices, several being much less known and therefore a better bargain, and easier to get into. That being said, the book is from 2002, and a little dated. I've noticed several big price increases from what she shows and even a few hotels that appear to no longer be in existence. For $11 on this site though, it is worth it.

Although Ms. Gustafson's series of books is now "Great" instead of "Cheap", they still contain valuable, personal reviews of relatively inexpensive hotels. The idea is not the cheapest spots (see the Let's Go series for those), but less costly hotels which give above-average value for the money. I've stayed at her recommended hotels in both Florence and Rome and found them exactly as described. You won't be disappointed unless you expect 4-star amenities in a 2-star hotel.