Books Rick Steves' Italy 2008 (Rick Steves)
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - Good Money-Saving Tips While Getting Lost
My girlfriend and I got this guide after reading some pretty good reviews here about Rick Steves' Italy. Rick Steves provided money saving tips like the Roma Pass which was useful and helped us saved time and money. His tip to call and reserve tickets with the galleries was a handy shortcut and allowed us to skip the queues. We saved some money by showing this book to a few hotels and restaurants too.

Little did we know that the poorly hand-drawn maps were to lead us in merry-go-rounds around Milan, Florence, Rome and Venice. Some of the recommended restaurants like Dante's Pizzatoria in Florence and Princi's at Milan were outright dishonest and rude. On top of that, the written directions to several places were vague. For example, we were unable to locate a recommended hotel in Venice listed on the guide even after two hours of relentless search.

To be fair to Rick, his information on Ferry transfer and train information were largely helpful. However, it would have been preferred if Rick had included cultural pointers for Asians. Having said this, we would like to prepare Asian or non-European travelers heading to Florence to handle their unique form of hospitality. Please note that our experiences at the city were less than pleasant.

We recommend that you get a proper map along with this book or have a look at Fodor's Italy 2008.

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Rating: - Informative, Accurate, Entertaining
Rick Steves states his approach to travel in Italy clearly: he doesn't cover everything in the country, just the "best" places, the best according to him, of course. If your tastes and orientation align with his (interesting, moderately priced travel, including as much local immersion as is reasonable), then this book provides the wonderful backbone of a great trip. For visiting places other than his "best" you will want a more comprehensive guide book, like Lonely Planet, in addition to (rather than instead of) this one.

Steves' enthusiasm for "Europe's richest, craziest culture" comes through in every page while his practical suggestions from an often humorous perspective makes this book sound like personal advice from a friend who knows the area well. I find his information extremely accurate and insightful, based on my own experiences living in Italy for a year. Now I rely on his detailed, up-to-date information about important sights, accommodations (three levels of moderate prices), transportation, and dining (or picnicking, snacking, drinking, etc.) to help me plan return trips.

-Lynn Michelsohn, author of Roswell, Your Travel Guide to the UFO Capital of the World!

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Rating: - Rick Steve's Italy 2008
This book came highly recommended and is awesome. We're looking forward to our visit to Italy.

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Rating: - A must for first-time travelers
I think this is a great resource for those who have never been to Italy and need some basic information. The book is comprehensive covering all the regions of Italy, great to use during stages of preparation. I would highly recommend also buying "its companion", the Eyewitness Italy Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guide) book because it'll cover the history and art more in depth.