Italy

by Cristian Bonetto, Lonely Planet, Kerry Christiani

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher

Lonely Planet Italy is your passport to the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Take in a gondolier's sweet song while gliding past Venetian palaces, sample olives and wines as you traverse Tuscany's storybook hills, or be humbled amid thousands of years of Roman history and art; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Italy now!

Inside Lonely Planet's Italy Travel Guide:

Full-colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interests Insider tips save you time and money and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips and prices Honest reviews for all budgets - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, literature, cinema, music, architecture, politics, cuisine, wine, customs Free, convenient pull-out Rome map (included in print version), plus over 135 colour maps Useful features - including Eat & Drink Like a Local, Outdoor Experiences, and Month by Month (annual festival calendar) Coverage of Rome, Turin, Piedmont, the Italian Riviera, Milan, the Lakes, Dolomites, Venice, Emilia-Romagna, Florence, Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Naples, Campania, Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia and more

eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)

Zoom-in maps and images for greater detail Downloadable PDF and offline maps let you stay offline to avoid roaming and data charges Seamlessly flip between pages Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Speedy search capabilities get you to what you need and want to see Bookmarks help you shoot back to key pages in a flash Touch embedded links to our recommendations' websites Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Inbuilt dictionary to decode site-specific local terms

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Italy, our most comprehensive guide to Italy, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less travelled.

Looking for just the highlights of Italy? Check out Lonely Planet's Discover Italy, a photo-rich guide to the country's most popular attractions. Looking for a guide focused on Rome, Florence or Venice? Check out Lonely Planet's Rome guide, Florence & Tuscany guide, and Venice & the Veneto guide for a comprehensive look at what each of these cities has to offer; Lonely Planet's Discover Rome, a photo-rich guide to the city's most popular attractions; or Lonely Planet's Pocket Rome, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Italy, Guidebook, Collections, Guides

2540 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1993

Reviews

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful. My boyfriend and I used this on our trip to Naples, and were able to slot in trips to Rome, Capri, and Pompeii, and make the most of all of them in limited time. The tips and tricks here are great, and the section on Italy's history makes for very interesting reading. I shall never go back to other travel guides now.

[Benjamin Rubenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonely Planet guides are THE BEST

[Stuart Aken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I’ve been to Italy, I can’t know the true value of this book. However, having read it in preparation, I can comment on what I’ve so far found.
I’m off to Italy soon, visiting Rome, Naples and Pompeii, Florence, and Lake Maggiore, which is why I bought the general travel book rather than a city-specific volume.
This is a comprehensive tome, and includes lots of very informative maps, including a removeable folding map of Rome.
There are sections on all the regions and cities of this fascinating country. You’ll find advice on the many interesting places to visit in each location, and there are links for the websites that provide more detailed information, as well as those where prospective visitors can obtain tickets to various museums, galleries and other tourist offerings in advance, thereby avoiding the queues.
The authors – there are fourteen – have each visited the regions/cities they write about, and readily give their specialist knowledge to enhance the visitor’s experience.
Packed with tips and knowledge of the customs, traditions, habits and mannerisms of the country, this is a book that prepares travellers for an immersive holiday or trip so they can enjoy the place to the full.
You’ll also find advice on transport, including car hire, air, train and bus travel, ferries and walking.
And the last section of the book gives useful and entertaining information on the country’s history, art and architecture, way of life, food and drink, and on how Italy has been portrayed in fiction and on film, as well as about the place as it is today.
A very worthwhile purchase and, for me, a must-have prior to the planned visit.

[Chaiyong Ragkhitwetsagul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide to Italy. I bought this because I'm going to Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa, and Rome (in 6 days! so insane, right?). I found that the book was very useful and had to keep it around with me all the time. Especially when in a museum because it highlighted the major artworks that we had to see. However, I found that it's not attractive much to read before travelling since there's so few pictures and loads of information. Maybe I should be a more specific book for each city.

[Vassilena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lonely Planet guides not only because of the quality information, but also because of the humor and writing style. When the author lets you know that Giordano Bruno's statue in Rome looks like Obi-Wan and at the same time gives you much appreciated advice how to cut the queue at the Colosseum, then you have really stumbled upon a gem of tourist literature!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great when used in combination with the rough guide. This one was best for planning both the overall trip (lodging, etc.) and day by day for attractions, walks, etc. Rough guide gave more detailed information about each individual site, etc. but was more difficult to use as an overview.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful travel book with a lot of great advice, vibrant, alluring photos, and stories upon stories! Great book!

[Mark Latchford · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have relied on Lonely Planet for three decades now to explore the world and must have 40 editions sitting in my study. However, the latest version on popular destination, Italy, is rubbish. No longer a well constructed reference book that would be central to your planning for sights; for beds and for food. It is if the various authors are competing to run for the travel section of the Sunday papers. Full of gush; personal and irrelevant anecdotes and an absence of useful data. The biases or interests of the writers come through with the absence of many significant towns or places to visit. Modern history seems to be completely ignored for example. I do hope the editors revert to the tried and trusted model of the past, namely a travel guide not a long-winded attempt to emulate Gourmet Traveller.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't of this travel guide, which managed to be both too broad and too specific at the same time. I really wish the last several chapters had been at the beginning rather than the end of the book, as they contained information on what the budget range meant. Overall, this was not the travel guide for someone like me, I think I'll skip Lonely Planet next time. I found Rick Steves to be far more useful.

[Tri Le · Rating 4 out of 5]

Large and incredibly comprehensive travel guide. This book was a great foundation for planning our Italy trip. The book provides a fantastic overview of Italy and gives huge amounts of information. Lots of small articles and background information was included. Useful and up-to-date. Lonely Planet offers another solid travel companion.

[snowmoonelk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. I haven't finished reading it yet, but when we last stayed in Tuscany, we visited some of the recommended cafes and restaurants (as well as the usual monuments!) and they didn't disappoint. Lovely to have somewhere to head to, rather than wonder where the locals go to eat and drink.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be difficult to evaluate travel books, but I usually consider how well the information is organized and how easy it will be to find information that's relevant to my travels. In both of those cases, this book succeeds admirably.

[Maria Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utile per avere una panoramica di quello che si può vedere in Italia, ma per ovvi motivi di spazio è molto superficiale. È utile per avere delle indicazioni di massima, ma poi le varie località devono essere approfondite con altri strumenti.

[Sheri-lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the lay out and standardization of Lonely Planet books. They are thorough and informative. They are always a good starting point when researching/planning a trip.

I’m old school. I like to have a book I can mark up, dog ear, and pack for quick reference.

[Liz C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Good travel guide., covers all of the main places. Handy maps. I would recommend this book to anyone going to Italy.

[Mary Prigioni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to live there

Beautiful pics and a world of information. I wish this book was around when I went to Italy. My hats off to the authors.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in preparation for my first trip to Europe; it seems great. My son and I enjoyed looking through the sections on Rome and Vatican City.

[Andrew Mcconville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty useful. A bit light on in some areas. Good maps. Left it behind somewhere near lake Como:(

[Kyle Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful on our trip to Italy - visiting Tuscany, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast.

I did not read cover-to-cover but would recommend for trip prep and in-trip nosh recommendations.

[Andi J · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second trip reading a Lonely Planet book. They are the best!

[Mohini Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful

[Jossalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for trip to Rome/ Campagnia/ Amalfi Coast with Caitie

[Steve Whitworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appears very thorough and informative. I will look at this more closely when planning a visit to Italy.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Best of the Best for July 2020, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet and Stevo's Novel Ideas. Find more reviews and recommendations by searching for me on Google.

[Sharon F. Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a wonderful guide to read prior to my trip to Italy. Gave me several wonderful out of the way places to see and insights into well known areas.

Easy to read, small enough to take on your trip!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY CONCISE travel book on all parts of Italy... it taught me I should read these books BEFORE the trip, not after.

[Sandro Helmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

É impossível contemplar em um único livro tudo o que a Itália tem a oferecer. Mas esse guia chega perto.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually really like Lonely Planet books, In comparison to Rick Steves Italy guide book, this book gives very little information.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was good, useful.
Nmkt library.

[Kanak]

Really Helpful. Might reread again when needed.