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> SlowTrav > Italy > Trip Planning
Guidebooks for Italy
Pauline Kenny
Start your trip planning by reading guidebooks. These books will help you
decide where to go and how to plan your trip. Bring your favorite guidebooks
with you; good guidebooks and maps will make your trip more enjoyable. We
always carry a shoulder bag full of books, maps, printed out web pages (including
pages from this site), tourist brochures, restaurant listings. We keep this
bag in the car whenever we go out, so that if our plans change during the
day, we still have all the information that we need. When we leave the car
to go touring, we take the one book and map that we need. With the Cadogan
guides you can tear out the pages about your destination and slip them into
your pocket.
On Memoirs - My Favorites I have listed books
written by people living in Italy (usually Americans or Brits) and some novels
that I recommend reading to prepare for travel in Italy.
Note: Be sure to check that you are buying the most recent edition.
Some guidebooks are updated yearly; some every few years. I update this page
each year with links to the recent editions.
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General Travel Guidebooks for Italy |
There are many good series of guidebooks for Italy. I have listed my
favorites below. Most guidebook series have different editions for the
different regions of Italy. |
Cadogan Guides
Many of the Italy travel guides for Cadogan are written by Dana Facaros
and Michael Pauls who have lived in Italy and Ireland. They now live
in France. There
are editions of these books for the different regions. ("Cadogan" rhymes
with toboggan - sort of.)
These books are in black and white on thin paper and, as a result,
are light weight but packed full of information. There are good descriptions
of the towns with recommended hotels and restaurants. The restaurant recommendations
are usually reliable. They also give suggested itineraries and vocabulary
lists. I always take one of their travel guides with me and tear out the
pages for the town we are visiting (so I don't have to carry the whole
book in my purse). |
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Cadogan: Italy, 5th Edition, by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls,
Cadogan Guides, 5.00 edition, 2004
This is a good general guide for all of Italy. Use this for regions
not covered in separate guides or to get a good overview of the country.
Order from Amazon |
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Cadogan: Tuscany, 4th Edition, by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls,
Cadogan Guides, 4.00 edition, 2006
Great details and good maps for this popular tourist destination in
central Italy.
Order from Amazon |
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Cadogan: Umbria, 3rd Edition, by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls,
Cadogan Guides, 3.00 edition, 2006
Great details and good maps for this popular tourist destination in
central Italy.
Order from Amazon |
Rough Guides
Many people on the message board highly recommend these guidebooks.
They are similar to the Cadogan guides, with good travel details and maps
for each town. |
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The Rough Guide to Italy, 8th Edition, by Martin Dunford, Celia
Woolfrey, Robert Andrews, Jules Brown, Ros Belford, Jonathan Buckley, Mark Ellingham, Tim Jepson, Rough Guide Travel Guides, 8th edition, 2007
Great details and good maps for all regions of Italy.
Order from Amazon |
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The Rough Guide to Tuscany & Umbria 6, by Rough Guides, 6th
edition, available July 3, 2006
Great details and good maps for this popular tourist destination in
central Italy.
Order from Amazon (available July 3, 2006) |
Eyewitness Travel Guides (Dorling Kindersley)
This series of travel guides are in full color on thicker paper and
are heavier, but are a convenient small size. I find the color pictures
helpful to decide if we would like to see a place.
They have excellent information for larger towns (for example, there
is great detail about Florence and Siena in their Florence and Tuscany
guide). They have good hotel and restaurant recommendations at the back
of the book (listed by town). Their restaurant recommendations are usually
reliable and I have used their hotel recommendations several times to
pick hotels. They also include good city maps. |
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Eyewitness: Italy, by DK Publishing, 2008
A good general guide for all regions of Italy with lots of photos and
maps.
Order from Amazon |
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Eyewitness: Florence and Tuscany, by DK Publishing, 2006
A good general guide for the city of Florence and the region of Tuscany
with lots of photos and maps.
Order from Amazon |
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Eyewitness: Umbria, by DK Publishing, 2004
A good general guide for Umbria with good details for Assisi.
Order from Amazon |
Italy Survival Guides
In our Slow Travel Italy - Instructions
for Visitors section of this website we have detailed information
on how things work in Italy: language lessons, driving, trains, ordering
in caffes and restaurants, food shopping, and more. A shorter version
of this type of basic survival information is found in most guidebooks. |
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Nan McElroy, Italy, Instructions for Use: The Personal, On-Site
Assistant for the Enthusiastic but Inexperienced Traveler, Illustrata
Press, 2004
This new book is small enough to fit into a hip pocket but contains all
the basics that you need for survival in Italy. Topics range from planning
your trip to how things work in Italy - driving, trains, buses, phones,
eating and drinking, shopping, etc. Sound familiar? Yes, it is very similar
to the information we have on Slow Travelers Italy in our Instructions for Visitors section, but this
compact book is easy to take with you. Published in 2004, this book was
written by an experienced Italy traveler and travel consultant.
Order from Amazon |
Other Guidebook Series |
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Rick Steves' Italy 2006, by Rick Steves, Avalon Travel Publishing,
2005
I am not that familiar with these guides, but Mindy recommends his
museum guides. "I wondered if you have ever used his book Mona Winks.
We loved it when we were in Italy 3 years ago. It contains self-guided
tours of European museums, and you just tear out the pages for places
you'll go, and use them as a mini tour guide. The Florence ones are kind
of a crash course in Italian Renaissance, and we found them very interesting."
Order from Amazon |
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Heritage Guides: Italy, A Complete Guide to 1,000 Towns and Cities
and Their Landmarks, With 80 Regional Tours by Touring Club Italiano
(Corporate Author), Touring Club of Italy (Editor), 1999
The Heritage Guides are very detailed, more like the traditional Blue
Guide, but have some photos and very good maps of regions and towns. They
are compact in size.
Heritage Guides are available for the different regions and cities
in Italy.
Order from Amazon |
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Michelin Green Guide Italy, by Gwen Cannon (Editor), Michelin
Travel Publications, 2006
These guidebooks are not as "chatty" as Cadogan, but are packed full
of information. I use them for museums because they have very detailed
descriptions of the art.
Green Guides are available for the different regions and cities in
Italy.
Order from Amazon |
Vacation Rentals
Most vacation rental listings are available on the Internet, but there
are some books available listing all agritourisms (farm vacations). |
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Italian Farm Vacations: The Guide to Countryside Hospitality,
by Touring Club of Italy (Editor), 2003
This is not a recent publication, but is still a good reference. Agriturismo
(agritourism) places do not change that much over the years.
Order from Amazon |
I take at least one book for each region we are going to - sometimes two
for Tuscany because we spend so much time there. I like to staple all kinds
of things into my guide books: cards from restaurants or hotels, receipts
for a place I liked, torn out articles with restaurant recommendations. That
way when you pull out a guide book for your next trip, you can remember what
you liked on your last trip. I usually do this with the Dorling Kindersley
books because they have sturdy covers and pages and they last forever.
Pauline's notes on other general travel guidebooks
Frommers or Fodors: I do not like Frommers or Fodors travel
guides. The information is not well presented and the restaurant recommendations
are not always good. I think they are aimed at a different type of traveler
- perhaps a more "package tour" type of person.
Let's Go: I am not familiar with the Let's Go series. These are
aimed at a younger, more budget-oriented traveler.
Blue Guides: I have the Blue Guide for Tuscany, but find that I
do not refer to it that much. It has very detailed information, but I don't
think it is "readable".
Art and Architecture Books
Italy Revealed, A Guide to Art and Architecture in the Italian Landscape by Charles FitzRoy, photos by Joe Cornish, Little, Brown and Company, 1994
(Out of print but available used.) Wonderful book with art and architecture
driving tours through Italy. Charles FitzRoy now runs a web site with lots
of great travel information for Italy: www.bellinitravel.co.uk.
You have to register to see most of the information, but registration is free.
He also leads art tours of Italy.
Paul Hoffman |
Paul Hofmann, writes books about Italy that are part travelogue, part
guide book. They are wonderful to read. He lives in Rome. Some of his
books, that are more "memoirs" than guide books, are listed in Memoirs. |
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Paul Hofmann, Umbria: Italy's Timeless Heart, Henry Holt and
Company, 1999
A must-read if you are visiting Umbria. Great details about the major
towns. A lot of information about Assisi. Hotel and restaurant lists.
Order from Amazon |
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Paul Hofmann, The Seasons of Rome: A Journal, Henry Holt and
Company, 1997
Another one of Paul Hofmann's great books about Italy. Lots of good
details about Rome, where he lived for many years.
Order from Amazon |
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Paul Hofmann, The Sunny Side of the Alps - Year-Round Delights in
South Tyrol and the Dolomites, Henry Holt and Company, 1995
Order from Amazon |
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Paul Hofmann, Cento Citta - A Guide to the "Hundred Cities and Towns",
Henry Holt and Company, 1988
I have listed his 100 cities and towns in the Travel Notes section.
Order from Amazon |
Other Travel Guidebooks |
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Pat Byrne, Kids Europe Italy Discovery Journal, CyberRead, January
2003
Activities for kids age 6 - 16 in Italy. On Amazon you can download it
in Adobe Reader format (e-book).
Order from Amazon |
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Theodora van Meurs, Designer Bargains in Italy, Editoriale
Shopping Italia, 2008 (6th edition)
"This guide with over 1100 addresses of top name factory outlets in Italy
will tell you where to find the best designer bargains. Save 20% to 70%
on all your purchases and pay for your holiday." Well organized by region
with driving directions and opening hours.
Order from Amazon |
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Mary Jane Cryan and Norman M. Roberson, Affreschi - Exploring Etruria,
Davide Ghaleb Editore/Etruria Editions, 2001 (new edition available September
2006)
Essays about the northern Lazio area, contains travel essays, photos,
drawings and maps.
Available at shops in Rome and northern Lazio or from www.elegantetruria.com. |
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Wayland Kennet and Elizabeth Young, Northern Lazio: An Unknown Italy,
John Murray Pubs Ltd, 1991
Detailed guide to Lazio. Out of print. A detailed guide of Lazio.
Order from Amazon |
History of Italy |
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Mary Jane Cryan, Travels to Tuscany & Northern Lazio, Davide
Ghaleb Editore, 2005
This historical "On the Road" is based on the travel diaries of Henry
Cardinal Stuart and other historic travelers to central Italy.
Available at shops in Rome and northern Lazio or from www.elegantetruria.com. |
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Ian Campbell Ross, Umbria, Penguin UK, 1999
Recommended by Letizia Mattiacci (madonna del piatto): Excellent reading
before departure if you want to know more about history, art and architecture
of our wonderful region.
Order from Amazon - Out of Print, Limited Availability |
Hiking Books |
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Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria, James Lasdun and Pia Davis,
1997, revised 2004, Penguin Books
We have done some of the hikes in this books and enjoyed them. For each hike,
they list public transportation options and restaurants. My only complaint is
that they do not have more circular hikes - where you can park the car and hike
for a few hours and end up back at the car.
Order from Amazon |
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Walking in Tuscany: Tuscany, Umbria, Latium, Elba and Chianti Trail (A Cicerone Guide), by Gillian Price, Cicerone Press, 2002
This book describes hikes are in the Etruria region (parts of Tuscany, Umbria
and Lazio). Good descriptions and the hikes look good. I have only done one
hike from the 2000 version of this book (Walking in Tuscany).
Order from Amazon |
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Walking Easy in the Italian & French Alps, by Chet Lipton, Carolee
Lipton, Globe Pequot, 2002
This same couple have written a few other Walking Easy books. This one used
to be just the Italian Alps, but was republished to include the French Alps.
Personally, I love hiking in the Swiss Alps, but if you want to do some hiking
on a trip to northern Italy, this would be a good book to have. Good descriptions
of hikes/walks at all levels. I have used their book for Switzerland hikes.
Order from Amazon |
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Tuscany (Sunflower Guides), by Sunflower Guides, Hunter, 2004
This general touring guide for Tuscany describes several walks throughout Tuscany.
I have used their guide for the Amalfi area hikes and have looked at the descriptions
in this Tuscany book, and it looks like a good hiking book.
Order from Amazon |
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Sunflower Landscapes of Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri, by Julian Tippett,
Hunter; 3rd edition, 2004
I used this book on our Fall 2001 trip to Sorrento, but had a hard time working
with the book. Instead I just bought a map with hiking trails. The book has
a very complicated approach to putting together your hikes - I didn't have the
patience for it - maybe you can figure it out better. It does look like there
is some good hiking in the area.
Order from Amazon |
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The Independent Walker's Guide to Italy, Frank Booth, Interlink Books,
1998
35 hikes in Italy, but not many in Tuscany and Umbria.
Order from Amazon |
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Lonely Planet Walking in Italy, Lonely Planet Publications, 2nd edition,
2003
These are longer, more difficult hikes in Italy.
Order from Amazon |
Only Available in Italy
I found this book in Italy in English:
Trekking & Mountain Bike around Florence and Siena, Curzio Casoli, Apice
Libri, 1992 (tel:055-218153)
At the map stores in Florence or Rome you can find hiking books in Italian. We
get these and Steve translates the hikes for us, but the translating can be difficult.
They tend to use flowery prose which is hard to translate. These are detailed hiking
books in Italian. They refer to the IGM and Kompass maps.
A Piedi nel Chianti (Guide Iter 1991)
A Piedi in Toscana (Guide Iter 1987)
A Piedi in Umbria (Guide Iter 1994)
L'Umbria Per Strade e Sentieri (Minerva Editrice Assisi)
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