references for planning a trip to Italy?
 

My husband and I are in the early stages of planning a 2-3 week trip to Italy. There is so much to do and see in Italy. Any suggestions on a good reference to start with? We still haven't decided WHERE and WHEN to go, so a general book about travel in Italy would be great - or any useful resources online... <BR> <BR>Thank you.

Check your local library for the "Eyewitness Travel Guides", <BR>You can get them for countries and major cities such as Rome, Venice etc., and they are extremely comprehensive. <BR>They will certainly point you in the right direction on where you would want to go. I find it best to use the net AFTER you have decided where you want to go, for info.on travel, tickets, hotels etc.

Stephanie <BR>I have notes on Florence, Siena, and Venice that include long lists of websites. If you are interested in the whole bit, email me. <BR>Here are just a few <BR>www.initaly.com/ <BR>www.italyguide.com/ <BR>www.hotelguide.ch/ <BR>www.italyhotel.com <BR>www.italiantourism.com/ <BR>www.museionline.com museums all over Italy <BR>www.traveleurope.it/ <BR>

Stephanie, You need 2 books to start your homework--The Eyewitness is the best for in-depth and the Michelin Green <BR>is great to travel with. You can buy both at amazon .com for about $35 total. <BR> Then, go to the most complete site <BR>on Italy, www.initaly.com and read their <BR>many fine articles. Then, once you have <BR>some ideas give me a holler and I will <BR>try to help. Remember, it takes about 6 weeks to see most of Italy so you will have to make some tough choices. It is <BR>often best to start with a north or south orientation since it will be hard to do both in that time. Always try to <BR>determine WHEN--HOW LONG---HOW MUCH for <BR>that will eventually determine WHERE.

Borrow every guidebook on Italy from your library - each one gives you different information. Some have great pictures, others have extensive info on museums, others have recommendations for budget travel, etc. I've never found one guide that did it all. <BR> <BR>As Bob the Navigator pointed out, you can't see it all in 3 weeks; think Northern Italy or Southern Italy, so you're not spending a lot of your time driving or training up and down the length of Italy.

Stephanie, <BR>In addition to your WHERE? and WHEN? and Bob's HOW LONG? and HOW MUCH?, consider also WHY? and BY WHAT MEANS? Why do you want to visit Italy? For its art and architecture, its history, its opera, its cuisine? Knowing why you want to go will help in deciding where. <BR>Are you thinking only of cities such as Rome, Florence, Venice? If so, you have no need for a car. If you're contemplating travelling through small towns or the Italian Lakes, Tuscany or Lombardy, you'll need a good map for planning a trip by auto. <BR> <BR>For a light, easy to read, laced with humor overview of Italy and most of its major cities and regions, look for the Insight Guides to Italy, Rome, etc. With beautiful photography, the guides are written by people who live and work in the areas written about. You get a true insight into the character of the country, its cities and its citizens. If your interest is in art, look for the Blue Guides (to Northern Italy, Southern Italy, Florence, Rome, Venice and Tuscany). These read like textbooks for ART 401 (not ART 101) but are excellent resources. Once you've homed in on particular areas of interest, look for regional guides, Passport Books publishes a number of regional guides, with walking and driving tours and maps. There is one for the Italian Lakes,for example. Hunter Publishing also publishes regional guides, the Visitor's Guide to Italian Lakes being one. For accommodations, consider Karen Brown and her Italian Country Inns and Itineraries and Italian Country Bed and Breakfasts. Augment any and all with material from the Italian National Tourist Office and the regional tourist offices, as well as the websites indicated earlier.

Wes, <BR> <BR>Wow! You honed right in, got to the core and gave all of us precious insight for future Italy planning trips and resources. Thank You! <BR> <BR>Anne

Sage advice here for all to ponder. <BR>As usual, Wes goes beyond the sound bite <BR>mentality. It pays to do your homework. <BR>To the top !