Which guidebook to use?
 

I have browsed through probably 15 guidebooks from the library in prep for our upcoming Italy/Bosnia trip. In terms of Italy, I am having a hard time deciding exactly which book I would actually want to take with me. We are spending 5 days in Rome, 8 in Tuscany with a car, and then driving to Milan for a quick night's rest before we fly to Sarajevo. My thought was to have a guidebook for Rome and one for Tuscany (I prefer Rick Steves's format and would probably order these). However, if we are driving and happen to want to either a)make a stop somewhere not in our guidebook or b)find out more about something not covered in the guidebook, it would be nice to have an overall "Italy" guidebook...but I don't want to buy a million books and I certainly don't want to carry them. On the other hand, I reasoned that if we had books specific to the two places we will be staying, we would have more detailed information than just having an "Italy" book. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

thank you very much!!
ET

If I own the books, I simply tear (carefully) out the pages I need and put them back when I return. If it's library books, photo-copy the pages that have the information you think you'll need. I've always found "Footprints" and the "Rough Guide" series are generally the best. I don't know if "Footprints" does an Italy version, but I'm sure that "Rough Guides" do. I'd be comfortable with either one of those for the entire trip. They will have all the information you need for Rome and Tuscany. There are numerous mini type guide books that work well for major cities such as "Time Out Rome" or the "DK Eyewitness Top Ten Rome."

The Michelin Green book.

History Traveler, I make copies of the relevant pages rather than tear the book.

I agree with with Bob, Michelin Green is excellent for Italy. Fodor's and Frommer's are good for restaurants and hotels in the well trodden areas.

Rick Steve's is to travel writing, what Paris Hilton is to scholarship.

I found Rick Steves' Rome very handy for practical things like maps and directions, especially for the inside of museums.

Also for Rome, the Art/Shop/Eat series published by Blue Guides are pretty good. They are small pocket books, the site and museum descriptions are condensed versions from the more detailed Blue Guides, and the maps are excellent. The shops and restaurants listed are all usual guidebook standards, you can't really get away from that unfortunately.

Huge fan of Rough Guides.

I do my hotel and restaurant searching online (or simply ask the locals) so I like to have a guidebook that focuses on the local flavour and history of a region. Frommers and Fodors focus too much on the "where to stay" and "where to eat" stuff and I don't need that once I am there. I have found nothing better than the Rough Guide series.


For stuff in your back pocket high level simplicity, the Top Ten series by Eyewitness Travel Guides works well. There is a Top Ten Rome and a Top Ten Florence and Tuscany.

Rick Steves' city and town walking tours are excellent. If you have a large Italy guide book such as Fodors take it to Kinko's and have them cut the back spine off, choose what sections you want to keep, and have them bind it for you. Its a very inexpensive way to take the info along that you need for specific area. I also rip out pages from guide books.

Remember, if you arrive in a town not mentioned in one of your guidebooks, you can seek out the local TI for a map & get other information you may need.

for a quick trip I recommend Green Guide Italy - also their road maps
very good succinct touring info in compact format
rough guides are also good
forget about the big fat heavy books - if there are a couple of pages you want, make two sided copies of them and throw pages away as you go
I find Steves deplorable

thanks everyone for your suggestions!! Off I go to the library and bookstore once again. :) ET

People interested in learning more about the places they see when they get off the beaten track in Tuscany need the Blue Guide. I don't think the Green Guide (which I always have with my when I drive in Italy) gives any descriptions the undiscovered towns in the val d'Orcia. Just the most heavily touristed destinations and starred attractions.

I like Rough Guides but NEVER for food. Steves *is* deplorable, but I hear over and over his books are very up-to-date regarding museum closing hours, etc. For people interested in art and history going to Italy, having such information reliably can be crucial to having a good trip.