Timothy J. Bain

I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.

Tim

Reid

Following up to Timothy J. Bain

    >I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    >will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    >they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.

Have a look at the eyewitness series, you get street plans,
cutaways, diagrams, photos rather than lots of text, also
pictures of useful things like what a phone box/police car/bus
etc look like.
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
UK walking & photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Maria

"Timothy J. Bain" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<v%[email protected] >...
    > I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.
    >
    > Tim

I like most of the "daytrips" books. There may be a couple of
different ones that cover different parts of Italy (for example one
for hiking and one for the typical sightseeing tourist places). It
helps if you can look at them before purchase--that way if you're
looking for a place to stay or something else in particular, you can
see if the guidebook has it. For example, the "Daytrips Switzerland"
had places to stay but the "Daytrips London" didn't give any
suggestions for places to stay.

You can get a good idea of what Fodder's, Rick Steves and Frommer's
offer by checking out their websites before buying the books.

Tile

there are plenty of books about Italy
In Italy there are 20 regions
the Touring Club of Italy has different series of Guide books for each
region.
of course. the main towns deserve a guide book
for themselves.
I buy the guide books with less photos but a lot of informations.
they are called the red guides of the TCI
price about 15 to 25 eur each.
"Timothy J. Bain" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:v%[email protected]...
    > I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.
    > Tim

Tim

"Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Following up to Timothy J. Bain
    > >I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > >will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > >they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.
    > Have a look at the eyewitness series, you get street plans,
    > cutaways, diagrams, photos rather than lots of text, also
    > pictures of useful things like what a phone box/police car/bus
    > etc look like.

are these things really so hard to tell?

Tim

(BTW, if you'd said post box I would agree that it is)

    > --
    > Mike Reid
    > "Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
    > UK walking & photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
    > Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Go Fig

In article <[email protected]>,
"tim" <[email protected]> wrote:

    > "Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Following up to Timothy J. Bain
    > >
    > > >I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > > >will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > > >they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.
    > >
    > > Have a look at the eyewitness series, you get street plans,
    > > cutaways, diagrams, photos rather than lots of text, also
    > > pictures of useful things like what a phone box/police car/bus
    > > etc look like.
    >
    > are these things really so hard to tell?

No, but it is nice to see, as well as pictures of the money.

These are by far my preferred guide, its not so good on hotel
recommendations... but I pre-book those from other sources- like here.

jay
Sat, Nov 8, 2003
mailto:[email protected]


    >
    > Tim
    >
    > (BTW, if you'd said post box I would agree that it is)
    >
    > > --
    > > Mike Reid
    > > "Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
    > > UK walking & photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this
    > > site
    > > Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all,
    > > it's a spamtrap

--

Legend insists that as he finished his abject...
Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."

Reid

Following up to tim

    >> Have a look at the eyewitness series, you get street plans,
    >> cutaways, diagrams, photos rather than lots of text, also
    >> pictures of useful things like what a phone box/police car/bus
    >> etc look like.
    >are these things really so hard to tell?

Well....Letterboxes can be. Various police uniforms, local
police, guarda civil (i'm in Spain now). I find it useful.
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
UK walking & photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Terryo

"Timothy J. Bain" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<v%[email protected] >...
    > I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.
    >
    > Tim

We've covered this many times before, and the best advice is for you
to go to a bookstore or library and make comparisons. It's very much
an individual decision.

For a first-time visitor, Rick Steves had a good guide to Italy, and
also separate guides for Rome and for Venice. Definitely beaten path
stuff, with a "how-to" approach to currency exchange, packing, getting
around. Some people here think he's too ga-ga, too simplistic, or
leaves too much out, but for inexperienced travelers that can be a
plus.

I've started using Eyewitness Guides -- there is a general one for
Italy, and also individual guides to Rome, Venice, Naples/Amalfi
Coast, Sicily, etc. They are beautiful all-color books that will make
excellent gifts. They do have a couple of drawbacks -- not too good
for planning lodging, restaurants, or ground transportation, and heavy
to carry around -- but their outstanding quality and usefulness for
self-guided walking tours are without equal.

Lil

Try Fodor's Italy for Less tha $75 a day (or something like it) or the
Lonely Planet's Italy from Top to Bottom.

Fodor's is very standard--LP tends to be more "nuts and bolts."

Lil


"Timothy J. Bain" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<v%[email protected] >...
    > I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.
    >
    > Tim

Joan McGalliard

Reid <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Have a look at the eyewitness series, you get street plans,
    > cutaways, diagrams, photos rather than lots of text, also
    > pictures of useful things like what a phone box/police car/bus
    > etc look like.

I know that people seem to like these guides, but I feel they sort of
"spoil" it for me. Part of the pleasure of travel is the adventure and
discovery, the joy of seeing something for the first time. Having too
many photos robs me of that pleasure.

That's also why I usually bring more than one guide, so I don't feel I
am following a well trod route - I am, but it doesn't feel like it :-)

joan
--
Joan McGalliard, UK http://www.mcgalliard.org

B Vaughan

On 8 Nov 2003 12:22:09 -0800, [email protected] (Terryo) wrote:

    >"Timothy J. Bain" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<v%[email protected] >...
    >> I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    >> will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    >> they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.

    >I've started using Eyewitness Guides -- there is a general one for
    >Italy, and also individual guides to Rome, Venice, Naples/Amalfi
    >Coast, Sicily, etc. They are beautiful all-color books that will make
    >excellent gifts. They do have a couple of drawbacks -- not too good
    >for planning lodging, restaurants, or ground transportation, and heavy
    >to carry around -- but their outstanding quality and usefulness for
    >self-guided walking tours are without equal.

I think the Eyewitness guides are great for the early planning stages
of a trip, especially for someone who has never been there before. I
probably wouldn't take it along with me on the trip, as it's very
heavy, and, as you say, is rather light on logistics.

Another guide that's good for the logistics of a mid-range trip is
Fodor's. For a budget trip, I prefer Let's Go.

Barbara

-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Kurt Weber/Debra Cole-Weber

You might also consider the City Secrets books, especially since this is
a gift item. I agree that the DK Eyewitness guides make a nice gift
(they have so many color photos they could be coffee table books; they
are a bit short on hotels and restuarants, especially compared to Fodor's
or Frommer's, which are heavy on both.) because they are attractive and a
little expensive. The DK Eyewitness guides have more pictures and
diagrams than just about any guide book I know.

City Secrets Rome and City Secrets Florence and Venice (the latter are
combined in one book) are attractive little books compiled from the tips
of "insiders" such as architects, authors, artists and art historians,
etc. I think they are fun to read, and the way they are nicely divided
by neighborhood works well for me. They are also very tiny, and can go
in a pocket or purse. Might not be great for old eyes, though.

Rick Steves' books don't exactly make me think "gift." They look like
inexpensive paper backs, and even if they are not cheap, I don't think
I'd be thrilled to open a box and find one inside.

You be better off with the Fodor's or Frommer's guides to Italy (both are
very comprehensive, easy to use for first timers, and stay toward the
middle or upper age and income brackets for their target audiences), or
one of their specialty guides, such as the already recommended ______$ A
Day guides, or try the Best Loved Driving Tours, if that is something
that would interest your in-laws. Frommer's guides are black and red
print on white paper, which I find to be easier on the eyes the Fodor's,
which are all black print on rougher, less-white paper.

Hope that helps.
D.

"Timothy J. Bain" wrote:

    > I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.
    > Tim

Giovanni Drogo

On Sat, 8 Nov 2003, Timothy J. Bain wrote:

    > I'm looking for opinions on the best travel guide books for Italy. It
    > will be a gift for the in-laws, and not being that "adventurous,"
    > they'll probably stick to the beaten path. Thanks for the help.

The Italian Touring Club (TCI) is renowned for the quality of its
guides. Unfortunately (for you) most of them are in Italian (starting
from the famous Red Guides, expensive but extremely detailed, down to
the Green Guides, more manageable, on a region or province basis, ending
with the 5 volume Rapid Guide ... which could also be complemented by
the Road Atlas in 3 volumes). However I heard they started publishing
also some material in English and to distribute it abroad, or via
amazon. Have a look at http://www.touringclub.it//english/index.asp

Personally (as an italian travelling abroad) I've always travelled with
TCI guides for countries for which they existed, and found them better
or much better than other (Lonely Planet, Fodor),

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Giovanni Drogo

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003, Giovanni Drogo wrote:

    > The Italian Touring Club (TCI) is renowned for the quality of its
    > guides. [...] ... which could also be complemented by the Road Atlas
    > in 3 volumes).

I forgot to add a warning. If your relatives do not have an immediate
need of the Road Atlas, you should wait to buy it. The current 3 volume
edition (North / Centre / South) is going to be superseded soon by a new
edition in 2 volumes (Centre-North and Centre-South). The first volume
of the new edition is going to be distributed to TCI members with the
2004 package, so I guess the second volume will follow next year, and
then the complete updated atlas will be available for sale.

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Luca Logi

Giovanni Drogo <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Personally (as an italian travelling abroad) I've always travelled with
    > TCI guides for countries for which they existed, and found them better
    > or much better than other (Lonely Planet, Fodor)

I find the TCI guides to be a bit too high-brow. Say, if the place is a
real dump I prefer Lonely Planet guides that tell me to watch my wallet
instead of the TCI that directs me to the reimans of a former romanic
church.

I also like the Time Out city guides. Again, the art history part
doesn't even compare with TCI, but they are good in directing you to
interesting shops or theatres - not even mentioned in TCI guides.

Very few guides, anyway, have the extremely fine details such as TCI red
guides.

--
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy e-mail: [email protected]