Frommer's Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours

by Frommer's, Paul Duncan, British Auto Association

Book Overview

Everything You Need to See the Best of Italy by Car! Let Frommer's Take You To: The leaning tower of Pisa and the ruins of Pompeii Olive groves, ancient hill towns, and Roman country retreats The legendary beauty of pastoral Tuscany and the vineyards of the gentle Veneto Florence, cradle of the Renaissance The hidden charms of Ancona and the Marches region The heel of the boot: Grecian ruins, Byzantine cathedrals, and port towns And much, much more!...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764577972
• ISBN13: 9780764577970
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Wiley Publishing
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Nice guide, well researched

When we travel to Italy we love to rent cars and take the road less traveled to cities that are typically off the tourist path. I have a number of books on driving tours through Italy. I find that I return time and again to the books on driving tours because very little changes in Italy from year to year, which I think it part of the beauty of Italy. At the beginning of each section the book provides a narrative regarding the larger cities in each area. I have listed these cities in brackets after the regions below. This book has outlined 25 tours through Italy these are as follows: Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto (Torino, Milano, Bologna, Rimini, Asolo, Verona) Tour 1: The Foot of the Mountains Tour 2: Of Alps, Lakes & Plain Tour 3: La Grassa - the Fat Country Tour 4: Of Mosaics, Sun & Sea Tour 5: The Gentle Veneto Tour 6: Beyond Venice - Inland Veneto Liguria & Tuscany (San Remo, Genova, Pisa, Firenze) Tour 7: The Lingurian Hilltowns Tour 8: The Riviera of Levante Tour 9: Treasures of Tuscany Tour 10: The Cradle of the Renaissance Umbria & The Marches (Perugia, Ancona, Urbino) Tour 11: The Green Heart of Italy Tour 12: Italy's Best Kept Secret Tour 13: The Northern Marches Lazio, Campania, Abruzzo (Roma, Napoli, Pescara, L'Aquila) Tour 14: The Apennines & the Adriatic Tour 15: Abruzzo - the Remote Interior Tour 16: Roman Country Retreats Tour 17: The Roman Countryside Tour 18: In the Shadow of Vesuvius Tour 19: Small Cities of Campania Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia (Catanzaro, Cosenza, Matera, Bari, Brindisi, Foggia) Tour 20: The Toe of the Boot Tour 21: The Highlands of Calabria Tour 22: Forgotten Basilicata Tour 23: Ancient Puglia Tour 24: The Heel of Italy Tour 25: The Gargano Peninsula For each tour the book provides the following information: 1. Time required 2. Total distance in both kilometers and miles 3. Distance between towns 4. Driving directions 5. Brief narrative about each city on the tour The book does provide limited lodging information in the back of the book. However, I don't find it to be adequate to make an informed decision. I would recommend a lodging only book to make those decisions. If you were interested in driving to the smaller cities and towns in Italy, I would also recommend "Italy on Backs Roads" by Hunter Publishing and "Driving Tours of Italy" by Macmillan Travel. The book does contain some pictures, although fewer than the typical guidebook. I would also recommend that you supplement this book with a good map of Italy. I use the Michelin map of Italy. That way if you get a tip from a local you can venture even further off the beaten path. Some of our best memories of Italy were as a result of a tip from someone in a restaurant or a shop. Italians love to chat and share their country. If you ask them questions they will point you to some of the most lovely places. This book is a small size and fits easily into a big purse or suitcase. I fi

Bella Italia from behind the wheel or by zooming with a Vespa

I would recommend the new 7th edition (2005) instead of this one. Excellent guide to seeing Italy with a car or a Vespa moped. You will enjoy some great driving tours and routes through Italia. Frommers has recently come out with a "Best-Loved Driving Tours" series ... guides that are not very inexpensive, but are very well researched and quite comprehensive. One will have plenty of driving tours and routes to chose from, whether you like arts and museums, scenic roads and breathtaking views, urban towns and shopping, or just want to experience a regione's culture and life. Unlike the other Frommer guides that are fatter and heavier, this little book gives you not too many specifics on lodging or eating. It is geared strictly for the person behind the wheel and her or his passengers. I have had a great experience using this guide and will recommend it to anyone who can afford it. Also, you might want to check to see if your library carries it and check it out for the duration of your visit abroad. When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).

Bella Italia from behind the wheel or by zooming with a Vespa

Excellent guide to seeing Italy with a car or a Vespa moped. You will enjoy some great driving tours and routes through Italia. Frommers has recently come out with a "Best-Loved Driving Tours" series ... guides that are not very inexpensive, but are very well researched and quite comprehensive. One will have plenty of driving tours and routes to chose from, whether you like arts and museums, scenic roads and breathtaking views, urban towns and shopping, or just want to experience a regione's culture and life. Unlike the other Frommer guides that are fatter and heavier, this little book gives you not too many specifics on lodging or eating. It is geared strictly for the person behind the wheel and her or his passengers. I have had a great experience using this guide and will recommend it to anyone who can afford it. Also, you might want to check to see if your library carries it and check it out for the duration of your visit abroad. When I backpacked 4 months through Europe I had a copy of the Lonely Planet for Europe (a thick and heavy book) because it covered more cities and esoteric towns, a ripped chapters of all the international youth hostals Europe of the countries I visited, and as primary guide for nominal cities and capitals I used Frommers (ripped the book and kept only chapters of countries planning to visit - so I can keep the weight down).

GREAT! for a driving holiday "off the beaten track"

This book is perfect if you are planning a driving vacation around Italy (or parts of it) and would like to get away from the touristy centers like Venice, Rome, Florence, etc. It doesn't even cover those major cities, but does provide a wealth of other suggested places to visit, which were relatively quiet and tourist-free, even at the end of August. We just returned from a 6-day visit, and rather than complete any single tour from the book (they're typically 3-4 days each), simply selected sections of the itineraries that fit into our timeframe and location.2 things to note: this book does NOT provide any listings for places to stay, so you will need another resource (I found several excellent country inns on the Web.) Also, while detailed maps of each tour are included, you will also need a good roadmap or atlas of Italy, esp. if you will be visiting more than one part of the country.

If you only buy one guide book for Italy, buy this one.

This was the most helpful guide book I used on what to do and see in Italy. The pictures were helpful, and the routes they suggested included wonderful places that I would have overlooked. It doesn't include where to eat/stay, but it's terrific on what to see while you're there.