The Unofficial Guide to Central Italy: Florence, Rome, Tuscany & Umbria

by Melanie Mize Renzulli

Book Overview

The Unofficial Guides? are the "Consumer Reports" of travel guides, offering candid evaluations of their destinations' attractions, hotels, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, sports, and more, all rated and ranked by a team of unbiased inspectors so even the most compulsive planners can be sure they're spending their time and money wisely. Each guide addresses the needs of everyone from families to business travelers, with handy charts that demonstrate...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764549928
• ISBN13: 9780764549922
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 509 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.2" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

You MUST have this book if you're visiting Central Italy.

On our recent visit to Tuscany and Rome, we found there were two books we couldn't do without, a phrasebook and this. This has the best, most comprehensive listings of main-stream attractions and "behind the scenes" spots of all the books I bought or read planning this trip. Some of the prices and hours for museums are a bit out of date, but you'll find places listed in this book that aren't in the others, and you'll wonder how those others could have missed it. If your vacation includes Florence, Rome, Pisa, Siena, Perugia, or any of the other wonder cities in Tuscany and Umbria, YOU NEED THIS BOOK.

Extremely useful!

My husband and I used this guide on our first trip to Rome and Florence. It was well written and well organized. The book contained some great tips about getting around using public transportation in both cities; the included maps were helpful. Sights were rated based not only upon how interesting they were but on what age groups would be interested in them, from children through senior citizens. The restaurant reviews and recommendations were right on target. Everything from "inexpensive" to "very expensive" eateries were included. This book was obviously written using input from a variety of real travelers, not some "high-brow" travel critic! The book included information on many smaller towns, too. The only drawback was that the book was a bit on the large side. It fit into a backpack but with the other things we commonly carried, (water bottles, camera), it was a little cumbersome. However, this book contains so much useful information, it was worth taking along! Read it before you go to Italy and take it on your travels. We were glad we did!

Fun and Well-Rounded

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The way the attractions are organized, with star ratings for different age groups (apparently culled from tourists at each site) as well as the author's rating (sometimes the same, sometimes better or worse) helped give a better picture of each option, since not everyone likes the same thing. The mini-history lesson for each town is also a bonus in my opinion. I really enjoy knowing a little background on where I'm going, as I feel it leads to better understanding of the things I see & people I encounter. It is a little heavy on Rome & Florence, but is also sure to include some really unique spots. I would definitely buy another one of these guides, but be sure to check the publication date to be sure it's within the last couple of years. I don't rely on guide books too heavily for lodging or restaurants (I use internet research for that) since even a most recent edition takes some time to come to press and things change. I generally see that section of guide books as a starting point or fall back if needed but not as the primary source. Also, various attractions can vary widely in hours (sometimes they just change or are closed/limited due to constant renovations - just the nature of things in Italy), so be sure to double check directly with the attraction (by phone, e-mail, or on the website) before you go to avoid unexpected dissapointments. It is also well written (although the editors missed some major typos in page headings and the like, but nothing that detracts from the book) - engaging but still informative, not fluff or personal opinion.

Details, Details...

This book details each and every inch of Rome and Tuscany. In addition to this, the book was easy to read and follow, complete with excellent hotel, eating and shopping suggestions. I would reccomend it to anyone traveling to Italy!

Essential during our trip to Umbria!

We had an armful of guides with us but this one surprised me by being the most useful during our drives through central Italy, especially in Umbria.