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Books : Italy (Country Guide)
Rating: 
- Decent guide
I did a multiple country tour across Europe and I will preface my review with the disclaimer that I only ended up seeing Venice while I was in Italy so all my comment pertain to the Lonely Planet's section on this city.
The section on Venice was not as helpful as other Lonely Planet guides that I have had the pleasure of using with my travels. The maps, while accurate and useful for approximate locating, will need to supplemented with another map (either the Lonely Planet's or one purchased when you get there).
The hotel reviews were good, but I would also use the internet more as I found a nice cheap hotel not listed in their guide just walking through the city. Their review of the usefulness of the Venice Pass was also spot on - ie you will have to work hard and smart get your money's worth.
Rating: - Good for trip prep., but not good when you're there
I bought this book before I went to Italy and planned to use it to guide me around. When I was there, I found the book is good for reading, but is not useful at all when you need to rely on it to go around. The very few maps in the book are very general and lack of details. You can't tell where you're and what you're looking at if you only have this book. I had to buy some other books there so that I don't miss the great things at the places I visited.
Rating:
- Lonely Planet Italy
Decent range of information, though some more specificity would be nice-especially in Venice. They had very little on accommodations or dining there.
Rating:
- Great Guide - Full of Good Information!
This book tells you everything you need to know about Italy. Anyone who is planning to visit Italy should read this before they go. It is full of good information and will help you to get the most from your trip.
Rating:
- Don't rely on this country guide--buy the city guides instead!
My friend bought this guide for our trip through Italy this summer. Our trip went through Venice, Florence and Rome, with side trips into Tuscany and Naples/Pompeii. This book contains information on so many different places that it does not provide much useful information on any one city. We felt so lost in Venice and Florence with the scant information provided in this book that we ended up buying the LP Rome City Guide when we got to Rome. You would be much better off buying individual city guides before you leave the US though because travel books are very expensive once you're in the city. I have used many LP books over the years for both domestic and international travel, but I would recommend city books from now on.
- Decent guideI did a multiple country tour across Europe and I will preface my review with the disclaimer that I only ended up seeing Venice while I was in Italy so all my comment pertain to the Lonely Planet's section on this city.
The section on Venice was not as helpful as other Lonely Planet guides that I have had the pleasure of using with my travels. The maps, while accurate and useful for approximate locating, will need to supplemented with another map (either the Lonely Planet's or one purchased when you get there).
The hotel reviews were good, but I would also use the internet more as I found a nice cheap hotel not listed in their guide just walking through the city. Their review of the usefulness of the Venice Pass was also spot on - ie you will have to work hard and smart get your money's worth.
Rating:
- Good for trip prep., but not good when you're thereI bought this book before I went to Italy and planned to use it to guide me around. When I was there, I found the book is good for reading, but is not useful at all when you need to rely on it to go around. The very few maps in the book are very general and lack of details. You can't tell where you're and what you're looking at if you only have this book. I had to buy some other books there so that I don't miss the great things at the places I visited.
Rating:
- Lonely Planet ItalyDecent range of information, though some more specificity would be nice-especially in Venice. They had very little on accommodations or dining there.
Rating:
- Great Guide - Full of Good Information!This book tells you everything you need to know about Italy. Anyone who is planning to visit Italy should read this before they go. It is full of good information and will help you to get the most from your trip.
Rating:
- Don't rely on this country guide--buy the city guides instead!My friend bought this guide for our trip through Italy this summer. Our trip went through Venice, Florence and Rome, with side trips into Tuscany and Naples/Pompeii. This book contains information on so many different places that it does not provide much useful information on any one city. We felt so lost in Venice and Florence with the scant information provided in this book that we ended up buying the LP Rome City Guide when we got to Rome. You would be much better off buying individual city guides before you leave the US though because travel books are very expensive once you're in the city. I have used many LP books over the years for both domestic and international travel, but I would recommend city books from now on.