Rating: 
Summary: Best among all the rest.
Review: The Eyewitness Guide easily mixes simple graphics with more technical maps and descriptions that are eminently useful and easy to follow! The heft and size may be intimidating, but it held up through drenching Assisi rainstorms, being dropped throughout Rome, and bounced in a cotton shoulder-bag for four weeks. Even armed with six other guides this was the book that proved the most consistently useful. Please, please, please do yourself a favor and give it a try. Beautiful AND useful travel guides don't come along often.
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Summary: Living in Italy
Review: We are a military family stationed in the Veneto region. I received this book as a gift right before we left the US. It has been an invaluable resource; I can't begin to tell you how many times I have used it. In fact, we purchased the Venice & the Veneto region book to supplement it and have used both extensively. When we visited Rome, it was a great assistanced in the Vatican museums---it is great to have background about what you are looking at. It also helped as we wandered around the city. This book has become the standard gift for our newly arrived friends, as it certainly helps you make the most of Italia!
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Summary: THIS BOOK SHOULD BE CALLED: ITALY FOR DUMMIES :)
Review: I'm planning a trip to Italy and didn't even know where to start. I read the reviews here and thought this would be the best book to start with. Well, 5 stars just doesn't do this book justice. This book contains everything you need to know and more. It starts with a history time line to get you up to speed on what happened and where for those of us who don't remember all of our history lessons. It has pictures of anything and everything you could want to see and more, divided by region and city. It explains the history of the various monuments, ruins, churches, roads, paintings, sculptures, etc. Not to mention, it truly is a beautiful book and has tons of high quality photos. It would be a pleasure to have for this reason alone. The best things I got out of this book are: knowing where I want to go, and being able to recognize and appreciate what I'll be looking at when I get there. After all, how can you evaluate where you want to go or what you want to see when you don't know what you have to choose from? This is the only book you'll need if you're planning a trip.
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Summary: "More than Helpful!!"
Review: I am 12 years old, and I am my family's guide for traveling. Eyewitness Guides are the only guides I can depend on for traveling. A few weeks before we went to Italy, in spring of 1999, I bought the Eyewitness Guides: Italy book. With all the information it gives you, you can not possibly want more. From the History of Italy, to how to buy a subway ticket today, this book has everything. Buy this book, and you are prepared to go to Italy. My parents were not only happy to have this book, but they were happy that I know what travel books to depend on. And also, don't forget to check out all the other Eyewitness Travel Guide Books!
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Summary: This book is the most helpful book I have ever used.
Review: Despite its weight, this book serves as a personal tour guide throught the country of Italy. It told the secrets of the sites that no other book would have known to mention. The color photos serve as good representation to the sites when the original sites are covered by scaffolding, as most of them where on my trip. I reccommend this book to anyone who can afford it or is willing to cart it around. It is most certainly worth it.
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Summary: The one and only essential for the perfect Italian vacation
Review: I am a seasoned travellor and have relied on research and travel books to enhance my travels and guide me through foreign cities. Discovering this exceptional book has changed the travel experience. Why? The guide gives you a quick overview of all of the essentials, history and sites. The difference is the following: this guide provides the travellor with the 3-D picture of every important neighborhood, with many suggested walking tours, with each site numbered for additional detailed information on subsequent pages. The travellor misses nothing because full colored pictures assist in the discovery. No other information is needed including maps and museum pamphlets. This guide allows the travellor to be self sufficient including trying use every day things such as phones, ATMs, public transportation, tipping suggesting...IT'S ALL YOU NEED!
Rating:
Summary: The best
Review: I borrowed this book from a local public library but I just needed my own copy. It's heavier than most travel guides, but it really is awesome. I hope to return to Italy in a couple of years. Until then, this book will do. Going through the whole book can really be exhausting! It's not just a great travel guide. It's a fantastic photo album as well as a great source of history, information, etc. etc.
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Summary: Don't forget to take the book with you! It's the best!
Review: The book was always within our hands during our one-week travel in Florence and Venice. We, even, chose the restaurants to go according to the book. I advise the book to every tourist who would like to travel around Italy without a tour or a person(!) guide.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for anybody going to or interested in Italy.
Review: This is an very good tour book that goes in depth into the kinds of thing you find in Italy. This includes: Pictures of typical Italian foods, great illustrations, maps and much much more. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource
Review: The restaurants listed were consistently good. The information was in a useful format. Good resource book even if you are not traveling to Italy.
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