As expected with this series, the guide provides great coverage for compact regions served by great public transport. For example, the chapter covering the Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento/Amalfi/Paestum region is particularly excellent. The maps and directions for using the local commuter transportation were flawless. I used buses, trains, and boats to move around the region with ease, avoiding the readily available and costly tour buses. Rick also correctly instructs you to stay in Sorrento, which is pleasant and safe, rather than Naples, which is neither.

I also visited Florence and the Hill Towns of Tuscany and Umbria. Once again, Rick's recommendations were on the mark, correctly focusing you on the most enjoyable destinations such as Siena and Assisi. If you want to cover the region in depth, as I did, you will need an additional guide (I recommend Blue or Green).

Other chapters that looked particulary good were those for Rome, Venice (great maps and instructions for using commuter boats), Cinque Terre, and the Dolomites. I can't wait for my next trip to Italy!

I found the hotel and restaurant recommendations somewhat low-end for my needs, but did have success with 2 hotels and a few of the restaurants.

86 of 87 found the following review helpful:

The Most Recent Info Available  Nov 26, 2002
By Wallace V. French III
I was looking for a guide book to help with an upcoming trip to one of the lesser known places to see in Italy. Paestum. Rick Steves' book was the only one that had a comprehensive guide to the city and ruins of Paestum. All the other Italy tour guide books only slightly mentioned it and how to get there. Steves' has a great layout of the ruins and a guide to the museum and places around Paestum to visit. This book is also a great guide for people coming to Italy for an extended period of time. The book has information for the big places to visit (Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan) as well as the lesser known places to visit (Paestum, Puglia, Assisi, and Cortona). A must for the traveller. Not much of a difference with the 2002 book. It mostly has updated phone numbers and updated prices. If you have the 2002 book and don't have the money you really don't need this one, but if you are crazy about Italy or are looking for a book on travelling around Italy this is the best book out there.

62 of 62 found the following review helpful:

Take this with you!  Aug 04, 2000
By E. Taylor
We've just returned from Italy and Rick Steves' Italy 2000 was the travel book we could not have done without. Rick does a great job of highlighting the sites as well as providing useful information about the best times of day to visit, how to make reservations for the busiest sites, and easy to understand maps. The book's size also makes it easy to carry with you as you travel during the day.

52 of 53 found the following review helpful:

Best guide for itinerary planning  Mar 29, 2000

I just returned from Italy and found this guide extremely useful. Although it is not designed as a detailed site guide (you will need Green or Blue Guides for that), it is definitely useful for planning where you will go and how you will get around. Also, given it's small size and light weight, you can always find room for this guide in your suitcase or backpack. With regard to hotels and restaurants, some are a bit low end for me, but I did stay at 2 of the pricier hotels and ate in a couple of the restaurants and found them quite good.

I spent 3 days in the Sorrento/Naples/Pompeii area and the chapter for this region was perhaps the best I've encountered in this series. Rick correctly guides you to stay in Sorrento, and provides exceptional advice on what to see and how to use the excellent transportation system in the region, including great maps, trip durations and fares. Other than buying site guides at major sites such as Pompeii, this is the only guide you need for this region.

I also spent a considerable amount of time in the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria. I visited most of the Hill Towns that Rick recommends, as well as a few others. While I enjoyed all of these visits, I would say that Rick does a good job of highlighting the most worthwhile towns (especially Siena and Assisi).

If you are going to Rome, Florence, or Venice, then this book will definitely help you to prioritize your time, decide where to stay (area if not hotel), and figure out how to get around. I did not go to Venice, but noticed that there was a great map and text describing how to get around the canals. The chapters on the Cinque Terre and the Dolomites also looked very useful. My one disappointment with this book is that Sicily is not included, perhaps because it is not practical to include it in a whirlwind tour.

43 of 43 found the following review helpful:

Save time and energy while visiting Italy  Dec 30, 1999

We traveled to Italy with this book as well as several others. We found that this book was the one we kept coming back to for insightful and accurate information on sights and highlights. We were amazed to see so many other people carrying this book with them.

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