Italy 2013 Guidebook
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We traveled in Switzerland and Italy April 26 - May9 Our mode of operation in Italy was to jump off the train in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Vernazza...pull out Rick's book and begin calling our pre-selected accommodation choices... within 1-2 calls we usually had a room for our stay..Hotel Europa in Florence great mangers/ family, IQ in Rome was very nice, Dell Agnolo in Venice was nice. Thanks Steve for the book!
Ken and Sharon Barber in Yorba Linda, CA USA 06/08/2013
Make it lighter weight! I downloaded Italy 2013 because I knew the paperback was more than I need for this trip. Quite different from the Italy 2000 we used on our last trip to Italy!
Lynn Raasch in Bellingham, Wa USA 06/07/2013
overall, the books we took were great. just wish we had something a little more age appropriate for 62 year olds. i tabbed and dog-earred my pages because some referenced areas were not next to each other. i highly recommend rick steves planning because it very much helped us do and see a lot in a short 10 days. THANK YOU...you rock, rick steves!
jack, paula and jenny gron in corpus christi, TX USA 05/31/2013
No comments, I am very happy with it.
Kathryn in Vancouver, BC Canada 05/12/2013
With all the books you have on Italy, none covers the Bologna area, which is where we are heading this year (Parma, Modeno, etc.). We want to do food tours there, but you have nothing on that area.
Allen Wiener in Potomac, MD USA 05/11/2013
Include bus connection information for Siena to Assisi.
Larry Landsness in Madison, WI USA 04/17/2013
While we found the book really helpful the only issue we had was when the city maps did not cover enough area to include the main railway station. Even though you provided directions it is so much easier if there is also a map to follow. In both Siena and Verona the maps do not include the station and in both cases we got lost whereas in other cities we had no problems.
Ros and Rick Phillips in Gerringong, NS Australia 03/28/2013
Haven't been on my trip yet and am a first time RS user. Love the book but I wish you would make a version where pages could be removed, like a 3 ring binder or something. It would be great to take out just the pages you want for that day.
Erin in Montclair, VA USA 03/10/2013
Applies to all of your guidebooks: Make them available as ebook pdf versions to use with mobile devices. We are travelling to Italy this fall and will be taking the Lonely Planet pdf guidebook. We would also take the Rick Steves guidebook if available. We are walking a portion of the Via Francigena so we cannot take a paper guidebook due to the extra weight.
Russ Haas in Victoria, BC Canada 03/06/2013
Please include info on the Perugia area. It has so much to offer.
Jan Flore in Wauwatosa, WI USA 02/18/2013
My husband and I are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Italy, and so recently purchased the Italy 2013 Guidebook. I was disappointed to find no information on Sicily included, especially when your website advertises it as your "most exotic tour in Italy" - where can we get some printed information?
Sarah in Toronto, ON Canada 01/31/2013
We heard the talk by Rick in Long Beach and only wished he had said more about the wonderful walks provided by your book. They really added to our experience of 6 days in Venice. Others kept getting lost and asked us for directions. We always knew where we were because of the excellent walking tours.
linda huetinck in alhambra, ca USA 01/14/2013
Just back from Italy -- Rick Steves' Italy 2012 served me and 3 family members very well during our time in Roma. Staying at Hotel Portoghesi and Hotel Modigliana was a pleasure, and had us well-situated to enjoy their respective neighborhoods. In many ways, it was the small details in the guidebook that made the biggest difference -- the elevator by the Spanish steps for one of our group who required it, purchasing the combo ticket at the Palentine Hill booth to avoid the crowd at the Colisseum, and the list goes on. I do recommend Sora Lella, the Trattoria in Trastevere. My request is coverage for Puglia, where one side of my family comes from. We enjoyed our time there, but had to work a lot harder without RickSteves' guidance. many thanks for what you have -- it's really valuable.
Brian K. Roberti in Flushing, NY USA 11/22/2012
Suggest to add to 3 Films to see for Italy: 1) Three Coins in a Fountain (Trevi Fountain -Rome) 2) Summertime with K. Hepburn (good Venice pics) 3) Light in the Piazza ( Florence)
Hoke Kimball in Atlanta, GA USA 10/26/2012
More detailed info on bus travel. The bus stops were hard to find and the ticket sellers were not to good with that info. Also, how difficult the Forum in Rome was to get around. That was our first day in Italy and we also had a difficult time finding the entrance for it. We also needed more time in some places because by the time we took the train and also usually a bus, we needed more time to sightsee. You might want to mention that when you take the train, the track your train leaves from may be over farther and you need to descend steps, walk to correct track # and ascend steps. Putting luggage up on train wasn't easy either, but train travel was great.
Ruth Stark in Sun Cityy Center, FL USA 10/22/2012
Suggestions sent in a separate e-mail
David Graham in Shell, Ecuador 10/20/2012
Please do a book on Basilicata and Calabria...maybe throw in Puglia as well....these are beautiful areas and the best of "real" Italy!
Marcia Sugumele in Chesterfield, VA USA 10/19/2012
Spiral bound would be so much easier to use!
Betsy Santarpio in Moultonborough NH, NH USA 10/14/2012
add more information (museums; restaurants) for Como, the base for Lake Como; there is much more to see than the Guidebook indicates
Sean Fisher in Melrose, MA USA 10/03/2012
Include the underground tour of Naples (at least the description for those who may be interested) and the Bourbon tunnel tour - it was hot outside and so we opted for these but they were still very interesting especially for my civil engineer husband.
Judith Hitchings in OAKLAND, Ca USA 10/02/2012
downloadable maps for smartphone or iPad would really be a plus ... the maps in the iBook version were good, but better maps without the book would be helpful
michael in Portland, OR USA 09/29/2012
We cut the book apart & had it coiled at our local Staples - very reasonable. Of course, we saw RS travelers everywhere, most struggling with the bound book. If there were some way us to buy them that way?? PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR HUMOROUS COMMENTS!!! They lighten the challenges of travelling immeasurably
LINDA HOOD in LEWIS CENTER, OH USA 09/26/2012
Rome: existing details about the train to Fiumicino airport are very good, but I suggest adding another one for travelers who have stored their bags at the train station: the elevator at Left Luggage pick-up takes you right to the platform (Track 24?) from where the train to Fiumicino leaves; once you pick up your luggage, you can get to the platform in under five minutes via the elevator.
Marion in San Francisco, CA USA 08/13/2012
In Manarola we need to get hiking early due to the heat, but where could I get coffee before 8? Also, please only recommend friendly, warm, and delicious restaurants . It got a little old having uncaring, condescending service. I would rather pay more to be around people who act like they want me there.
Cindy Bennett in Canby, Or USA 08/07/2012
That would be hard to do! As I reached the mid-point in the planning for our trip, it suddenly dawned on me that without Rick Steves, I would never have had the courage to attempt such a trip! We booked all of our own hotel reservations, worked out the number of days we would spend in Venice, the Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena, and Rome, and the sights we wanted to cover in each place. We stayed away from car rental, and took trains from Venice to Cinque Terre to Florence, and then buses from Florence to Siena to Rome. Without Rick Steves? Absolutely impossible!!! I even first learned of flying "open-jaws" (into Venice, out of Rome) from Rick's TV show! So I just want to give you a heartfelt "Thank you!," Rick. Thanks to you, we've shared a trip that will continue to give us pleasure for the rest of our lives.
Charles Revier in Fort Collins, CO USA 08/05/2012
Add self-guided tours (or at least more information) for the Palatine Hill and Colosseum. Consider revising the Forum self-guided walk. We were there and ran into other Americans using the RS book who also couldn't find the Vestal Virgins sites because of the self-guided walk's back-tracking. (Why go all the way to Julius Caesar's altar, for example, THEN back-track to the Vestal Virgins? In July, when we were there, it's too hot to back-track.) The RS Forum map was also hard for us (and others) to use compared with the posted maps. Also, I know it's not recommended, but I would have appreciated the Pompeii map on p. 905 (or elsewhere in the book) showing how to get to the Pompei town Trenitalia train station. (With so many train stations in Pompei and so little signage, we relied on a Google map and hope that we could walk from Pompei Villa dei Misteri to the train station to catch the train to Paestum. It's a 25-30 min walk but shorter than taking the Circumvesuviana all the way to Naples and then transferring to the train to Paestum.) Also, if it's possible, add a stronger warning about catching Circumvesuviana trains from Ercolano back to Sorrento. (We got on the wrong one, ended up at Scafati, and just caught the last train out that night.)
Kyla Gurganus in Ypsilanti, MI USA 08/03/2012
It would be great to have a book just dedicated to the specific tour that Rick Steves has. I took the 17day tour from Lake Como to Rome. The book was so heavy to carry around I started, much to my dismay, to tear out the sections that where on the tour. It would have been much easier to carry just a specific tour book.
Gloria Freemon in Bouse, AZ USA 07/29/2012
let me go travel for you! haha!
Kathy in Lake Elsinore, CA USA 07/24/2012
Please add a section on Montecassino Abbey. I tried to research the site using your book and could not find it. Since it is located south of Rome and North of Naples maybe you could have a section on Cassino and then reference the great WW2 battle of Monte Cassino where the Abbey is. There was also a dedicated section to the polish soldiers who died fighting the Germans as well. The Abbey was truly a stop worth making whether you are in Rome or Naples
Kevin P. Quill in Virginia Beach, VA USA 07/23/2012
Don't dismiss driving so much. We rented a car for half of our trip, and found that the roads were extremely good, signage is very clear, italian drivers are excellent, and we were able to get off the beaten path a bit. It is expensive to drive (tolls and gas) but not if you are a family or group.
Also, you might want to suggest to people the option of apartment rentals for longish stays in cities. I used VRBO for apartments in Florence and Rome and both were really nice. They work well for families because hotel rooms can be small. And you feel more like you are living like a local, buying groceries, etc.
Kristyn Turaj in Raleigh, NC USA 07/23/2012
Put colour photos!
Jimmy in Victoria, BC Canada 07/15/2012
Love the book! Saw copies of 'the book' on other tables in the restaurants we visited. All recommendations were right on. Could have used one for our week in Sardinia!
dkm in Chicago, il USA 07/13/2012
Please be more realistic about walking times, especially when first arriving at a location and trying to find accommodations. Some places walking just doesn't make sense (i.e. Via Capo in Sorrento) because of the narrow, winding roads with luggage in tow. Also, things are very hard to find when you're first landing in a place you've never been before. And train stations can be very intimidating to people who live in the burbs. All this should be taken into consideration when explaining how to get from place to place and how much time it takes. It sounds so simple in the book but it doesn't match reality. Or at least not mine :-}
Amy in Hartford, CT USA 07/09/2012
I would add Tratoria Nella in Florence to your book. Super food--very resonably priced and fun, fun, fun. A french horn player stated playing to a Tom Waits cd when we were there. It was great and the food is wonderful, better than most of the other restaurants we ate at, except Tortuga and Miky in Monotrosso, at half the cost.
Barbara O'Connell in Philadelphia, PA USA 07/08/2012
Show locations of bathrooms in Rome, had a hard time finding any in an emergency
Karen in Cleveland , OH USA 07/01/2012
Why was the Last Supper rated one triangle? Are you crazy? I tried to respect your decision but I can't. That is just unbelievable to me.
Bailey Johnson in Jacksonville, FL USA 06/29/2012
I was in Italy from mid-April to mid-May and your guidebooks were a key part of the trip. They really saved me a lot of work finding all of that information. I used the eBook versions on my NookColor: Italy 2012, Rome 2012, Venice 2012, and Florence 2012. While it is possible to enlarge the text, I could find no way to enlarge the maps. If you could make it possible to enlarge the maps, that would be great. Also, if you could create a link from a site (every time it is mentioned) to its information (address, hours, etc.) that would save a lot of time going to the menu, bookmarks, etc. Finally, I used a GPS app on my iPhone (Navigon Europe) for both driving AND walking. It would be a big help if you would include a street address for all sites (GPS coordinates would be even better). Thanks for all the great guidebooks and videos.
James Fox in Kimberton, PA USA 06/24/2012
section on mini fares, let us know which restaurants and hotels are cash only, almost everything was more expensive than i nthe book
Lionel in Kennebunk, ME USA 05/30/2012
Make pictures and maps color instead of black and white. Maybe good for ebook edition
Yas Obara in Redmond, WA USA 05/20/2012
I would appreciate it if you would specify in all your books when a hotel's bathroom is the shower and bathroom all-in-one. Personally, if I could find reasonable accommodations that have the shower separate, I'd opt for that. Thanks much as always for excellent travel guides!
Sherrie Sons in Bolingbrook, IL USA 04/30/2012
I'm planning a trip to Italy and highlighting your book. I've used your guidebooks every year and I have never had a problem doing this until this year--the paper is so tissue thin that it bleeds through to the other side and I end up with things highlighted that I didn't want. Plus, it is making things harder to read. Please consider going back to more user friendly paper.
Dawn in Minneapolis, MN USA 03/30/2012
Amend the price for Osteria al Bomba and suggest choosing your own tapas. The price in the book is €15, but it's now €22. That's quite a hike!!! I chose that place based on price.
I showed them the book, but they said it was because I had a big plate. I explained that the book said the €15 was enough for two people, to no avail.
The food was okay, but not particularly good. The garlicky smell I'd passed from another restaurant might have been a more satisfying experience. At €22 I could have had more options.
Marfa in Corvallis, OR USA 03/27/2012
Add Trieste! I purchased the FVG (Friuli Venezia Giulia) tour pass for 72 hours for only 20 euros and it was one of the best deals! Free admission to many venues (museums, etc.) in the region...well worth the 20 euros! We stayed at a wonderful little affitacamere just a block off the sea for only 50 euros/night ( for 2 people w/ shared bath). Found some wonderful food including an amazing little restaurant called Zoe Food (great for vegetarians). We are living in Aix en Provence right now and visited Italy for a week spending 5 days in Trieste. We were impressed that prices for food, coffees and lodging were about half of what they are in Aix for comparable amenities. I know you can't cover every city in your guidebooks, but I really think your readers are missing out by you not mentioning Trieste. (and I'm really sorry I'm not home in Grand Junction this week to see Rick's talk! It's funny that I'm in europe and he's in Colorado. I have come to rely on his books and podcasts for all of my european travel.)
Gigi Richard in Grand Junction, CO USA 03/04/2012
some more information on Sardegna
I would love more info
Anthony in Milwauke, WI USA 02/12/2012
We have just purchased your e-book version for the Kindle Fire. It looks great except for one thing: There doesn't seem to be any way to enlarge the maps so they are legible. I even used a magnifying glass...there's not enough resolution to see even with this! We will have to photocopy from the book version, I guess. Is there any way to fix this? We would like to purchase other e-books of yours as your books have been our travel bibles for years.
Carol Weiler in Sartell, MN USA 01/11/2012
It would be great to get back to the ETBD early days and actually visit places that the tourists haven't yet discovered. You NEVER touch on any parts of Italy below the highly popular Amalfi coast. Perhaps you could do for Calabria and Sicily what you did for the Cinque Terre....just a thought.
June Mento in West Chester, PA USA 01/10/2012
Since some people drive - it would be great to have some hotels recommeded on major routes in case you dont make to your major destination. I found by accident a great clean hotel in a small non-touristy town by accident - run by a pair of sisters with no staff - they prepare breakfast and let you park for free in their gated garden area - was 80 euros.
jamie fields in detroit, mi USA 01/05/2012
You may want to think about looking at some Trip Advisor reviews before giving a Hotel recommendation. Maybe they were extra nice to Rick Steves when he visited them, but the experience for the average tourist is not quite the same.
Jack Hay in White Plains, Md USA 12/22/2011
The region in cental-northern Italy near Bologna and Modena is home to many famous Italian supercar and motorcycle manufacturers: Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Pagani, De Tomaso, Ducati to name the most famous are all located about in a region about 25 miles apart. On a map at the Ferrari musum, there was a list of 33 manufacturers, museums and racing circuits in "Motor Valley". Most had museums and some had factory tours. I really enjoyed my factory tour at Lamborghini and think these sights are worth at least a paragraph or two in your book.
Dale Hollenbaugh in Milton, PA USA 12/13/2011
Excellent book! Keep up the great work.
John Osgood in New York, NY USA 11/01/2011
Just want to thank you for your thorough research! We used the book like a bible (saw one Yank carrying it in his pants) and would have been lost and misinformed without it.
Oh, I noticed that a lot of the train ticket vending machines in Italy do not accept credit cards though it indicates to be credit card friendly.
Kay Ishii in Renton, WA USA 10/30/2011
take Nicolina off the list for Vernazza. Put Pirates on top of the restaurant list.
Dale Kingsbury in St. Paul, mn USA 10/28/2011
I love & use your advice on all my travels in Europe, but this guy lied, about wifi, tv, booked me in another building, and demanded cash in advance so I couldn't back out.
Lee Bruning in Hayward, CA USA 10/10/2011
I purchased the ebook copy of this book for my nook. Your maps are great but hard to read on the nook. It would be nice to be able to have pdf copies of the maps which can enlarge on nook to see the detail
Nancy in Scotch Plains, NJ USA 10/06/2011
This book was absolutely the best purchase I could ever make. I would recommend this book for first timers or even seasoned Italy travelors. It was my bible. My only suggestion is to add a tip to the Il Duomo Terrace Tour in Florence that if heights make you weak in the knees it may be best to give it a second thought. Imagine scaling the outside of a dome where sections are only 2feet wide at best, and the only barrier between you and 300foot drop is a 8-12inch ornamental concrete rail that comes up just below your waist. I loved the tip though, it got me in the Dome faster.
Laura Lee Crosetti in Putnam, CT USA 09/30/2011
The book was simply great. Used it every day! It caters more to the rail and bus traveler rather than the the car rental traveler( which we were) but it was immensely helpful and almost always accurate. Owner at Alberge Nencini in Volterra speaks well of you.
One small difference from your book advice--we found the autostrada a better way to get from point A to B than the lesser side roads. The toll costs, I thought, were very reasonable, trivial when you consider the costs of touring in Italy. And the roadway sign posting was better than IO had expected.
Dick and Denise Devlin in Kingston, NH USA 09/26/2011
None. After using the Italian Guide we have become "Steviens"
Barbara James in Beaufort , SC USA 09/25/2011
As young honeymooners we didn't love Vernazza it was too small and there were local children running everywhere at night! Although we did love watching the waves hit the breakwater and the tegane alla Vernazza at Ristorante Pizzeria Vulnetia.
We had a great lunch at Batti Batti during the hike between villages. We got an assortment of fried fish in a paper cone for 5 Euros that were so good! Cod balls, anchovies and shrimp were our favorites -21 Via Viscont Vernazza. A second great lunch was the Erbazone torte (Spinach Artichoke and cheese) at PIZZERIA LA CAMBUSA Via Birolli 114, 19010 Manarola
Liza in Syracuse, NY USA 09/05/2011
Thought it was good. This was our fourth trip to Europe. Always helpful.
Pat Geddes in Berthoud, CO USA 08/16/2011
Just received the 2011 Italy book. A suggestion, please consider a small table of contents at the beginning of each section. It would make it easier to quickly locate the information in that section. Thank you for your time and consideration of this request.
Les Peterson in Los Angeles, CA USA 08/14/2011
One improvement might be to include all of the Italian names of all of the sights so it is easier to ask people how to find them.
Quinn in Vancouver, WA USA 07/27/2011
You do a great job with this. Now I'm planning France!
Angel in Katy, TX USA 07/27/2011
We have now used your books for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and now Italy and couldn't be happier with your suggestions. Our son is moving to Holland in a few weeks and we've already purchased that guide as we hope to visit him in spring 2012. We usually supplement with Frommers but Rick Steve's has always been our main resource. We like how you travel.
Joe and Lila Klein in Richmond, MN USA 07/26/2011
In addition to the main guidebook on Italy, we bought the regional guides for the Hill Towns and Cinque Terra. It was nice to have these slimmed down versions. We also bought the prhase book. The overall Rick Steves philosophy of travel fit us perfectly and we were extremely well served by the guidebooks and tips. Please do not overlook the many "convent" accomodations near the Vatican and in Assisi. We stayed at the Resideza Madre Pie two blocks from the Vatican. It was simple, clean, reasonable priced and with not curfew. The rooms and bathroom were good sized and for us, there was a chapel in the pensione.
John and Elyse O'Kane in Stone Mountain, GA USA 07/24/2011
Instructions on how to use trenitalia machines in the little, unmanned stations would be great. Find your destination on the list to the left, punch in the code and insert money. Change is a chit that u exchange for cash at a manned trenitalia desk
Toey in Houston, Tx USA 07/22/2011
add a section on Sicily, really felt lost without something on that part
Michael USA 07/21/2011
Bologna! It's about time for Rick to include, at least, a little space in his excellent guidebook for this amazing city. One of our favorites. Yes it's short on art, but long on cuisine. And a beautiful city.
Ray in Saint Helens, Or USA 07/20/2011
Keep up the good work!
Maureen in Grayslake, IL USA 07/18/2011
If you could create a "3-ring binder version" or perforated pages of the book so that sections of the book could be removed for ease of use, that would be fantastic. Because this version was so comprehensive, there were several times when we wished we could easily rip out the map, or just rip out the sections we wanted and take them with us, instead of having to carry and pull out the entire guidebook every time.
Stacey Baker in Goffstown, NH USA 07/13/2011
This book was excellent and really empowered us to feel like we could manage anywhere we went. One little thing to add is in Siena - I don't know if this was in the book, but we were charged a 2 euro seating charge per person which was in small letters at the bottom of the menu (not sure if it was on the menu posted outside) we didn't expect at an upstairs restaurant near Albergo Cannon d'Oro hotel.
Also , thanks so much for the St Marks Basilica suggestion about checking a bag and skipping the line. That saved us a ton of time!
We travelled by bus from Florence to Siena and then from Siena to Rome and it was in total comfort. They have plush spacious buses.
D Mitchell in Elk Grove, CA USA 07/12/2011
THE BOOK WAS MY"BIBLE" IT IS ALMOST THREAD BARE! FOR THE "SINGLE" TRAVELER, THE INFORMATION WAS INDESPENSABLE. DIRECTIONS ARE IMPORTANT..
SANDI KELLY in SARASOTA, FL USA 07/10/2011
The book is fantastic. I could never have planned our vacation without it.
Lynette Taylor in Brooksville, FL USA 06/24/2011
This book is very useful, even for someone who has lived there for many years. However, I do not like the fact that Sicily and Sardegna were not included (not to mention other parts of South Italy). No wonder why people think that Italy stops at Naples. South Italy has soo much to offer, tourists should be encouraged to go there.
francesca in bloomington, il USA 06/18/2011
Please make sure to include a mention of Lulu Rooms & Apartments.
Joel Pepin in Edmonton, Ab Canada 06/09/2011
Maps--add more landmarks? Otherwise, this book was our travel bible in Italy--special tips and restaurants were spot on!
Liz Santos in Seattle, WA USA 06/06/2011
We had a car and often found the GPS did not list the specific address we were searching. Adding GPS info would
Marcia Zalev in Toronto, ON Canada 05/29/2011
Add Pietra Rosa to your recommended list.
Mary Weisse in Rapid River, MI USA 05/28/2011
Please include the Piedmont region in your next edition. Torino is a great city- there are great vineyard and biking tours in and around Asti and Alba. Truffles, Barbera, Barbaresco, and Barolo with pumpkin pastas and sage brown-butter sauces. This region is the "World Cup" of Italian gastronomy. The food and wine alone is "molto buono" and reason enough to include this section in your book. All travelers to Italy need to know about this area! Thanks!
Stefan Ferraro in Gatineau, QC Canada 05/18/2011
I was thrown off by the way buildings have multiple businesses and/or residences mixed in and very little in the way of signage to advertise. I'd very much have appreciated a photo of the front door of the building housing the recommendated hotel or restaurant. Also, the overall map for each section needs to be at either the front or back of the section for easier reference. I spent a lot of time flipping thru the Rome section looking for the map that showed what I wanted to find. (the map at the front show have all the sites and recommendations listed and then secondary/more detailed maps can be done in the appropriate sections.)
Mitch McCann in Killeen, TX USA 05/09/2011
Please be more specific about accomodations that are closed during the off season. We traveled in the countryside & small town Italy in November (weather was great) and found that more than half the places suggested in Rick's "Italy 2009" guidebook were closed for the Winter.
Leslie & Bill Nix in Palatine, IL USA 05/01/2011
It is a glaring omission that Rick does not include anything on Sicily. Spent a week there in March and found it very interesting--especially the time spent in Ortygia and Siracusa. Good food and great accomodations.
Tony Ambrose in Louisville, ky USA 04/27/2011
We eventually went to Sicily. Cannot figure out why Rick omits this part of Italy but it should be worth a chapter. Palermo was a little disappointing but Siracusa/Ortygia were worth the time. Good lodgings and great food.
Tony Ambrose in Louisville, KY USA 04/03/2011
We used the ebook version of the book. It was great for reading in advance, but was less useful navigating locations. I am not sure if it is the software or the book, but it needs a search feature and a better bookmark, so you can quickly reread about a site as you are walking to it. Maybe a Rick Steves App would be better than a Rick Steves ebook.
Chris Kemp in St. Paul, MN USA 03/18/2011
Include Sicily and maybe a side not on taking a ferry to Tunisia from Sicily.
Robert in Miami, Fl USA 03/12/2011
BOLOGNA! Just for the food alone.
Ray in Saint Helens, OR USA 03/10/2011
Expand to more places !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alan in Woodstock, NY USA 02/03/2011
No improvement needed! We never leave the US without one! Thanks for your great and accurate details and advice. You never let us down!
Michelle in Alden, NY USA 01/14/2011
Keep to facts as much as possible. Based on various comments through out the book, we had very high expectations of the Italian folks (i.e. friendly, helpful). We travelled throughout Italy for four weeks, following most of the towns recommended in the book. However, we were quickly disappointed. Overall, we found them very rude and dishonest. Client service is practically non existent but they always try to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists. I would not recommend Italy to friends or family.
Marisol Grossling in Vancouver, BC Canada 01/04/2011
warn people that "traditional dishes" includes donkey and horse meat in italy (osteria al Duca/verona)
candace crawford in new orleans, la USA 01/04/2011