I have had the opportunity to review a good number of travel guides over the years but this is the first time I will be reviewing Lonely Planet’s Discover Italy travel guide.
For those not familiar with Lonely Planet, for the last few years it was owned by BBC Worldwide until it was sold to NC2 Media in 2013. The Lonely Planet Italy guide is over 300 pages of information of areas throughout Italy including a city map of Rome.
The first 33-pages deal with planning your trip to Italy such as Italy’s Top 12 (locations to visit), a five-day itinerary and planning your trip including info. for family travel.
The the guide goes into traveling to Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Assisi, Venice, Milan, Italian Lakes, Naples, Pompeli, Amalfi Coast, Sicily and more.
This latest guide features writings a few writers of what they love about Italy and the Italy of today. The final chapters feature information about Italy and its heritage, its history, art & architecture, regional cuisine, lifestyle, fashion, design and more.
Also, a directory information section on the slumber tax, the climate in Rome, Palermo, Venice for the year and other information from currency, info. for LGBT travelers, travelers with disabilities, electricity (and the type of outlets used) and more.
JUDGMENT CALL:
What I look for in a travel guide with up-to-date information, maps and as much detail for the region as possible. Some tend to skimp on smaller regions but this Lonely Planet guide really does a good job of giving coverage for locations throughout Italy. While I do enjoy the Fodor’s travel guides for its use of color throughout, while photography of a region is nice to have, for travel guides, it all comes down to detailed information and I will can easily say that “Lonely Planet Italy” is well-researched, informative and a travel guide worth using and help in planning and preparing for your trip to the country.
I do want to mention that the city map included is only for Rome, Lonely Planet offers more books of Italy such as “Make My Day Rome”, a guide to Sicily, Pocket Venice and more. I do not have these books, so I can’t discuss if maps for various regions are included but for “Lonely Planet Discovery Italy”, only a city map of Rome is included. Fortunately, with each city chapter, there are smaller maps location maps included for certain areas in various cities.
Overall, “Lonely Planet Discovery Italy” is full of information, is well-researched and updated to include the latest information for traveling to the country for 2016. And I highly recommend checking this guide book out if you are planning to make the trip to Italy.
