Italy 101

Submitted by AKNickerson on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 06:07.

Some friends of mine are headed to Italy for the first time, and they asked me for a basic reading list. Their criteria: good maps, basic information, and books they can tote easily. When choosing books for a trip, I tend to choose two kinds: books with deep information to be read before leaving or to leave in the hotel, and small guidebooks to carry along.

For the guidebooks: I like pocket or purse-sized books, personally. I never buy entire country guides unless I am going out into the hinterlands. Instead, I buy city-specific guides. They tend to be smaller and have more details. As for those in-depth books, there are several good series like the Traveller's History books with general information about particular countries and cities.

My friends are going to Rome, Florence, and Venice for a total of two weeks, and they are not expert travelers. I put this list together for them, and I thought you might enjoy it as well.

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