If you had to buy a guidebook for Italy, which one would you choose - Frommers, Fodors, or Rick Steves?

I know you can get most of the information online, but personally I just like browsing through pages and having a concrete book in my hand. I primarily like mainstream must-see places, with a low-to-mid budget for restaurants (foodie-ish or classics) and hotels (good locations, with some character). Thanks!

I've always preferred the Eyewitness series.

Here's a link to Amazon's listing

I'll use Frommers and Fodors online info to check reviews of hotels.

I avoid Rick Steves on principal.

I would suggest Fodor's or Frommers', skip RickSteve's.
I also like Tripadvisor.com and Virtuatourist.con for restaurant reviews.

Fodors and ignore the rest, Michelin red for food

Lol, any particular reason why? I've always wondered what people think of him and his guidebooks and who his target market is.

I'm with sk3. The Eyewitness guide to Italy is terrific. I supplement that before going with reviews from tripadvisor and other sites for restaurants.

link above is to the Eyewitness just for Rome. Here is the full Italy book:

http://www.amazon.com/Italy-EYEWITNE..._bxgy_b_text_c

I read all of them, and inevitably find something useful in each one. I get most of my information online when planning a trip though. It is amazing how stale, inaccurate and herd like most of the books are. I consider Fodors and Frommers to be the worst; look at one of the books in a particular series from 10 years ago and you will likely have them recommending the same places to eat today...b.s.

I like the Rick Steves books for some of the tips and tricks that he puts in that the other books leave out. I think ignoring him on principal is fine for some, but if your library carries his (or any) books give them a read.

If you can find one or two good tips from each book and access the books at a local library, I'd say you're doing great.

Another option is to use the free podcasts in iTunes to do some planning. I use these extensively to kind of re-enforce what I think I know or to fill in the gaps. They are easy to listen to and there are a ton on Italy.

Ciao.

I love the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness guides, too. They are skimpy for eating and sleeping. For eating, I generally wander around until I find something that looks good. For sleeping, I research on line or wander around until I find something that looks good.

michelin green guides for sites.
Access guides for cities. best collection of hotels and restaurants in a guide. also have good maps.

go to the library and take out fodors and frommers and eye witness. then make copies of the pages of the places your are going. really smalls the pile down. in the past, i took them all. also went to two countries. the books outweighed the rest of the luggage.

for hotels, use venere.com for initial search.

What region or city or area of Italy are you visiting? Regional guides can be more in-depth and have more restaurant and hotel reviews than ones for the whole of Italy.

I can suggest several for Sicily and the Veneto, where I live and have lived. For the other areas I basically defer to other experts. But If I need a guide I use the Italian Touring Club of Italy. http://www.touringclub.it/ They are the best in my book (no pun intended).
I use the Italian versions normally but they also have them translated into English. Blue guides are nice also.


FWIW the Rick Steves Guidebook is the best selling for Italy, though I have never used them or read myself.

Ciao,
FH