DK Eyewitness Italy: 2020 (Travel Guide) Paperback – September 17, 2019

Some folks have been disappointed in the new look of the DK Eyewitness books - and I do miss the glossy paper that made for more vibrant colors - but I find the layout, “must see” suggestions, easy to read maps, recommendations for hotels and restaurants just as good as ever. Love this 2020 Italy guide...and it still includes plenty of those 3-D cut-aways of cathedrals and historic buildings that I absolutely love.

Updated from my old version, I buy this for the photo overview of different locations, very helpful.

This was a gift and the recipient loved it! We always get the DK travel books because they are easy to navigate and are very informative!

I have purchased other DK travel guides which were all the 2018 version. I thought they were excellent. So I ordered the 2020 version of Italy. The format/contents of the 2020 was changed, not drastically, but enough that I prefer the 2018 version. I returned the 2020 version and found a used 2018 copy to buy. The 2020 version is still a very good guide.

These are the best travel books! Full of history and recommendations!

I haven't picked up travel books in awhile, but I remember when I first started traveling internationally the thrill of buying a book and carefully mapping out my journey; planning and anticipation were at least 50% of the fun. Then came TripAdvisor, forums, and online travel guides, and books fell by the wayside. However, the sheer volume of information online (much of it questionable) has now come full circle, and my husband and I found ourselves becoming paralyzed by the paradox of choice....too many options, too much FOMO, and really (again) questionable information online. Our last major trip, where we spent 5 days in Reykjavik on advice of many, many online sites, just bummed us out (really, for us, there is so much more we should've seen in Iceland aside from the hours spent on buses to get to the sites, and it's a pretty small area in which to spend thousands of dollars and 5 days). We have a trip planned to Croatia this summer, and wanted to do one to Italy in the fall, and we decided hey, let's check out a good old-fashioned travel guide (the one we used in Prague made our trip sooo much better, but we made the mistake of waiting until we got there to buy it). Since Italy is so large, and there is so much to see outside of Rome, we thought we would order this book. I'm so glad we did!This book is full of information for all of the major areas of Italy (including, but not limited to, Rome, which we've already visited). The way it is organized is perfect for planning a trip. The authors outline the "Must Sees" (but they limit them to truly the handful of places you must go, like the Colosseum in Rome), as well as providing an extensive list of additional sites that you might want to visit (but you can use your preferences to guide the choices you make here to focus on things you really like). I am more a fan of architecture than art, for example, so I would focus on structures more than museums, while my husband is drawn to memorials. The descriptions make it easy to narrow down your preferences, and most include information such as open/close dates/times, addresses, websites, and even bus or train route numbers for getting there. I love the suggestions for dining, and one of my favorite features of the book is the guide (see pic) that offers suggestions at a variety of price points (ie my husband and I love to splurge on 5 star hotels, but we're happy eating cheap street food, so we can plan a trip that accommodates our budget).Did I give up online resources altogether? No. However, I have found this invaluable for planning the trip, and I enjoy having my questions answered without snide commentary from online trolls (I jotted down a list, and the book gave me about 85% of the info I was looking for). We were able to narrow it down to Florence (a big hurdle with Italy because there's just so much to see), and we have a tentative schedule in the works. This book will be going with us (or at least photos of the relevant pages will be in my phone... it's pretty big🙂). I highly recommend it, and I'll be looking for their Croatia book next because it will still be helpful for that trip.5 stars.

CAUTION: This book is good for reading but be warned: you’ll want to go once you start reading this book!This book gives great inspiration for planning a trip — or even multiple trips — to one of my favorite places — Italy! Whether it’s your first trip or you’re a repeat visitor, you’ll find interesting places to visit, and cool things to do. Every page has great photos or detailed maps that help visualize the places and sights that make Italy so worth visiting. The book is 560 pages and has a pull-out map. The paper is reasonably thin, but at about 1 lb 7 oz (655mg) it’s a fairly hefty add if you’re packing light. But I think the value this book brings outweighs the extra physical weight. The book lists very few hotels, but that’s okay since we generally make reservations before going. The paper is not glossy, but the pictures and maps are bright and clear and really help orient you. The paperback cover is sturdy and while the book doesn’t lie flat it opens easily.The book is organized into major sections:- Discover. This provides overviews of the country including day-by-day itineraries, month-by-month events, and very very brief introductions to the history and architecture of a country with so much of both.- Experience. Three main sections of the book are broken up into a total of 20 subsections:* Northern Italy* Venice (44 pages)* The Veneto and Friuli (26 pages)* Trentino-Alto Adige (14 pages)* Milan (20 pages)* Lombardy and the Lakes (18 pages)* Valle d’Aosta and Piedmont (20 pages)* Liguria (14 pages)* Central Italy* Rome (98 pages* Lazio (12 pages)* Florence (34 pages)* Tuscany (34 pages)* Umbria (14 pages)* Le Marche (10 pages)* Emilia-Romagna (16 pages)* Southern Italy* Naples (14 pages)* Campania (14 pages)* Abruzzo, Molise, and Puglia (14 pages)* Basilicata and Calabria (10 pages)* Sicily (26 pages)* Sardinia (12 pages)Many sections have detailed map plans, photos, and diagrams that help you get around, and most sections include an “Experience More” section that highlights lesser-known areas.- Need to Know. Practical information about getting around and a few Italian phrases.** I received this product in exchange for this review, but my reviews are always based on my own personal experiences.**