Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guides)- a clear and concise travel guide
My family and I visited Italy for two weeks, and this travel guide was priceless. I borrowed it from a friend (his 1998 version) and had to purchase a more recent version from Amazon as soon as I got back.
DK Publishing has reasonables prices, and the delivery time is fast. Very fast. The book arrived in brand new condition, and I noticed that our hotel in Rome 'The Lancelot' is now listed in the directory of places to stay in Rome. There is so much information in this travel guide. Each tourist sight description is short and sweet and to the point. No pages and pages of details that might otherwise put you to sleep, as other tour books can do. And the pictures are just as wonderful. Looking at them again now that we've been back, is even more fun. They do a great job, and this seller is very good. I'll buy from them again. Ciao!

Everything you need in one book
A friend of mine recommended this book to me for our upcoming honeymoon to Italy. This book has been so helpful in planning every aspect of our honeymoon, from where to stay, to eat and to see. The street by street maps are going to be very useful when we get to Italy.

Excellent For Armchair Traveling
The Eyewitenss Travel Guides are great if you want to learn more about another country and its culture.
I read the one on Great Britain and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one on "Italy," seems to be just as good.
I have not used the Eyewitness Guides to plan a trip so I'm not sure how helpful they are for that.
The book is filled with maps, colorful photos and fascinating tidbits (historical and contemporary) of information.
Makes a good gift for those who love Italy and want to learn more about it.

Tons of Pictures and Detail
This is a great guide for finding out what you 'need' to see in Italy, and what would be 'nice' to see. Reason being, this guide leaves little to discovery and includes a picture of just about every major attraction in Italy. It is arranged nicely and includes the major regions. It isn't big on detail or writing, but that isn't why you purchase an 'eyewitness' guide! Reccomended as your first guide to consult if contemplating an Italy trip. If you need more detail, start looking at the guides specific to the regions that interest you (Frommer's, Lonely Planet etc.)

Okay but there are better
I have ordered the Eyewitness Travel books for the past 4 years for trips to Ireland, New Zealand, Russia and Greece and have been really satisfied with the illustrations and information presented. However, I've not been as impressed with this volume on Italy. A friend that is traveling with me purchased the Rick Steves' Italy 2008 book and it has much better information and walking guides. Also, that book is lighter! Although it doesn't have all of the glossy pictures of the Eyewitness Travel Italy book, the hints that are provided in Steves' book are much more useful to take with you when you plan to travel across Italy.