This is the ultimate guide to Italian travel bargains and discount luxury. Travelers get the scoop on authentic multicourse meals for as little as $12, charming family-run pensioni at affordable prices, and much more. Photos.
List of Maps.What’s New in Italy.
1. The Best of Italy from $70 a Day (Reid Bramblett & Lynn A. Levine).
1 The Best Travel Experiences for Free (or Almost).
2 The Best Small Towns.
3 The Best Cathedrals.
4 The Best Museums.
5 The Best Ancient Ruins.
6 The Best Wine-Tasting Experiences.
7 The Best Hotel Deals.
8 The Best Affordable Hideaways by the Sea.
9 The Best Affordable Restaurants.
10 The Best Cafes.
2. Planning an Affordable Trip to Italy (Reid Bramblett).
1 Fifty Money-Saving Tips.
2 The Regions in Brief.
3 Visitor Information, Entry Requirements & Customs.
4 Money.
The Euro, the U.S. Dollar & the British Pound.
5 When to Go.
Italy Calendar of Events.
6 Organized Tours, Package Tours & Tour Operators.
7 Health & Insurance.
8 Tips for Travelers with Special Needs.
9 Getting There Without Going Broke.
10 Getting Around Affordably.
Travel Times Between the Major Cities.
11 Tips on Accommodations.
12 Tips on Dining.
Fast Facts: Italy.
3. Rome: The Eternal City (Lynn A. Levine).
1 Arriving.
2 Essentials.
Neighborhoods in Brief.
Fast Facts: Rome.
3 Accommodations You Can Afford.
4 Great Deals on Dining.
The Best Gelaterie & Cafes.
5 Sights to See.
Attending a Papal Audience.
6 Shopping.
7 Rome After Dark.
8 Side Trips: Ostia Antica & Tivoli.
4. Florence: Birthplace of the Renaissance (Reid Bramblett).
1 Arriving.
2 Essentials.
Neighborhoods in Brief.
Fast Facts: Florence.
3 Accommodations You Can Afford.
4 Great Deals on Dining.
Taking a Gelato Break.
A Moveable Feast.
5 Sights to See.
Cheap Thrills: What to See & Do in Florence for Free (or Almost).
6 Shopping.
7 Florence After Dark.
8 A Day Trip to Fiesole.
5. Tuscany & Umbria (Reid Bramblett).
1 Pisa & Its Tipping Tower.
A Taste of Tuscany & Umbria.
2 Lucca & Its Renaissance Walls.
3 San Gimignano & Its Medieval Towers.
4 The Chianti Road.
5 Siena & the Palio delle Contrade The Palio delle Contrade.
6 Perugia: Capital of Umbria.
7 Assisi & the Basilica di San Francesco.
Umbria’s Quake Damage.
8 Gubbio.
9 Spoleto & the Spoleto Festival.
10 Orvieto.
6. Bologna & Emilia-Romagna (Reid Bramblett).
1 Bologna: Home of Europe’s Oldest University.
Fast Facts: Bologna.
A Moveable Feast.
2 Ferrara: Where the Estes Ruled.
3 Ravenna & Its Amazing Mosaics.
4 Modena.
Living Off the Fat of the Land.
5 Parma.
7. Venice: La Serenissima (Reid Bramblett).
1 Arriving.
2 Essentials.
Neighborhoods in Brief.
Cruising the Canals.
Venetian Dialect: What Would Dante Say?
Fast Facts: Venice.
3 Accommodations You Can Afford.
4 Great Deals on Dining.
5 Sights to See.
Carnevale a Venezia.
6 Shopping.
7 Venice After Dark.
8 Exploring Venice’s Islands.
8. The Veneto & South Tyrol (Reid Bramblett).
1 Padua & Giotto’s Fabulous Frescoes.
A Taste of the Veneto.
2 Vicenza: City of Palladio.
3 Verona: Home to Juliet & Her Romeo.
Will the Fat Lady Sing?
Views & Gardens.
4 Trent.
5 Bolzano.
A Taste of South Tyrol.
6 Merano.
Taking the Cure.
Weinstuben (Wine Bars).
7 Bressanone.
Hitting the Slopes.
8 Cortina d’Ampezzo.
9. Milan, Lombardy & the Lakes (Reid Bramblett).
1 Milan: More than The Last Supper.
Fast Facts: Milan.
’Til the Fat Lady Sings Again: The Restoration of La Scala.
2 Bergamo.
3 Mantua: A Gem of Lombardy.
4 Lake Garda: Largest of the Italian Lakes.
5 Lake Como.
6 Lake Maggiore & the Borromean Islands.
10. Piemonte & the Valle d’Aosta (Reid Bramblett).
1 Turin & the Mysterious Shroud.
A Taste of Piemonte & the Valle d’Aosta.
Fast Facts: Turin.
2 The Piemonte Wine Country Horses & Donkeys.
3 Aosta & the Valle d’Aosta.
Into the Great Outdoors.
Across Mont Blanc by Cable Car.
11. Liguria & the Italian Riviera (Reid Bramblett).
1 Genoa: Sophistication & Squalor.
Fast Food Genoa Style.
2 The Riviera di Ponente: San Remo, Bordighera & More.
3 The Riviera Levante: Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino & Rapallo.
4 The Cinque Terre.
12. Southern Italy: Campania & Apulia (Lynn A. Levine).
1 Naples: See It & Die.
Fast Facts: Naples.
2 Herculaneum: A Prelude to Pompeii.
3 Pompeii & Its Amazing Ruins.
4 The Isle of Capri.
5 The Emerald Isle of Ischia.
Cruising Down the Amalfi Coast.
6 Sorrento: Hear the Sirens Call.
7 Positano: A Posh Resort.
8 Amalfi: A Modest Seaside Village.
9 Ravello: A Retreat for Celebrities.
10 Paestum & Its Greek Temples.
11 The Gargano Peninsula & Tremiti Islands.
12 Bari.
13 Alberobello & the Land of the Trulli.
Ferries to Greece.
14 Ostuni.
15 Lecce: The Florence of the Baroque.
13. Sicily (Lynn A. Levine).
1 Passing Through Messina.
2 Cefalù.
3 Palermo: Sicily’s Capital.
Fast Facts: Palermo.
4 Erice.
5 Selinunte & Its Temple Ruins.
6 Agrigento & the Valley of the Temples.
7 Siracusa.
8 Mount Etna: The Forge of Vulcan.
Index.