A good Guide book
For me a good, current guide book is a necessity for all but the most simple of traveling. What book is best for you is a matter of personal preference. Spend an hour at the bookstore thumbing through the offering before making a decision. Another option is to hit the Library before a trip; any decent library will have current versions of guide books. If you only need the book for the trip, you can save the $ and just borrow it for the duration.For Italy as a whole, I like the "Rough Guide" for thorough complete coverage (Let's Go, Lonely Planet, Frommers, & Fodors, are all excellent as well). If you're spending a lot of time in Venice and the Veneto DK's Eyewitness Travel Guide "Venice and the Veneto" is valuable. DK books have lots of pictures and for say all of Italy, the guide is a little light on info; but the Venice & the Veneto book is extremely well done. Rick Steves' always...
