Experience Italy ............ 11
What’s New ............ 12
What’s Where ............ 14
Italy Planner ............ 16
Italy Today ............ 18
Top Italy Attractions ............ 20
Top Experiences ............ 22
Quintessential Italy ............ 24
Beating the Euro ............ 26
A Great Itinerary ............ 27

Part I: Rome & Environs
What’s Where ............ 32
Rome & Environs Planner ............ 34
Top Rome Attractions ............ 36
Top Rome Experiences ............ 38
Getting Here & Around ............ 40
Rome Today ............ 42
Eating & Drinking Well in Rome ............ 44
A Great Itinerary ............ 46

Chapter 1: Rome ............ 47
Navona & Campo: Baroque ............ Rome ............ 60
Corso & Spagna: Piazza Venezia to the Spanish Steps ............ 65
Piazza della Repubblica to Quirinale ............ 69
Villa Borghese & Piazza del ............ Popolo ............ 73
The Vatican: Rome of the Popes ............ 75
The Ghetto, Tiberina Island & Trastevere ............ 90
The Catacombs & Via Appia ............ Antica ............ 94
Where to Eat ............ 96
Best Bets for Rome Dining ............ 100
Where to Stay ............ 110
Best Bets for Rome Lodging ............ 114
Nightlife & the Arts ............ 127
Shopping ............ 132

Chapter 2: Side Trips from Rome ............ 137
Ostia Antica ............ 141
Tuscia ............ 144
Tivoli & Palestrina ............ 149
The Castelli Romani ............ 153

Part II: Northern Italy
What’s Where ............ 162
Northern Italy Planner ............ 164
Northern Italy Top Attractions ............ 166
Northern Italy Top Experiences ............ 168
Northern Italy Today ............ 169
A Great Itinerary ............ 170

Chapter 3: Venice ............ 173
Piazza San Marco ............ 182
Dorsoduro ............ 196
San Polo & Santa Croce ............ 201
Castello & Cannaregio ............ 206
San Giorgio Maggiore & the Giudecca ............ 212
Islands of the Lagoon ............ 213
Where to Eat ............ 216
Best Bets for Venice Dining ............ 218
Where to Stay ............ 225
Nightlife & the Arts ............ 237
Shopping ............ 240

Chapter 4: The Venetian Arc ............ 243
Padua ............ 250
Vicenza ............ 258
Verona ............ 267
Treviso & the Hillside Towns ............ 275
Friuli—Venezia Giulia ............ 286

Chapter 5: The Dolomites: Trentino— Alto Adige ............ 297
Trentino ............ 304
Bolzano (Bozen) ............ 314
Alto Adige & Cortina ............ 318
Heart of the Dolomites ............ 327

Chapter 6: Milan, Lombardy & the Lakes ............ 333
Milan ............ 340
Pavia, Cremona & Mantua ............ 369
Lake Garda ............ 376
Lake Como ............ 385
Lake Maggiore ............ 393

Chapter 7: Piedmont & Valle d’Aosta ............ 397
Turin ............ 404
The Colline & Savoy Palaces ............ 417
The Monferrato & the Langhe ............ 422
Valle d’Aosta ............ 428

Chapter 8: The Italian Riviera ............ 439
Riviera di Levante ............ 446
Genoa ............ 467
Riviera di Ponente ............ 480

Chapter 9: Emilia-Romagna ............ 487
Emilia ............ 494
Bologna ............ 509
Ferrara ............ 520
Romagna ............ 524
Ravenna ............ 530

Part III: Central Italy
What’s Where ............ 538
Central Italy Planner ............ 540
Central Italy Top Attractions ............ 542
Central Italy Top Experiences ............ 544
Central Italy Today ............ 545
A Great Itinerary ............ 546

Chapter 10: Florence ............ 549
The Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio ............ 558
San Lorenzo to the Accademia ............ 573
Santa Maria Novella to the Arno ............ 579
Santa Croce ............ 583
The Oltrarno ............ 586
Where to Eat ............ 597
Best Bets for Florence Dining ............ 599
Where to Stay ............ 607
Nightlife & the Arts ............ 616
Shopping ............ 618
A Side Trip from Florence: Fiesole ............ 623

Chapter 11: Tuscany ............ 627
Lucca ............ 634
Pisa ............ 639
Chianti ............ 644
Hill Towns Southwest of Florence ............ 657
Siena ............ 663
Arezzo & Cortona ............ 674
Southern Tuscany ............ 679

Chapter 12: Umbria & the Marches ............ 687
Perugia ............ 694
Assisi ............ 700
Northern Umbria ............ 709
Spoleto ............ 715
Southern Umbria ............ 722
The Marches ............ 729

Part IV: Southern Italy
What’s Where ............ 736
Southern Italy Planner ............ 738
Southern Italy Top Attractions ............ 740
Southern Italy Top Experiences ............ 742
Southern Italy Today ............ 743
A Great Itinerary ............ 744

Chapter 13: Naples & Campania ............ 747
Naples ............ 754
Herculaneum, Vesuvius & Pompeii ............ 776
Ischia & Procida ............ 787
Capri ............ 791
Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast ............ 798

Chapter 14: The Mezzogiorno ............ 815
Bari & the Adriatic Coast ............ 822
Gargano Promontory ............ 827
The Trulli District ............ 830
Salento & Ports of the Heel ............ 833
Basilicata ............ 839
Calabria ............ 844

Chapter 15: Sicily ............ 851
The Ionian Coast ............ 858
Siracusa ............ 873
The Interior ............ 880
Agrigento & Western Sicily ............ 884
Palermo ............ 895
The Tyrrhenian Coast ............ 906
The Aeolian Islands ............ 908

Italian Vocabulary............912
Italy Essentials............917
Index ............ 944
About Our Writers ............ 959


ITALY IN FOCUS

Rome
Ancient Rome: Glories of the Caesars ............ 50
Agony and Ecstasy: the Sistine Ceiling ............ 80

Venice
Cruising the Grand Canal ............ 183

The Venetian Arc
Palladio Country ............ 261

Milan, Lombardy & the Lakes
The Fashionista’s Milan ............ 364

Piedmont & Valle d’Aosta
On the Trail of Barolo ............ 425

The Italian Riviera
The Cinque Terre ............ 451

Emilia-Romagna
Emilia, One Taste at a Time ............ 503

Florence
The Duomo ............ 566
Who’s Who in Renaissance Art ............ 587

Tuscany
Grape Escapes: The Pleasures of Tuscan Wine ............ 649
Siena’s Piazza del Campo & the Palio ............ 668

Umbria & the Marches
Assisi’s Basilica di San Francesco ............ 705

Naples & Campania
Pizza Naples Style ............ 766
Ancient Pompeii, Tomb of a Civilization ............ 779

Sicily
Sicily’s Valle dei Templi ............ 886


MAPS
Rome Metro & Suburban Railway ............ 49
Navona & Campo ............ 61
Corso & Spagna ............ 67
Repubblica & Quirinale ............ 70
Villa Borghese & Piazza del Popolo ............ 74
Vatican ............ 76
The Trastevere & the Ghetto ............ 92
The Catacombs & Via Appia Antica ............ 95
Where to Eat in Rome ............ 102-103
Where to Stay in Rome ............ 116-117
Lazio ............ 138-139
Ostia Antica ............ 142
Side Trips from Rome ............ 145
Venice ............ 174-175
Piazza San Marco ............ 191
Dorsoduro ............ 198
San Polo & Santa Croce ............ 202
Cannaregio ............ 206
Castello ............ 209
Islands of the Lagoon ............ 215
Where to Stay & Eat in Venice ............ 222-223
The Venetian Arc ............ 244-245
Padua ............ 253
Vicenza ............ 259
Verona ............ 269
Treviso & the Hillside Towns ............ 276
Friuli-Venezia Giulia ............ 287
The Dolomites ............ 298-299
Trentino ............ 305
Bolzano ............ 315
Alto Adige & Cortina ............ 320
Milan, Lombardy & the Lakes ............ 334-335
Milan ............ 344
Po Plain & Lake Garda ............ 370
Lake Como & Maggiore ............ 387
Piedmont & Valle d’Aosta ............ 398-399
Turin ............ 406
Piedmont ............ 419
Valle d’Aosta ............ 429
The Italian Riviera ............ 440-441
Riviera di Levante ............ 447
Genoa ............ 470-471
Riviera di Ponente ............ 481
Emilia—Romagna ............ 488-489
Emilia ............ 497
Bologna ............ 510
Romagna ............ 525
Ravenna ............ 531
Florence ............ 550-551
The Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio ............ 559
The Uffizi Floor Plan ............ 563
San Lorenzo to the Accademia ............ 574
Santa Maria Novella to the Arno ............ 580
Santa Croce ............ 584
The Oltrarno ............ 594
Where to Eat & Stay in Florence ............ 600-601
Tuscany ............ 628-629
Lucca ............ 635
Pisa ............ 641
Chianti & the Hill Towns Southwest of Florence ............ 645
Siena ............ 665
Arezzo, Cortona & Southern Tuscany ............ 676
Umbria & the Marches ............ 688-689
Perugia ............ 695
Assisi ............ 701
Northern Umbria ............ 710
Spoleto ............ 716
Southern Umbria ............ 722
The Marches ............ 729
Naples & Campania ............ 748-749
Naples ............ 758-759
Bay of Naples ............ 777
Capri ............ 795
Sorrento & Amalfi Coast ............ 799
The Mezzogiorno ............ 816-817
Puglia ............ 824
Basilicata & Calabria ............ 840
Sicily ............ 852-853
Eastern Sicily & the Aeolian Islands ............ 860
Ortygia Island, Siracusa ............ 877
Western Sicily ............ 891
Palermo ............ 896
Travel Times by Train ............ 926—927

Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Italy!

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Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

Publisher: Fodor's Travel Publications
Distributor: Random House, Inc.
Publication Date: 10-07-2008
Pages: 960
Measurements: 8in X 5.26in X 1.74in X 2.425lb