Reddit mentions: The best italian travel guides

I'm sure that plenty of people will disagree with me, but I REALLY don't like textbooks for self-study. It's always seemed to me that the authors of textbooks half-ass explaining things since they assume you'll have a teacher who can explain it to you. (Also they tend to be really expensive!)

For getting your feet underneath you, I honestly love phrasebooks (Rick Steves; Lonely Planet) and picture dictionaries.

At the start, I used (still use!) the "Practice Makes Perfect" series. They're not expensive at all, though they might as well be printed on newspaper - these are NOT long term reference works... there are a ton of these in the series that I haven't listed below, but these are good:

• Practice Makes Perfect Basic Italian
  
• Practice Makes Perfect Italian Vocabulary
  
• Practice Makes Perfect Italian Pronouns And Prepositions
  
• Practice Makes Perfect Italian Sentence Builder
  
• Practice Makes Perfect Italian Conversation
  
  These are more expensive but absolutely worth the price:
  
  
• Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide (and the corresponding workbook maybe)
  
• Soluzioni: A Practical Grammar of Contemporary Italian
  
• A Reference Grammar of Modern Italian
  
• Using Italian: A Guide to Contemporary Usage
  
• Using Italian Vocabulary
  
• Using Italian Synonyms
  
  Edit: Forgot this one but it's worthwhile also - Italian Fluency: Twin-Words and Essential Vocabulary.
  
  Avoid at all costs ... "Italian for Dummies"; "501 Italian Verbs" :)

Not sure if /u/DelonteWestLuvXpress was referring to this but it's as good an opportunity to plug this book as any. Read 'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro' by Joe McGinniss Amazon link.

It's the story of the tiny Italian club Castel di Sangro (population: five thousand) who suddenly found themselves in Serie B back in 1996. American writer McGinniss lives in the village during the season and follows the club very closely in their fight against relegation, developing relationships with all the players, the manager, the owner and everyone in the village - all of which are in some way a bit crazy.

It's a really amazing book, I would recommend it to anyone interested in football and/or Italy. If you're interested in reading it don't read CdS's wikipedia by the way, because it'll spoiler some of the book (I personally really liked reading it without knowing if they were staying up or not).

The similarities to Luzenac are probably that both teams are from tiny mountain villages and suddenly win promotion to a level they usually wouldn't reach. Castel di Sangro played some of their home matches in a different stadium too, because their stadium wasn't fit for Serie B.

Since it looks like you're interested in some general overviews, I'm going to recommend books that give just that. If you're looking for books that go more in depth on Roman topics, I'm more than happy to supply some.

For a brief introduction to Italian history in general, I would recommend Valerio Lintner's
[A Travelers History of Italy]
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/1566565219/R1B2MURVDQWPAT/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=2&qid=1407607391&sort=rd&sr=8-1). This offers a great overview of Italian history for someone with little exposure to the topic. It will show you plenty of topics you might want to investigate further.

As general overviews of Roman history (survey-level books that provide a contexualized narrative of Roman history), I'm going to recommend two books. [The Romans: From Village to Empire: A History of Rome from Earliest Times to the End of the Western Empire] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0199730571/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407608174&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40), by Mary Boatwright and others, and [Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0521711495/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407608616&sr=8-1), by Christopher Mackay.
Boatwright's book provides an excellent in-depth overview of the general trends of Roman history, from the origins of the city of Rome itself until Late Antiquity. Though focusing on the political development of the Roman state, there are decent introductions to social and cultural history of the Empire. As the title implies, Mackay's work presents a survey-level overview of the political and military history of Rome, with emphasis placed on the Republic and Principate.

The best introduction to the history and workings of the Roman military is [The Complete Roman Army] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0500288992/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407609072&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40) by Adrian Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy is one of the leading Roman military scholars, and provides an incredibly readable yet detailed overview of the Roman army. Seriously, if you read only one book on the Roman military (but please don't!) read this.

While much more academic than the other books I've recommended, Arthur Eckstein's [Mediterranean Anarchy, Interstate War, and the Rise of Rome] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0520259920/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1407610158&sr=8-1) is the preeminent text on the rise of Rome. Using ideas from the modern Realist school of international relations, Eckstein argues that Rome became preeminent in the Mediterranean not because they were "tougher" than other states, but rather because they more effectively understood and exploited the power dynamics of the Mediterranean world. This is probably not the easiest book for someone just being introduced to Roman history, but if you can get through it it'll be worth it.

Since you mention Venice, I have a book in mind that might be useful, but I'm blanking on the title. I'll get back to you if I can find it ( I'm on mobile right now). I hope you find these titles useful, and if you need any other recommendations please let me know!

I agree with you that Florence is the greatest city on earth. But I disagree with renting cars in Italy. From florence you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't rent a car, and cruise around Tuscany, and check out Orvieto. The countryside around there is absolutely gorgeous, rolling fields of grapes, and agriturismos everywhere.

Plus if you enjoy driving on twisting gorgeous, mountain passes Italy has it in spades. I have road tripped all around the country, from the Riviera, through Parma, on to Florence, and Tuscany, Down to Rome, and to the Amalfi coast. Trust me most of the gorgeous things I saw were inaccessible via public transportation.


If you are ever interested in some amazing driving pick up this book.


http://www.amazon.com/Back-Roads-Italy-Eyewitness-Travel/dp/0756695929

Well if you are staying at a hotel I would ask them to make the reservation. If not learn to say "do you speak english" as best you can in italian and call them yourself.

Also in Florence go to this market, buy a nice hunk of 24 or 30 month Parmigiano-Reggiano and carry it on your trip to nosh on afternoons in the hotel. Bonus add some prosciutto di parma. I like good yet affordable wine, anyone can buy a expensive bottle and be relatively certain it will be nice but finding good and cheap is special. In Italy they sell wines from the local wineries that aren't large enough for mass distribution from the cask bottled at the shop called Vino Sfuso, try this one.

In rome, good pizza at La Gatta Mangiona. Great dinner Riscoli Also check out Katie Parla, she does this for a living.

One last thing, buy this book, it's old but has never let me down and it cover all of Italy.

its a good time to go, not too many lineups for the touristy stuff. I enjoyed the parthenon, walking around the forum, coliseum (watch the scumbag gladiators, they will offer to take your picture then try to extort you for significant amounts of euros) and the vatican of course. Nothing too off the beaten path really. The cappucin monk crypt was kinda funky/spooky. Fontana di trevi, and about a billion churches. Just fun to sit and people watch, and enjoy the cuisine. Never take anything from anyone - nothing is free. Also tell your girlfriend not to take anything when offered, flowers for instance.

This book is awesome to make the best of a short trip:
http://www.amazon.com/Top-Rome-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides/dp/0756669472/ref=pd_sim_b_5

Have fun and be safe!
edit: oh one more thing, its really chilly in winter, gets super damp so dress more warmly than the temperature would suggest.

Living outside the US? No problem.

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Copied from U/whatisthesun:

"For anybody living outside of the States:

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Download the Rick Steves app and the free walking tours. You can use them offline for tons of places. They're excellent guides.

If you are interested in hiking, the Sunflower walking guide (Landscapes of Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast (Landscape Countryside Guides) (Sunflower Countryside Guides) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1856910679/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7VE3BbYPA83CB is a must have. You can pick walks based on time and difficulty. I highly recommend starting the Footpath of the Gods in Bomerano (short bus ride from Amalfi) and hiking to Positano. Then take the ferry back to Amalfi.

If you're going to Rome, I liked the Beehive hostel in Rome. Just a couple of blocks from Termini Station and has private rooms and very nice dorms.

> When you are ready to have a conversation based on the facts, please let me know.

Something that's really far better addressed to you. Here's something that will help you settle into the true homeland of the Ashkenazim, molto bene!

National Geographic has a travel guide for Rome. Rick Steves' Rome 2012 lacks photos but includes very specific travel tips. Rome (City Guide) would be my favorite for its inspiring photographs.

I've heard that the Italians aren't good at English so you better know more of the language than you would need elsewhere. I plan to learn enough Italian to read it a little. Italian, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Italian with Pimsleur Language Programs is good enough for getting the pronunciation right.

Awesome! I will be using this in the future I’m sure. If you want to expand on it, I recommend Secret Venice: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Venice-Thomas-Jonglez/dp/2361951010/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504247341&sr=8-3&keywords=secret+venice+travel+guide

There’s all sorts of crazy stuff IRL Venice that can be used.

OK, I did pretty much what you are describing. The big difference is that I am married to an italiana. I recently returned to the US after eight years in Milano. I also worked for an American company while there via the net.

What you are describing will be very difficult. Without a work or family visa, you will have to go through a bureaucratic nightmare, proving financial stability, etc. Have LOTS of money on hand.

Having a visa will let you acquire a "Permesso di soggiorno" ( a permission to stay), a resident's card , and a "codice fiscale" - a type of social security number. Without these documents, you will not be able to rent an apartment, turn on the electricity, gas, phone, internet or start a bank account.

Another downside is that working for a US company, you will be paid in dollars. You can do as I did, and have them deposited in a US bank. But then to withdraw money, you need to go to an bancomat (ATM) and you will get charged up the ass on exchange rate, and service charges.

On the bright side, here is a book that might help or just search Amazon for working in Italy. If you live near a major city, there might be an Italian consulate you can go to for info. If not, they are on line with a lot of information.

I know this is discouraging, but I have seen many others like you who have only seen Italy as a tourist, but don't understand the day to day problems. I hope you can make this work - it's a great place to live.

If you are working for a US company, you only need to worry about US taxes. If you work for an Italian company, it gets complicated.

•Duolingo
•Rosetta Stone (there’s free online access available through my local library website)
•The Kindle book Italian Short Stories for Beginners has been great. Only $5. It comes with an audio component. Downloading the Italian-English dictionary on kindle makes defining words really quick.

hug sent.

And keep the faith. Things will turn around.


belfortandbastion.com
&
http://www.amazon.com/Stranieri-Italys-Tourists-Immigrants-ebook/dp/B008SS74BY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348542288&sr=8-1&keywords=Tristan+Gans

Rick Steves' Italy is the best investment you can make.

https://www.amazon.com/Rome-Caesars-Bonechi-Travel-Guides/dp/8872042208


I'm pretty sure that's it. Maybe a reissue of the one I have. Mines from the late 70s or early 80s with a slightly different cover. Theres lots of photos of that particular model as well as photos of ruins and other models. It's about 75% -80% colour prints and 25% text

I second this. I used the Rick Steves book to plan my trip and it was wonderful.

I took a sip of something poison, but I'll hold on tight

Need this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1742208088/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3AI2NYW6RQXDZ&coliid=I1ZM4AUUTT2188



used is fine and thank you for the contest!

this is on my wishlist :)

where I am from is rather complicated, I've been in ex-USSR until I was 16, then moved to a western EU country for two years then to middle-east for 6 years then back here almost 7 years ago.

I would combine Duolingo, which is a fairly fun way to get a decent grasp on basic grammar and vocabulary, with a phrasebook geared specifically toward the type of conversations a tourist would likely have.

Edit: If you're already conversational in Spanish, which is a very similar language, you might surprise yourself with how much you'll learn in 20 minutes a day for two months. Of course you won't be fluent, but I don't think you'll have any problem reaching your goal.