Italy, 5th [Paperback]

"The Cadogan series of guide books is superb--comprehensive, intelligent, practical, and well-written."
--Washington Times

"An inspiring companion."
--Washington Post

"The intimacy of the authors with their subject shines through."
--The Bookseller (United Kingdom)

With so much to see, do, experience, and eat in Italy, the only way to get the best from a visit is with a copy of Cadogan's authoritative guide in hand. Written by experts and full of fascinating stories and anecdotes, the best places to stay and eat and the wondrous churches, cathedrals, piazzas, galleries, olive groves, and rolling hills of this magnificent country.

For every cliché, every leaning tower, every Tuscan farmhouse hideaway and every Venetian gondolier, Italy has countless other delights, natural and artistic. This is a country full to the brim with art, music, charming towns, lakes, mountains and beaches. Not even the most jaded traveler will be able to resist the allure of the precipitous Cinque Terre villages, the palms and lemon groves of Lake Garda, Ravenna's glittering Byzantine mosaics, the breathtaking Amalfi Coast or a night at the opera at La Scala. Along with these magnificent sights and experiences, you can also enjoy some of the best tastes and smells in the world, from simple home-cooked pasta to gastronomic epiphanies in some of the finest restaurants you could ever hope to visit. Cadogan's revised and updated Italy is a highly regarded guide and companion for those seeking the secrets of la dolce vita.
Inside you will find: in-depth practical travel advice; over 1,000 places to stay; over 1,250 restaurants, bars and cafes; color touring atlas and over 80 black-and-white maps; stunning photography; expert advice on food and drink, with regional specialties and Italian menu reader.

Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls are passionate about Europe and have written over 30 books for Cadogan, including 20 in the Italy series. They have lived in Italy and Ireland, but are currently settled in an idyllic farmhouse surrounded by vineyards in the Lot Valley, France.

'Draped on its hills, Siena reveals itself as a flamboyant ensemble of medieval buildings in honest brown (siena-coloured) brick; on the lower slopes, gardens and olive groves fill almost half the space within the old city wall, and above it all Tuscany's tallest tower and its gayest, most dazzling cathedral compete like beauties at the fair. Medieval Siena created beauty almost effortlessly, and its fierce civic pride tolerated nothing less than the building of a city that in itself is a single great work of art.'