Best Italy Travel Books

30 of The Best Travel Books For Italy

Are you planning a trip to Italy? Looking for the best travel books for Italy?

Perfect!  If you have read any of my Italy posts you will know I am a huge fan of Rick Steve’s books. It is the best guidebook for Italy out there. However, I am not going to be biased in this post.  There are so many other great Italy travel books we are going to explore.

One reason why I highly recommend getting an Italy travel guidebook is that it will help you know what the highlights of each area are and specific tips and tricks to help you navigate the area.  I also love that there are food recommendations.

In this post, I am going to list the best Italy travel books for the most popular places to visit in Italy.  I will also give a recommendation for the overall best Italy travel guide if you are visiting lots of locations.  

These travel books for Italy will make your vacation so much better, I promise! 

Let’s explore your options for the best travel books for Italy and get you planning for your trip!

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Best Travel Books for Italy (The Entire Country)

Best Italy Travel Books

If you are planning on visiting more than one city in Italy, I recommend getting an Italy guidebook that will cover the entire country. 

On our last trip to Italy, we went to the following cities:

  • Venice
  • Florence
  • Siena
  • Pisa
  • Lucca
  • Gaeta
  • Capri
  • Amalfi Coast and Pompeii

Rick Steves – Travel Books for Italy

We wanted a book that would guide us throughout our trip.  We decided to go with Rick Steve’s Italy book and thought it was amazing. 

One thing I liked about this book is that there are insider tips to help you skip long lines.  There are also amazing food recommendations. 

We tried to pick out food on our own and it was terrible.  When we opened our book and took Rick Steve’s advice we were blown away with his recommendations.  Overall, this is the best travel book for Italy. 

Fodor’s Travel Guide

The Fodor’s Guide is full of pictures and maps.  If you are a visual person this book may be a better option. 

However, this guide is not as in-depth as Rick Steve’s book.  It does highlight some sights, restaurants, and hotels but it is more of an overview of each area.

If you want a very visual Italy travel book this is for you. 

Best Italy Travel Books for Venice

Travel Books for Italy

If you are planning on visiting a specific city and then journeying somewhere else in Europe an individual travel book for Italy that specializes in a certain area is a better option for you. 

Venice Italy Travel Guidebooks

Venice is an amazing place!  From the singing Gondoliers to the narrow alleyways, Venice is an amazing adventure.  What I love about guidebooks is that a detailed explanation is given so that you know exactly what to expect.  

If exploring the top sites in Venice is a priority make sure to do your homework and plan ahead.  I recommend reading your travel book for Italy before you actually go on vacation. You will also want to consider a day trip to Burano and Murano.

Below are the best Italian travel books for Venice. These Venice Italy guidebooks are great options! 

Best Italy Travel Books for Milan

Best Travel books for Italy - Milian

Milan, the capital of fashion, is located very close to the lake country.  Lake Como is one of the most popular spots to visit.  An Italy travel guide for Milian is very helpful because you will most likely venture out of the city for day trips from Milian. 

Plan Ahead with Italian Travel Books

Milan has many beautiful buildings and sites to see but did you know that you need to get tickets to the “Last Supper” months in advance?  

These Italy guidebooks help you navigate and plan ahead for some of the top attractions in the city. If Milan is your destination these Italy travel books will be your go-to!

Best Italy Travel Books for Cinque Terre

Best travel books for Italy - cinque terre

There are five towns included in the area known as Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a rugged coastline on the Italian Riviera and consists of five beautiful hillside towns: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

An Italy travel guide for this region is helpful to plan out where you want to spend most of your time as you explore the area. 

Best Italy Travel Guide to Plan Cinque Terre

As you plan your trip to this area of Italy, knowing exactly what each town is known for and how long you should plan to spend at each stop is essential.  These Italy guidebooks will help you plan your adventure with ease.

Best Italy Travel Books for Florence

Travel Books for Italy

Florence and Tuscany offer a variety of art, food and wine, and history.  If you are looking for broad experience, getting a general Italy guidebook for “Things to do in Florence” is a good option.  

These travel books for Italy will help you navigate Florence with ease! 

Florence Italy Guidebook

If you have studied art, Florence provides the opportunity for a deeper experience, and you may want a Florence, Italy guidebook on specific art that you will find in the area.  

For more general questions about where to stay and what to eat, a traditional Italy tour book is a great idea.  

Best Italy Travel Books for Rome

Travel books for Italy - Rome

Rome is probably the most visited city in Italy.  There is history, religion, and architecture.   Getting the best Italy travel book is very helpful in Rome! It is absolutely a huge city! The maps alone in these Italian travel books are super beneficial! 

Best Travel Books for Italy with Audio Tours

One advantage to the Rick Steve books is that audio tours come with them.  You can put in your headset and listen to tours that are included with your book purchase.  

This is very helpful in Rome as there are ruins such as the Colosseum and Roman Forum.  Having a guide is essential in knowing what exactly you are seeing. 

My vote for the best guidebook for Italy in Rome is Rick Steves because of the audio tours. 

These are the best guidebooks for Rome! 

Best Italy Travel Books for Naples, Amalfi Coast, and Southern Italy

Travel books for Italy - Amalfi Coast - Naples

I am not an author of a Italian guidebook but one thing I know is that you do not want to drive along the Amalfi Coast unless you are a “living on the edge” type of person or have a death wish! J/K  The Amalfi Italy guidebooks will help you know what transportation is best and how to book it! 

Know Before You Go

This area of Italy is one of the most beautiful parts.  You will not be disappointed.  Reading up on this area you will find that there are ruins such as Pompeii and Herculaneum.  As well as beaches in Positano.  Knowing where to go and how to get there is extremely helpful in this area because the roads tend to be a little more dangerous.

There are also many day trips from Naples that are amazing. Capri and Ischia are some of the best! There are many travel books for Italy for this part of the country. 

Warning

There are parts of Naples that are dangerous as well.  I don’t think your Italy guidebooks are going to tell you that. Be careful and aware of your surroundings! 

Best Italy Travel Books for Sicily

Sicily travel books for Italy

If you are planning on visiting Sicily, I would recommend getting a book specifically for this area.  Sicily is a little different than other areas of Italy. 

Italian Guidebook

As I read my Italy guidebook, it says that petty crime is more prevalent.  If I hadn’t read that I would have never known.  I highly recommend a Sicily Italy travel guidebook so you can stay safe and enjoy the beautiful areas of this part of Italy. 

Italian Language Phrase Books

Travel books for Italy - Language books

Are you nervous about not speaking the language?  Getting a phrasebook can be very helpful.  Even if it is only to read certain street signs or say a friendly hello.

Italian Travel Books

If you have time before your trip, I recommend going to the library and getting some audio-Italian language lessons.  

Phrasebooks come in handy when you need to catch an Uber or order food.

Best Italy Travel Books for Transportation

Italy guide for Transportaion

There are a few ways to get around Italy.  We decided to do a combination of train travel as well as renting a car and completing a road trip.  This allowed us to see more of Italy than train travel alone. 

Cruise 

A Mediterranean cruise would allow for lots of coastal stops but also allow you to see the major cities such as Venice and Rome.

Italy Road Trip

We drove from Northern Italy down to Southern Italy but did not want to take the time to drive back so we flew from Naples to Venice.  This was a great way for us to be able to see and do more with our time in Italy!  

Planning out your transportation is a great idea! Here are a few Italy travel book recommendations for transportation.  

Are you Ready to Get a Italy Travel Book for Your Trip?

Travel Books for italy - Venice

If you are a planner like me you will love reading and doing all the research. These are the best Italy travel books on the market.  I know you will love exploring all the pages!

Make an Itinerary 

Make an itinerary for what cities interest you most.  This is your next step.  If you want a little help I have a free complete Italy guide with itineraries for nine cities, hotel recommendations, food recommendations, and some helpful travel tips. As helpful as my guide is I still recommend getting an additional guidebook! 

Plan Your Trip

Plan Plan Plan!  Now that you have some solid recommendations go purchase one of the best Italy travel books and start reading!  This will help you narrow down what interests you most.  You will not be disappointed with Italy! Have so much fun!

Is Planning Overwhelming?

If this is all overwhelming, I recently partnered with a Tour Guide Company called TravelStride that will plan your entire trip for you! If that sounds nice you can look through all of the tours they offer.

If you do not want your entire trip planned for you but would still like to do tours in each area Viator has some amazing options! 

Travel Italy

If you have one week in Italy it is possible to visit lots of cities.  We started in Venice one of the most romantic Italian cities. A Romantic Venice getaway was perfect.  Then headed to FlorencePisa and Lucca, and SienaAfter visiting Tuscany we headed to Gaeta, Naples, Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and Pompeii.

If you are looking for another reason to visit Italy or some great Safety Travel Tips for Italy,  be sure to check out my other posts.

Facebook Community

If you have any questions be sure to join my Facebook Travel Community   This great community can help answer any questions you may have about your upcoming trips. Plus, I try to add any great deals or promotions that companies send me!

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74 Comments

  1. Such great info! I’d love to go to Italy. It’s always been in the back of my mind, but I started thinking about it even more when I had an exchange student from Italy on my speech team last year. Hopefully, I’ll get there someday!

  2. I’m mostly a Rick Steves travel guide person when it comes to Europe but I also have delved into Lonely Planet on occasion. I personally just love reading about and traveling to Italy.

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  6. Our family loves the Lonely Planet books as they have some great ones for children too. I’ll be saving this post to come back to when we visit Italy someday. Thanks for the recommendations!

  7. I enjoy Rick Steve’s books too. Before our trip to Italy my grandson and I bought a book of common phrases in Italian and downloaded a language app. It was fun to learn a bit of Italian.

  8. Great list of books! Italy has been on my bucket list for a long time! I’m excited to buy a few of these! Thank you!

  9. I get so excited when it’s time to buy a travel book and start planning a trip! I usually scan a variety of books at the local bookstore, but then usually go with Rick Steves when going to Europe. We often use Lonely Planet for travel to Central and South America. They are great for identifying smaller not-to-miss places, like the best place for ice cream, best place for music, etc.

  10. This is an awesome resource! Hoping to get to Italy sometime in the next few years. I love books by Rick Steves and think he makes great recommendations!

  11. Great ideas! My son and daughter-in-law are planning to go to Italy in May. I will share this with them. I love the photos! Thanks for the great book reviews!

  12. These trip planning books seem like they’d make planning a trip to Italy a lot less overwhelming. Thanks for sharing!

  13. Thank you for the suggestions. I would love to travel to Italy, and when I do, I will surely get one of these books. Thanks for the recommendations.

  14. I have never heard of Rick Steves books… but I definitly have a small collection of Lonely Planet books for various locations! I love travel books and may have a small addiction LOL. We are hoping to go back to Italy someday, as the kids have only been to Hubby’s hometown, and need to see some of the larger cities.

  15. Thanks for this great list of resources for traveling to Italy! I’m bookmarking this post so I can refer back when I finally get to book that dream trip of mine!

  16. I am a consummate planner when we travel. Have never thought about guidebooks. I may just have to add them to my repertoire.

  17. I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the distancing reading and researching Italy – cannot wait to travel there in the future!

  18. This is such a good idea – if you can’t actually travel yet, it makes sense to read about the places you plan to go!

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  22. So many great gift ideas. My daughter is dying to get to Italy, so I need to mark some of these as Christmas and/or gifts before we plan a trip.

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