Rick Steves' Italy 2007

by Rick Steves

Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best way to see Rome, Venice, Florence, the hill towns of central Italy, the Dolomites, and the Amalfi Coast? With Rick Steves' Italy 2007, travelers can experience the best of everything Italy has to offer — economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves' Italy 2007 includes opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights; friendly places to eat and sleep; suggested day plans; walking tours and trip itineraries; clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot; and Rick's newest "back door" discoveries. America's number one authority on travel to Europe, Rick's time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Italy, Guidebook, History, Adult

764 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Rick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.

Reviews

[Negin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, as with all the Rick Steves books, is helpful as ever. The only parts where I tend to differ with him are his hotel and B&B suggestions. Having had a negative experience in one place that he highly recommended several years ago, I have learned to cross-check any suggestions with some online sites.

It’s always fun to be traveling somewhere and to spot another person with one of his books!

[Snooty1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to lie...I only read the parts that were associated with the places I am going. In the future the plan is to have read the entire book, meaning of course that I have visited the entire country.
I read this as a textbook, trying to take in all the knowledge and memorize it, but it's actually a pretty easy read and fun to learn more about a culture/history/architecture of a place. I'm definitely going to bring this on the trip. (Obviously will hide it in my room, so that no one thinks I'm a tourist). ;)

[Helga Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the definitive guide to traveling in Italy. It has helped me to get my bearings and plans in place to travel to Lake Como near the mountains, Florence, Cinque Terre (Italian Riviera), Venice and ending in Milan. I will be referring to this book many times.

[Freddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many travel forum contributors don't care for Rick's opinionated approach. Having watched his great shows through the years, however, I appreciate the author's voice. Indeed, reading through one of his suggested itineraries feels like having a friend on the journey. Other guides leave me cold, offering general information that one can easily find online. Rick shares wonderful tips, offers historical backgrounds, and helps one avoid tourist traps. In preparing, I often use his text in conjunction with a DK book and Blue Guide. His is the only one I take on the trip though.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve only read the intro, Venice, Rome, Florence, and “Practicalities”, But they’re really good, helpful, and practical.

[Nikki]

Y’all I’ve read this thing multiple times so I’m gonna get my good reads credit. Rick got me on the right path. Literally.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, as far as travel guides go, I consider Rick Steves to be my personal god/guru. Since 2004, I have not taken an international trip without one of his books in my hand all throughout the planning stages and the actual trip. He may not always cover every little thing (and if you're OCD about travel like me, then you'll probably have several guides, and cross-referencing will give you any other little things you might miss), but he manages to cover just about everything the average (and perhaps above-average) traveler would want to see. Because he likes to get into the heart of a place and not just hit the tourist traps, he often has great suggestions for charming things that other guides would never have listed.

In 2004, I was a student abroad and I used his Italy guide to plan a long trip for myself and friends (the group ranged from two of us to eight). Now that it's 2010, I'm planning another Italy trip, this time for myself and my significant other, and even though I've already been to Italy AND used this guide book, I feel like Rick Steves is offering plenty of other things to do, things to see, and places to stay. There's no way that I'll ever plan an international trip without a Rick Steves guide (so long as a guide for that location exists) and I feel confident that he'll never lead my astray with his suggestions. They're always spot-on and helpful -- you feel like you have a travel-wise friend helping you through the planning process and guiding you through beautiful locations.

If you're a traveler who needs fancy hotels and posh settings, Rick Steves might not be the travel guru for you as far as accommodations are concerned, but if you appreciate comfortable hotels (or B&Bs) that give you a sense of the local culture (where you get a good deal for your money, but certainly aren't paying through the nose), then you'll be quite pleased. No matter what, a Rick Steves guide always makes me feel prepared for my travel experience so I'm not worrying about details once I'm actually there and I can just enjoy myself.

[Abhinav Arora · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is probably the best book out there if you need to visit Italy. Unlike other guide books, which are primarily factual, Rick's books seem like a collection anecdotes which he has collected in so many years. His advices and recommendations are spot on. I tried many books before my trip to Italy this summer. But none of them come close to this.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough investigation and detailed advice makes this guide a please to read.
One tip for improvement: please enlargen the details on the maps! It is so small, I need to use a magnifying glass ( which is oftentimes inconvenient at the moment).
I appreciate Steve’s candor and humor - both were very helpful when traveling through new surroundings for the first time.

[Steve Culhane · Rating 5 out of 5]

We just returned from a 10 day tour of Italy which would have been a disaster without this book and our GPS. Is well written with photos and humor and ALL the information you need to enjoy your trip. I highly recommend this!

[Cathi Tague · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Italy Bible to plan our Italy trip! We're taking it with us when we go.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and goddaughter were obviously tired of Rick Steves after just a few days in Italy. He was the invisible 5th person to our travel group. But indispensable!

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all of the new editions of each of Rick Steves' travel guides and have since 2007. I love how he includes everything you need or want to know about the transportation options in each country/city, places to eat, sights to see, and in such detail.

This is the 2014 guide to Italy and I love Italy so naturally I devoured it. His details are good and his suggestions are often useful. The only thing I don't trust him on in any of the guidebooks is his "where to sleep sections". Rick and I are coming from VERY different places when it comes to where to stay.

Here are our differences. This will help you decide whether to use Rick's recommendations or to ask me for a recommendation before traveling to Italy. I only choose places that are located in good neighborhoods near the places I want to visit but only in safe areas, have elevators, have air-conditioning, have breakfast available or very close by, have comfortable beds, qualify as a hotel or inn, would be at least comparable as a Hilton Hotel or a Marriott at home in the USA, have full bathrooms in the room, have amenities, and have a staff (including usually a concierge). Rick (who has advocated sleeping on park benches and airport floors) talks about places being "interesting," "charming", "full of color", etc but recommends places where you have to lug your luggage to from the airport or train station,in neighborhoods he admits are seedy with weirdos, thieves, drug dealers and hookers on the prowl, climb up dozens of narrow and uneven stairs to even get to, have rude staff, force you to haul your luggage up a bunch of flights of stairs since they have no elevator or one so tiny both you and your luggage can't fit on it, have tiny faded rooms (often with tacky decor), leave you sweltering since they have no air conditioning even if it is 98 degrees outside, have no tv, concierge, nor room service, serve no breakfast, have paper towel like bath towels, don't clean rooms daily, have paper-thin walls, and the bathroom is down the hall or downstairs and shared with a bunch of others. He also recommends a lot of hostels where you can sleep with 6-40 unwashed and noisy people you don't know and bring your own sleeping bed or sheets.
Personally, I won't stay in any such place. You might be different and love it.

The museum descriptions in this book alone are worth the price of the book.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unimaginably useful! Its like having everything you need to know about travelling in Italy practically in your pocket. From maps and directions to restaurant and hotel reviews, this book has everything you could possibly want. Rick Steves also goes through all the historical and cultural points of interest in every major city with detailed information about their historical value and visiting instructions. The book also contains many handy shortcuts such as instructions for self-guided walks and practical information about public transit and how to tip. My favourite part about the book was definitely the guides on restaurants and eateries in every big city, he covers everything from fancy dine-in restaurants to authentic, greasy pizzerias. The only thing that this book was missing was a section on Sicily, which for me was notably absent as I'm planning to travel there, but still a good read!

[I ♥ Bookie Nookie (bookienookiereviews.blogspot.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book contains all the major attractions and "must do" activities in the featured cities. If you want a more detailed idea of what to do in each city, you should check to see if he had a book for the cities you plan to visit. The "Venice" book was fantastic for instance.

There were also lots of great traveler tips and money saving suggestions. For instance, one thing I never thought about is that lots of restaurants already have a service charge included that covers the tip - typically indicated on the menu, but had I not know to look for that, I would have been over tipping tremendously. Also lots of place to avoid - many of these places were recommended to us by our American friends.

This was an invaluable resource for us in our travels.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Rick Steves's books, this one focuses on very particular regions and sites, and is not expansive. If you are looking for a complete guide to Italy, you will have to supplement this book. Mr. Steves focuses on a more local experience, rather than the "high points" one, though he does not neglect the truly crucial sites to visit. I generally find his hotel recommendations to be a bit precious, and since they are generally quite small and often require direct contact with the proprietors to reserve, a bit less than convenient. This is why I generally supplement Steves with Fodor's, and extensive online research. But, I am a book lover, so read Rick Steves, and tear out the relevant pages to carry with me when I travel.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, Mr Steves organized my trip to Italy. I bought this book on Kindle, Rick Steves Rome in paper and downloaded his free app on my IPhone and wandered around listening to his walking tours and interviews in Florence, Rome and Pompeii. I learned routes, history and booked tours and tickets using his advice or as a jumping off point. If I could hug him I would. If you are planning a trip to Italy and doing it yourself- you need this book. By the way, using both paper and digital, and I am 90% preferring digital books now, I found it faster to find what I was looking for in print. Of course, weeks of tagging and highlighting helped too.

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't like everything about Rick Steves approach--his books are more opinionated and I don't always agree with what he prefers. But he is most helpful with practical details--getting around long lines, etc.--and also appreciate his city walks for the cities you don't have a lot of time in.

I understand he can't include everything in a book like this, but find it odd he completely fails to mention Arezzo or Anghiari.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn’t much for me to say about Rick Steves Italy other than I’ve used his guidebooks for all my Europe trips since 2005 and they’re, hands-down, my favorites. We’ve stayed in unique places, ate delicious food, and seen wonderful sights following the advice in his guidebooks. They’re honest and downright funny at times and haven’t let me down yet. I just wish he’d do guidebooks for the entire world!

[Lenny Husen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best guide book you will find on Italy. A bit cumbersome, but packed with useful information. Could have used a little humour, but you can't have everything. Rick Steve really delivers.
Loaded with maps, tips, ideas for itineraries, where to stay, and much more. Don't leave Rome without it.

[Letty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource! As usual, Rick Steves provides excellent advise and tips to make your trip planning less cumbersome. I recommend buying the full book for planning and then buying either a smaller RS city guide or kindle version for when you are on your trip so that you do not have to lug around a giant book while touring.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the way Rick Steve's writes his travel books; however, I found his pocket guides to be better for specific cities. This was a great companion to the pocket guides because it was updated for this year and told me what kinds of changes to anticipate. It left out some regions I visited, and for the price, I would have liked a better map of Italy as a whole.

[Julie (JR) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know where to start planning our first trip to Italy before hearing about Rick Steves and getting this book. It was immensely helpful and I rearranged my travel plans based on his advice. I tore up the book (as he suggests) into sections and then didn't leave without the section for each city we visited. This is a must read for any first time European traveler!

[Lindsay Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so I can't rate it a 5 because it wasn't a thrilling read for someone who is not currently planning a trip to Italy, but that is my fault for choosing to read travel guides cover-to-cover for fun/education/inspiration. If I book a trip to Italy, I will get this book, but he just makes it sound so crowded there...

[Jack Hrkach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good guide about specific sites, though he ignores a lot of places I'd like to read more on - which is why I use his guide along with Rough Guide - between them I have a much easier time as a solo traveler than I would without.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book in preparation for my trip to Italy. I must admit, I only read the Rome, Naples and Florence parts though! 😂 The rating may change to a five star review if all his suggestions are as great as they sound!

[Lisa]

Rick is always reliable with his hotel recommendations and as a bonus, he's fun to read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide. Can't wait to use Rick's guidance on the ground in Italy.

I so enjoy his insights, humor and guidance.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and fun to read!

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

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