Rick Steves' Florence & Tuscany 2014

Rick's guidebooks point me to the most important museums and churches and the most important works of art they contain. Other guidebooks do that as well. Where Rick's books excel is in providing perspective and analysis that explains WHY the selected works are so important. Without this help, the museums and churches are so full of art good and bad that a visit makes the eyes glaze over. On this trip, I also had the Michelin Green Guide and a Top Ten, and Rick was the best.Once again, Rick's recommendations led me to lodging (Il Villini) that was perfect for my taste and budget. His recommendations tend to be smaller hotels and inns, so try to book far in advance.In addition to being the best sources I've found for sights and lodging, Rick's guides regularly provide almost all the information I need on transit, hours, etc. For food, I try to find a local app (this time "Eat Florence").

There's a reason why Rick Steves' is known for his Europe books--they are the best! I relied heavily on his Italy books for my recent trip (I have the Florence/Tuscany, Rome and Venice books). Not only do you get a comprehensive layout of the city and the sites but he gives you all of the inside tips on how to avoid the lines and even when and where to take a break. My traveling companion had the Lonely Planet Italy book and her's was definitely not as detailed. For example, we were traveling by bus from Siena back to Rome and we couldn't figure out where to buy the bus tickets. Rick Steves' clearly outlines exactly where the office is (it was underground) step by step which got me my ticket quickly and painlessly. I firmly recommend this book if you are traveling to Italy!

We used previous editions on two trips to Florence. We followed its advice on places to eat and the very nice place we stayed at. We have not been disappointed. The maps are excellent. Guides to the museums, Uffizi, Academia, Bargello, etc. are accurate and helpful, likewise walking tours. General info on traveling in and around Florence, getting cash, making calls, tipping, weather, etc. are also useful. It has what you need. I have looked at other guides for Florence and they are just not as good. I hope to return to Florence this fall. I will take the guidebook with me.There were a couple of places that have really great Renaissance frescos that were not mentioned. These are Chiesa di Santa Trinita and Chiesa di San Salvatore a Ognisanti. Now you know.

Yeh, I know, Rick isn't a European art history scholar, and his tours of the Uffizi and other Florentine sites seemed a little hokey,...but hokey in a fun way. I guess if you are looking for a scholarly book on what you are seeing, you need to find another book. On the other hand, I'm not a scholar, and I really did appreciate Rick's no non-sense effort to get you through large museums in a reasonable amount of time while also conveying the essential features of the most important paintings in a very easy to understand way. Honestly, most of the paintings in the famous Uffizi, despite being done by masters, were very dark with age and more difficult to appreciate now, then when they were originally done. Additionally, as Rick mentioned a few times in his audio guides, he did consult with museum curators, so what you are getting from Rick guide seems to be what Rick got from the curators...only Rick translated the message into every day, common traveller talk, which I appreciated.Additionally, and I still am having a hard tme figuring out why Rick gives this away for free, make sure to download the Rick Steve's app for smartphones, and listen to the 5 or so audioguide tours that Rick Steves makes available online for free. I thought they were really good and very much the same as what I got from the tours I took on the same topics. The audio guides were extremely well designed and the content right on the money.Admittedly when I first got his Florence book, I was overwhelmed by the 600 pages, but very soon it became clear that about 1/2 of that is very easy to do step by step tours of different sites, including several museums. I really appreciated all these tours, which were not included in the Lonely Planet guide book that I also had, that I eventually relegated to a minor supporting roll.The maps in Rick Steves were also very easy to read. There is also about 200 good pages of info on nearby sites, like Siena and Pisa.

Aside from having good, reliable information on virtually every aspect of visiting Florence and many parts of Tuscany, mostly focused on the outlying cities, this book radiates a love of travel and learning about places. As a result, this book reads as though there were a personable, knowledgeable, funny, and enthusiastic guide right at your shoulder.As always, in a book that prioritizes what to see in a limited amount of time, there are some things that I disagreed with (for example, I found the San Lorenzo crypts fascinating), but that's pure opinion and personal interest.I was very happy with this and with Badecker's Florence, which has far more images and has several relatively minor sights that this book doesn't. They complement each other very well.

In addition to this book on Florence I also bought Rome and Venice. Although some of the information in each of the books are repetitive about the basics of traveling in Italy, I am glad I bought all three. The travel guides contain many details about each city itself. Other than the obvious where to eat and stay, these books provide so much more information about how to be a safe and happy traveler throughout Italy. I have read through all three and plan to take them with my on our family trip to Italy this Summer. Rick Steves' travel guides are a must have. I highly recommend them.