Italy, Instructions for Use: The Practical, On-Site Assistant for the Enthusiastic (Even Experienced) Traveler | 
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| Author: Nan Mcelroy
Publisher: Illustrata Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.43
You Save: $6.52 (44%)
New (24) Used (9) from $8.43
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 52254
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 120
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 3.8 x 0.5
ISBN: 1885436300
Dewey Decimal Number: 914
EAN: 9781885436306
ASIN: 1885436300
Publication Date: May 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Ranked first in About.com Italy's Top Ten Travel Guides, the highly portable Italy: Instructions for Use is the only handbook concentrates solely on the practical aspects of Italian travel. With revisions for 2007 that include a larger typeface, it keeps all the insider info that other guides have neither the space nor expertise to provide at your fingertips...without weighing you down. Written by an American who lives in Venice, organizes traveler's time there, and is fluent in the language, Italy: Instructions for Use foregoes dense destination descriptions. A concise, in-depth, palm-sized compendium containing all the information that's impossible to memorize as you prepare, (and that would make no sense without an Italian frame of reference) it instead provides expert answers to the questions that occur as you travel, at the moment you need them. An elegant, color-illustrated guide designed for easy reference, it's packed with the most current, pertinent advice available. Updates include revised information on trains, cell phoning, and more. No matter what your destination, you'll find info on: . Eating, drinking, ordering, tipping
. Driving, including color road sign illustrations)
. Phoning (local, international and cell calls) and getting online
. the Italian train system
. Shopping, shipping, VAT refunds
. Vocabulary in context, Italian to English, and vice-versa
. Tourist information
. Keys to language pronunciation
. Extensive appendix and index Attractive as it is useful, Italy: Instructions for Use is indispensable, ideal companion to any destination guide. Read the Instructions before you go (perhaps a page or two each night), scan it again on the plane, and then keep it in your handiest pocket to consult for every what-now travel situation. And remember: when all else fails, read the Instructions!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 great little travel guide for Italy. August 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
WOW, such a tiny little book that is just crammed full of everything you really need to know, about traveling through Italy!
Love the format & the info included.
Great for any new traveler in Italy.
Very informative & concise!
Thanks for sharing.......
This Guide will Stick With You May 4, 2008
By Bill Marsano. I go to Italy every year, often twice, occasionally four times, once six. I visit cities, small towns and the countryside. And every time I run into tourists who are baffled and sometimes panicked because, contrary to their innocent assumptions, Italy is NOT exactly like home only with better food and art. The telephones are baffling and sometimes you pay for coffee before ordering (and sometimes after); tipping isn't the same as home and neither is ordering; there are two classes of travel on almost every train. You can avoid post-office lines by buying stamps at a smoke shop and had better pay attention to those blue lines painted on the pavement when you want to park your car. Italians, many are surprised to learn, often speak a different language, and for someone brought up on English it can be hard to pronounce, so you need some basic vocabulary and help with how to say the words. Nan McElroy, longtime resident, frequent visitor and all-round expert, solves these and many other problems in this tiny (fits in your back pocket, like a wallet) light (4 ounces!) guide, which can be far more helpful than ordinary guides. McElroy tells you HOW to do what you want or need to do, and does it with no fuss. As for what to see, where to eat and the like, you'll get that elsewhere, probably from one of those large overstuffed guides that weigh a pound or more--the ones you inevitably leave behind at the hotel because they're too inconvenient to lug around. This is the book you'll take with you. FYI, the same author has written "France: Instructions for Use."--Bill Marsano is an award-winning travel writer and editor.
Great Little Italy Guide Book April 9, 2008
This book has LOTs of tips and info not found in the standard guides. I highly recommend it.
 Disappointing January 2, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Pretty disappointing. The book is about 3 x 5 inches and maybe a quarter of it is taken up by vocabulary that is easily available in other guidebooks or on the web. The rest of the information is either common sense or easily available (e.g., rules for riding the train). Instaed of this, I recommend either a good guidebook (Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, or Rick Steves) and some of the betetr web sites (trip advisor, slow travel)
Best book we bought on Italy! November 8, 2007
Of the many books we purchased prior to going to Italy, this was far and away the most useful. It's short and sweet--and very entertaining--and packed with useful tips for planning your trip and getting around once you are there. The best part is it fits in a purse or pocket, so we took it everywhere. We actually wound up contacting Nan to arrange our tours and she is lovely. The most helpful tip for me was the suggestion to pick a color and pack only items in that color so you could mix and match--it elimated an entire suitcase, key when traveling by train between cities. The pronunciation and key phrases sections were excellent as well. We dog-eared many pages we used over and over again. I've purchased seven copies in the past year for other friends traveling to Italy and have urged Nan to write instructions for Paris, Spain, and other countries as well--she's really got the formula.
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