10 essential books for travelers to Italy

It seems that new travel guides to Italy are being published every five minutes or so. But for those who want to keep it simple, here are the handful of absolute must-read books – three classic novels included – that no tourist to Italy should ever be without.

1. Lonely Planet Italy: Country Travel Guide

Lonely Planet guides have the perfect balance of high- and low-brow tourist advice, giving you options at all price ranges. At over 900 pages, the Italy edition has a wide breadth of information on tourist attractions, restaurants, and hotels, both on and off the beaten path. If you're only going to buy one guide book, this one is a safe bet.

1 of 10
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us