“There is certainly no Place in the World where one may travel with greater Pleasure or Advantage than in Italy”
Joseph Addison (1705)

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Blue Guides unrivalled coverage of Italy is extensive and superb:

Blue Guide Venice

The 10th edition of this accessible, detailed guide to the unique city of Venice is an essential handbook for any traveller who wants to fully understand the existence and future challenges of this extraordinary place, as well as its history, art, architecture, cuisine and culture. Completely updated, this new edition is in full colour, with photographs, superb plans and illustrations, detailed and accurate maps of the labyrinthine streets and canals. There is also a section of practical tips, ideas on food and wine and how to navigate the transport system. The depth of information and quality of research make this book the best guide for the independent cultural traveller as well as for all students of art history, architecture and Italian culture. Ideal as an on-site guide as well as a desk resource.

Blue Guide Rome

Fully updated twelfth edition of this classic and indispensable Blue Guide to Rome and the Vatican City: its history, monuments, art, architecture and way of life. Rome may be the Eternal City but it is constantly evolving, with exciting archaeological discoveries being made, monuments restored and opened to the public and museums rearranged. The latest developments are all covered in this new edition, which also visits the ruins of Ostia, the port of ancient Rome, and Tivoli, with its famous gardens, fountains and classical ruins.

Blue Guide Lombardy, Milan & the Italian Lakes

Blue Guides, now in their centenary year, have been published continuously since 1918 and are the most comprehensive travel guides concentrating on history, architecture and art. This guide to Lombardy, with full coverage of the major city of Milan, also takes in Lakes Maggiore, Como and Garda as well as the historically and artistically rich towns of Cremona, Bergamo, Mantua, Brescia and Pavia. The depth of information and quality of research make this book the best guide for the independent cultural traveller. With high-quality maps from Blue Guides’ award-winning cartography series, numerous plans and photos, and full coverage of places to stay and eat.

Blue Guide Florence

The eleventh edition of this accessible, scholarly guide to the city of the Renaissance. An essential handbook for any traveller who wants fully to understand the aesthetic impact of Florence on world history. Completely updated, this edition contains superb plans and illustrations of painting, architecture and sculpture, and includes fully updated coverage of the most recent developments at the Uffizi and other significant sites. There is also detailed coverage of where to stay and eat. The depth of information and quality of research make this book the best guide for the independent traveller as well as for all students of history, art, architecture and Italian culture. Ideal as an on-site guide as well as a desk resource.

Blue Guide Sicily

Fully revised and updated new edition of this popular Blue Guide, by Sicily resident and tour guide Ellen Grady. While this guide retains the Blue Guides’ traditional focus on architecture, art and archaeology, with in-depth coverage of all the sights, both the famous and those off the beaten track, the author is also an expert on the cuisine of Sicily and each chapter contains detailed and up-to-date listings of where to eat and what local specialities to sample. Fully revised accommodation sections are also included, along with information on Sicilian wine. Ideal for on-site use as well as for at-home study and to help visitors plan ahead.

Blue Guide Concise Italy

In this CONCISE GUIDE the Blue Guides’ Italy authors and editorial team provide a distillation of the BEST OF ITALY in one handy volume: what to see; what it means; who painted, sculpted or built it for whom and why; what to eat and where; where to stay; how to get around.

Blue Guide Northern Italy

Blue Guide Northern Italy covers some of the most stunning scenery and the most famous towns in the world – including, for example, Venice, Verona, Milan and Bologna – focusing on the artists who lived there and the patrons who gave them commissions.

The book is currently out of print, we are working on the new edition.  Given the scope of the task this is an enormous undertaking.  As a stop-gap we have arranged a print-on-demand reprint of the old edition.  And as work progresses on the new edition we are releasing the new chapters as soon as they are ready as ebooks.

Blue Guide Central Italy

Central Italy completes Blue Guides’ geographical coverage of the regions of Italy, with Northern Italy (2005), Sicily (2006) and Southern Italy (2007) all having been recently released. It is the first Blue Guide to cover both Rome and Florence in one book, as well as the attractive countryside and towns rich in art history in between the two.

Blue Guide Southern Italy

The author, supported by the classicists and art historians on the Blue Guides editorial board, has updated this new edition with a wealth of detail. Now with useful Blue Guide Recomended advice on hotels and restaurants.

Blue Guide The Marche & San Marino

New edition of this comprehensive, readable, reliable and affectionate guide. The only full-length English-language guide to focus on this area of eastern Italy. Most of the world’s straw hats and plenty of its shoes come from this fascinating Italian region. With stunning sandy beaches, superb food and wine, national parks, and world-class art (Raphael was born in Urbino, the most famous city), this is a must-have guide for all independent travellers. Each chapter comes with a detailed listing of restaurants and coffee bars and there are plenty of suggestions of places to stay as well as detailed maps and plans to help you discover somewhere new.

Blue Guide Tuscany

Tuscany, with Florence its capital and a host of gorgeous medieval cities set in a rolling countryside of fields, vineyards and olive groves, is the cradle of the Renaissance and for many visitors the cultural heart of Italy. This in-depth cultural guide amply covers Florence (itself the subject of a whole Blue Guide) but also gives extensive coverage to the other major Tuscan cities – Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Cortona, Arezzo – not covered in such detail elsewhere in a Blue Guide.

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