Favorite book to go WITH Rick's books?

The Michelin Green Guides are the gold standard. DK if you like pictures.

Lonely Planet Tuscany & Umbria (if you are traveling in that region). I didn't buy a Lonely Planet Rome book but used my LP Italy book along with RS guides when I planned my trip to Italy last May. Ciao & happy travels!

I like to use Frommer's in addition to Rick's books. they tend to be more general than Rick, but at least I also feel they make some recommendations instead of just listing places. I also like their walking tours as well. I think a lot of it depends on your travel style. My wife likes pictures so the Eyewitness books and National Geographic books work well for her, but personally I find them light on recommendations and actual information. But I think they're very good for inspiring you to go to places.

I really like the Eyewitness Books. They're a nice visual supplement to Rick's approach which tends to be text heavy. The problem with the EW books is that they are very heavy. What I've done is take along a color photocopy of the pages that I care about.

If we are talking an alternative to RS than I'd probably recommend Rough Guide or Frommers for their information. If you want to complement RS than I really love DK's Eyewitness books. Yes, they are heavy but I do love their pictures as they really help you to identify some of the sights you're looking at, e.g. when you are walking around St Peter's basilika and are looking at a piece of art and wondering what it is: DK will have the picture + explanations. I also find their neighbourhood maps much easier to use than those in RS books.

It depends on your travel style - particularly what your budget is. I find LP compliments Rick by having cheaper hotel recommendations and more adventurous food. They're also more comprehensive. Rick's books stay close to his well-trod path.

Same as Ed, the Michelin Green Guide series. They're smaller, built for carrying in your day bag, less than 5" wide, and lighter than a DK or Eyewitness; the DK's are heavy to haul with you during the day. They also have the Michelin star rating system for sights and their restaurant recommendations tend to be related to their well known restaurant and hotel ratings. More maps of smaller areas and more diagrams of the most famous buildings/structures.

I agree with taking the Eyewitness guides. After traveling to many places and trying different guidebooks (in addition to RS, not instead of)I like these second to RS. The color pictures do add to sightseeing and help with information. I always end up referring to the maps inside as well!

I really like my Time Out Paris guide and still leaf through it even though I have been there quite a few times now, , and imagine the Rome one must be equally good. Love some of the off beat suggestions and ideas for sights.. I also like the DKEyewitness Guide.

We've used the Cadogan guides for almost every European country and they've been a great complement to RS/other books. They are written with wit and first hand knowledge of the country plus they delve into history - both ancient and contemporary - and really bring your travels into focus.

We always back up Rick with a LP, and lately have noticed that Frommers is doing an excellent job covering some areas in great detail; i.e. Tuscany and Umbria, etc.

I would suggest the National Geographic Traveler: Rome. It is written by an American, Sari gilbert, who has lived in Trastevere for over 20 years, making her living as a journalist. We rented an apartment from her in Trastevere. She knows the city on a personal level missing from most books. Look at the book before you go. You can find it in most libraries. Nice pictures, well organized, very readable. Includes suggested walks through several neighborhoods, practical suggestions and tips as well as "just enough" history and background material. A new edition came out this year, so it is very current.

If I am doing a wider ranging trip (all of Italy or several countries) I take a Lonely Planet or Lets Go guide. For a narrow focus like Rome though, you won't need the hotel recommendations, restaurants are better done making a list before you go based on multiple guides and the internet, meaning the best supplemental guide will cover sites not mentioned in RS Rome that you are interested in or add info to the sites covered in RS Rome. For that, Eyewitness can offer good graphics (the hotel and restaurant listings are mostly worthless) or you might look for something specific to the site, like a book specifically about the vatican or Ancient Rome.

I'll second Connie's recommend on the NG Traveler Rome Book. Its what we used. Gilbert gives you the perspective of Rome being a 'layered' city. The writing is packed with history and the maps and the diagrams are the best we found. The front cover folds out to a perfectly scaled map of the city, including, the all important, 'just past' the walls. The back cover folds out to a diagram of Rome's transit system.

I'll third the National Geographic books. Haven't used them in Europe but in the spring vacationed in South Florida and The Keys and the best book I could find, out of about twenty I browsed, was a National Geographic Traveler book. Good graphics, concisely conveying that (example from above) Rome is a layered city.

I'm also a big fan of the Eyewitness Guides.

If you are heavily into the Art & Architecture, the Blue Guide is essential (it is also good as a foil, a sort of anti-RS book - there is no practical advice per se, just deeper info on the art, etc). It is like carrying your own very informed tour guide with you. Alta MacAdam is the author - she also does the Florence book, which is amazing. You can copy and paste the following to find the Blue Guide on Amazon: http://amzn.to/bYjNhH