After listening to a podcast with Fred Plotkin and Rick, I ordered his book...."Italy for the Gourmet Traveler".
It is wonderful and full of great non touristy restaurants, ideas etc. but seriously it must weigh 5 pounds. Too heavy and bulky to pack or carry around. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
Make copies of selected pages? Better yet, take pictures of them with your phone or tablet.
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3602 posts
I might need to get this book for my future trip to Italy! I love food! Please report back with your restaurant reviews!
Posted by
Edinburgh
2688 posts
fwell they soon will be "Touristy " restaurants.
I would make a note of all the places you want to visit, check them out on their facebook or website pages and print of info from there, you can make additional notes from the book on these print outs.
can I also make a suggestion for those that follow the suggestions in these books,just take some time out , head on your own path and try a place that has not been recommended in a book, review or travel forum you just might be surprised.
Certainly in my experience of travelling in Italy many times over my life I really can't remember getting a bad meal in the country and found some delightful places by just walking off the beaten path a little and going by gut instinct.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32398 posts
The shipping weight of that book is 3.1 lbs. Unfortunately it only seems to be available in paperback format, with no Kindle edition.
If you're using wheeled luggage, it shouldn't be too much of a burden to pack around. Another solution would be to scan the pages you're interested in, and prepare a PDF document from that which you could load on a tablet or whatever.
Posted by
Mpls, MN
1005 posts
I have this book and it weighs a ton! I second the idea of taking pictures of the pages with your phone.
Buon Viaggio!
Posted by
5268 posts
Good suggestions already--unless you are lucky to be spending years traveling throughout entire country, you will likely only need the specific pages for where you are visiting.
PS David Downie Terroir guides are also fantastic!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
You can also (manually, one-by-one) save the most likely-sounding destinations as a starred location on your Google Maps or other planning tool.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11838 posts
Tear out the pages for the cities you are going to then scan them into PDFs you can read on an iPad or your phone.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Do you realize that book is eight years old?
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11838 posts
Michael it has been updated. I think in 2014.
Posted by
seattle
2147 posts
We have found the most useful section to be the food translation. I copied this section before my first trip after buying his book. Typically, I check each place we plan to travel to and then do a Google search to see if the places Fred recommended are still in business and/or get other good reviews. I find his historic cafes and descriptions of his favorite cities to be my favorite. We only have his original book and have started tearing it apart and now traveling only with the regions we’re going to.
Posted by
Reno, Nevada
1025 posts
As an additional (and very light) guide to Italian food, I have enjoyed using the following:
Posted by
OP
2 posts
I have enjoyed reading all the replies....thanks for the good ideas. And yes, the book was updated in 2014. I am old school so will probably follow Becky/Seattle advice and tear out the sections we will be visiting. So much more great info in this book than just restaurant recommendations.
This is the first time I have joined a Blog.....very informative and helpful.