italy map help

Hi judy. not sure if you mean now, or when you get there. if now, try Barnes & Noble or similar store. Enjoy your trip!

If it is when you arrive - most hotels hand out very detailed maps of the city.

We have found that just using the free city maps is great. Right now we are in Florence at the end of our 2 week trio. Picked up a free city map from the hotel and we've managed to get everywhere with it. A few years ago we took a train from Florence to Venice just for the day. When we arrived, we found a free city map and used it to find the sights we wanted. I wouldn't worry about buying a map before you leave, just find a tourist info booth, or stop in any hotel and ask for a map!

I really like Streetwise Venice Map. Think I got it through Amazon. It is a multi-folded laminate map of Venice island and other nearby islands as well as a vaporetto map.

We always use the free, advertising maps from the hotel or TI. Paper is cheap and lasts a couple of days. We like these maps because they are easy to mark up and cut up for the day's activities. And sometimes we save them to record our activities for that day or week. No point in bring an expensive map from the US. Something else to carry and lose. Also the maps available on the web are great for specific locations.

I like Rough Guide maps. They show every street (or Calle) and are made of that paper that doesn't rip.

Another vote for Streetwise maps (you can buy it at the RS travel store). It's laminated, so if you're looking at it on a vaporetto and get splashed (unlikely), your map will be okay.

bring a good compass too - seriously. Without it, it's often hard to know which direction is which, even with the map.