I got back from Italy a week ago. I cannot express how much the 2014 Rick Steves Italy guide helped with this trip. I carried the book with me everywhere!! There was so much information in it that I am still finding things I wish I had read before my trip!
The maps within each city were invaluable as well as the ones in the front of the book. The hints on where to stay and where to eat were right on the money.
We stayed in Ancient Rome near the Colosseum at the Hotel Lancelot. Loved the hotel, the service, the food, everything! I took so many pictures of just the hotel! It was ideally located within walking distance of the metro and the sights. Rick's info on the metro lines and busses was excellent. We visited the Vatican, St Peters Basilica and square (by the way - don't miss the tour of the dome - fantastic!), the Pantheon and then the Colosseum, the Roman forum and Palatine Hill. Unfortunately the Trevi Fountain was under construction, but there was so much more to see, we didn't miss it. We ran out of time for the Borghese Gallery, but I'll save that for another trip.
We stayed in Monterosso in Cinque Terre based on the recommendations given in the tour book. Thanks so much for the information!!! I would love to go back and stay longer than the three days we had. We followed the tour of the town given in the book and enjoyed the town so much more because of it. The beach was just as described and so were the trails between the towns. We were exhausted by the end of our hike between Monterosso, Vernazza and Corniglia. I was relieved that the trail between Corniglia and Manorola was closed. We loved Albergo Marina as our hotel. I would go back in a heartbeat!! The restaurants were just as described as were the shops.
Our last stop was Milan for one night to fly out the last day. Milan is a big city, the Duomo was amazing as was the shopping! Only one update for the Rick Steves staff - the restaurant described in the tour book - Ristorante Rita is no longer in business. We stopped there for dinner after shopping, and not only was it not open, but the name was not the same. We were disappointed but ended up at one of the many street side places and we got to watch the shoppers as we ate. Perfect!
Again, the guide and information on the website was invaluable for our trip. I will definitely use your many guides for any future travel plans. Thank you!!