Authentic Tuscany (Authentic Italy)

Authentic Tuscany (Authentic Italy) | Great guide written by Italians!

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Authentic Tuscany ...

	Authentic Tuscany (Authentic Italy) Touring Club of Italy, 2005 - 248 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Travelers looking for the "true essence" of Italy need look no further than the Authentic Italy series from the Touring Club of Italy. This guidebook offers a uniquely Italian perspective on the region of Tuscany that only TCI, with more than 100 years of experience providing reliable information to travelers, can provide. With detailed maps, Authentic Tuscany includes everything readers need to discover the delights of Tuscany at their own pace. The subject-keyed design allows readers to quickly scan daily activities and focus in on their particular location. Illustrated throughout with graphics, maps, and photos from the extensive TCI archives, this book rates restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, villa rentals, spas, and retreats; explores food/regional specialties, with profiles on each category; suggests one-, two-, and three-day itineraries, emphasizing walking tours, special interest tours (wineries, olive oil, ceramics), and biking routes; outlines an array of shopping options, covering local artisans and handicrafts, markets (antiques, flea markets, craft fairs), outlets, and factory tours; and includes a calendar listing musical, cultural, and food festivals and events.

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Wow!

This may be the best travel guidebook I have ever seen. I've been a fan of the so-called "TCI" books for years; they are very popular among those whose hobby is exploring Italy, because of the tremendous insider's detail and information on the interesting small towns, all written from an Italian tourist's point-of-view.

But, this new format is fantastic. The book is divided into color-coded sections. The red "Heritage" section is similar to a classic Michelin Green Guide description of the major cities in Tuscany - the illustrations and maps are outstanding (less spectacular and slick perhaps than the "Eyewitness Guides" but more to my tastes).

What really sets the guide apart are the other sections however. The "itineraries" section includes detailed descriptions on some really intriguing "industrial museums" including such things as the Salvatore Ferragamo shoe museum in Florence and the Piaggio motor scooter museum in Pisa, tourist attractions that were previously unknown to me.

I would give the book 5 stars for the 40-page food section alone, if that were its only contents. Not only do they list and describe all the different cheeses and sausages of Tuscany, I particularly appreciate the fact that they indicate which towns are especially famous for what type of Pecorino (for example). Next time I'm in Grosseto, I'll know what cheese to look for.

This is incidentally, the first guide to Tuscany (or Italy) that I have seen that goes into any kind of detail on Grosseto as a tourist attraction.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading travel guides, even if you have no specific plans to visit Italy. I am really looking forward to additional TCI guides in this new "authentic" series.

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Great guide written by Italians!

This guide is written by the Italian Touring Club. That alone should tell you that they know what they're talking about. As an Italian, I love this guide, it's true to reality, essential, useful. Your search has ended! No need to wonder anymore "Do these people know what they're talking about?", because they do. You can take that from a native Tuscan! :-)

Good Tuscany Guide for General Use

TCI guides are usually superb for serious and independent travelers. Authentic Tuscany is a bit more mainstream than others in the TCI series, which is understandable given the region's popularity. There are more illustrations and photos, all of which are excellent, as well as sections devoted to food and shopping. The book does provide solid historical information, plus hotel and restaurant recommendations, that will satisfy most tourists. However, if you're driving from town to town (which is the best way to get to know Italy), you'll really miss the detailed itineraries and maps that other TCI guides contain. At the very least, you'll need to pick up a separate map, which isn't always necessary with other TCI books (e.g. the excellent Umbria guide). You may also miss the more in-depth descriptions of towns that TCI is known for. Authentic Tuscany is closer to a 5-star book when compared to other Tuscany guides; it only falls short when judged by TCI's high standards.

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Covers all the angles and chock full of leads

I bought this book with the hopes of getting some more detailed information about the Tuscany region to better plan a week's stay there. The book is nicely organized with sections devoted to food and history, and the lesser discussed areas of folklore, special events, arts & crafts, shopping and even some info. about activities for children, which is almost impossible to find in other books. This was the first book I found a detailed description of the Salvatore Ferragamo museum (amazing shoes) in Florence. There are tons of websites listed for everything, which will fuel your search into greater depth. There are several maps and expoded views of famous buildings and some nice quality photos of the towns. This is a nicely organized book. There is also info. in the front about joining the touring club of Italy (the sponsor of the book). For 25 Euros you get a one year membership and discounts at a variety of hotels, eateries, and other places which are highlighted throughout the book. Seems like a good deal. I would recommend this book, and I'm interested to see other books put out by this organization.

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Bring back the Heritage Guides

This new format is fine for browsing as part your trip planning. But it lacks the detail on art and culture that the old TCI Heritage Guides have; especially missed are the suggested walking tours. The new format does have more info on food, wine, shopping, etc than the old Heritage Guides, but it is not worth the tradeoff (at least for me.) As a result, Authentic Tuscany will stay on the shelf, while Heritage Guide to Umbria gets to come with.

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