You know that section of any decent travel guidebook that tells you general stuff about visiting a place? The part that most people skip over to get to the write-ups on attractions, restaurant recommendations, and lists of hotels? It’s this general – and often-ignored – stuff that can make or break a vacation.
No, that part of the book isn’t going to help you decide how much time you should devote to Vatican City or choose whether between day-trips to Siena or Lucca, but that part of the book will give you an incredibly important foundation for traveling in the country. It’ll give you valuable lessons about basics like what the local customs are about tipping, how to use the trains, what’s acceptable attire for religious sites, etc. In other words, it’s all the basic instructions for a place that’ll help you fit in from the point when your plane lands.
So it’s only fitting that a book which contains only these basics calls them exactly what they are – Italy: Instructions for Use.
When I found the book Italy: Instructions for Use on the shelf at my favorite local bookstore a couple years ago, I was immediately struck by its genius. It’s a tiny thing, so it’s perfectly easy to bring along on any trip to Italy so you can refer to it along the way. And unlike the section of your big guidebook that’s devoted to these basics, this book’s sole purpose is to lay the appropriate foundation for a successful and enjoyable trip to Italy.
Full Disclosure & Whatnot: Just so y’know, the author sent me a copy of this book to give away for this contest, but I bought my own copy of this book years ago with my own hard-earned money.
