Blue Guide Sicily (Blue Guides)

We spent 2 weeks in Sicily in Oct 2007. After looking through all the major guides at a local book store, we purchased the Lonely Planet Sicily (3rd Edition) and the Blue Guide Sicily (7th Edition). Lonely Planet covers the all the major sites, cities, and towns. Its city maps, with the locations of restaurant, hotels, etc. are extremely helpful. However, it is missing some of the smaller towns and sites, and offers sparse coverage of the east coast of Sicily. The Blue Guide is far, far superior in terms of its comprehensive detail, and quality of information. Indeed the Blue Guide is one of the best guide books I have ever seen on any region: its intelligence and depth are extraordinary. On the other hand, the Blue Guide city maps, while graphically excellent, are lacking the markers for restaurant and hotels that Lonely Planet has. And there were days when we did not feel like lugging the Blue Guide's 512 pages around. So ultimately, we were glad to have both.

I envision using this book more after arriving home and revisiting places we saw during our vacation. This blue guide explains the history and political situation of all Sicily, including pointing to pictures of museums and churches we visited. I will enjoy perusing this book to remember our trip.

Superb guide to history, culture, geography, cuisine of Sicily with interesting sidebar vignettes, detailed maps and good photography. A bit heavy to travel with, however, but excellent reference to prepare for trip. This, combined with the more portable Frommer's, are a good bet.