Rick Steves' Rome 2009

Recently spent a week in Rome with the family. My 12th trip, the family's first. We took Rick's book and DK Eyewitness Travel Rome. Rick's book is a great book. Lots of detail and a clear picture of some out of the way places in Rome. Rick has a good eye and his research is second to none. His descriptions of places and events are as good, or better, than a tour guide. That is the good, and bad, news.
If you are interested in what Rick is interested in, you'll do great. If not, you may miss out on a lot of sights and attractions. Some of his favorite places are virtually next to other attractions of which his book makes no mention.
Rick's tours and focus have a definite "Christian" slant. While early Christianity and the Catholic Church play a huge role in Rome and its' place in history, I felt his self guided tours and places to visit steered the reader more to this part of Rome than necessary.
On the other hand, the DK Eyewitness Traveler Rome packs a tremendous...Read more

I'm a little confused with previous reviews of Rick Steves' Rome book. Are we reading the same book? Poor content? Really? I'm planning my first trip to Rome and, if anything, this book has been an indispensable planning tool for our big trip. I have been "traveling" with Rick for many years now. I update my "Europe Through the Back Door" books whenever I plan a trip to Europe, and my 3 versions of these books are all dog-eared, full of highlighted sections and are well worn. Rick's books have been my best friends during past trips to the UK, France and Germany, so his book on Rome was the first book I bought when we began just even considering a trip to the Eternal City. And one of the best things about Rick's country/city books is that he updates them every year, so you know that you have the most up-to-date information available on print. His website is also a fantastic travel resource.

Rick Steves' Rome is subdivided into several categories: Introduction (planning...Read more

I am really glad I purchased this for our recent family trip to Rome. We did use it ALOT! It doesn't have everything in Rome to see but it has all the Majors!! Was especially helpful when we didn't really know the background story on some of the peices in the National History Museum. This book is really good if you don't plan on taking tours in Rome with is almost impossible with how many tours out there that they offer you. Maps are especially helpful for the areas where your bigger map doesn't go into as much detail.