Going to Florence, Rome, or Venice? Like to eat well without breaking the bank? Buy this book. Went on my honeymoon to all three. Brought this book along, and we ate like kings, but paid like paupers. You can't go wrong with any of the restaurant,cafes, etc. suggested. Be aware, however, that the maps are hard to follow for Venice (probably because Venice is such a maze).

My wife and I have used this book in Rome on two occasions and were extremely satisfied both times. I believe there is now a revision appropriately entitled "Great Eats in Italy". Both books cover Rome, Florence, and Venice. The book is fairly accurate about the menus so you know what to expect (where to go or not to go based on your preferences). The meals are not cheap. They are reasonable. I think the author does herself a diservice but using "cheap eats" in the title of the book. Cheap is not relevant with this book. These are very good places to eat at reasonble prices. You can a vacation just sampling her recommendations. We let other people borrow this book from us when they go to Italy... I bought her other books for Paris, and Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville). She has another one for Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Keep 'em coming!!!

My friends and I recently went on spring break to Rome and Florence and we took along the cheap eats book. We had the best food of our lives on a college student's budget. Everything in the book was accurate, in our experience, and even the picky eaters among us were satisfied. We knew exactly what to expect at each place we went, which made things much easier. We actually met Sandra Gustafson at a restaurant in Florence where she was updating her entries for a new edition!

I used this book on a trip to Venice and Florence last year and it was invaluable. As the daughter of travel agents, I think I'm pretty travel savvy. But this book helped find some of the most charming hotels I've stayed in. And true to its title they were cheap. My only complaint: Gustafson has only published a handful of books. I'm planning a trip to Barcelona this spring and without her advice I feel like I'm traveling blindly.

I loved everything about this book. It gave such great detail. Knowing which rooms had great views, closets for storage, and shower curtains were awesome for me and my travel partner to know. The book even goes as far as to say which room you could possibly get fresh flowers from the hotel gardens. We stayed at several of the hotels that were recommed and fell in love with each one. We loved it, and it certainly came in handy during our travels throughtout Italy. I recommend it highly to all that are planning a trip to Italy. And we are looking forward to using the book for our trip coming up in September.

I ordered several books about Italian hotels before I happened upon this one. The author gives detailed descriptions of the hotels including her personal view. I planned my own vacation using this book as a reference. The prices have increased slightly since the book was published in 1996 and a few of the fax numbers have changed. Overall, I found it to be very useful.

Sandra Gustafson's book is absolutely essential if you are not interested in paying overpriced tourist food when you visit Rome, Florence and/or Venice. Like the title, this book covers restaurants in Florence, Rome and Venice. In each city, restaurants are further divided into several city zones. There are maps to each city zone with numbers corresonding restaurants indicated on the map. They are not the most detailed map but good starting point, nevertheless. I have noticed a few mistakes on the map such as the numbers are placed on the wrong side of the street or mistakenly placed on the next street over. It is best to cross reference this book's map either with your hotel or with a different map.

There is a quick reference section next to each restaurant that display vital information: credit card, reservation, cover charge, hours and etc. She also writes a short and personal comments for each restaurant, indicating the history, owner and sometimes what to order. One important note,

I think the real strength of this book is in Rome. It almost never failed me. I had experienced with this book that would have been impossible to find unless you are a native to the city or know someone there. Most of the restaurants have English speaking staff, especially when in Rome. There are a few ( these tend to be the best!) places that doesn't so have your Italian Phrase book handy!

Probably the best and most enjoyable book I've read on the culture (cultivatis) of Rome. Covers Roman Clothing, Houses,
War, everything. I could not put this book down.
Absolutely loved it and will purchase it. Dupont does an excellent job in her details and research. Esoteric issues such as homosexuality are touched upon lightly but nonetheless
informative. Highly recommend!

The late George W. Oakes delighted in viewing the great cities of England and Europe, and takes you on walking tours through them with the charm of an old and wise friend. He tells you when to look up, when to cross the square, what alley to turn into and gives you a chance to see the history, the architectural and the people interest you always wanted to experience in your travels. Short tours and detailed walking maps guide you along; the book is almost pocket size so I would advise taking it with you when you visit the great cities next time.

This book was extremely helpful to my husband and I when we visited Italy in '99 and again in '00. (We also have used her guide to Paris). If you read enough of the profiles of the hotels, you get a better understanding of the author's tastes, preferences, and values, and you can better compare her comments to your own interests.
With her as our guide, we have identified several hotels that seem interesting or inviting, and then looked for websites to give us a more complete portrait. Not quite a walk-through prior to check-in, but a pretty good substitute.
Should also note that the author of the recently published "Piazzas and Pizzas" seems to be a HUGE fan of Sandra Gustafson's choices.
If you can afford the Cipriani or the Hassler, this is NOT the book for you. But for the rest of us, it is a terrific guide.

Very nice accomodations in great locations for not too many lira. That's what I got out of this book. Visited all three cities and with the help of this guide, came home with money left over.

"Cheap Sleeps" is somewhat of a misleading name. Right up front the author states it is not about the cheapest, but about the
best values in accommodations. I am rating this 5 stars in
comparison to other books of its kind. What impressed me most
was that not only are there descriptions of the various hotels
that let you know what makes each special, but for some hotels
there are specific descriptions of various rooms, allowing you
to request one that especially appeals to you. I can't remember
having seen that in any other guide. Included are some descriptions of the cheapest places, like campgrounds and hostels, but they are not featured. At the beginning are travel tips when planning your trip to Italy (and some apply to any trip you might be planning). Though there are many listings for Florence, Venice and Rome, other cities/towns in Italy are not covered; for the listed cities I think this book is very worthwhile. Note: Even if the exact prices change a little, the relative prices stay the same, so you can still pick a place to stay based on this book, even in the years after publication. Addresses, phone numbers, and in many cases email addresses are given so you can contact the hotel for the most
up-to-date information.

I loved using the 1st edition of Hello Italy but this newest edition is wonderful. It contains detailed descriptions for over 400 charming and affordable hotels in more than 20 of the most popular cities in Italy. The book also contains tips on how to make hotel reservations, how to get to the hotels, useful websites, list of packing unusual items, which hotels have handicapped access rooms, foreign phrases, how to get hotel discounts, what to do before leaving the United States, contact information for individual tourist offices, list of laundromats in the major cities, etc. Wow! I've been looking for a book like this for years and I've travelled to Italy more than 10 times.

I was browsing the internet looking for hotels in Italy when I discovered "An Insider's Guide to Italian Hotels." I loved the author's criteria for for selecting a hotel: room with bath, charming, centrally located, family owned and "$50 to $99 a night for two." My husband and I just returned from 18 days in Italy where we stayed in three hotels reecommended by Ms. Classe. To be accurate, we stayed in specific rooms in those hotels based upon her recommendations of particularly nice rooms. The rooms, the costs and friendly staff were just as she had described. Unique to her book are directions to each hotel from public transportation. In each case we followed her directions from the train station -- by vaporetto in Venice, by foot in Florence, by bus in Rome. What a treat! No more worries about where the cab driver is taking you! Our next trip? France with Margo Classe's "An Insider's Guide to French Hotels!" We're sold!

Yes, Toto, this may not be Kansas, but you still can find a good room for under $100 ... with bath. In fact you'll find nearly 70 listings for Rome, personally checked out by the author. And if you're visiting elsewhere in Italy there are extensive listings for 25 other cities and areas. You won't find details on sights here so you'll need another, regular, guidebook like Cadogan. But you can dependably use this as the book to find recommendable, decent, clean, budget accommodations. Save your money for more of the luscious Italian food. And while not a regular guidebook, Margo has included worthwhile travel tips, many you'll rarely find elsewhere, lessons learned from her extensive travels.

The author seems to know what she is talking about in Rome which is the lagest part of the book. Her recommendations in Florence and Venice seem to be based mostly on hearsay.
Consider this: The book is 274 pages long. The glossary of terms and bibliograpy account for 72 pages. The book does review trattorias but it also reviews expensive restaurants, pizzerias,
gelaterias, wine bars , shops that sell wine and serve light lunches, and wine shops that offer tastings and canapes. There is a lot of detail im this book, but after reading it I decided it was of little practical use to me since I am an ordinary tourist looking for a good place to eat near the attractions I will be visiting on this my third trip to Rome (second to Florence and Venice). Many of the recommendations are clustered in neighborhoods that are somewhat removed. The book is not going on my trip with me... The purchase price was a waste of money.

Don't travel in Rome, Florence, or Venice without this book (unless you have a week's supply of PB&J in your pack, and are a masochist). Insight and intelligence mark the assessments of the restaurants, with the judgement of locals (Ms. Fant, herself, for Rome) as confirmation. If you choose your spots with this book, you will know exactly what you are getting, will make your travel funds go farther, and will make your palate happy.

Last year, my husband and I went to Italy on our honeymoon and half of the meals we ate were good using Frommer's and Eyewitness so when we went this year, September 2001 I was determined to make all the meals GREAT. With the help of this book I did. In Rome, we went to four restaurants, all were excellent, Trattoria Claudio al Pantheon (twice), Cul de Sac (a wine bar with light meals) around the corner from the Piazza Navona, a restaurant on the Campo dei Fiori Plaza, Nino's by the Spanish steps and an Enoteca by the Italian Parliment. In Florence, we went to Da Guido's and Trattoria Antellesi (sp.?) by the train station. This book was a MUCH more reliable source than any of our guide books and a fun read, Fant is rather opinionated, but so am I. If you are a foodie like me you won't pass this up, I just wish she'd do a book on more cities, Milan, parts of Tuscany etc.

My only advice is to call the restaurants in Rome first, if you want to go for lunch. Even in Septmeber, we found that some Roman restaurants around the Pantheon listed in the book were closed for lunch. Fant does include a list of restaurants open on Sunday and Monday, which is very useful because lots of restaurants are closed on those days.

Regardless, everywhere we went was excellent and Fant gives you tips on what to order, which were very helpful. ...

Bon Appetit!

This book is more of a novel of these three cities. Don't expect to pick up this book for the first time while you are on the trip and pick out places to see. The sites are buried in paragraph after paragraph of text, which is not very useful when you are there and trying to figure out what not too miss. Read it before you go on your trip and make notes of the places to visit. We were looking for the book to include a bullet list of some type with the "must see" places in each city. With only this book as a reference, we decided to wing it instead of reading.

Previous reviewer seems to have missed half their own point. If you are looking for Frommers or Fodors, BUY Frommers or Fodors! The world doesn't need any more of that ilk. That market is well established and those books are good at what they do.

We're the type of travellers who basically use the Net for more time sensitive things -- the changing food and lodging scenes in any given locale. Anymore, that type of info in a book holds a distinct disadvantage versus online sources. Given that we are already armed with that info beforehand, we don't need to pay for a guide book to resummarize it.

Once you strip that off, what's left? Info on the sights, changing attitudes, culture. 90% of what is known about the Forum, St. Pete's, etc. doesn't change. That background is suitable for book treatment. The key is distilling this info in such a way that it doesn't come off like an encyclopedia entry (the trap which the Blue Guides fall into - yawn). This the Cadogan Guides manage to do quite well. The writers do have a particular point of view on things, but it is thoughtful one and makes good reading.

Again, every travel book doesn't apply to every travel situation. If that were the case, maybe we could all get by on Fodors. This book has marked out a different spot on the map and it is doing a very good job in that spot.