It is no mystery why Venice, Italy appears on many lists as the number one “dream destination” of people planning a foreign vacation. Venice is mysterious, romantic and well a little intimidating without some help from a guidebook. The canals combined with narrow alleyways create an extraordinary city.

Pages: 214

Dimensions: 8 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 11.2 ounces

Maps: Detailed street maps of Venice. A map of boat routes is located on the inside of the back cover. Venice is a very difficult city to navigate and I have yet to find a map that can get me where I want to be. I generally get around my taking note of landmarks on my route.

Pictures: Good pictures of most major sites

It was a dark and stormy night, not to mention cold and icy at the start of the 14th book in Donna Leon’s “Blood from a Stone” featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti.

Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti takes on the murder of a street vendor. Anyone who has ever been to Venice, or New York City for that matter, has seen street vendors selling fake pocketbooks and other fashion accessories. In this mystery, Donna Leon tells us how these illegal immigrants live and survive in Venice.

Florence, Italy is in Tuscany, Italy. You may wonder why I am bringing this up now. One of my great pleasures in life is reading about and talking about Italy. I am always surprised that people spend so little time researching the country they are planning to visit and spend a lot of money in. So, questions like can I visit Florence, Italy and Tuscany, Italy in the same day are a little perplexing.

Let's get this straight - Florence, Italy is in Tuscany. Tuscany is a region of Italy and Florence is the capital city of that region. The cities of Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca and Viareggio are all located in Tuscany.

The city of Florence, Italy of course has one of the greatest, if not the greatest, collections of Renaissance art in the world. It is home to Michelangelo's David as well as the Uffizi Art Gallery.

Southern Italy boasts active volcanoes, the sublime landscapes of Capri and Amalfi, mountains that are still the haunt of bears and wolves, the country’s most famous ancient site – Pompeii – and historic cities such as Naples and Lecce. – Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 15.2 ounces

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper