Italy for the Gourmet Traveler

Fred Plotkin knows and loves Italy

If you love Italy and you love food and wine, this is a must-read. Plotkin has had the great fortune of spending a good part of his life in that amazing and perplexing country. This is an insider's view that's beautifully written and very detailed. It's not your usual travel guide by any means (and is much too heavy to take with you on your trip). It's your guide to understanding food and wine traditions so that you can fully appreciate them when you travel in Italy. I love this book. However, I have to chime in with other reviewers here who have commented about how the book has not been properly updated from version to version. For instance, the latest edition has a section about how smoking is no longer allowed in restaurants and bars in Italy, but that section ends with an outdated paragraph about how smoking is legal and how you can avoid it. That's inattentive editing. Even before I got to that point, I started to question whether the book had been thoroughly updated. When Plotkin refers to, say, "in recent years, ....," is he referring to years prior to the book's first publication in 1996 or to 2014, the date of the latest edition? That is the book's flaw, and hopefully this problem will be corrected whenever a new edition comes out. But, knowing that, don't let it stop you from reading this book. It's a minor flaw considering the knowledge you'll gain. Plotkin knows and loves Italy, and if you are interested in fully exploring the areas you visit, this book will help you in ways that no other book can. Read more