$3,895 + air

24-28 people

Begins in Padua and ends in Lake Orta

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Italy is overwhelmingly rich in history, art and culture. Any preliminary reading, viewing or listening you can do will help you get the most from your trip. For more information on any of these books, visit your favorite bookstore or check out amazon.com; for video information, go to imdb.com. Rick Steves guidebooks are available at our Travel Center in Edmonds and also on our website's Travel Store.

Recommended Reading

Non-Fiction

• Italian Neighbors; Italian Education — Tim Parks
• Italian Days — Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
• That Fine Italian Hand — Paul Hofmann
• Desiring Italy — Susan N. Cahill
• The Italians — Luigi Barzini
• Central Italy: The Collected Traveler — Barrie Kerper
• Under the Tuscan Sun; Bella Tuscany — Frances Mayes
• Venice Observed — Mary McCarthy
• The Hills of Tuscany — Ferenc Mate
• A Tuscan Childhood — Kinta Beevor
• A Small Place in Italy — Eric Newby
• Travelers' Tales: Italy — Ann Calcagno
• Culture Shock: Italy — Raymond Flower
• Marling Menu-Master for Italy

Fiction

• Ratking (mystery set in Umbria, first in a series) — Michael Dibdin
• A Soldier of the Great War — Mark Helprin
• The Passion of Artemisia — Susan Vreeland
• Up At the Villa — Somerset Maugham
• The Charterhouse of Parma — Stendahl

General Europe

• Europe 101 — Rick Steves & Gene Openshaw: History and art overview for the traveler; humorous and easy to read.
• A World Lit Only by Fire — William Manchester: Vivid account of Europe's transition from the Roman Empire to the Reformation and the Renaissance.
• Innocents Abroad — Mark Twain: Humorous classic recounts an American group's 1867 "Grand Tour" through Europe and the Holy Land.
• Civilisation — Kenneth Clark: BBC-TV series and book that teaches European art and civilization like nothing else.
• Connections — James Burke: Fascinating book and TV series that links historical events and scientific discoveries across the centuries.

Rick Steves' Travel DVDs

For a fun, informative preview of your next tour destination, watch a DVD from our "Rick Steves' Europe" TV series! Our online Travel Store has 80 shows available on 12 DVDs (a generous four to eight shows per disc).

Films with an Italian Accent

La Dolce Vita (1961); 1900 (1977); Room with a View (1986); Cinema Paradiso (1990); Enchanted April (1991); Much Ado About Nothing (1993); Ciao, Professore! (1994); Il Postino (1995)

Mood Music

Three Tenors, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Puccini's Tosca, Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, Verdi's Rigoletto, Ezio Pinza (opera); Andrea Bocelli (operatic pop); Zucchero (rock); Big Night (soundtrack)