Opinions & Press

Praise from travelers and travel experts alike.

From Publishers Weekly:

An antidote to the hulking volumes that offer encyclopedic amounts of information on a locale, McElroy’s book is designed more along the lines of a operating manual. There are no suggestions for where to stay in Capri or how to see the Vatican in a day. Rather, this book enlightens readers on the how-to’s of traveling in Italy: when to go, how to get there, what to pack, how to read road signs, which class to ride in on a train, how to use Italian phones, what to order for an aperitivo and why the tabaccaio is a resourceful shop, even if you don’t smoke. For first-time visitors, it’s a boon. McElroy, who spends a few months a year in Italy, explains everything travelers need to know in order to blend in and enjoy their trip. Each chapter is color-coded for easy reference, and Italian vocabulary words augment every section.

Midwest Book Review:

Pocket-sized for easy carrying, Italy: Instructions For Use is a simple guidebook offering a wealth of basic travel advice organized so that one can consult it for quick answers to common questions, anywhere, anytime. Color-coded sections further speed up one’s ability to find answers swiftly. Italy: Instructions for Use is not a conventional travel manuel with hotel and restaurant listings; it focuses especially upon culture shock and other problems, from how to get around to dealing with the post office, changing currency and much more. Italy: Instructions For Use is a “must-have” reference before sojourning into Italy, for business or for pleasure.

Sandy Fenton of AAA’s Let’s Talk Travel:

After interviewing Nan McElroy and reading “Italy:Instructions for Use” I feel as though I’m an expert on Italy…which I am certainly not. A great read before you go , on the flight over and easy to put in your pocket as you’re out and about.

About.com’s Italy for Visitors:

I’ve been traveling in Italy for over 20 years and seldom do I find a book as useful and eye-opening as Italy: Instructions for Use. I found nuggets of information that even I didn’t know…

The Travel Consumer

Once in a while a perfect travel resource gets sent to me for review. This is one of those…

Don Groff, Newark Star-Ledger

An outstanding little guide…[this] palm-sized book has scads of information on how
things are done….

Europe for Visitors, Durant Imboden

Few [guidebooks] devote space to practical advice, because there’s no room to do more than touch on the basics…

Pauline Kenny, SlowTravel, www.slowtrav.com:

Italy, Instructions for Use is small enough to fit into your hip pocket but contains everything that you need to know for survival in Italy. If you are heading to Italy, slip this book into your pocket – it will make your trip easier and let you get into the swing of things from the moment you arrive.