Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary

This was very useful on our recent trip to Italy. We had both the Lonely Planet phrase book and this one with us, but this is the one we ended up using. We found it easier to navigate and more comprehensive than the other. It had more information and was organized more clearly than Lonely Planet. In particular, I thought the Rick Steve's pronunciation guide was easier to follow and got me closer to the correct pronunciation than the Lonely Planet book. However, what really tipped it over the edge was its section on health and medical care. My husband and I -- who travel frequently and rarely get sick -- contracted some kind of horrible flu/sinus infection/plague on the way out or Rome and needed to seek urgent medical consultation and care from a pharmacy on the Amalfi coast. The Rick Steves guide came to our rescue because it had more than three times the amount of health and medical vocabulary than the Lonely Planet book, which we desperately needed because we had a lot of specific symptoms to communicate and the pharmacist/doctor only spoke a few words of English. Thanks to Rick Steves, we were able to explain what was going on and get the right medical information (and medicine) to help us recover quickly. I don't know what we would have done if we had only had the Lonely Planet phrasebook to go on. We might have been given cough drops instead of antibiotics. If you are on the fence, this is the way to go.

Just used this book on a recent trip to Italy and it was perfect. I speak Spanish, and studied a little bit of Italian before going, so I had a strong base for using the language, but even if you don't have a background in a Romance language, this book would still be incredibly helpful. It has phonetic spellings of all the words and phrases, which is very helpful. It also has all the necessary phrases you need for ordering food and drinks, purchasing clothing and shoes, and purchasing train and bus tickets. It has much more than that, but those were the sections I found myself using the most. I carried this with me everywhere I went and it eliminated a lot of the stress that comes with traveling to a country whose language you do not speak. Can't recommend it enough.

This is a nice way to start to learn "By the Phrase" Italian. Having just been to Italy, I can vouch for the generally friendly and helpful nature of most of the residents. Also, in most of the more popular tourist destinations, English is often spoken. So, if you were to work with this book and learn some of the useful, ordinary phrases, it would probably make a nice impression on the native Italians and would make you feel less like a clueless tourist. This book will not make you really fluent, nor will it teach you the real mechanics of the language. Keep in mind this a phrase based, quick start approach that is easy to read and should help the average tourist.

This made our trip way better. So many tourists everywhere, this helped personalize our trip. This is for the smart traveler and helps them take it all in. If you buy this you must read it and not just skim it. I was shocked how hooked up we got using this book. This is not for everyone, if you don't want to read or care about where you are and just want to zone out and have someone do everything for you, not for you. If you want to dig into this resource and explore where you are and the people and culture, take time to carry it with you and read while your walking around. Yes, this book was in our pack, pulled it out everywhere, from North to south. I can't even imagine not having this as a resource. I would have paid way more for this load of compiled info on all our stops and things to check out. Plus Rick is the best! He makes it easy for the fish out of water to find its way. Massive thanks for this fantastic resource. Also, download his audio tours, as all the cruise line tourist sprint through all the museum with their selfie stick raised high, you can sit tight and listen to all the awesome info and insight to what makes these places amazing. Thanks Rick

Perfect. I carried this around the whole trip. It was organized really well, and the phrases were very useful. I still got laughs from the Italians on my pronunciations, but it was good fun, and I got better quickly. I also loved his pocket books for Rome, Venice, and Florence. We got one for each city we visited, and all the info was spot on - up to date, and very useful. Every recommendation he had that we did was great. We also downloaded his audio tours to listen to on our phones and I liked those as well. He hits all the relevant details without being boring and long winded.

My daughter and I are planning on going to Italy next month. She is 11. She knows a little Spanish (I speak Spanish). She is learning a lot of vocabulary and Italian customs through this book. We are very excited to go and this will help with a lot of communication in Italy. The book has quick references that I can see will be helpful in specific situations. We are also going to use some of Rick Steve's speaking tour apps.

I got this book to help me prep for a short trip to Italy I have coming up & will probably bring it with me when I go. Here's what the book covers: Hellos and Goodbyes, How to Make Requests (where, how much, how long?), Numbers, the alphabet, days and months, transportation lingo (for trains, taxis, buses, driving, getting directions), navigating hotel reservations & stays, restaurant/eating, tourist stuff (sightseeing, recreation, shopping, getting online), phrases for emergencies (how to say help, healthcare-related vocab), and general chatting tips. I think it will come in handy and work well as a supplement to some Italian-language learning CDs I bought.

Worth every penny! I had done the Pimsleur's Italian CDs before my trip to Venice and Florence, but I only listened to them in the car and didn't do the readings so I while I could pronounce basic Italian I couldn't read it. This is a small compact but not tiny book that is a perfect companion to take w/ you on your trip to Italy. I LOVE that the dictionary part is both Italian to English and English to Italian! And it doesn't take up a lot of room and it spells the words in Italian the way they sound. It looks a little weird but it works. Nobody could believe I didn't study Italian in school with the combo of the CDs and this book. I put this book in the back pocket of a small travel purse where I put my glasses, sunglasses, lip balm/gloss, tissues, gum whatever and a small amount of money. I put the money I was traveling with for the day and my credit cards in a money belt. My brother told me the only time Rick Steves' was ever pick pocketed in Europe was when he didn't wear a money belt. Thank you Rick Steves.

I really loved his conversations in real life situations plus the Italian/English & English/Italian Dictionaries . But most of all, I loved his sense of humour !

Just what I was looking for to help utter a few key phrases during an upcoming trip to Italy. Small enough for a pocket while touring around. Well set up in section with easy phonetics below words.

Brilliant book, very useful indeed. A must if your planning a trip to Rome.

Excellent book to use while on holiday.

It was great! Hefty reading at 1000+ pages but very valuable information. I also bought his Italian/English mini dictionary to go with it. Also a worthwhile purchase.