A review of "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler" by Fred Plotkin

Italy For The Gourmet Traveler by Fred Plotkin is the ultimate gourmet food culture guide to Italy. This book is an absolute must in your carry-on to peruse and plan as you line out your itinerary for visiting Italy this summer or fall. Each region details every town and village (includes 504 cities in every corner of Italy) with information covering restaurants, trattorias, food fairs, festivals, bakeries, coffee bars, wine bars, gourmet shops, markets, vineyards, farms, wineries, olive oil producers, cooking schools, bookstores and more. At the end of each of the 22 regional chapters, including the islands of Sicily and Sardenia, Fred delights with 42 recipes for favorite, and often misunderstood, common dishes, allowing the traveler to continue the experience of Italy at home . He details the ingredients, offering tips for best results. This guide contains more than 1,000 listings for places to eat or purchase regional delicacies.

This book makes the flavors of Italy as succulent and inviting as the country is diverse; it gives directions to off-the-beaten-track locales that only a gourmand could appreciate; and, it leads you down alleys and by-ways to the best of the best for eating and drinking one's way through Italy. The practical advice on making your reservation, whether you must pay in cash or can use your charge card, best time of day to visit, the owner or manager's name, even seasonal tips and tricks, make this the most genuinely usable guide you can take with you on a vacation to Italy. Available in your local bookstores or on-line at Amazon.com, this book will not be far from your elbow as you eat and drink your way through the best of Italy!