Italy.
So you're heading to Italy? Let's get it right.
Where to go (and what to skip)
The Dolomites + the great Italian hikes
Where to stay
How to get around — the trains
Costs, food, wine, and the espresso ritual
Common scams (don't miss these)
What members actually said.
We're not really 'guide people', we usually just wing it. But Italy felt overwhelming and this made it manageable. The Puglia section convinced us to add a week and that turned into the best part of the trip.
The Sicily chapter is something else. Not just Palermo / Catania filler. Real recommendations for Trapani, Cefalù, the things nobody else writes about. Beautiful work.
Great practical info. Some of it I knew already from previous trips, but the deep regional stuff on Puglia and Calabria was worth the price on its own. Four stars only because I'd love downloadable offline maps.
Bought the Italy guide. Then the Vault. Then Pro. That's how good these are. I'm pre-ordering every guide before they exist. The community alone is worth it.
$15 is nothing, I spend more than that on a single brunch. It saved me hours of planning and made the actual trip better. Honestly I'd have paid $50 for any of these guides.
I've paid for most of the travel content out there at some point. Aussies In is the only one that reads like it was written by someone who actually travels, not a marketer. That's why I keep buying them.
Every hostel, restaurant, viewpoint, transport hub and hike start in this guide — pinned in a Google Maps list. Save it once, your whole trip travels with you offline.
Mistakes the guide saves you from.
ZTL fine in city centre (Florence/Rome/Bologna)
Anyone driving into a centro storico without realising
Cappuccino after lunch (instant tourist tag = inflated bills)
Reputation cost only, but real
Booking the Last Supper less than 2 months ahead
Missed booking — can't see it at all
Driving the Amalfi Coast road yourself in season
Rental damage + parking fines
Cinque Terre or Positano in July-August (3x prices + zero magic)
Most peak-season visitors
Train strike day = missed flight from Rome FCO
Anyone who doesn't check scioperi.mit.gov.it
Coperto + servizio + extra tip stacked at touristy restaurants
Most travellers, every meal near tourist sights
Gondola in Venice quoted at €120 instead of €80 regulated rate
Most Venice tourists
Buying Florence Duomo tickets day-of (sold out, miss the dome climb)
Anyone not booking 1 month ahead
Your trip, planned.
Where to go. Where to stay. What to eat. How to get around. What to skip. Every answer in one place — researched by Aussies who've actually been.