I fell in love with Tuscany after spending my honeymoon there. But following the birth of our first child, it's no longer practical to spend a week or two lounging around, soaking up the scenery, eating and drinking. Now we have to find things for the little one to do - which is where this book comes in.
Being targeted at familes, it has plenty of ideas for kids, and some particularly interesting "finds" that some guidebooks wont tell you about.
It's nicely written, and there's the odd humourous line to keep you smiling.
It succeeds where a lot of guidebooks fail as you really get a sense of the area and that it's been written by people who've been to these places.
It also sounds like the Italians are considerably more accommodating for children than us English are (I am still amazed at the number of wilting looks I receive if my girl dares to make a peep in public over here).
I like the fact that it is relatively thin (256 pages) as it will fit into the luggage without any problem. The one we took last time was a monster and not very practical at all.
However, while you can cram a lot into 250 pages - it's simply not enough room to squeeze in both Tuscany and Umbria.
Both are quite large areas, and if you're staying in one, it's not very likely you'll visit the other. You may take one daytrip if there's something you really want to see, but the guide would benefit from being separated into two.
I think this is its major weakness, but on the whole, it's certainly one I'd recommend.