Our bookshelves are filling up with Italian vacation inspiration. This year, author Katie Parla debuted the “Food of the Italian Islands” cookbook that will tempt you to book a trip to Sardinia and Sicily, and Maria Pasquale released “The Eternal City” on Rome’s culinary traditions. Then the godfather of European travel, Rick Steves, published his first-ever food book, “Italy for Food Lovers.”

Part-travel guidebook, part-food encyclopedia, Steves’s latest dives into Italy’s eating and drinking culture by region. Steves partnered with longtime friend and author Fred Plotkin, who is a Cavaliere della Stella d’Italia (essentially Italy’s version of a knight) for his career educating people on Italian culture.