Available at news-stands and in bookshops at €22, this year the Guides are again downloadable from iTunes for browsing on the iPhone, at €7.99 each.

The four main functions of the I Ristoranti d’Italia 2012 electronic guide, which reviews about 3000 establishments, allow users to:

- search for restaurants on a map;

- display only restaurants near their current location, listed in order of price or rating;

- select only the best, in absolute terms, or for a particular region or province;

- bookmark their favourite restaurants.

Amongst other functions, the I Vini d’Italia 2012 guide, which lists over 10,000 wines from 2500 wineries, allows iPhone users to:

- search for a wine review by company name, designation, type, assessment, region, or price;

- identify the characteristics of the grape variety and the main appellations of the regions of Italy;

- bookmark their favourite wines in order to have the reviews instantly to hand at all times;

- learn how to taste, store, serve and accompany wines, and find out which are the best in terms of value for money.