Our hotels in Venice, Chianti and Florence were excellent. Clean, beautifully appointed, comfortable and centrally located. The daily breakfasts were wonderful and the staff was kind, helpful and polite. Our hotel in Rome, while centrally located, did not compare to the others. It was small and the cleanliness was questionable. Although we did not visibly see insects, each morning we would wake with worsening bug bites. The morning breakfast did not match the quality of the other three locations. Transfers / Car Service: Excellent! The drivers in Chianti and Florence were especially kind, friendly and helpful. The drivers in Rome, while prompt, did not introduce themselves or interact with us like the drivers in the other cities. Tour-guides: All of our tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable and most went above and beyond our expectations. Christina (Venice) – Friendly, knowledgeable, let us set the pace, found us a restaurant for lunch, answered questions, would highly recommend. Daniella (food tour – Venice) – Friendly, knowledgeable, fun, upbeat, great taste in wine and food pairings, would highly recommend. Stefano (Chianti – Vespa and food tour) – Friendly, interesting, patient as we got used to driving the Vespa, amazing knowledge of winemaking and different kinds of wines, took us to the most wonderful winery/olive oil farm for an unforgettable farm-to-table meal, would highly recommend Monica (history/museum tour – Florence) – Friendly and extremely knowledgeable but may have been better suited for people who have an intense interest in art history. While interesting, the tour felt a bit academic. Fabio (Food tour – Rome) – Very friendly, knowledgeable and interesting. We did not realize the focus would be on Roman street food – or food you can eat while walking/standing. The food was delicious. Fabio took our small group back to his apartment to try cheese and wine, which was amazing. Would highly recommend his tour or trying one of his cooking classes. Cooking Class at Castello Monterinaldi in Chianti – This was one of the most memorable, fun and interesting days of our trip. The staff took the time to show us the wine making process and gave us a behind the scenes tour of their wine cellar. The cooking class was so enjoyable. We created a variety of Tuscan dishes and then got to eat them! We liked the cook and our translator so much, we wished they had eaten lunch with us. Also, they were very nice to our driver and made sure to feed him lunch. We would highly recommend this wonderful experience.
From Ted’s initial phone conversation with Daniella to the email welcoming us home, the assistance was OUTSTANDING. Leading up to our trip, Barbara answered questions and made helpful suggestions. During our trip, she was available daily to answer questions, make reservations and confirm our itinerary. She even went so far as to make sure we had an appointment to get a rapid COVID test prior to heading home! INCREDIBLE! We were so impressed with the details of our itinerary, right down to including photos so we knew where to meet drivers at the airport and train stations. The detailed travel information (what to pack, tipping, weather, etc.) was incredibly helpful. We shared the itinerary with our parents and they loved following along with our trip. We have already recommended your services to family and friends. We will continue to do so because you made our trip such an amazing experience.
Ted & Heather Raymond – September 2021
Venice
Tuscan countryside
Cooking Class in Italy
