Our best vacation ever

“Dear Matteo,

I wanted to send a quick note to tell you how much we enjoyed our trip and I wanted to thank you for your expert planning. Every detail was covered and the entire trip flowed very smoothly.

Our guides (Scilla, Cecilia, Simona, Deborah and Franco) were all very knowledgeable and our drivers (Georgio, Pepe, Ivo, Franco, plus two whose names I didn’t get) were all wonderful. Georgio was a favorite! Without him to translate, the visit to our relatives in Gamberale would have been disappointing due to the language barrier. It was an adventure getting to Gamberale with a road closed but Georgio was determined to get us there to meet our relatives. Pepe and Ivo have lots of personality so we enjoyed them too.

We loved the hotels! All were in perfect locations and convenient to the sights. We really enjoyed the lunches at Caffé Poliziano and San Donato Farm as well as the wine tasting at Poggio Antico. Upon arrival at Caffé Poliziano, they told us they had their best table on the deck reserved for us. We had an amazing view and a delicious meal. At San Donato, we enjoyed a relaxing picnic lunch in the barn. I’ve never been a fan of red wine but Poggio Antico changed my mind. We bought a bottle of the Riserva to bring home. Castello di Spaltenna is a really neat place. It’s not your typical hotel. We went to La Tagliata up on top of the mountain in Positano. There is an awesome view of the coast from there and the family style food and service were a great experience. We panicked when they brought the check and said “cash only”. Being near the end of the trip, we’d spent most of our cash. As it turns out, they do take credit cards although they prefer cash. It was great having a chance to relax in Positano. That was the perfect place to end our trip. We wish we’d had a few extra days to spend in Tuscany and Positano.

The only downside of the trip was that Scott Stoner got sick on the day we arrived in Rome. The desk clerk called a doctor who arrived within the hour, examined Scott, and prescribed an antibiotic. He was feeling a lot better the next day so he only missed the Tivoli, Forum and Colisseum tours.

I (along with the Stoners and Hickeys) will highly recommend Discover Your Italy to any of our friends planning a trip to Italy. We had such an amazing time and we all came away saying it was our best vacation ever. We cannot wait to return to Italy – hopefully it won’t be too long.

Thanks again for everything. And, thank you for the olive oil and balsamic. What a nice gift to remember our trip. I’ll send you a few photos from our trip when I download them.

Best regards,

Michele Bigante

P.S. Did you receive the package with the cell phone and key for Castello di Spaltenna?”

Michele Bigante (Phoenixville, PA) – JUNE 2015

Duomo, Florence