“Buongiorno Matteo! we are missing our time in Italy and wishing we were still there – you helped us to have a fantastic trip and i have a strong desire to return. I definitely want to visit Venice again – one day was only a taste! – and i would like to see the south of the country too. I hope I’ll be able to return before too long.
I would love to give you some feedback on the trip and i hope it will be useful to you for future planning. I would be happy to talk or email about any of this if you have specific questions.
*your itinerary and instructions and all of the vouchers were fantastic and helped us to know exactly what was happening at all times. Having the cellphone you arranged for us was a comfort, though we did purchase sim cards for our phone and we used our own gps most of the time since it was familiar and easy for us to follow.
*all of our transfers to and from airport, hotels, train stations were perfect. our drivers were friendly, kind and helpful, especially Luca in Milan and Alex in Florence.
*the trains were perfect – comfortable seats, easy to follow instructions, a wonderful way to travel through Italy.
*all of our hotels were comfortable, though we liked some better than others. We especially loved Visdomini in Pietrasanta – the hosts were welcoming and helpful, the hotel was exquisite. We did have to take a second room in this hotel because there were only 3 bed (the pull out sofabed in the room was only for one person) but they had a room across the hall that was available and it all worked out. The hotel in Venice was also very lovely – we enjoyed these two hotels that felt like staying in someone’s exquisite Italian home. The hotel in Gaiole in Chianti was our least favorite – although there was plenty of space, the rooms were extremely extremely damp (there were signs of mold on the walls and inside the frames of the artwork), there were lots of mosquitoes in the dining room, and the hotel was quite far out of the way. That said, the staff was friendly and the surrounding vineyard was beautiful. We would happily return to all of the hotels we stayed in except for the one in Chianti.
*our day with the chef in Rome was a huge highlight for all of us. We enjoyed Victoria (the chef) and the marketing and cooking experience. Victoria promised to send us the recipes for the dishes she cooked but we haven’t heard from her yet and I don’t have her contact information. If you can help me to get in touch with her, that would be wonderful.
*your restaurant recommendations were fantastic!
*we did not make it to gladiator school in Rome, much to our daughter’s dismay. We were at the Vatican for our tour and by the time we left there and ate lunch, we didn’t have enough time to get to the gladiator school.
*all of our tour guides were helpful and knowledgable, and everybody we met along the way was friendly and terrific.
This is all of the feedback I can think of at this time. If you have any questions about any of this, or something I haven’t mentioned, please feel free to ask! and Dave, if you have anything to add, I know you’ll do that.
Thank you so much Matteo. I look forward to next time!!!
Emily”
David & Emily Demsky (Baltimore, MD) – JUNE 2015
The Cathedral Square in Pietrasanta, Italy
Piazza del Campo in Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Milan cathedral with duomo square in the evening, Italy
