“Hi Matteo – We LOVED our trip. My sister, Laura said it all.
I would just add the following:
The tour guides were so helpful. Because of them we could process the highlights of each city and not become overwhelmed. Favorite tour guides were Chiara and our tour guides in Lucca and Siena, whose names I can’t remember (!)
My personal favorite activities were the hike from Volastra to Corniglia with the tagliere lunch, cheesemaking at the Podere il Casale, the balloon ride over the Val di Pesa, and the visit to San Lorenzo market in Florence with the cooking class. Laura Franceschetti was so wonderful – she immediately felt like an old friend!
The itinerary sequence – beginning in the Cinque Terre and ending in Florence – made perfect sense. Hiking the hills of the Cinque Terre was an ideal way to get over jet lag. And by the time we got to Florence we were ready!
Hotels: The Hotel La Torretta was a wonderful choice in Manarola. The Villa Le Barone was beautiful and nice but I didn’t like the way the management was only allowed to make 1 fire a day (it was cold!). The food there was truly delicious. And the Minerva in Florence was an oasis.
I wish we had time for more exploring around the hills outside Firenze. Specifically, I missed the opportunity to get to Fiesole and the convento in San Dominico (?) – but the pace of the trip was just right – I think we needed the down-time we had while in Florence to do some exploring on our own.
I miss the wonderful food and wine and consequently will need to plan another Italy visit in the not too distant future. I am intrigued with the ideas of visiting Southern Italy – Sicily, the Aeolian Islands; more of Northern Italy – Turin and the Piemonte region; as well as Umbria. I would be happy to work again with you and FuoriTinerario on our next visit.
Thank you a million times for a wonderful trip.
Best regards,
Donna”
Donna Baskin (Chicago, IL) – MAY 2018
Corniglia, Cinque Terre, Liguria
Ballooning over Val di Pesa, Tuscany
Val d’Orcia, Tuscany
Jeremy at the Hotel Minerva, Florence
Dinner at the Villa Le Barone, Tuscany
