Italy Family Travel Guide

This summer, I traveled to Europe for the time with my Husband. This travel agent planned a wonderful trip for us and I must say that I am still in my vacation hangover! :) We visited Italy, Switzerland, and Paris.

Italy: I had THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE in Italy. We visited Venice, Florence, and Rome. Venice was indescribably romantic. Our hotel was hotel was located in the heart of the city so we covered the entire city by foot. We had a private tour guide and she was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. 

After two days of stay in Venice, we next traveled by train to Florence, the fashion capital of Italy. On the first day, our agent had planned a private city tour for us. Our private tour guide was amazing! She told us about the city, best places to buy leather and best gelato place in Florence. Our hotel was strategically located. It was just 0.3 miles from the train station so we literally reached in 5 mins to our hotel. The next day was group tour to Ufizzi gallery and that's where we did not have a good time. The tour company was nice but the tour guide was not all that great. We received differential treatment there. I was not feeling well that day so instead of asking how I am doing, the guide asked my husband if we are done with our tour. WOW! I don't know if it was because of our color, race, or nationality. 

The next day we went to explore the wilderness, the cypress-lined vineyards of Tuscany. We visited a small medieval town and then headed to wine tasting. There, we spent hours in lingering over a meal in the open air, had one of the best meals of our lives as the fresh ingredients were picked up from the market that day and the hosts were as gracious as your own grandmother. We truly enjoyed the glace of Italian culture there. The trip to Chianti was the best part of our entire journey.

The next day we traveled to the sun-washed city of Rome. We had a beautiful time there too. 

Then We flew to Zurich. Our room was amazing and had a breathtaking view of the lake Lucerne with the city line of Lucerne. After two nights in Lucene, we then traveled to Lauterbrunnen. As they say, Switzerland is "Heaven on Earth" we actually did witness that heaven in Lauterbrunnen. The view of the valley of 72 waterfalls was incredible. Our hotel was located near the train station and the had a spectacular view from our room. Unfortunately, the hotel did not have any help available. Even for a glass of hot water, we had to climb up and down 3 floors, which was disappointing. Plus restaurants were super expensive and the food was terrible. 

Then we went to Paris. Paris was again unforgettable. Because of our travel agent, we got to see the Batille's day parade and the gorgeous view of Eiffel tower in fireworks! That experience was unforgettable.

Overall, the trip was amazing. Our agent did put together an amazing itinerary for us and we had a time of our life there.  Highly recommended!

Locations Visited: Venice, Verona, Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, Pienze, Rome, Pompeii, Positano

My husband and I planned this trip for our 10-year anniversary. I’m a person with high expectation and this travel agency exceeded all my expectations. The entire trip was dream.

We opted for personalized tours and transport for 95% of our trip. All of our drivers were wonderful. They arrived on time and made sure we made it to all of our destinations without issue. They had the contact information for the tour guides we were meeting. Upon arrival to our first hotel, a local cell phone and gift were given to us. Having the iPhone during our trip made any needed communication with our agent and his team a breeze. In addition, we used the phone apps for navigation throughout the cities we visited. We made a last-minute request for an additional private transport, and our agent was able to make it happen. We greatly appreciated their customer service.

We participated in a several unique experiences while in Italy. We went truffle hunting in Pienza, which was amazing. After, we were served a meal that highlighted truffles and the cheeses made locally. In addition, we did a cooking day in Rome. This was a private cooking class where we made pasta, several sauces, and appetizers. The one disappointment is that we never received the recipes from the chef (we were told by the chef that they would be emailed to us). However, this is a knock on the chef and not our travel agent. Once the class was done, we were served a meal in a private garden area. Lastly, we did a food walking tour in Rome. This was an amazing way to find local cuisine that we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. A wonderful experience.

All of our tour guides were excellent. They were knowledgeable, friendly, and familiar with the cities. We had one guide that really went into the details and reasons for expressions in the art. We didn’t care for that, but we didn’t specify that ahead of time or to the guide. It was wonderful seeing her excitement and passion for all of the amazing working works of art and sculpture that we saw.

Overall, I would highly recommend this travel agent and his team if you are traveling to Italy!! You will not be disappointed. We gave him our wish list of activities, accommodation preferences, etc. ahead of time and he made sure we got them all! Thank you for such a wonderful and memorable trip. If we are able to return to Italy, you will be hearing from us.

My husband and I just returned from a two-week vacation in Italy. With the help of Zicasso and our travel company, we were able to fit every wish into this short time.

We started out in Rome, then went on to Florence for some amazing history. We then traveled to the Tuscany and Chianti countryside for private cooking and wine experiences. We loved the small villages we explored and the little family-owned wineries and olive farms.

A highlight was staying in a bed and breakfast in Ponzano that overlooked the beautiful olive gardens and countryside. We explored the small villages of San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Montalcino, and felt like we had discovered authentic local life.

The tail of our trip was spent in the beautiful Lake Como area, with a day trip to Lugano, Switzerland.

Wow! I cannot recommend this company enough for your international trips. We were blown away by the quick response times when planning, the detailed itineraries, and their ability to make our dream trip become a reality. We started planning late, and they were still able to create and book our dream trip in less than two months! 

We knew we wanted to go to Switzerland and northern Italy, but honestly weren't sure what areas to visit or what activities to do. Our travel agent, through Zicasso, created a dream 10-day itinerary for us, starting in Zurich, then traveling to Interlaken, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Zermatt, Lucerne, Lake Como, and ending in Milan. 

They gave us options of activities to do in those cities, with detailed descriptions and recommendations. We chose a lot of mountain expeditions, which we were well pleased with. They provided other suggestions for things to do in the areas we visited and even provided restaurant recommendations. We were so impressed by how quickly they adjusted the itinerary if we requested a change, and they were so accommodating. 

They were able to book us a private guided tour of The Last Supper painting in Milan, which was a highlight of the trip! We loved every activity planned and had our tickets sent to us ahead of time to print out or download, which made everything so easy. The detailed itinerary had maps, photos of buildings, walking routes, etc, and was so easy to navigate. We had the smoothest trip because of that detailed itinerary. The trip planner reached out to us several times while we were abroad just to check in and make sure everything was going smoothly. 

The hotels were also amazing! Every single one had an amazing breakfast and a beautiful view. We were upgraded twice! They only use four- or five-star hotels, and I think that is a huge bonus. We were so happy with our hotels and hotel rooms. We were also incredibly happy with the price of the trip and the ease of booking and payment. 

Overall, I have been telling everyone to use this company for their trips and we will definitely be using Zicasso again! Thank you, Zicasso, for the trip of a lifetime!

THE BEST VACATION EVER!!!!

I must admit that I was somewhat uncomfortable arranging a group tour to Italy with someone I communicated with only via the Internet and telephone.  However, after my first communication with our agent -- I knew that she “had it.”  She understood exactly what we wanted to do.  She was right-on in both concept and execution.

Our ten-day adventure in Italy began with a private transfer with an English speaking local driver from the Rome airport to our fantastic 3 star boutique hotel located right in the historical center of Rome.  During our three days in Rome, we had fantastic private tours of Ancient Rome, the Coliseum, and the Vatican Museums.  Extremely knowledgeable, English-speaking guides led all of our tours.  Sense of Italy had arranged for VIP, skip the line, priority entrance for all tours -- saving us from long waits in long lines.

After our busy 3 days in Rome, we departed via private van transfer from our hotel in Rome to the Chianti Region of Tuscany.  The transfer included stops on the Val D’ Orcia to visit the amazing Villages of Montalcino and Montepulciano.  The “light lunch” and wine tasting we enjoyed in Montalcino was one of the highlights of our trip.  In Tuscany we stayed 7 Nights in a beautiful, historic villa located on one of the best wine estates of Chianti (Villa Le Corti near San Casciano) where we were met with a fantastic welcome dinner. During our time in Tuscany we were transported by private van from our villa to private tours of Siena, San Gimignano, Florence, Pisa and Lucca.  On each of our stops we were met by knowledgeable English speaking guides that clearly were proud of the history of their country, and were anxious to share it.  Interspersed in all of this activity were numerous exceptional meals with opportunities to taste (and drink) very fine Italian wines.

When we finally were forced to leave Italy, our agent arranged for private transport accommodating our varying departure times from the Florence airport and train station.

Thanks to this travel company and our agent for designing the perfect vacation for our group.  The only complaint that I heard was that we ate too much — wow was all the food delicious.  I really don’t know how she did it.  All of the tours were great — the van drivers friendly and helpful, the guides knowledgeable, and the sites spectacular.  Our stay in the villa was a great experience.  We were treated royally everywhere.  We all marveled at our agent's ability to get us, the vans, the guides, the food and wine, etc. all at the right place at the right time.  She is a genius!!!!

Jeff E