Northern Italy Travel Guide

Our trip to Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Lake Como, and Milan was exceptionally well planned and executed by Zicasso's tour operator.

The transportation from one location to another was efficient, even when challenged by the high tides in Venice. Overall, the hotels selected were very good. The one in Montalcino was exceptional. Every guide was knowledgeable and professional. We appreciated their willingness to be flexible. Our driver for the ride to Como and back to Milan was personable and exceptional as well.

We really enjoyed the truffle hunting experience, the first wine tasting in Montepulciano, where we met the entire charming family, the cooking class in Bellagio with a chef who treated us like family, and the boat rides on Lake Como and to the islands in the lagoon of Venice. All of the dinner reservations were spot-on and when there was a slight misunderstanding regarding our wine tasting in Bellagio, where the staff at the hotel in Bellagio had no idea what had been arranged by our agency, this was quickly resolved by our guide through texts and emails with the agency.

The only aspect of the trip that could have been improved was day eight, when our activities, travel time, and late dinner reservation resulted in a late-night drive back to the villa. The hotel in Milan was difficult to find at first due to its location not being visible from the street. Once we found it and settled in, it was in an excellent location for our sightseeing. The gifts of sparkling wine at two of our stops was thoughtful and appreciated.

We thank our agent and the staff at the agency for a wonderful trip and would not hesitate to recommend the firm to our friends and family.

This was our first experience with Zicasso’s travel company and, thus, with our travel designer. We were a bit concerned because our trip with a travel company back in 2001 had a few bumps along the road. However, once the private driver arrived and met us after exiting our cruise, all the worries and concerns began to vanish.

Our travel designer created an amazing itinerary and every step of the way was seamless. She took care of every single detail and provided us with all the instructions (guidance, maps, contact information, and all train tickets first class) we needed. All I can say is, she surpassed our expectations. The tours she booked for us showed they were carefully crafted based on our interests and all the guides were magnificent.

She allowed time for us to recover from the train rides; the hotels were perfectly situated, all amazing; and the private transfers were timely and extremely pleasant. She sent drawings of where our drivers would meet us. All I can keep stating is she is amazing!

We boarded the first private transfer at the approved area and our driver drove us to the Bologna train station. When we arrived in Venice, there was a young man waiting for us to take us to our private water taxi, which water taxied us right in front of our hotel. The hotel attendant assisted us with the luggage and checked us in.

She booked us at our hotel in Castello in Venice for three nights. The hotel was on the main street, but was away from the craziness of St. Mark’s Square. We had our first small-group, skip-the-line-tour on day two, with a guide from a local partner who was fantastic. He was witty and knowledgeable. Later we found out he was a professor—no wonder his knowledge of dates and history was so extensive. On our third day we met with a guide, again from the local partner, similar to the day before: small tour, skip the line. Our guide was also fantastic.

After our stay in Venice, we went to Stresa. Again, pick-up from our hotel with the water taxi was timely and the drop-off at the train station was smooth. Once we arrived in Milan train station, there was a driver waiting for us, who took us directly to our hotel. The location was magnificent and we could walk easily along the main street, right in front of the hotel.

The next day we met our guide, who picked us up at our hotel and took us on a full-day excursion to the three islands. He was extremely knowledgeable and worked with us at our pace. His incredible knowledge of history and his kindness won us over. Our travel designer pre-arranged lunch at one of the islands, which was outstanding.

Our last visit was to Como. I was a bit disappointed when we arrived at Como. The main area, where you see the charter boats, seemed small based on my expectations. She arranged a private tour that took us to two islands. That trip showed us the Como I had anticipated. We ended up in Bellagio where we had a late lunch at the restaurant at the tip of Bellagio and the boat picked us up and took us back to the main island. It was beyond words.

If you are visiting Italy, reach out to our travel designer; she will surely exceed your expectations.

When we started planning our trip to Italy, I knew I wanted to work with a travel agent—specifically, someone who specialized in Italy and was based there. After reaching out to several agencies and reviewing their responses, we chose Zicasso and, more specifically, our travel agent. She is based in Milan and from my very first interaction with her, I knew we had made the right choice.

Our trip could not have been more perfect. Our agent put a lot of thought into every location and planned activity. At the outset, we had a few discussions with her about what we wanted from the trip and, after that, we were happy to leave most of the details in her capable hands. Our goal was to explore mid-to-northern Italy and everything—from the hotels and tours to the free time and transportation—was beautifully organized.

Our 11-night trip started in Milan and ended in Florence, with overnight stays in Milan (one night), Lake Como (three nights), Venice (three nights), and Florence (four nights). Initially, I was hesitant about staying at Lake Como for three nights, but our agent encouraged me to do a little research. I’m so glad she did, as it turned out to be incredible. We had more self-guided time at Lake Como, which was perfect as we adjusted to the time change. In Venice, our itinerary became more structured, but we still had plenty of time for our own explorations. By the time we reached Florence, we had activities and tours planned for every day, which was just what we wanted.

A highlight for my family was a full-day trip into Tuscany, where we visited San Gimignano, an organic vineyard in Chianti, and finished with a tour of Siena. Our day trip to Rome allowed us to see the main attractions and we concluded the journey with a tour of Florence and the Accademia Gallery. Every tour our agent arranged was spot on.

Throughout our trip, she was wonderfully communicative—always available when we had questions, but never intrusive. She even helped us with a couple of last-minute requests: booking a hotel in Milan for one night and arranging train tickets to Verona for an impromptu visit to Juliet’s balcony. Whenever we needed something, she was there.

When we return to explore the mid-to-southern part of Italy, there’s no question that we’ll be asking her to plan our trip again. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a seamless, thoughtfully curated Italian adventure.

This was my third customized trip with Zicasso. I previously worked with Zicasso to plan and take mother-daughter trips to Iceland and Croatia. They are the perfect company to help your dreams for a personally unique adventure come true!

This time, I traveled with my daughter, son, and daughter-in-law to Italy. My hope was for my daughter and son to see the towns where their great-grandfather and great-grandmother emigrated from in the Abruzzo region, in the towns of Roccamontepiano and Bugnara. My research had an address for where their great-grandfather was born. Our driver found the address and we took photos of us standing in front of the house, which could now be considered a real fixer-upper. Just the same, it was a moment never to be forgotten. Thank you to our driver and his wealth of information!

Our home base was in Pescara, where we enjoyed a walk on the beach, excellent local cuisine at a local restaurant, and seafood at another local restaurant. These were recommended by our local travel agent and were clearly favorites of the locals.

We had a wonderful tour in Chieti, an historic and cultural gem, with our guide. She too was a gem of a guide!

We then traveled to Venice, which was far less crowded with tourists than in the high season. Upon arrival, a private gondola ride during dusk and at sunset was a surreal way to be welcomed to this beautiful city.

The next day we had a magnificent tour of St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace. Our guide was so engaging and knowledgeable, and eager to share ideas about other things to see while in Venice. We followed our tour with lunch at a historic restaurant, home to the invention of the Bellini. Yum! After lunch, we took the elevator to the top of the tower across from the basilica, with its spectacular panoramic view of the city and surrounding islands. Then our group splintered off—two of us did a Grand Canal boat ride and the other two headed to the isle of Murano to search for glass souvenir treasures.

Our next stop was Lake Como, with a one-hour unexpected stop in Verona. Thank you to our driver for suggesting the stop! Who knew there was a Roman arena and some to-die-for hot chocolate in Verona!

Then off to Lake Como. We had time before we could check in to our hotel, so we did a walkabout to acquaint ourselves with the city. We took a ride on the funicular for another delightful panoramic view and enjoyed cocktails while surveying the lake and city below. That evening, we traveled up into the mountains and had a marvelous meal at a mountain trattoria. We were just us and one other couple in the restaurant, and we watched the chef prepare our local food specialties from our table in front of the wood-burning fireplace. The mantel was adorned with trophies and photos of the local bocce teams over the decades. Again, if you want to travel for cibo delizioso, go to Italy!

The next day, we had a three-hour boat ride on Lake Como. Our skipper and guide made certain to point out and give some history on the villages dotting the coastline and the famous villas.

The following day we traveled north to Domaso for an afternoon at a family-run vineyard and restaurant with views of Lake Como and the Alps! Bellissimo! A family member gave us a wonderful tour of the history and the winemaking facility, as well as the many wines we sampled. We were treated to local charcuterie and ravioli that was made fresh while we were busy sampling. When we received the wine we ordered and shipped back home, they threw in extra gifts for us, with wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Then we were off to Milan for a chance to try our luck at making our own pasta, sauces, and gelato at a cooking school. Our chef instructor guided us as we made tagliatelle with a pesto sauce and pumpkin ravioli with a cream sauce. Of course, there were wine pairings! He made certain our creations were delicious!

That evening, we donned our fancy apparel and headed to La Scala to take in the opera, "Così fan tutte." The modern take on the comedy was refreshing and the venue was a must-see!

The next day, we were met by our guide, who shared the history of the UNESCO site of Santa Maria delle Grazie and Leonardo da Vinci’s "Last Supper" with expertise and reverence, while keeping us engaged. She likewise inspired us as we toured the Duomo di Milano, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, and the controversial Il Dito sculpture outside the city’s stock exchange.

That evening, we experienced a delightful meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The chef, from Naples, created and explained a never-to-be-forgotten bite-sized sampling plate highlighting the tastes of Naples on a plate shaped like the region, with its various borders.

Before leaving Milan, we had a tour of La Scala and its adjacent museum with our guide. She provided us with a history lesson that was quite interesting. That night, we dined at a local seafood restaurant, another treasure clearly favored by the locals. Our waiter was a gem and sent us off with the gift of a bottle of wine.

Our final stop was Turin. Once again, we divided—two of us visited the National Museum of Cinema and the panoramic lift housed in the museum. At the top, we gained a wonderful sense of the city,and the cinema museum was a fun surprise! Our other two toured the Juventus Museum and Stadium, and they thoroughly enjoyed their experience as well.

Our final day, we met our guide, who spent the entire day with us, with only a short break, beginning with a gourmet food tour of traditional Piedmont dishes. Along the way, she shared insights into the history and cultural significance of the foods. Later in the day, she guided us through the Royal Palace of Turin, including the Holy Shroud Chapel, Armory, and Museum. Once again, we were treated to a knowledgeable and entertaining guide.

We departed the next day, leaving with priceless memories of our Italy adventure.

Thank you so much to Zicasso’s travel agent. You helped make our trip come true with such care. Grazie mille!

Our trip was very well planned. All the guides we had were very good. Three of them were outstanding. Our guides in Ravenna and Bologna, Cinque Terre and Lake Como were outstanding. We had wonderful tours of a prosciutto factory and a Parmesan factory.

All of our hotels were great.

We had several drivers and they were all very good.

Our Zicasso travel agent made reservations for us at a couple of restaurants she recommended and they were both great choices. We can't say enough good things about the job she did for us.