Southern Italy Travel Guide

Matteo provided exactly the trip we wanted, which was a 12-day tour of Sicily, starting in Palermo and ending in Catania. We spent 3 nights in most hotels and approved of his choices, which gave us different experiences of hotels in Sicily. In Taormina we stayed at Hotel Calipso, Hotel Kore in Agrigento, and A Casa Di Anna in Palermo. He provided us with a cellphone upon arrival and checked in from time to time. His English is excellent. We sometimes had problems with internet, and he would call the hotel to try to get a solution, then report back. We used two guides provided by him for specific tours, but basically did things by ourselves. I would turn to him for my next trip to Italy.

We had a fantastic trip that exceeded our expectations. We had an excellent trip planned with Marilisa and she was open to our ideas and to our requested changes and implemented them quickly and got back to us with the confirmation that it was done. The travel arrangements at the airports and daily for tours and excursions were always on time and with great drivers who were helpful and had fun conversations about where we were going and in-depth history. Their skills in driving the vans along the Amalfi coast was amazing and we were all so glad that we were in the hands of expert drivers on these extremely tight and curvy congested roads. Each tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the area we went to. More commentary on the tour guides below.The hotels that were provided were great for the two groups. Each one had a good reason why they chose them. In Naples it was right in the center of the old town beaming with life and restaurants. The hotel had a fantastic breakfast room and a great bar service in the afternoon. The rooms were ok, nothing special.The hotel in Vietri sul Mare was a gem. Great location, great views of the ocean, friendly and helpful staff and had some great restaurants nearby. The hotel in Palermo was also right in the middle of the city center with great restaurants in walking distance, but the rooms were just ok, and the breakfast area was very tight to move around. The Resort in Taormina was fantastic also. Same owner as the hotel in Vietri sul Mare. Great location on the beach, easy to get to downtown Taormina. A great bar cafe on the beach and the breakfast area was overlooking the beach. A great place to spend our two free days at the end of the trip. The hotel in Naples was also beautiful for our last night, but we didn't get to use it much as it was the last night before flying home. Our only real disappointment was the first transportation of the trip from Naples airport to the hotel. The driver seemed to be in a hurry when getting us to the hotel. He didn't know the area very well and said he couldn't get any closer to the hotel due to the small roads. He pointed up the road and said it should be up there. We all had two bags to drag around while searching for the hotel. Luckily, we had our phones to use. He wasn't even on the right street, and we had to walk around to find it. The next morning our driver was right outside the hotel, so there was no problem with the road. 

We (family of 4 including two teenagers) had a wonderful trip to southern Italy the last two weeks of June:  Sorrento, Naples, Matera, Polignano a Mare (Puglia region).  With Sorrento as our base we saw Positano/Amalfi Coast, Capri and Pompeii.  In Puglia we visited Ostuni, Alberobello and Lecce, went to a wine tasting (with great wine!), and visited two masserias:  one for an olive oil tasting, and another with a pasta-making class.  Our travel agent at at this company helped us to plan a great itinerary.  She was very flexible and helped us keep within our budget, and the logistics she put together were flawless.  I also felt she truly listened to what we wanted - even her first draft itinerary was very close to the mark.  Highly recommended.