Cultural Treasures of France, Spain, & Italy Itinerary

We visited Madrid, Toledo, San Sebastián, Bayonne, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hondarribia, La Rioja, Barcelona, Montserrat, and the Penedes (Cava) region.

We loved our private guides, private wine tastings, and day trips outside of the big cities.

I apologize for the delay in writing this review, but was very busy the last few months and wanted to dedicate the time it deserved. This review will address my wife and my trip to Italy from September 26, 2025, to October 6, 2025. Please feel free to share all or any portion of this review.

Trip Planning:

As a bucket-list event, I spent a great deal of time doing research, but would not have been able to put together the ideal vacation without the support of Zicasso and the travel company. Upon hearing my general interests, Zicasso provided two groups whom they thought would be able to plan and implement my trip. Both groups interviewed me and my wife about interests and price range, and then prepared an initial itinerary. Both groups would have done a fantastic job by their presentation, but it seemed I was slightly more in tune with the travel company and selected them. This proved to be a very wise choice, as the entire team at the travel company, particularly the travel specialists, were the absolute best and I would recommend their service without reservation. Fully responsive to my many questions before the trip, addressing all potential itinerary changes, and providing invaluable guidance throughout the entire process. Their response to inquiries while in the country was unbelievably prompt and thorough. At our request, the travel specialists made restaurant recommendations and reservations that were spot-on. I can’t say enough good things about these ladies.

Transportation and travel between locations:

Although not involved in the flights, the travel specialists provided great guidance concerning flights, trip insurance, and other logistics.

One key point that I fully expressed was that I did not want to flounder at the various transportation points and did not want to lug luggage in foreign areas on the way to and from lodging. The team took this to heart and provided me with either an escort or driver to and from every terminal. Everyone providing this task was friendly and provided information that made the travel much easier. Particularly valuable were our escorts, who adeptly negotiated our entrance and exit from Venice, and provided great insights into this historic city.

Venice:

Our hotel in Venice seemed to be right in the middle of everything, which allowed us to explore, and we have never had so much fun getting lost. At night, we opened our windows and fell off to sleep listening to nearby music; it was idyllic. The staff was professional and friendly. Breakfast was the best of all the hotels we stayed at in Italy.

The first full day in Venice, the travel company leveraged “skip the line” so we could make the very most of our time and is essential to any planning. Both guides were great and really good company. One guide’s knowledge of the Doge Palace really brought it to life for us. Another guide had a real insider’s view of Burano, as this was her family’s island. As private tours, we could go at our own pace, which we really liked. Probably the least enjoyable tour was the glass factory in Murano. We got the impression most of the tour beyond the initial exhibition was an attempt to sell their products. My wife succumbed and purchased a pair of earrings that broke the first time she wore them. Really disappointing, and I would advise you to spend more time in Burano.

Florence:

As with all the trains, the travel was very comfortable and we enjoyed watching the scenery. Our lodging in Florence was right on the Santa Maria square, superb for people watching. The staff was fine, nothing more. The hotel was near the world’s oldest pharmacy, famous as the world's oldest perfumery. Although there is a line to enter, it goes quickly and is historical, to say nothing of buying a scent more than 400 years old. I strongly recommend you go.

While knowledgeable, our tour guide for the Accademia and Uffizi Galleries was a little too technical for us, leaving us with the feeling that we were taking an art history class.

Dinner was based on the travel specialist's recommendation and it was delicious. A strong recommendation.

Day trip to Pisa:

The travel arrangements were perfect. The purpose of the trip was to take the obligatory picture holding up the tower—hokey, but we loved it.

The private cooking class with our instructor was a lot of fun. The view of the city from her window at sunset was beautiful. My wife and our instructor fell into a real rhythm cooking, and she was kind enough not to scoff at my ham-handed attempts. Her directions were simple enough for me to follow, theoretically. She followed up her lesson with an email containing detailed recipes. We have purchased all necessary utensils and are planning a pasta-making party soon. This was a fun change of pace.

Rome:

Our bed-and-breakfast in Rome was our least favorite lodging. Entry into the building was confusing and, as a B&B, the desk was not manned all the time, which made it difficult to secure a taxi early in the morning (we had to walk to a nearby hotel) or get assistance after 8pm or before 6am. When we came in, we attempted to coordinate laundry service with the person working the front desk, followed his instructions, but when we returned the next day, our dirty clothes were still where we were told to leave them. The initial response from the on-duty staff, who I believe was the owner, was that the individual was no longer an employee. Ultimately, the hotel comped and completed our laundry, which was nice. We would have preferred different lodging.

Our first afternoon, we took a four-hour golf cart tour, which was our favorite tour of the entire trip. Adding an extra hour to the traditional length and having only my wife and me allowed us to do everything we wanted to do. Our driver took us everywhere. He would drop us at the top of the Spanish Steps and meet us at the bottom, and would conveniently bring us closest to all other locations. I can’t believe how much we did in four hours. Our driver brought all these iconic sites to life with his marvelous insight and provided a great insider view of these monuments. This is a must-do for all first-time visitors to Rome. The only thing we were not able to do, due to no fault of our driver, was the Aventine Keyhole. When we got there in the afternoon, the line was 45 minutes and not a wise use of our time. If this is a strong interest, he recommends going early in the morning.

The travel specialists arranged tickets for the Papal general audience on Wednesday. Rising at sunrise was worth it to get the seats as close as we were able to secure. Most online sites suggest getting there an hour and a half before the start time, but I think that is much too late. I recommend you get there three to four hours ahead to get the best seats. The best seats are on the end near where the Pope drives by, ideally near an infant, and His Holiness will stop to personally bless these children. Facing the stage, the right side filled up quicker than the left side, so go directly to the left side of the audience. Being so close to the first American-born Pope was a memory I will never forget. His Holiness blesses all items in the audience's possession, so load up on rosary beads; they will make great Baptism and Communion gifts.

The afternoon was our first group tour at the Vatican Museums. It might be that we were spoiled with the previous private tours, but linking up with the group was chaotic and the quality of the tour was contingent on those in our group. Fortunately, all our groups were good, considerate, and friendly people. The main value was skipping the line for entrance. As with the Doge Palace, our guide was a little too academic and didn't really manage time well, potentially a victim of being in a group, but I would have rather spent more time in the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. Taxis were extremely hard to get back to the hotel and I would arrange a ride if I were to do it again.

The Thursday tour of the Colosseum and Forum was also a group tour, but led by a guide who brought this ancient land to life. An archaeologist by trade, our guide seemed to know everything and also took a great picture.

The end of a very long but enjoyable day was another group tour of the catacombs and Santa Maria Maggiore. While the catacombs were the main attraction, the after-hours and behind-the-scenes access to Santa Maria Maggiore was an unexpected gem. Going through a second Holy Door, viewing the magnificent nighttime skyline from the roof, seeing the location of a relic from the baby Jesus’ manger, and being struck by the modesty of Bernini’s and Pope Francis’s tombs were all highlights. Unfortunately, taxis were again hard to come by.

Sorrento:

We took a train from Rome to Naples. While there was a national strike, it did not prove more than an inconvenience, no worse than New York City on a regular day. Our driver from Naples told us this simply provided us with a genuine Italian experience. I wish I could remember this driver’s name because he was the best of a very good group of drivers during this trip. En route to Sorrento, we stopped for a tour and meal at a winery and a private skip-the-line tour of Pompeii. We were so impressed with the quality of the winery that we made a large purchase of wines and olive oils that, thankfully, included free shipping.

During our drive to Sorrento, our driver took us through his hometown, which we really enjoyed. Going through the town, he pointed out the birthplace of Bruce Springsteen’s mother. Little did he know, we were from New Jersey and are HUGE Springsteen fans.

Our hotel in Sorrento was a nice place, close to the center of town. I would have preferred a hotel with a view of the coast.

On Saturday, we took a private tour up the coast. This was the most comfortable car I have ever ridden in, with heated and cooled seats, and a convenient icebox. The driver made clear he was at our disposal. The scenery was marvelous and it was a thrill to dip our toes in the Med. Our driver hooked us up with a restaurant on a cliff overlooking the water—beautiful and scrumptious.

Our last day was supposed to be the Gozzo tour of Capri, but was canceled due to weather. We refunded the canceled boat tour, but ate the driver and ferry fees. In hindsight, knowing this day was largely contingent on weather, I would have liked to have a contingency plan and would advise the travel company to plan this in the future.

Based on how smoothly things went, we will be contacting Zicasso to arrange a trip to Iceland and Ireland next fall, and hope they can refer a team as talented as this travel company.

Zicasso's travel specialist asked for our interests, to which we replied history, art, food, and wine. When queried about accommodations, our preferences were that they have character and be varied. Our expectations were exceeded.  

We were two couples who had a spectacular survey trip of Italy. Our agent addressed our request for history by arranging private tours with expert guides. We visited multiple eras: ancient times at the Egyptian Museum in Turin and the Colosseum in Rome; medieval times at the Medici palazzos; Byzantine times with views of the frescoes in Puglia; and modern history during a delightful food tour of Turin that featured historical cafés renowned for their political meetings and plotting. 

We indulged in a smorgasbord of art and history, as it is readily available wherever you journey in Italy. The guides and drivers were knowledgeable, pointing out treasures in the palazzos, the Vatican, the public squares, cafés, the cathedrals, and churches. Food tours featured cheese, capicola and truffle tasting. Multiple types of wines and vineyards were sampled, the settings varied and the offerings enjoyed.  

Accommodations could not have been better chosen. We enjoyed staying at a converted fortified monastery and a historic 16th-century palace. We appreciated the sunset over Turin from the upper deck of the hotel and enjoyed hidden privacy in Rome in our suites.  

During the trip, our guide shepherded this complex trip and promptly addressed any issues that occurred (delayed trains and coordinating tour guides). Unequivocally, each tour was unique and well picked by our agent. We strongly recommend this agency to help you have a fantastic trip to Italy! 

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!

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 trip was the best vacation my husband and I have ever taken! Zicasso's travel designer was excellent; he was very knowledgeable and planned the perfect itinerary. I would book another trip with him in a heartbeat! I told him we wanted to go to Barcelona and the activities we wanted to do. He was spot-on with the initial itinerary and we only needed to make minor adjustments based on additional recommendations he had.

The entire trip was very well planned out and everything went off perfectly. I wish I could do this trip all over again!

We stayed the first three nights in Llafranc, Costa Brava, which is a very lovely seaside town that our travel designer suggested. The hotel there was beautiful, pristine, and right on the beach. We went for a wonderful hike, took a day trip to the Dalí Museum, and had a wine tasting at a smaller vineyard that he suggested rather than a large, touristy one. Here, we had a private tour and tasting with the host. On our way to Barcelona we had a tour of Girona, where it was very interesting to see and learn about the history. We loved the hotel in Barcelona. It was in a great location, with many good restaurants nearby, and was also beautiful and pristine. The first night in Barcelona we saw a flamenco show that was incredible and the next day we saw Park Güell and La Sagrada Família. In the evening, we did a tapas tour through five restaurants that was so much fun. The next day, we had a cooking class, which was one of our favorite activities of the trip. The last day, we took a bus trip out to Montserrat, which is well worth seeing and only about an hour outside the city.

I was able to be in communication with our agent throughout the trip. He was always available for questions and also gave us recommendations for restaurants and bars to go to. He also made dinner/lunch reservations as needed.

All of the private guides that were hired were excellent: our guide who did our hike, our guide who took us to the Dalí Museum and Girona, and our guide who showed us Park Güell and La Família Sagrada. They were all so knowledgeable and enjoyable to be with. Even the guides when doing group activities were amazing: our guide who did the cooking class, our guide who took us to Montserrat, and our guide who did the tapas tour.

I appreciated that although our itinerary was busy, our travel designer made sure there was still free time to explore on our own. He was a pleasure to work with and made this vacation so special. The whole process of planning was very easy because of his expertise. I will definitely use him and the tour company for future trips!