10-Day Spain and Italy Cultural Cornucopia Tour

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.

Overall, this may be too much, but we were happy to have written it down as it allowed us to relive the experience. This was a wonderful trip and we absolutely recommend Zicasso and our travel agent. We are already thinking about our next adventure in Italy. Here are the details...

Planning: Zicasso’s travel agent did a wonderful job of helping us plan a trip, making adjustments and ensuring the adventure turned out perfectly. We interviewed several approaches to planning the trip and our choice with Zicasso’s tour company was the right one for us. The trip app was great and kept everything right at our fingertips. We will definitely reach out to this travel agent when we return to Italy.

Food: How is it that when we stopped on the highway to Florence for a coffee, the food was as good as any high-end restaurant in the United States—organic, fresh, and tasty. One of our crew is gluten sensitive in the United States… in Italy, it’s not the gluten, it’s the chemicals used in the United States. We ate bread at every meal and had no problems. We learned that more simple fare is better fare and just amazing. No need for exotic tasting of cheese, bread, wine, pasta, salad, olive oil, vinegar, with fresh vegetables in the sauce, is all one ever needs… until the gelato at least twice a day.

Logistics: The logistics were great and absolutely essential for first-time travelers. There were guides and drivers to meet us at every stop. They seemed to know what we looked like and were just so very helpful.

Guides: Great choices across the board! Their knowledge and love of their various cities was detailed and charming. It was clear that each city fancies itself as the origin of culture and much more. We loved the perspectives and personalities of the people, and of our guides in Rome, Florence, the Tuscan farm, Venice, the Venice water tour, and Pompeii.

Drivers: Our three drivers, especially the one who got stuck with us on the way to Florence due to an auto accident. He really had an extended day and we really appreciated his patience. We got to know him a little and he was delightful.

Travel by train: It was so easy, fast, and comfortable. We loved the time together and the scenery. The added benefit of the lounge made a big difference from the busyness of the train station. We loved this, all at 300 km/h!

Hotels: The hotels were exactly as described—centrally located, convenient, and very comfortable.

Rome: The best beds and staff!

Florence: The best location—convenient to shops/cafés and breakfast.

Venice: Great location, with window views of the canals; it was very nice, but a bit dated in decor in the lobby. We would still stay there next trip!

Planning and sites visited: Overall, each of the cities and sites were outstanding. They gave us a great insight into Italy as a country, as well as its culture and people. Everyone we engaged with (including hotel staff, restaurants, and locals) was friendly, helpful, and engaging. The pervasiveness of English speakers was incredible. Our single-language approach is something we need to work on in the United States! We always felt safe and well taken care of. The added benefit of this support was that it allowed all of us to focus on the city and countrysides, not the driving. It may cost a bit more, but we felt it was totally worth it.

Roma: Here is the only mistake we made in planning our trip. Doing the Vatican and ruins/Colosseum in the same day is too much. This was clearly our decision and our travel agent suggested that it was “a lot.” Having said that, the pre-purchase and guide is clearly the way to go in whatever city you visit. The three sites are incredible.

Pompeii: We thought this would be neat to see, but not as amazing as the other sites…we were wrong. Pompeii is an incredible site and the pace of the tour was just about right for us. This is a place where you can walk the streets where people have walked since long before Christ. The opulence of their living (steam baths, frescos, statues, and mosaics) is incredible.

Tuscan countryside: The organic farm and cheese-making visit, including a quick trip to Pienza, was an absolute highlight. The lunch was fantastic and inspired us to eat organic! We also loved that to get to the farm you had to travel on gravel roads (well maintained, by the way) and got to see working farms.

Pienza is a beautiful, small village where we could spend an entire day exploring. Next visit, we will carve out a day to shop there and spend the night. There was so much to do in a limited time!!!

Florence: It's just beautiful. The work by Michelangelo just defies explanation and leaves you breathless. The churches are a monument to the wealth and dedication of generations of craftsmen engaged in centuries of work. The cooking class was wonderful and fun, and there was so much food. Making your own tiramisu, pasta, chicken dishes, and sauces was just wonderful.

Venice: We skipped the gondola ride because the tour of the Grand Canal was just incredible. Some of us were a bit spooked by the narrow “streets” or, better yet, passageways. However, we all loved the tour and exploring. One of our crew took off later in the day after the tour and tried to get lost… successfully. But with a bit of iPhone maps and the kindness of the people, they found cafés, open-air markets, an antique shop, children playing football, and a delightful adventure.

Zicasso's travel company planned the most amazing trip to Venice, Verona, Florence, Tuscany, Siena, and Rome for our family of five. It was the best trip I've ever taken, and having all the details covered by them and plans and tickets sent to us via WhatsApp allowed us to really live in the moment and not have to think about what was next. I loved every second. I cannot wait to plan another trip to Italy to experience the southern half of the country.

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!

We did a custom trip with Zicasso’s tour operator. We visited Normandy and Paris, France, and Florence and Rome, Italy. Every tour was fantastic, planning was super-simple, and our travel agent was very responsive! We would absolutely plan another trip with this travel company.

Zicasso's tour company did a wonderful job of planning our dream honeymoon! Our travel agent took into consideration our wants and wishes, and created half- and full-day activities for us throughout the trip. We were able to visit four locations (Rome, Sorrento, Florence, and Venice) while in Italy. The trip was a perfect mix of relaxation and exploration. The tour company took away the stress of traveling and allowed us to enjoy the days without worries.