Discovering Italy and Spain: Special Off the Beaten Path Tour

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, along with our 2 children (age 20 and 17), enjoyed a wonderful Italian vacation booked through Zicasso and this travel agency.  Our travel consultants listened to my ideas and arranged for us a fantastic custom itinerary.   They stayed within the budget allotted, offered choices for beautiful hotels and private tours, and made several revisions as per our request.  We departed from New York on our 25th anniversary, and spent 10 days traveling the country within the month of November.  This off-season time proved to be a great decision as reservations were easy to obtain, crowds were minimal (mostly all locals), and the weather was conducive for walking and sightseeing (average 60 degrees F).  Transportation and the personal drivers were top notch; with Mercedes SUVs or minivans to take my family from Milan-Chianti-Florence-Verona-Venice and then the high speed train down to Rome.  Accommodations arranged for us were phenomenal!  We stayed in a 12th century castle in Chianti, in the heart of the city center in Florence, and near the Spanish Steps in Rome.  The personal tour guides were friendly and knowledgable, and were happy to recommend eateries preferred by locals.  All in all, everything was flawless. We plan to return some day to see the Amalfi coast, Positano and Capri.  We would absolutely recommend these travel consultants, and the travel company team to anyone who is looking for a personalized Italian vacation.

Perfect! This was our first experience using Zicasso, and we were extremely well pleased with the concept, and with the company we selected. Our planning for this trip of 17 days in October began in January, when we first selected them among the companies we were referred to, and outlined our plans, desired itinerary, and interests in an extensive telephone conversation with the rep.He and we were in frequent touch by email and phone over the next two months to refine our program. We decided to drop one city from our itinerary; we altered our original flight plans for arriving/departing Spain, added/subtracted some activities; approved places where we might want a guided tour and those where we would not. Throughout, the rep was an effective and capable advisor, offering suggestions (include a visit to Toledo), using his expertise to recommend the best itinerary for the trip based on train/air times and choke points (how to include a stop in Ronda); taking local holidays into account, even quickly preparing an alternate itinerary at one point when it appeared our party would have to be just 2 rather than 4.We signed a contract and paid a deposit in March to finalize our plans. In ensuing months, the company worked to nail down the details: train and air travel within country; pickups/drop-offs at hotels/airports; car service for excursions by road; reservations at hotels we had chosen based on the rep's recommendations; tickets for museums or events, especially those that often need to be obtained in advance. We had chosen from the start to do our own research and selection of restaurants, but the company also offered an extensive list of possibilities in the various places were visiting; and once we made our decisions, the company kindly made all the reservations for us, fitting the exact times in with our schedule of other things. All this was magically and effectively done for us without a lot of effort or time on our part, so by October 1, there was little to worry about except boarding the plane.From the moment we landed at Barcelona, to the date we departed sixteen (actually seventeen) days later, everything went like clockwork. It became clear that the rep and his team were personally committed to ensure that things would proceed without a hitch. By reports from drivers and guides, they often knew before we did that we might be running a little late somewhere, and made small adjustments accordingly.  Of course, there were minor snags - in one case, due to a miscommunication between a guide and a driver, we couldn't find our driver, and he couldn't find us; and in the jammed ancient streets of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, we were surprised to find a vehicle could only get as close as two blocks from the front door of our hotel -- but those were rare exceptions.  In addition, we and the rep communicated as needed by phone and text, for example when we decided to cancel a reservation at one restaurant. More important, when our airline cancelled our departure flight with one day's notice, we of course had to work out our alternate flight with the airlines directly, but the company took some pressure off by getting our stay at our hotel extended (and of course adjusting our transport to the airport).Hotels: In the four places where we had set up overnight stays (Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, and Madrid), for which the company had recommended the hotels, we were very happy with their choices. We had expressed a preference for smaller hotels  in a historic building, and the rep's recommendations did not disappoint - everywhere, we found wonderful accommodation with friendly, helpful staff (most also had their own restaurant). After the trip, we tried to agree on a favorite - but all were favorites, albeit with different features.Guides: Last, but most important, was the rep's success in selecting such excellent guides for our city, museum, and food/wine tours. In each case, our guide was a native of the city we were in; in each case, they were not only expert in their fields but had a lot of great, interesting information to impart about local customs and legends, shopping, and institutions. Our guides added immensely to our enjoyment and learning from the trip – they made a world of difference.The "bottom line" is that if/when we plan more travel in Spain, we will definitely work with Zicasso, and hope to have the chance to work again with this company and their rep.

This was an elite tour of many locations in Spain. It was a nice touch to have a Mercedes limousine service to transport us between airports or train stations and hotels.

The boutique hotels were comfortable and located within walking distance of major tourist attractions and the best old-town restaurants. We received a coveted invitation to a family booth at the Seville spring fair, then a front-row view of the bullfight, and, later, flamenco dancing. The private guides were very knowledgeable of the sites, took us to the important things to see, and photographed us for lasting memories. Spain is renowned for its fine cuisine, and we were taken to the best tapas/pintxos bars and very delighted to experience delectable Michelin-rated restaurants.

Overall, this was an exceptional experience organized by Zicasso’s very professional tour agency.