The Best of Italy Tour: Rome, Amalfi Coast, Island of Capri and Tuscany

My husband and I were thrilled with our recent trip to Italy that Zicasso’s travel designer put together. We began by attending a family friend’s wedding, held in Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast. Due to my husband’s mobility issues, we were met by a driver and headed to the Amalfi Coast. The driver was first class and the trip was very comfortable.

After the wedding festivities, we were able to have the most wonderful experiences visiting the towns of Amalfi and Positano, and our base for one week was in beautiful Sorrento. We attended a cooking class and enjoyed eating what we prepared. We had in-depth learning opportunities in Naples and Sorrento. Every guide we had spoke excellent English and was so knowledgeable. We especially enjoyed Pompeii! A super-fun day was had on the small group tour of Capri. The crew was fantastic and very accommodating in consideration of my husband’s mobility issues.

From beginning to end everything went well. The use of a messaging app was great for making sure everyone was on the same page.

The only thing that was a disappointment was the pizza in Naples. It wasn’t the best.

The hotel in Sorrento was phenomenal - it couldn’t have been better. The view of Mt. Vesuvius from our balcony helped create memories we will have forever. The hotel in Rome was also very nice. It was right in the middle of the main attractions.

We are very happy with our experience with this travel company and would not hesitate to recommend it!

Our Italy trip with Zicasso’s travel partner was nothing short of spectacular! Referred by a friend who had an amazing experience, we decided to give it a try and were not disappointed. Our agent was fantastic, always ready with answers to our questions and providing excellent support throughout our journey.

In Tuscany, we visited beautiful wineries and enjoyed a delightful lunch with the vintners, who were incredibly warm and welcoming. Her attention to detail was evident when she adjusted our plans due to weather changes and even checked in on us when we were slightly delayed for a tour.

Siena was breathtaking and our hotel in Rome was perfectly located, allowing us to walk to all the major sites. One of the highlights was a small boat tour around Capri from Amalfi—perfect weather and stunning waters made it unforgettable. The cooking class on the Amalfi Coast, set on the side of a cliff, was exceptional and having personal tours just for the two of us was an unexpected and delightful bonus.

We can't express enough how much we enjoyed our Italy trip. The travel partner exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend them for a truly memorable experience!

We had the pleasure of working with Zicasso’s travel agents to create the perfect Italian adventure. I had quite a few specific requests, from travel logistics to hotel preferences, and they were incredibly patient and collaborative, offering multiple variations of the itinerary until it matched exactly what we envisioned.

Our journey began in Venice, where we were seamlessly picked up by a private driver, transferred to a water taxi, and dropped directly at our hotel. After a wonderful stay, we were taken by private driver to the train station for our ride from Venice to Florence, our one and only train trip, as we opted (based on their smart recommendation) for private transportation for the rest of our travels to avoid potential delays and enjoy added convenience.

From Florence, we were driven into the Tuscan hills, where we experienced magical wine tastings, vineyard tours, olive oil tastings, and unforgettable meals with wine pairings. 

Next, our private driver brought us to Pompeii, where we enjoyed a fascinating tour with our private guide, and then continued on to Rome. In Rome, we loved the private golf cart tour of the city’s major landmarks, as well as a delightful cooking class that was arranged for us; it was a real highlight!

Finally, we traveled by private driver to Sorrento. From there, we had a breathtaking driving tour of the Amalfi Coast, a lemon farm tour, and an amazing day trip to Capri. Every detail was thoughtfully planned and executed.

Summary:

Planning and Itinerary Creation: Zicasso’s consultants made the entire process easy and stress-free. They worked closely with us to perfect the itinerary and were always receptive to changes and feedback.

Hotels: My sister and I requested adjoining rooms and were provided with beautiful family suites throughout the trip. Each hotel was ideally located, comfortable, and well-appointed, with all the amenities we needed.

Transportation: Every transfer was smooth and punctual. The private drivers were professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. (A special shoutout to our driver in Florence/Tuscany – he was the best!)

Communication: Throughout our trip, the travel company’s team was always accessible. Whether we needed to make adjustments or had a question, they handled everything promptly, allowing us to relax and fully enjoy our vacation.

We spent just over two unforgettable weeks in Italy and it was absolutely perfect, all thanks to the hard work, attention to detail, and excellent communication from Zicasso’s travel company! I highly recommend them and would not hesitate to use them again for future adventures.

We had a wonderful trip. We started off dealing with a canceled train on the arrival day due to a strike, but you had back-up train tickets even before we arrived in Rome. The drivers were all on time and very courteous. The drivers in Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast were exceptional. The driver from Naples to Sorrento was very nice and helpful; however, his car smelled of smoke and was not very clean. The hotels in Florence and Rome were great, but the Sorrento hotel was not as nice. You spoiled us with the standards in Florence and Rome.

Our one suggestion for Capri involves time management. While no one can predict the crowds, I would suggest notifying your travelers that getting to Anacapri will take a long time, either by taxi or bus. Our group from the boat took an hour and 20 minutes to get to Anacapri by bus. The trip back to Marina Grande was an hour. There are no direct buses to and from Anacapri and Marina Piccola. My wife and I then walked to Marina Piccola since waiting for a bus would have made us late for the boat. The others in the group waited for taxis in Anacapri and we still beat them back to the boat, even though we walked from Marina Grande to Marina Piccola. Four hours is just not enough time to go up to Anacapri to ride the chair lift and get back. This was the only time we felt rushed during our trip.

We would like to thank you for a wonderful trip and would recommend your agency to others.

Hello there.

This was our fourth trip with Zicasso. We would consider this trip more of a tour not a curated travel experience. Felt more like tourists than travelers.

Not sure if we received great value working with an extra layer of operators.

Although we would rate logistics and client interaction 10/10 (staff of the travel company were very lovely and professional) not sure there were any great special "treasures" other tourists wouldn't have seen.

Additionally, the descriptions of expectations were way off on a few occasions and totally touristy when local staff suggested alternatives that were what we expected in the first place.

Examples of this were firstly in Bled, Slovenia.

No guide was necessary and we spent a lot of money unnecessarily. It was touristy and should have been a suggested quick stop. The much better choice was a lovely 20-minute drive away (we had our own car at this point) to Lake Bohinj.

Our very sweet bellman in Ljubljana suggested we visit here. It wasn't crowded and spectacular. We would have had a picnic packed for the day and enjoyed the hike here.

Another example is Capri. It was described by the travel company as beginning with an easy motorboat ride with a group (which was fine) a leisurely half-day on the island with shopping and lunch in a romantic cafe.

This was life in Capri maybe 30 years ago. Today it is a shoulder-to-shoulder nightmare.

We were greeted by a guide who informed us that this day was like Formula One. Every second counts! Don't be late for anything!

What anything we thought? Isn't today about just a romantic lunch and leisurely shopping?

We were loaded onto a ferry with 400 people (everyone seemingly much more informed about what lay ahead), then shown cue cards for where to meet and when.

Confused, we were then loaded onto a bus and off to the Grotto. What is the Grotto?

Thankfully my husband and I are good sports and went with the flow. We were ushered into yet another line and lay down flat in a rowboat and ventured through the cave. Although an adventure, the point is we were not informed of this. Next was the chairlift up the mountain. Beautiful. Yes, but more unexpected lines and waiting.

Group lunch next.

Crowded funicular ride down and another 398 people on the ferry home.

No romantic lunch and leisurely shopping for us.

It was all fine in the end. Our guide was excellent. But, you see my point. The travel company needed to explain this. I do believe I suggested Capri as part of our itinerary, but the expectation was as to how it was presented by the travel company. We would have either skipped this and chosen a different way to spend a beautiful day on the Amalfi Coast or been better prepared.

Our hotel in the in Vienna was lovely in an excellent location. The restaurant however was only open for breakfast. Very disappointing. When traveling we like to have the option of having dinner in the hotel and a nice drink in the bar after a day of discovering or a nightcap before bed. All said, in Vienna it felt like we had only a partial home base. Not a great beginning to the trip.

Overall, the trip was great. We loved the Amalfi Coast trip with our driver and our guide. Our guide was great. I highly recommend her! The boat ride to Capri was in just the right-sized boat, with 12 people. We liked our hotel location, which was right by the town. But note that a third of the hotel was closed, so the dining area is now just a small alley on the side of the hotel. We loved the proximity to the beach area.