Culture of Tuscan Wine & Cuisine Tour

THE BEST VACATION EVER!!!!

I must admit that I was somewhat uncomfortable arranging a group tour to Italy with someone I communicated with only via the Internet and telephone.  However, after my first communication with our agent -- I knew that she “had it.”  She understood exactly what we wanted to do.  She was right-on in both concept and execution.

Our ten-day adventure in Italy began with a private transfer with an English speaking local driver from the Rome airport to our fantastic 3 star boutique hotel located right in the historical center of Rome.  During our three days in Rome, we had fantastic private tours of Ancient Rome, the Coliseum, and the Vatican Museums.  Extremely knowledgeable, English-speaking guides led all of our tours.  Sense of Italy had arranged for VIP, skip the line, priority entrance for all tours -- saving us from long waits in long lines.

After our busy 3 days in Rome, we departed via private van transfer from our hotel in Rome to the Chianti Region of Tuscany.  The transfer included stops on the Val D’ Orcia to visit the amazing Villages of Montalcino and Montepulciano.  The “light lunch” and wine tasting we enjoyed in Montalcino was one of the highlights of our trip.  In Tuscany we stayed 7 Nights in a beautiful, historic villa located on one of the best wine estates of Chianti (Villa Le Corti near San Casciano) where we were met with a fantastic welcome dinner. During our time in Tuscany we were transported by private van from our villa to private tours of Siena, San Gimignano, Florence, Pisa and Lucca.  On each of our stops we were met by knowledgeable English speaking guides that clearly were proud of the history of their country, and were anxious to share it.  Interspersed in all of this activity were numerous exceptional meals with opportunities to taste (and drink) very fine Italian wines.

When we finally were forced to leave Italy, our agent arranged for private transport accommodating our varying departure times from the Florence airport and train station.

Thanks to this travel company and our agent for designing the perfect vacation for our group.  The only complaint that I heard was that we ate too much — wow was all the food delicious.  I really don’t know how she did it.  All of the tours were great — the van drivers friendly and helpful, the guides knowledgeable, and the sites spectacular.  Our stay in the villa was a great experience.  We were treated royally everywhere.  We all marveled at our agent's ability to get us, the vans, the guides, the food and wine, etc. all at the right place at the right time.  She is a genius!!!!

Jeff E

My husband and I just returned from a two-week vacation in Italy. With the help of Zicasso and our travel company, we were able to fit every wish into this short time.

We started out in Rome, then went on to Florence for some amazing history. We then traveled to the Tuscany and Chianti countryside for private cooking and wine experiences. We loved the small villages we explored and the little family-owned wineries and olive farms.

A highlight was staying in a bed and breakfast in Ponzano that overlooked the beautiful olive gardens and countryside. We explored the small villages of San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Montalcino, and felt like we had discovered authentic local life.

The tail of our trip was spent in the beautiful Lake Como area, with a day trip to Lugano, Switzerland.

The 2 weeks in Italy our travel agent planned for us  was fantastic. We has a fantastic schedule with experienced and excellent guides. This was my first time in Italy, a 60th birthday trip with my sisters, we have varied interests and she hit the mark on them all! The hotel location in Sestri Levante was the perfect location. The weather was beautiful for late Sept., we enjoyed the beach and calm Mediterranean waters when we were relaxing back at the hotel.  The guide on our hike in Cinque Terra was very good. We did not know what to expect. His knowledge on the history of the area kept us more than expected. The guide knew the area and was able to rearrange our schedule due to rough winds that cancelled the ferry.

I would have never taken a pesto making class, but it was a highlight!

The sailing day was absolutely perfect. The weather was beautiful, and the skipper was a true sailor!

On our way to Florence we stopped in Lucca and a winery that were fantastic. The driver was prompt and informative. Our hotel in Florence had the perfect location! Close to both sides of the river to explore by foot every day. The 2 days with our guide were fantastic! She was excellent in every way, she knew the history, art and even helped with restaurant suggestions and reservations. Having a guide was the perfect way to not only see the sights but understand the time period and history. The day trips out of Florence to Chianti, Siena and San Gimignano, were perfect with wine-tasting interspersed with visiting the smaller towns in the Tuscany region. The weather was beautiful both a weeks we were in Italy. 

The trip exceeded our expectations in every-way and we will all be repeat customers!! 

Thanks for making my 60th birthday trip, the trip of a lifetime!

~~OUR STORYBOOK VACATION CREATED BY ZICASSO

The most beautiful vacation was created for my husband and me by this agent, partner of Zicasso. At our initial contact with Zicasso, we advised them of our dream vacation which we wanted in the Tuscany and Umbria regions of Italy.  Very soon thereafter we received an e-mail from our agent wanting to know what we wanted to see and do on this vacation.  We provided a short list of our desires and she got to work.She contacted us by phone from Florence, Italy where she is located and spent 45 minutes getting to know us and detailing the itinerary with us.  That was only the beginning!Within a few days, she set up the itinerary which was perfect for us.  We began our journey by flying to Venice (a gondola ride was scheduled, of course).  A couple of days later, took a train to Florence (beautiful experience, because our reservations and tickets were already in hand).  A private driver met us at the platform and took us to our hotel).  A few more days and we were off by rented car (already paid for and ready to go thanks to our agent) and drove off to other parts of Tuscany (Radda in Chianti, Montalcino, Bevagna and the small villages along the way of Volterra, San Gimignano, Siena, Val d’Orcia area with the beautiful Abbey of Sant’ Antimo and listening to the spiritual and beautiful Gregorian chants during Mass, followed by our next stop in the Umbria region - Cortona, and staying in Bevagna.  Of course, we cannot forget our inspirational visit to Assisi with a private guide.  Everything was perfectly orchestrated by our agent.  The train, the car, the hotels, the private tour guides, the tickets, were all taken care of. She also provided her emergency number should there have been any problem at all.We are so happy we chose this wonderful travel agency and, we must say, most dedicated and pleasant agent, to handle this dream vacation for us.  One which we will remember forever!!Thank you – BRAVO!!!

Sincerely,

Veronica and Leonard B

Wonderful 10 day trip to central Italy planned by this Italy travel company.   We spent the first part of the trip at Castello di Casole in the Tuscan countryside, then Florence and the final part of the trip in Rome.    While in Tuscany, we took day trips to Montalcino, Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza, San Gimignano and Greve.   We had walking tours in Florence and Rome. our agent at this travel company planned all the details, transfer drivers, tour guides and hotel arrangements.   Everything went according to plan and was of outstanding quality.   The agency gave us a very detailed package of information with all the relevant details for each day.   

Great Vacation

If I could give more than five stars I would!

I just returned from the best vacation of my life. I have traveled extensively through different tours, cruises and travel agents. This agent is a travel Goddess. The trip to Italy she set up for myself, my mom and my daughter exceeded all of our expectations. This agent and I worked together on the itinerary for a few months prior to my vacation, she listened to what I wanted, and what I didn’t want and put together the most perfect tour package. Never in my life have I had a trip to multiple cities, go so smoothly, there was zero stress for us during our trip. We did not go with a tour group this is a tour she set up for the three of us. Our agent meticulously thought through each and every detail of our trip.  There were maps and pictures to help us find where we needed to be to go on our tours.

Venice-was marvelous, the hotel was quaint and in a perfect location to walk to all the sites in Venice. The staff was friendly and the room was very nice. We had a group tour of the Doge Palace and St. Marks, our tour leader was interesting and knowledgeable. 

A driver picked us up and took us to Verona, a beautiful city. At the hotel, the staff was friendly, and the hotel was in the center of the city, where it was easy to walk around.

A driver picked us up from Verona and drove us to Florence, we stayed at a beautiful hotel, and our room was spectacular, with high ceilings and a lot of space. The hotel staff was fantastic, friendly and helpful. They went above and beyond for anything we needed.  In Florence our agent set us up with a fabulous cooking class, this class is a must if you visit Florence, we made potato soufflé, eggplant, homemade pasta, chicken and Tiramisu. The class was a perfect size about 10 people, we laughed, we cooked and had a blast. Once the cooking was done, we all went downstairs where they served us the delicious meal we just made, with wine. At the end they gave us a recipe book for everything we cooked. The chef was delightful, it was one of the many highlights of our trip.  The following day we had our tour of Florence with a fabulous guide—she shared her incredible in depth knowledge of Florence. This was a private tour with just the four of us, she shared, interesting facts about the beautiful city of Florence without overwhelming us with information. Took us for coffee, showed us how the locals do it. She is perfection. We really enjoyed our tour with our guide.

The Chianti vineyard dinner was fabulous, this is also a must. We arrived by bus to this beautiful family run vineyard. There were tables and antipasti set up for us on the top of the hill near the restaurant. There also provided blankets for everyone, as it got cold once the sun went down. We were served tasty Chianti and met the rest of the guests before heading down the hill to one of the most delicious meals we had eaten. There was so much food and wine. Everything cooked to perfection. Everyone who attended quickly bonded and were fast friends by the end of the night. Did I mention the delicious wine?  It flowed freely. Good thing we were on a bus on the way home. This was another highlight of our trip.

The following day we had a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano, our driver and tour guide kept us laughing with stories and history of the area. He was the perfect host and made our tour of these two beautiful cities fun. We were a bit tired and sluggish (remember the wine from the night before?) He showed us some of the most beautiful spots around the area and would always pull over so we could take a photo. We adored him. If you get to Florence, have the agent book you with this guide!

From Florence we went to Rome, our agent set us up at a lovely hotel in the heart of Rome. The tours we did in Rome were educational and inspiring. We did a small walking tour the evening of the first night. This was helpful as it helped us know where things were for our next few adventures. The tour guides were very nice.

After three days in Rome a driver took us to Ceccano where we stayed at a quaint ville. The beautiful woman who runs the hotel was incredibly nice and accommodating. She made us feel like family. We enjoyed our stay at that hotel.

Our final days were spend it Positano. Positano is picture perfect, the town is gorgeous, there is great shopping. The factories that create the beautiful lacy clothing is in Positano. Let me start with our hotel, it was beautiful, our view from the balcony was the water. It was perfection.  The staff at the hotel, especially the two gentlemen behind the desk. They were the best. They were incredibly helpful, charming, and funny we adored them. They made our trip even better. The room was spacious, clean and had a lovely balcony with a view.

This trip was just fabulous, we had the best time, it was relaxing, exhilarating, educational and most of all fun. To our agent, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You made this trip everything we wanted and more.