Family Exploration of Italy's Historic Cities & Enchanting Countryside

The trip was incredible.  We traveled with our family of 5.  We spent 2 nights in Venice, 1 in Florence, 2 in Radda (Tuscany), 2 in Rome and 3 in Sorrento.  We have never been to Europe were a bit worried on how we would get around.  It was not an issue at all.  The travel agency planned our trip perfectly.   The recommendation to stay in Radda in Chianti was perfect as was the recommendation to stay in Sorrento rather then on the Amalfi coast.  Sorrento is prefect and a close drive to the Amalfi coast.  We were met in each city by a concierge.  We had the water taxi in Venice, private drivers almost everywhere and one business class high speed train ride from Venice to Florence.  We had porters to help with the luggage.  Yes, we spent a bit more but I think our trip would have been a mess without all of this. I have some mobility issues and they helped me every step of the way.  Incredible trip. 

Let us begin by saying that the team that the travel company have assembled for our vacation in Italy have delivered value well beyond our expectations. We were already impressed from the first moment our travel specialist prepared the draft itinerary for us and as we progressed with each iteration of the itinerary, it has only reinforced our belief that we have found the right person to work with for our first trip to Italy. As we embarked on our journey, the people whom we came across, starting with those who drove and accompanied us to Lake Como and meeting our contact for the first time at the villa have been most hospitable. We knew then we were off to a good start for our vacation. Our contact was very thorough and reassuring with our every little need, from the contact details, exact spellings and pronunciations of the names of our upcoming guides to the smallest of details for every booking and hotel for the rest of the trip, she was always there and checking on us on a daily basis. Her presence was always felt throughout the vacation and her availability was reassured by checking in on us on a daily basis.Our first guide exhibited warmth and care from the first moment we met her. Our morning with her at Lake Como was relaxed and an excellent introduction to Italy. We were blessed with good weather and with her as our guide in Como, we learned a fair bit of how to move around the town and we were quite comfortable towards the end to spend the rest of the afternoon by ourselves, taking the ferry back to Cernobbio on our own. And then there was our driver, who was always punctual throughout the entire time we were at Lake Como. He has accompanied us at every journey, from the airport to the Villa, recommended us to visit SerraValle in place of FoxTown due to inclement weather, extended our day trip to include Bellagio as part of our itinerary and finally, brought us from the villa to Milan where he introduced us to our guide in Milan, who was both knowledgeable and professional. Our driver was always at our disposal and even joined us at breaks and lunch with our guide in Milan. We finally parted ways when he brought us to the Milan Central to meet with our other contact who checked us in to the train expediently.As we arrived Florence, our guide met with us at the train station platform directly where we stopped. It was a pleasure meeting her and subsequently, our driver. Both of them were friendly and very hospitable in getting us settled in at the Hotel, which incidentally got us upgraded to a junior suite upon check in which was a pleasant surprise. The following day we met with our guide, whom we found to be extremely knowledgeable of the city and its history and totally passionate over the art she introduced to us at Uffizi and the Accademia Gallery. We enjoyed our time with her in Florence. The following day, our driver picked us up first thing in the morning and we had the pleasure of his company throughout the day. Our first stop was Siena, where we met with our guide who was very energetic and enthusiastic about everything to do with Siena. We learned a fair bit of the town and its history over a relatively short period of time through her. The rest of the afternoon was spent with our driver who drove us to the vineyard in Tuscany and subsequently back to Florence where we drove up to Piazza Michelangelo to take in the panoramic view of the city. We are very pleased to have met our driver who was thoroughly hospitable and informative throughout the time we spent with him. Our contact met us at the train station and arranged for seats close to the luggage area as we were traveling with a couple large luggages. She kept us company while waiting for the train and saw us off as we headed towards Rome.At Rome, our guide greeted us at the platform and our driver drove us to the Hotel. Our guide gave us a quick introduction to the city as we headed to the hotel but most importantly, recommended us to a local restaurant nearby the hotel. We loved it so much we ended up dining there all three days we were in Rome. The following day, we met with our guide who was absolutely outstanding. We spent most of the whole day with her at Vatican City, had lunch with her, visited key spots around Rome and finally had a quick pre-dinner snack at Trastevere. We were very impressed by our guide's passion over the history of Rome and her inexhaustible energy. Throughout the day, our driver drove us professionally from one spot to another and was never far away from us whenever we leave the vehicle. We were picked up by another driver the following morning at 5am and headed to the Airport with plenty of time to spare before boarding our flight home.Overall, the entire trip went without a hitch from start to finish and totally stress-free, thanks to the meticulous amount of planning and the professionalism of the team who were there with us every step along the way. It is hard for us to pick particular best moments as they were all outstanding in their own right. We will definitely pay more visits to Italy when opportunity permits and will be in touch with the travel company again when the time comes.   

My husband and I just returned from a fabulous two-week trip to Central/Northern Italy. Our itinerary included Rome, Montepulciano, Radda in Chianti, Florence, Santa Margherita Ligure and Lake Como. Sonia from the travel company did an amazing job planning the perfect trip for us. From our very first interaction she listened intently to what we were looking for and what we were hoping to avoid (primarily crowds & tours.) She planned a trip that was just what he hoped. Her knowledge of the area, travel times from place to place, lesser known areas and must-see highlights was extremely helpful. She arranged for us to have a rental car for our two-week journey and planned an itinerary that made sense. She gave us recommendations for wine tasting, special lunches and places along the way to stop for a quick visit. All of the services Sonia booked for us were top notch. I look forward to planning another trip with her in the future!

"I was able to fulfill my dream trip to Italy, thanks to Zicasso’s tour company. We were not disappointed!"