Historical Immersion Tour of Tuscany: Siena and Florence

We had a wonderful trip. "Tuscany in Winter" was my husband's idea to experience this beautiful  part the world beating summer crowds. We visited the lovely ancient city of Siena the historic Florence and the Tuscany countryside for a few days in between. We were able to enjoy the galleries, restaurants and other popular sites pretty much on our own and were welcomed very warmly in cold weather by all.

Our guide and driver were very professional and pleasant. They were very concerned about all aspects of the responsibility of providing the very best service possible.

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 trip to Italy proved to be, indeed, 'fantastica'!  We traveled to Venice for 2 nights; by train to Florence for 2 nights where we stayed at the luxurious Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo; by train to Siena for 2 nights.  From there we speed-railed it by "TreniItalia" to Napoli where we were picked up in a private car to take us to the jaw dropping showcase Italian seacoast resort of Positano.  We stayed there for 3 glorious nights at the Covo dei Saraceni with the most breath taking views of the bay and the Amalfi Coast that you could ever see.  Finally, we were picked up in a private car and taken to Napoli for a train to Rome.  But first...we had a 2-hour stop with guided tour of Pompeii's ruins.  Finally, after training to Rome, we stayed at the quietly elegant Residenza di Ripetta hotel near the Piazza del Populo.

I've left out the most important parts which were the incredible tours that this Italy travel agency arranged for us.  We must've seen everything that this trip could offer.  And it was all done over two weeks.  We toured Venice during the calamitous weekend of George Clooney's wedding.  No, we couldn't go to the wedding but we had a fabulous time nonetheless!  Our agent and her team put us up at the quaint yet convenient Hotel Georgioni in Venice quite near the Rialto Bridge.  We had been picked up at the airport and water-taxied to our hotel.  During our fabulous 48-hour stay, we saw every nook and cranny of central Venice anchored by the eye-popping Piazza San Marco.  Included in our stay was a tour of the Doge's Palace with its art treasures galore and a tour of the markets area replete with a 30-minute gondola ride through a memory of photographs that I took that I will never forget.  The Rialto Bridge at night, along with the rest of Venice, is one of the most romantic sights in the world.  The lighting of this magnificent city at night is unforgettable.

From there it was on to the renaissance city and Medici capital of Florence to our luxurious hotel, the Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo right across the street from the magnificent Duomo itself.  We walked and toured everything; from the Accademia Gallery and the "David" masterpiece by Michelangelo to the Uffizzi Gallery and Vasari Corridor to the Ponte Vecchio where I bought my beautiful wife a golden ring the size of Sardinia.  We saw street musicians, vendors, activists and sellers of all kinds.  We even saw a Brahma bull towing a wagon hauling over a 1000 bottles of Chianti up the main street into the square.  The food? Indescribably memorable.  Just like all of Italy.  

On to Siena where the Medieval contrasts with the Renaissance of Florence beautifully.  These 2 cities, once rivals, are now bastions of art and relics dating back centuries...from every genius known to man.  Siena, with its massive "Campo" is the meeting point for all of Tuscany seemingly.  They run their horse race there every year around the Campo.  We didn't see it.  But we did see a huge nighttime sports car rally featuring the finest autos made by Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa-Romeo and others.

Taking the train in Italy is a far preferable way to travel than car.  We had the benefit of traveling in clean cars traveling almost 200 MPH in almost serene silence - with some of the greatest views ever.  It's fun...and grabbing a panini and a water is the perfect way to relax and have lunch aboard the train.  

Positano.  What can we say other than it was a 3-day dream.  Everything that you could possibly photograph is present in this sea coast paradise.  Staying at the singular Covo dei Saraceni provided us with a view out of our bedroom window that could stop time.  It was THAT beautiful!  The views of villas tucked into the mountains; the roads that snake their way down to the beach, the lovely little shops that adorn the narrow streets all make for fantastic photographs so compelling that friends would envy you and your experience.  From Positano, we took a day trip out to the Isle of Capri.  Capri, for us, was like Italy's Catalina Island - kinda honkytonk and overpriced yet still very fun.  Especially when you bus up to the top to take in the wildly sweeping and sometimes scary sights from Anacapri, the island's little town that's 'above it all.'  We toured the historic Villa San Michele with its stories of Axel Munthe, the one time owner and Renaissance man in his own right.

Finally, we finished with 3 days in exciting unstoppable "Roma".  Can there be any more excitement?  Any more history? Any more style?  We saw everything: the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, the Piazza Navone, the Carra Calla Baths, Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, The Arch of Constantine, The Villas of Borghese.  We rowed boats, we road bicycle carts, we got lost.  Moreover, we ate gelato at the 150-flavors of Della Palma.  We heard stories about Roman Emperors and the various peccadilloes, their loves (and lovers!) and their battles.  Both won and lost.  

This whole trip will go down in our memory as arguably the greatest trip that we ever took.  We've been together almost 20 years and, thanks to our agent and her team at this travel company, we enjoyed our 2nd honeymoon to the max.  Not once in our 12-day itinerary did we have a hiccup.  Everything that our agency arranged for us from tours, to drivers to train departures and tickets etc went off without a hitch.  All the I's were dotted...all the t's were crossed.  I would recommend this travel agency as a 5-star travel agency to anyone who would ask.  I'd trust them completely.  Indeed, I have the pictures to last a lifetime.  I have memories that will last even longer.  

The travel assistance from Zicasso's company was very helpful. All tour guides were wonderful, as well as the tours, with the exception of the all-day tour into Tuscany, ending in Siena.

As an elderly woman, I found it to be too long. Also, after the lovely lunch and wine tasting, it was difficult to go on a 3.5-hour walking tour, as well as walk a mile into Siena and a mile out of Siena. Also, the bus did not have great air conditioning and did not have a working bathroom.

The other issue I had was with the seven and nine flights of stairs in Venice and Florence in our hotels. With bad hips and knees, I was confined to going up and down the flights only once during the day. I suggest this be a question for guests in the future.

The travel company was very generous in paying for a wonderful dinner for me and my grandson due to my struggles.