An Italian Wine Tasting Journey: From Piedmont to Tuscany Wine 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.

Our travel agent was wonderful from the very beginning.  We had a brief conversation after she received my first overall idea of our trip, she listened to what I said and put together an itinerary.  After several discussions, we reached agreement on a final trip.  She was so fun and easy to work with.  I appreciated her comments on what was worth spending money on and where our money was better spent.  The itinerary itself was terrific. The hotels were wonderful, the guides for the most part were top notch and the side ideas she put on our itinerary really helped for our free time. 

There was only one mix up that our itinerary said to meet in our lobby at 10 but the tour was supposed to start in Siena at 10.  There was no worries, we did our best to finish breakfast and be ready sooner (9:30) and our driver alerted all the tour guides and scheduled stops for that day so it was no problem.

Our driver from Rome to Florence was very sweet - our daughter from all the driving, then flying and driving again was motion sick and he was very accommodating.

The tours that our travel agency set up with the "skip the lines" were invaluable and the tour guides themselves had so much knowledge that we could really appreciate what we were seeing.

My only suggestion for the written itinerary was for the airport and train stations is to make it clear that the driver will meet us outside security with a sign with our name on it.  We weren't sure at the airport due to our flight being delayed and the bags taking so long to come up where our driver would be.  He was waiting clearly for us - we just weren't quite sure where to look. 

I made it clear that I wanted to be picked up and driven from Rome to Florence because it was our firs time, even though our agent suggested a train.  Next time, I would definitely take a train from Rome to Florence.  Although the ride is pretty and the stop at Ovierto was nice, the train would have actually been better but next time....

As for our guides:

Our guide in Florence was fantastic.  Her youth was so fantastic as my 23 year old daughter really connected with her.  The way she introduced us to sculpture really built up to seeing The David in a way that made us all understand it and appreciate it a way I never expected.  Also, she had excellent tips for restaurants away from touristy areas that we loved!

Our chefs were phenomenal.  We had so much fun seeing their neighborhood, going to their shops for the meat, veggies, and cheese (we met the king and queen of cheese :) ) The let us pick the dishes we wanted to prepare offering suggestions but leaving the choice up to us.  The helped us learn in a very fun way and sent us the recipes after via email.  The setting and the people made that experience top notch.

Our driver to Siena and Chianti was great in that he shared some thing s about the landscape and history along the way - the other drivers we had were friendly but just driving (not that that is bad it just make our driver good for that trip).

Our guide in Siena was also excellent - I appreciated her humor and showing us such beauty and sharing het culture of the neighborhoods and the upcoming race.  Siena is so steeped in culture, I was so glad we stopped there - that was all our agent's suggestion as we wanted to do a winery in Chianti and experience some of the Tuscan countryside.

Our guide in Venice was extremely knowledgeable but a bit harsh.  For some reason (my own fault) I hadn't put together that the women would need knees and shoulders covered for that day and it was very hot.  However, she informed us and my daughter and I ran back to hotel to change.  This was fine.  During the tour she "corrected" anyone not following the rules and I appreciate that but she not only corrected but berated them.  It was just a bit extreme. Her knowledge was unsurpassed but there was so much thrown at us, it was hard to retain and it was a bit overwhelming  she kept saying "we only have two hours and that's not nearly enough time so we need to keep moving".  There was way more than we could retain but bits and pieces got to each one of our family and we did learn a lot about the beautiful San Marco church and Doge palace but compared to the style of our other guides, this was our least favorite

Our guide in Rome was also superb.  She took us to the Coliseum and the Forum and with her ipad, showed us the "missing pieces" so we could appreciate what it had looked like.  She did a great job of balancing showing us things, teaching us things and letting us look.  My daughter was especially impressed with her photography skills (not an easy thing for that to happed) and she got some great photos of the 4 of us. Also, she suggested great places to eat neat the area (which was EXCELLENT) and the place (pompi) to get the best Tiramisu in Rome (it was!)

Our guide in Rome for St Peter's and the Vatican was phenomenal.  Her super power is surfing the wave! it was so crowded she instructed us to clearly on how to navigate the crowd, she found places to stop to inform us of the major things to look for = especially in the Sistine Chapel since there is SO much to look at and it is EXTREMELY crowed. (I described it to my friends back home and overwhelmingly beautiful and also hell on earth because of the crowds)  I loved our guide's "lightness"/sense of humor while dealing with these sacred sited that also are overrun with tourists.  In St Peter's we could feel the closeness of an individual experience and not  be too "beaten down" by the crowds.

Our guide for the food tour was fun.  She had said upfront she wasn't' really a "tour guide" but a chef.  Well, this made for a great walk through the food region. She explained the history of the neighborhood (I think the "I'm not really a tour guide was modesty) and took us to some great places to sample pizza, cheeses, Soupli (Iife changing!) and the tiny calzones that contain dough the rises longer than usual and is deep fried.....OMG!  Also, she took us to the central market and one of the vendors was so kind, he gave us apricots to sample and she bought us figs to try.  Then we got to pick our cookies for our dessert for AFTER.  We went back to the studio location where we could have wine and a light pasta dish.  Overall, an incredible day.  The afternoon lent itself not to shopping as suggested but napping!

Some suggestions: Highlight on itinerary when shoulders/knees on ladies need to be covered (we should have know but would have been helpful).  Maybe point out that the names/numbers are for the servicesetting up the driver or guide and are not necessarily directly to the person you are meeting.  It's a small point but surprised me at the airportwhen I called to see where we were meeting our driver

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.

Our family of five just got back from the most wonderful vacation in Tuscany and Rome.  Our agent crafted a set of amazing experiences for our family from the private tour guides to Florence, Pisa and Lucca; a private wine tasting lunch at the Capannelle Winery and vineyards in Chianti; tickets to the Papal mass at the Vatican; to a tour beneath the church of San Clemente to see the excavations of a byzantine and then a Roman street neighborhood; a day excursion to the Amalfi coast to visit Positano, Sorrento and Pompeii; and more! Our agent and the guides found excellent restaurants from a simple salumeria where the locals ate to some high end restaurants.  The hotels were right in the center of Florence – on the piazza della Repubblica - and Rome – between the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps.  Our agent was attentive to our plans and made excellent suggestions.  Everything went extremely smoothly.  All the guides drivers were very friendly, spoke English and were very knowledgeable about art, history and the local culture.  We saw so much every day because everything was so well planned.  Simply the best travel experience ever!

I can not say enough good words for the team of agents at this travel company. We are a family of 5 from North Carolina who took our first trip to Italy.  The expert guidance from this company that we received put us in a fabulous itinerary with comfortable and well located hotels and with the most the most knowledgable and amazing tour guides.  They also arranged all of our transfers which allowed us to really enjoy our time without the worry of getting from place to place. Our trip started in Venice (sadly we missed a day due to the airlines, our travel agents helped us with obtaining refunds for a missed mask making class.)  We highly recommend the hotel due to its location near Piazza San Marco and the wonderful outdoor seating for breakfast. From Venice we took the train to Florence and stayed at a hotel on Santa Maria Novella square.  Our highlights in Florence were the "Gastronomic Tour".  Our guide took us to a wonderful bakery where we met the owner and sampled the finest pastry in Florence.  From there we explored the local markets with prearranged samplings of different cheeses, prosciutto, salami, olives and wine!  

Our travel company arranged for a driver to take us to Al Gelso Bianco Agriturismo in the Chianti region where we had a cooking class making pasta, focaccia and much more followed by a wine tasting.  Following our meal, our driver took us to  San Gimignano, a lovely medieval village.

Our last day in Florence ended with a sunset Barchetto tour on the Arno. Serendipitously our tour was at the exact time as the final concert on the water during Italian brass week, 3 boats held an orchestra while we are on the only other boat on the river with crowds watching from the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the shores.  Amazing! 

Our journey ended in Rome, staying at a hotel that was 5 stars and centrally located.  Our guide was simply the most knowledgeable and engaging person you could ever hope for.

Simply put, we could not have put together a trip like this without the help of this travel team!!!!  Simply the best!