Travel Review: Italy Tour, Sicily, Palermo, Agrigento, Catania, Ragusa, Syracuse, Modica, Chocolate Making, Olive Oil Factory
Trip was excellent. All the arrangements made by the travel company worked flawlessly. Although we have been traveling for more than 50 years this was the first time we have used a travel agency to both plan and arrange an overseas trip. We were impressed with the agency because they listened to what we wanted to do and see. There were discussions and a few iterations before the final itinerary. Take time and speak with them. Furthermore they were able to accommodate our idiosyncrasies. We spent 10 nights in Sicily in Palermo, Agrigento, Ragusa Ibla, Siracusa and Catania. All the hotels and B&B's were excellent and centrally located as we desired, The drivers and guided tours were staffed with knowledgeable, professional and efficient people. The agency kept in contact with us throughout the trip although this was not easy since we did have a mobile phone. There were no problems at all. Superb suggestions from the travel company that we had not thought about such as a chocolate making class in Modica, a market crawl/cooking class/lunch in Siracusa as well as a visit to a top quality olive oil production estate were some of the highlights of our trip. The archeological visits also were magnificent. The agency even arranged for our attendance at a Bellini opera in the Teatro Bellini in Catania. The overall trip was wonderful mostly due to the great travel arrangements. It did not hurt that for the 10 day trip duration there was no rain, only a few rare clouds and moderate temperatures. We would not hesitate to work with this travel company again.
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Review: Luxury Girlfriends' Trip to Italy, Sicily,Positano, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, Mt Etna, Colosseum, Herculaneum
I worked with this agent to plan a memorable trip to Capri, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily with 5 girlfriends. The trip and the itinerary that was developed was fabulous! There were unique activities specific to the town or region that we were visiting that provided a slice of what life is like there. From cooking classes, to a visit to a buffalo mozzarella cheese farm, to tours of ruins in Paestum, Pompeii, and Herculaneum, to a lovely boat ride around the island of Capri, to a hike on Mount Etna - we were absorbed and delighted. The hotels were lovely and the drivers engaging and knowledgeable about the area and able to customize local travel to our requests or recommend places that we would enjoy. Our agent was also connected to local representatives to warn us in advance of any changes and he was personally involved to field requests for modifications to our original plan. This was one of my favorite trips; to be able to travel with friends and share great food, wine, sights, laughter, activities and memories that will last a lifetime. We are ready for our next adventure!
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Review: Honeymoon in Italy, Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, Sorrento, Pisa, Capri, Pompeii
When we inquired about a trip on Zicasso, they told us a few companies would reach out to us with different offers on our desired location. It only took one reply back from this agent for me to know that we would have a more personable experience with this travel agency. (Mainly because he was straight up with us concerning itinerary ideas, especially regarding weather and how it is unpredictable in March. He patiently worked with my fiance and me for quite a while before we approved the final itinerary filled with transportation to and from hotels, private tours (some meant to be small group, but we ended up being only ones), and pre-planned relaxing train-rides. There wasn’t a moment of our trip that we had to worry or even think about- really. Our first stop was Rome, where we spent 3 days. Upon arrival at the airport in Rome, we had a driver waiting for us, which was a huge relief since we were tired and last thing we wanted to stress about was how to get to our hotel. Our local point-of-contact for the agency also called once we arrived to make sure we had everything we needed. He was great! Once we reached our hotel, we slept off the jet-lag and then our holiday started. March is the early beginning of the tourist season, so we were able to do many things without waiting. Not saying it was empty, but we had room on the sidewalks and were in and out of restaurants in no time at all. I also highly recommend planning free days in each city, as you will want to look around for yourself and take your time in certain parts. Even if you spend a week in every city, you always leave feeling like you needed much more time, as there is so much to do and so little time in a day. We spent 3 days/4 nights in Florence. It was in Florence that we were able to easily tour a good bit of what Tuscany has to offer. Through tours our agent set up for us, we visited the beautiful cities of Siena, San Gimignano (Our Favorite), Lucca, Pisa, and the Chianti Region. We tasted sooooo many wonderful wines and privately ate at local restaurants for lunch. We also took a short train ride to Venice for a day trip, as I craved a gondola ride. Everything was planned so perfectly. The minute we stepped off the train in Venezia our guide to get us to our marked location was there with a water taxi to take us to St Mark’s Square. There, she directed us to our gondola and we spent the day wondering around Venice until meeting up back with her and the water taxi to take us back to the train station. After Florence, we traveled to Sorrento (our other favorite!) along the Amalfi Coast. It was magical and the weather was perfect. We had our own boat to visit the grottos (no wait for the Blue Grotto either!) and to the Isle of Capri; and although most of the shops were closed on the isle (early season still), it was beautiful and we were able to relax on the beach. We saw Pompeii and even hiked up Mount Vesuvius. Sorrento was a quaint and charming city and we made friends with quite a few locals. We truly had a wonderful honeymoon and I would recommend this agency to everyone. We could not be happier!
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Southern Italy Luxury Vacation Review: Hilltop Town of Taormina, Greek Ruins of Agrigento, Marsala Wine Tasting, History & Food
We had a really wonderful 9 day trip to Sicily. I had a general idea of what I wanted to see, but needed guidance as to the overall flow of the trip, what we can see (and should) in 9 days and recommendations for hotels etc. The trip planner of this travel team made it all happen and was very easy to work with. He listened to what I wanted to see (what was important to us, what we enjoy ....) and made recommendations when asked for his opinions. We decided to drive ourselves, but have guides in most of the places that we visited.Given our detailed and full schedule, our trip went very smoothly - Palermo, Cefalu, Monreale, Segesta, Erice, wine tasting in Marsala, Agrigento, Villa Roma in Piazza Armerina, Caltigirone, Ortigia, Siracusa, Noto (more wine tasting), Ragusa, Mt. Etna and Taormina. Our travel agent's advice and recommendations were excellent and everything was well organized. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly (and always on time).This travel team is an excellent agency, with an emphasis on service. After we arrived in Sicily, Giulio and his colleagues called us to see if we needed anything or were having any problems. They had given us a SIM card to make the communication easier. It was very helpful to have someone who was able to help us IF we needed assistance. For example, when we wondered if it would be possible to have a short walk on Mt. Etna (since the weather was clear), they quickly sent us the directions and information as to where we should go.
I highly recommend this travel team and would use this agency for future trips to Italy.
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Travel Review: Italy Tour, Rome, Positano, Florence, Amalfi Coast, Siena, San Gimignano, Venice, Naples, Pompeii, Capri, Wine Tour
Our travel specialist truly did a fantastic job planning a 12-day dream trip to Italy for my wife, 18-year-old daughter and me. Early on, she provided suggested itineraries and options to fit our time frame and budget and then communicated frequently with us by phone and email to fine tune it. She was patient during the planning stage when we were at times indecisive. She arranged for travel insurance as well. Before the trip, she mailed us a comprehensive package with all the information and vouchers/tickets/travel tips we would need and scheduled a call with us to walk through each of the items in the packet. We were more impressed when we arrived in Italy and experienced the flawless execution of her planning. There were no mix-ups or unpleasant surprises - everything went according to her plan. We flew in and out of Rome and stayed four nights in Florence, three in Positano on the Amalfi coast, and three in Rome. We absolutely loved the beauty, food, history and shopping in Florence. During our time there, we took a day trip with a private driver to the medieval towns of Sienna and San Gimignano and had a memorable wine tasting lunch at a quaint winery recommended by our driver. We also used one of our free days to take a day trip to Venice via train. It was a long day, but we were so glad we got to see and experience this magical city. We then took a train to Naples and were greeted by a courteous driver who took us to Pompeii for a 2-hour guided tour and then on to Positano. Before he dropped us off at our hotel, our driver arranged reservations for us at a fabulous family-owned restaurant with an off-the-menu prix fixe five course meal - with an incredible view of the sea and hillside. Our time in Positano was surreal with incredible views, delicious food, and friendly people. The boat tour to Capri was out of this world! In Rome, we thoroughly enjoyed a four plus hour food stroll in the Trastevere area, where we sampled typical Roman cheeses, meats, pasta, suppli (risotto balls), pasta and wine. We saw the main tourist attractions as well, and as with all the other excursions on our trip, it was so nice to "skip the lines" and be guided by a knowledgeable and entertaining docent who told stories that made the history and artwork come to life. The hotels were all unique, comfortable, and conveniently located within walking distance of most attractions. They also served scrumptious fresh breakfast buffets with our choice of espresso drinks each morning. Yum! We never would have had the knowledge, time, or contacts to plan such a vacation on our own. Thanks for everything!
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Italy Family Trip Review: Rome, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri, Pizza & Gelato Making Class, Path of The Gods
Our travel agency did a wonderful job putting together a once in a lifetime trip for me and my three children (14, 12, 10). All of the logistics of getting into and from places were handled by Monica which meant my family and I just had to show up on time and enjoy ourselves (a huge relief for someone traveling with kids internationally for the first time). You could tell that Monica had put thought into where she selected accommodations for us in Rome and Sorrento, making walking to our destinations very easy and the preferred way of getting around. Hotel accommodations exceeded our expectations and the kids and I felt like we were in a James Bond movie at our hotel in Sorrento on the side of the cliff with Mt. Vesuvius looming over the bay in the background.All of the tours we took were very professional and we stayed pretty busy and on the move with appropriate amounts of downtime programmed into our days for people to recover and prepare for the next outing (while eating delicious food). Rome included a private tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, pizza and gelato making class, crypts and catacombs tour, and general site seeing as we stayed near the Trevi Fountain and were within walking distance to many of the famous piazzas. Staying in Sorrento had us hiking Mt. Vesuvius, a private tour of Pompeii, boating and site-seeing the island of Capri, and hiking the Path of the Gods along the Amalfi Coast. A wonderful trip my family will never forget and we thank Monica/travel agency over and over for putting together such an amazing trip for us! Highly recommend!
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