Europe Food & Wine Tours & Vacations

We visited Madrid, Toledo, San Sebastián, Bayonne, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Hondarribia, La Rioja, Barcelona, Montserrat, and the Penedes (Cava) region.

We loved our private guides, private wine tastings, and day trips outside of the big cities.

Our 10-day trip to Buenos Aires, Iguazú Falls, and the Salta Region was wonderful. Zicasso’s travel specialist was excellent to work with during planning, making themselves available for countless questions and giving excellent advice, creating the perfect itinerary. Once there, the trip was executed perfectly—a seamless, easy experience with no hiccups. Everyone we met, from the greeter at the airport to the drivers to the guides, was stellar.

We were met at our first hotel by someone from the tour operator who took us through the itinerary once more, answered any questions, gave us a welcome gift, and let us know that she would be following our trip and checking in with us through WhatsApp. She was amazing and, as promised, monitored the app closely and provided timely information, such as reminders of reservations and boarding passes, which were sent at just the right time. Any inquiries we had were responded to immediately. Having an in-country resource was helpful and comforting.

For any travelers planning a trip to Argentina, the Salta Region is often overlooked, but was the highlight of our trip. If you enjoy dramatic landscapes, being off the beaten path a bit in small towns with authentic culture and very few tourists, and outstanding wines with breathtaking vineyards, you will enjoy this region. Be sure to hire a driver, arranged by the tour operator, who navigated narrow, windy, gravel and dirt roads with expertise and calm, gave us a wonderful overview of the history and topography of the region, and showed us all the special places and some hidden gems. A wonderful and memorable trip.

We just returned home from a very memorable trip to Croatia. Thanks to Zicasso's travel expert and her company for the terrific itinerary. Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split, Rovinj, and Zagreb were all toured with knowledgeable guides and experienced drivers to get us there!

There were many highlights, including the beautiful Adriatic countryside, Plitvice Lakes National Park, and a dinner with wine pairing. Of course, there were many more delightful experiences, but too many to include all of them!

We received top-shelf transportation, well thought out itineraries, and first-rate services. I would highly recommend this travel company!

I was connected with the travel company through Zicasso. What an amazing trip! Many thanks to our travel designer of the travel company!!!

Our travel designer and her expert team planned a trip to Sicily for my husband and I, my siblings, and my sister-in-law. We were six and everything about the trip was executed beautifully and with great attention to every detail.

We chose to go to Taormina, Cefalù, Palermo, and Ortigia Island, flying direct in and out of Catania. Our travel designer arranged all transfers by private van for the six of us and we never had to worry where or when we were going anywhere. She was able to make changes on the spot and accommodate our every wish.

Planning the trip was so easy, as she was available to chat with me on the weekends to answer questions and clarify details. She even made dinner reservations in every city. I cannot say enough about her willingness to be available and the choices she helped us make. From the terrific winery near Mount Etna to a drive up Etna, guided tours (we had an incredibly fabulous art historian showing us the churches of Palermo), a day at leisure on the beaches of Cefalù, and an amazing cooking class in Palermo, where we learned about and visited the markets, and made pasta and cannoli, every experience was better than the one before it.

We definitely recommend, with five stars, the travel company. Have them plan your trip to Italy! This was my first time back to Europe since 2004 and it was stellar!

I surely will use this company when I plan new trips to Italy, and Zicasso as well!

When we were trying to decide where to go, we chatted with travel partners in several European destinations. Zicasso chooses the best of the best and our experiences with each of them was exceptional!

We will be back to Zicasso when we travel to other destinations!!

Zicasso's travel specialist asked for our interests, to which we replied history, art, food, and wine. When queried about accommodations, our preferences were that they have character and be varied. Our expectations were exceeded.  

We were two couples who had a spectacular survey trip of Italy. Our agent addressed our request for history by arranging private tours with expert guides. We visited multiple eras: ancient times at the Egyptian Museum in Turin and the Colosseum in Rome; medieval times at the Medici palazzos; Byzantine times with views of the frescoes in Puglia; and modern history during a delightful food tour of Turin that featured historical cafés renowned for their political meetings and plotting. 

We indulged in a smorgasbord of art and history, as it is readily available wherever you journey in Italy. The guides and drivers were knowledgeable, pointing out treasures in the palazzos, the Vatican, the public squares, cafés, the cathedrals, and churches. Food tours featured cheese, capicola and truffle tasting. Multiple types of wines and vineyards were sampled, the settings varied and the offerings enjoyed.  

Accommodations could not have been better chosen. We enjoyed staying at a converted fortified monastery and a historic 16th-century palace. We appreciated the sunset over Turin from the upper deck of the hotel and enjoyed hidden privacy in Rome in our suites.  

During the trip, our guide shepherded this complex trip and promptly addressed any issues that occurred (delayed trains and coordinating tour guides). Unequivocally, each tour was unique and well picked by our agent. We strongly recommend this agency to help you have a fantastic trip to Italy! 

All five of us agree that Zicasso’s tour operator provided us with one of the best and well-curated tours we have had. From the start in Ljubljana to the awe-inspiring finale at Dubrovnik, we could not have asked for more.

The cooking class in Trsteno was a highlight, as well as the truffle-tasting menu in Motovun and the food-and-wine pairings menu in Goriška Brda.

All the local guides were very knowledgeable and informative, providing us with not just information on the sights, but also the complicated historical background (especially in the Balkans!). They were also very interactive.

The accommodations were stellar.

Especially, our guide/driver was the best; very accommodating, friendly, and personable.

We can't wait to use them again in the future.