Italy Food Tours & Culinary Experiences

Our trip to Italy was amazing. We explored Rome, Florence and Cinque Terre. The tours selected fit our needs perfectly. We loved all of the hotels. Every detail was covered. The response from the team was always prompt. They answered the tons of questions I had, provided local information and recommendations and truly made for a hassle free, stress free experience. They provided daily reminders of the next day’s itinerary along with any tickets/vouchers needed. I was surprised by how much I appreciated that, it kept me from spending time finding the info and making sure we had everything ready to go. They were quick to provide options and make alternate plans for us when a train strike affected our travel plans and when the weather impacted a scheduled boat tour. It really was a trip of a lifetime for us and I don’t think there’s anything I would change.

Hotel Reviews

GCF Luxury Suites

Roma

Fun decor, helpful hotel staff. They reached out to us ahead of time to take care of checkin requirements and give us checkin instructions in case we arrived after hours. I appreciated the extra effort to make sure checkin was smooth.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was a little further from some of the main tourist attractions but in a super fun area with tons of restaurants and shops…and still within walking distance to most attractions. The area had a less touristy feel.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B Da Baranin

Manarola SP

Hotel was in a great location. Easy to get to with luggage, which is not common in Cinque Terre. Host was awesome…super friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Did not have to carry luggage all through town or up a ton of stairs.

Staff

Very helpful. Even gave us a pass that allowed us unlimited access to Via dell’ Amore on the days we had the Trek and Train pass.

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Residenza Fiorentina

Firenze

Room was nice and large for the three of us. Everyone was friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parlamento Boutique Hotel

Rome

Host was friendly and helpful. Rooms were clean and had fun decor. Breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Super convenient to the main tourist attractions.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cinque Terre Sunset Boat Tour

Italy

This is a beautiful way to Cinque Terre and learn about the towns and the region. The captain was friendly and informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pesto Experience

Italy

Another of our favorite activities during our trip. The hosts were fantastic…a true Italian family. They were super friendly and so much fun! The pesto was fantastic. The lunch after was probably one of our best meals in Italy. The view was beautiful,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cinque Terre Trekking & Train Card

Italy

Easy to use and made getting around Cinque Terre easy and flexible.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Trains did get crowded but it was not an issue.

Truffle Hunting with Lunch

Italy

Probably one of our favorite experiences on our trip. Super informative and tons of fun watching the dog find the truffles! The lunch and wine pairing after was fantastic. We’re not big wine people but it was interesting to learn about the different wines and pairings. The food was fantastic. The winery itself is beautiful and welcoming!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver at disposal from Florence to Tuscany - Private

Florence

Driver was on time, professional and easy to communicate with and coordinate pickups.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hand-made Pasta & Typical Dessert Cooking Class

Florence

We enjoyed the pasta making class and love that they sent us home with recipes. It was a little larger group than our other experiences…really the only reason it only got 4 stars.

Quality of Experience

Food

The pasta and sauces were fantastic…fun to try three different pairings.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mini Private Rome Tour in Golf Cart

Rome

This is a great way to see and learn about Rome, especially if you only have a couple of days in Rome. Even if you have more time, it’s a great intro to Rome. The driver/guide was great. He even gave us recommendations for the rest of our time in Rome, from pizza to gelato to other tours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

The tour was awesome. Guide was great…informative and humorous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything was coordinated beautifully for a multi-city family vacation. All transfers were on time and the accommodations were amazing.

Activity Review

Cinque Terre Trekking & Train Card

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone was prompt, friendly, and helpful

Transport

Enjoyed the overall experiences had. Letizia on the Cicchetti tour in Venice was fantastic.
The one caveat is the local company only uses guides/tour companies they have contracts with, so if you want to use a different company or do a tour they don't have a contract with, you'll have to research it and book it outside of the site. Even some things, like the Uffizi Gallery and Vasari Corridor tour, I had to ask to be booked after reading about it online, as it wasn't recommended in the initial itinerary.
Also note that even though you have a time scheduled ticket for the Academia in Florence, you still have to wait on line, so best to arrive earlier than the schedule time.
The accommodations were great for the most part. The Hotel Ai Cavalieri di Venezia in Venice was beautiful and a great location. I wouldn't recommend the hotel in Cinque Terre, Hotel la Colonnina, as the walls were incredibly thin and we could hear everything happening in the hotel room next to ours. Everything. I would also recommend staying closer to Siena than Chianti as we spent most days driving south to explore those areas, while only one day around Chianti. Salvondica was beautiful though would save on drive time in Tuscany.
Appreciated the ground transportation scheduled and the WhatsApp messages from Jessica informing us of the name and number of whom would be meeting us in each location.
Would prefer to receive an itemized list of what my money is paying for rather than just the aggregate sum. It's convenient to have someone draft the itinerary and book the accommodations, etc. though I believe this cost more than if I had done the research and bookings myself.