Your Custom Journey

Sonia put together a fabulous trip for us. We were particularly interested in Italian wine, and she was able to secure personal tastings at local wineries specializing in Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, and Nero d’Avola. The wine is Sicily was a particular treat, as we were not as familiar with it prior to the trip. The Gambino winery on Mt Etna was the biggest surprise. I even joined the wine club.

Our trip covered the north (Piedmont) to the south (Sicily and Sorrento) over 18... read more

Sonia put together a fabulous trip for us. We were particularly interested in Italian wine, and she was able to secure personal tastings at local wineries specializing in Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, and Nero d’Avola. The wine is Sicily was a particular treat, as we were not as familiar with it prior to the trip. The Gambino winery on Mt Etna was the biggest surprise. I even joined the wine club.

Our trip covered the north (Piedmont) to the south (Sicily and Sorrento) over 18 well-spaced days. Accommodations were interesting and excellent. No chain hotels. Drivers were always on time, spoke good English, and often provided helpful local knowledge. Our virtual concierge Mara was always available by phone when we wanted to reschedule an activity on our itinerary.

James, our trip planner was easily accessible and pleasant with any of our questions.
Danielle, our Mount Etna guide was knowledgeable and attentive to our climb in the mountain.
Rosario, our Taormino guide brought that city to life.
Simone, our Syracusa guide, was delightful and so knowledgeable.
Vincenzo was a last-minute addition as a guide in Catania. He showed us so much more than just the city. You should definitely add him to your list of great tour directors.
The whole trip is one... read more

James, our trip planner was easily accessible and pleasant with any of our questions.
Danielle, our Mount Etna guide was knowledgeable and attentive to our climb in the mountain.
Rosario, our Taormino guide brought that city to life.
Simone, our Syracusa guide, was delightful and so knowledgeable.
Vincenzo was a last-minute addition as a guide in Catania. He showed us so much more than just the city. You should definitely add him to your list of great tour directors.
The whole trip is one we will share with our family and friends and would give it a 5 * rating.
Here are a few of my suggestions for future travelers:
Realize that driving yourself in Sicily is not easy. The city streets are very narrow and parking is almost impossible. Instead of traffic lights, they often use traffic circles which are poorly marked and often confusing, even with Google. On the Autostrada there are tolls which are like E-Z pass in the US. You have to be careful choosing your toll booth. In the future, we would hire a driver.
My last advice for future travelers would be to not expect an on-time departure from the smaller airports if you hope to continue on to the next leg of your flight. The smartest move we made was to book a reservation the night before our departure in Rome Hilton which is within walking distance of the airport. I believe you should share suggestions like these with future travelers.

There were a few minor glitches. I would have liked to have had St Peter's Basilica included in the Vatican trip, but it wan't and I wasn't given that option. Most guides were super informative and delightful, but there is a parking problem in Tuscany tour and the guide couldn't accompany us on the sights. Again, it would have been good if the Pisa was arranged in a way so we could have entered it, but that was not an option.
In Rome, I would have liked to have had a tour of the first... read more

There were a few minor glitches. I would have liked to have had St Peter's Basilica included in the Vatican trip, but it wan't and I wasn't given that option. Most guides were super informative and delightful, but there is a parking problem in Tuscany tour and the guide couldn't accompany us on the sights. Again, it would have been good if the Pisa was arranged in a way so we could have entered it, but that was not an option.
In Rome, I would have liked to have had a tour of the first level of Coliseum.
The hotel at Spainsh Steps was not great. For the prices that I paid, I would have liked to have better luxury.
Since you asked: David was the highlight. Sisteine chapel was underwhelming (Sorry Michaelangelo! I expected to be blown away like seeing Mona Lisa. I wasn't)
Except for these two minor glitches (4 1/2 stars but you don'e have 1/2 stars), everything was out of this world. They even tried to pick pocket us in the subway in Rome. Speaking of the complete experience!
Monica was outstanding. A definite 5. Alessia in Venice was great. Another 5.
Hope to work with you again next year for Greece!

Had a ton of fun. All the recommendations for restaurants were on point. The Wine tour was a little underwhelming. That is pretty much my only criticism of the vacation. Thanks for everything !!

Wonderful knowledgeable guides. All drivers were professional, courteous and responsive. Francisco in Bologna was exceptional.

Overall, the expectation for this experience was met, however I expected more service from the concierge and better coordination between the planner and concierge for each location I got a concierge.

The concept of having a digital travel agent was very appealing especially since the planning is performed by people locally and helps for my busy schedule. I felt during the planning process I got the service I expected. However, I felt that I was not attended too as much as I thought I would... read more

Overall, the expectation for this experience was met, however I expected more service from the concierge and better coordination between the planner and concierge for each location I got a concierge.

The concept of having a digital travel agent was very appealing especially since the planning is performed by people locally and helps for my busy schedule. I felt during the planning process I got the service I expected. However, I felt that I was not attended too as much as I thought I would when I actually traveled. I felt a little alone out there which is why I used your services.

On the days I had off, I was not offered any advice or suggestions. When it came to the activities that was planned, it felt like the concierge was just checking off a box on a list then moving on to the next thing. I felt things could be more personable, like visiting a family or friend who makes sure everything is okay and offer up some local information to create a better experience.