Overall, the experience exceeded our expectations. Emily put together a near perfect itinerary after a short conversation where I just brain dumped a bunch of ideas and was easy to work with to make adjustments at our request.
One thing to note is making the lemon grove experience would not have been possible with the original itinerary. The time to get a ferry from the hotel in Positano and make it to the lemon grove in Amalfi (or even a taxi) would not have been possible. I appreciate the flexibility and trying to fit everything we asked for but sometimes being told "no, this is too much" is better.
Highlights - cooking class in Tuscany, food tour in Florence, private boat tour in Positano, Vatican and Colosseum tours in Rome. All of the guides we had were remarkable - they were knowledgable, took time to answer any questions, and really helped us appreciate what we were looking at. We also really appreciated your support in Naples with the hotel situation.
The cooking class was our favorite experience of the entire trip with the private boat ride a close second. The chef was personable and made sure we had a lot of fun while we were there. The boat tour was the perfect way to end the trip - we got really lucky with the weather, the captain was great, and it was nice to sit and relax after 13 days of walking.
Misses - the self drive was a bit boring (we saw a lot of the scenery on the winery/olive oil tour) and if I were to plan this again I would have replaced this with another wine tour; going to the same vineyard for the wine tasting and the next day for the cooking class; Naples train station pickup and hotel; lemon grove experience.
For the transfer from the train station to the hotel in Naples, the driver was waiting for us across the street from the station instead of inside. It took 30 mins for me to get a hold of the company and driver to figure out where he was. When he saw us, he made no effort to come meet us to help with the bags. As we were crossing the street, my 70 year old aunt's bag got hung up on a manhole cover and she almost fell. And things went downhill from here.
The lemon grove experience was a bit boring. It was a lot of effort to get up to the orchard to only walk around for an hour and then leave. The staff was nice but the experience fell flat.
Overall, we really enjoyed the whole experience. Looking back, there will always be a few things we would have done differently or in a different order, or even cut a couple things out to go at a slower pace as we were all exhausted by the end. We will always look back fondly at this experience. Thank you for making this happen!
Details on each item:
Hotel Calimala Florence - great location, friendly staff. Only issue was street noise but hard to avoid this in a central location.
Accademia Gallery Visit with First Viewing of David - We really loved this. Getting into the museum before the crowds is the way to go and the guide was really good.
Uffizi Gallery Visit - the guide was very knowledgable about all the art and we learned a lot. Also good to do this in the afternoon as it's less crowded.
Morning Culinary Discovery Walk - This was the highlight of the Florence activities. The guide was great and all the food we got to try was really good.
Villa Lecchi - beautiful views, friendly staff. Our rooms were in the second building above the restaurant so it was noisy in the mornings and at night when there was activity in the kitchen. Overall, not a big deal but being in the main building would be quieter.
Self-Drive Through the Val d'Orcia: Vitaleta Chapel, Pienza & Tuscan Landscapes - If I were to cut one day from the trip it would be this day. The driving was enjoyable but and chapel was really cute (and a great spot for lunch) but doing a wine tour would have been a better option for us.
Private Tuscany Day Trip with Olive Oil Experience & Winery Lunch - Both were great and the driver, again, was really good.
Private Tuscan Countryside Cooking Experience - this was the highlight of our trip. Only downside was going back to the same winery we were at the day before. It would have been better to experience a different winery the day before for some variety.
Hotel Viminale - Good location, no complaints.
Wednesday Morning Sistine Chapel Visit - definitely the way to go for the chapel visit. The guide was really good and we beat the crowds. Would recommend.
Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit with Rooftop Aperitif - the guide was great, enjoyed this as well.
Private City Highlights Storytelling Walk - This was the least favorite activity in Rome but it wasn't bad. The guide usually does tours of the Vatican and felt a bit lost roaming the streets. She was much more comfortable inside the Pantheon and talked a lot about the art inside and the history of the building. We were also exhausted from the day before which didn't help.
Decumani Hotel de Charme - not anything like the photos. Thanks again for getting us out of here.
Private Day Trip to Pompeii - guide was an archaeologist who had been working at Pompeii for 15 years and knew everything. We really enjoyed this.
Hotel Conca D'oro - good views, really good breakfast, and friendly staff.
Lemon Grove Experience & Limoncello Tasting - least favorite of Amalfi coast.
Private Coastal Highlights by Boat with Snorkeling - perfect end to the trip
Hotel Reviews
Hotel Conca D'oro
Positano
Great location and views, staff is very friendly, good breakfast.
Decumani Hotel de Charme
Naples
Hotel is very dated and photos are misleading. The rooms are in desperate need of a renovation.
Good location. Had a small issue with mosquitos in the lobby and room as they keep the main doors open during the day.
The views from the rooms are amazing and the breakfast was one of the best we had on the trip. Only downside was water pressure and sometimes lack of hot water when too many people were using the shower at the same time on the property.
Hotel Calimala Florence
Florence
Great location, friendly staff. Only issue was street noise (hard to avoid with a central location)
Activity Reviews
Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit with Rooftop Aperitif
Rome
A good way to see the Colosseum and Forum. Relaxed pace and the tour guide knew a lot about the history of both. He adjust the pace nicely as we were tired from a long day of touring but we didn't feel like we missed anything as he pointed out and explained a lot of the ruins in the Forum.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Uffizi Gallery Visit
Florence
Going in the afternoon to avoid a lot of the crowds was a plus. We did run out of time and had to rush though the last few rooms as the museum was closing.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The guide knew a lot about art history and gave good explanations on how religious art evolved through the centuries but we ran short on time towards the end
Private Coastal Highlights by Boat with Snorkeling
Italy
Stunning views and a relaxing afternoon.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Wednesday Morning Sistine Chapel Visit
Rome
Great experience. Go early to avoid the crowds.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Lemon Grove Experience & Limoncello Tasting
Italy
You see some lemon trees and have a taste of Limoncello. It was interesting but nothing too special.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The staff was knowledgeable and friendly.
Private Day Trip to Pompeii
Naples
The guide you have will make or break this experience. Our guide had been studying and working at Pompeii for over a decade and was able to give us a lot of insights on what life was like there and what happened when the volcano erupted.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private City Highlights Storytelling Walk
Rome
Overall, this was good. The guide (Anna) felt a bit lost during the walking part but excelled inside the Pantheon and another church she took us to.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private Tuscany Day Trip with Olive Oil Experience & Winery Lunch
Italy
Olive oil tasting was unique and we learned how to properly taste oil and got to experience how different the oils can taste depending on how they are blended together. The winery lunch and tasting were also good.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Self-Drive Through the Val d'Orcia: Vitaleta Chapel, Pienza & Tuscan Landscapes
Italy
The drive was enjoyable and the views were stunning but we saw a lot of the same going to wineries in the area. The highlight was the chapel and if there is an event planned on the day of your drive, you are out of luck. We were fortunate and it was open when we made the drive.
Private Tuscan Countryside Cooking Experience
Italy
The chef was great and the food we had us make was simple and delicious. Come hungry because there will be plenty to eat.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Morning Culinary Discovery Walk
Florence
Highlight of our time in Florence. highly recommend this tour.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Accademia Gallery Visit with First Viewing of David
Florence
First visit to avoid the crowds is the way to go. Make sure you are there on time because if you are late, you'll miss the window and get stuck with the crowds. Sara (our guide) was knowledgeable and hustled us around crowds to get good photos.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
