There is so much history to learn in Italy. T...
Italy
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Sep 27 - Oct 9, 2026
There is so much history to learn in Italy. The arts, the beauty of the countryside, the food and the wine are all exceptional. Our tripped was well planned by KimKim! Every day I would receive a message on Whatsapp about the next day's activities. We were kept up to date and didn't have to panic. Each tour was very good. I particularly love the street food tours- they really had some good tasting bites of food. Coming from USA, I was shcoked at the amount of traffic in many places, but I always felt safe with the guides and private transfers- and even on the fast speed train. We would not have been able to manuever the roads and destination without them. I wish I could remember all the names of the people involved
Hotel Reviews
It is close to a piazza that has a lot going on, but the rooms are still quiet when you're inside. Everything was comfortable and clean. One guy seemed new and not helpful, but everyone else was good. I loved the nice big shower!
The room was very nice and clean. It was roomier than others we had in Italy, so that was nice. It is right across from a school, so trying to drive around in the morning was almost impossible. It is close enough walk to lots of things, but far enough that you don't feel in the mix. The pool was nice. The breakfasts were good.
The staff were very nice and accomadating. I like the area, but it would've been hard to find, if we didn't have a guide. The front is tucked away in an alley- but most of Venice is going through alleyways. Once you walk out of the alley, you are at the waterfront. Venice is all walk or boat- no cars or bikes. I really liked this hotel. The breakfast was very good and I liked that we could get cappuccino with breakfast. The only slight downfall would be that you shouldn't take a bath. I was sore from so much walking and the bath was perfect, but in Venice it doesn't drain well, so the water rose up from the drain in the floor of the bathroom. The staff took care of cleaning my clothes that got wet, and I'm sure they fixed the problem after we left, but because Venice is in water, I don't think it can handle tub drains.
The room was clean and the bed comfortable. It is very small, though- we both stubbed toes trying to get around the bed, but we got used to it. The shower was also very small. They have a nice garden area and you can eat your breakfast there or inside. They don't have room keys, you have to use their website to unlock the doors. (that was difficult for me, since my phone was being used for directions etc during the day and the battery was almost dead each evening). There's plenty of nice places to walk around in the area, but the collosseum is about 45 minute walk.
Activity Reviews
I cannot rate this activity because the arrangements were made for the wrong date, so we didn't get to go.
The drive to each place was very scenic. We got good descriptions of the areas and the wines etc. We even had some time for shopping. I think the wines were good, and the olive oils were very nice. Lots of people there purchased bottles to take home. We tasted Chianti, Chianti Classico, and Super Tuscan wines- and learned the difference between them. Fattoria di Bagnolo was the 1st stop. It is a family owned winery. We tasted their olive oil, Rose` and 2 Chiantis. It was such a beautiful place! Then we stopped to shop and walk around Greve In Chianti. We walked up a hill for a panoramic view, and it was awesome! Next stop was Luiano Winery. I like their wine the best! This is where we enjoyed a very nice lunch. Everything here was wonderful. 3rd winery was Diadema. we toured their olive oil making process and tasted their wines.
Daniela was our guide. She was enthusiastic about showing us the progession of art from medieval times to Baroque and further. Another couple had cancelled , so we were her only people on the tour, and it was fantastic. The gallery is a very busy place, but I felt like we were able to appreciate so much from this tour. It was definitely interesting and I would not have gotten much out of it, if I were to walk around on my own.
Rafaelo was our guide. This was a wonderful tour on the boat, and we got to go on land for a few hours. We visited the blue grotto first (before it got extremely busy). It was very busy, but they move people fairly quick for a 5 minute tour into the grotto on a small boat. The water just glows a beautiful blue. Then we went on land. We decided to go to the top panoramic view. You take a bus to the area where you can wait in a long line to go on the Seggiovia Monte Solaro chairlift. It was quite a wait, but worth it. The scenery is fantastic. But, we couldn't stay there too long, becuase we had to use the chairlift to go back and the bus, etc. The bus is not labeled for where it goes, and often the people there will tell you the wrong bus to get on (we heard from many people complaining). But, we made it back and ate a sandwich and drank a beer on the boat. We got to see the natural arches and green grotto and more. It was really very nice!
Just gorgeous. I really can't say enough good things about this tour. The guide was great, the places we stopped were beautiful and serene and the people were lovely. Although every place is filled with shops and souveniers- which is overwhelming. We ate lunch in Ravello. A rule of thumb for Italy is: if it has a beautiful scenic view, then they don't worry as much about the food quality. That was true everywhere we went. We opted for the scenic view, because it is spectacular. (the food was not). It was a lot of walking for the day -especially Positano, which has thousands of steps. At the end of the day we were very tired and it was nice to relax in the guide's vehicle on the way "home". I would do this tour again and again.
There's so much to take in. There's a lot of history in this building- so many rulers have been through here and many years of change. It was a very good experience. The guide was very knowledgable
This is a great way to experience Venice. I really enjoyed the guide and a enjoyed the rowing. It is at times peaceful and at times busy. We did this on our first day in Italy and I think it set the pace for us and allowed us to appreciate Venice even more.
We had a lot of tours in Italy and this was one of my very favorites! The guide was awesome. I think we had about 8 people total, so it was intimate and easy to walk around with such a small group. I appreciated all the food s we tasted and the drinks we had. Everyone loved the Spritz drinks- the Select Spritz is the local favorite, and it was my favorite also. It was a good amount of walking/exploring without being too much. Ending it with a gelatto, was the perfect touch! I would do this again!
Our guide was very helpful and knowledgable. I thought I would be uneasy riding among traffic, but it is easier than it looks. Once you're out of the busy traffic, it opens up to some nice scenery. We saw the giant walls taht created the aquaducts and got lessons on how the water made it to the city from the mountains. It is just astounding the architectural geniuses that the Romans were. The guide in the catacombs was interesting, too. I had no idea this area existed. Our excursion was supposed to be in the morning, but we had thunderstorms roll through, so it was rescheduled for the afternoon- and I'm glad. It was a great afternoon. I think we did 12 miles.
It was a very nice half day. Our guide on the bus was good and told us a lot of things. Bags/purses are not allowed in the tower of Pisa, so if you want to climb it, leave your purse on the bus and take your wallet with you. One lady didn't understand that , even though the guide told us on the bus, so she complained afterwards -but she was the only one who didn't get the instructions, and I felt sorry for our guide. Anyways, we decided not to go inside the tower. The outside and the buildings were enough to please us. We had a spritz at the little restaurant there and enjoyed the views. Just remember that toilets in Italy cost money, so bring coins with you at all times.
Yum! Just yum! It was a very nice walk through town to small venues with good food. I absolutely loved the Pinca Pizza . It is made with 3 different flours: wheat, soy and rice, and it is scrumptious! We went to another place for Suppli. That is very filling and delicious (so good, we went back the next day for more!!). Unfortunately, the 3rd place we went for pasta was not so good. Some people liked it, though. I didn't eat more than 2 bites. The place had no other customers, so that should tell you something. The pasta Carbonara was salty, the sauce was too thick, and the noodles were way too al dente for me (kinda crunchy). But, I was full enough from the other stuff. Then, we topped off the night with gelato, which was very good. Luca was our guide and he was fantastic.