Italy Review: Castel San Pietro Terme, Orvieto, Montefalco, Parma, Cooking Classes, Bread Tasting, Cheese, Ceramics, Fine Dining

Our "21 Day, Self-Driven, Wines and Foods of Italy 2019, Tour," was nothing short of a smashing success from start to finish. A successful trip, for us, is a trip that includes one key factor, "No Stress!" Planning an extended and somewhat complicated trip to Italy was a challenge, because, unlike our 23 day self-driven wine tour of France in April 2018, we didn't know Italy the way we knew France. We've both been to France several times, I actually lived and worked in Paris for a period and managed to maintain some of my French language skills. Sure, we've visited Italy before, such places as Rome, Venice, Florence and the Amalfi Coast, but that's not what we were after this time. One, we wanted to drive ourselves, a somewhat daunting challenge, if I do say so. Two, we wanted to include as many wineries, in as many different wine regions as possible. Three, we were interested in cooking classes, as well as cheese, ham, olive oil and balsamic vinegar tastings. Four, accommodations needed to be 4 star or better, have a restaurant or bar (preferably both) and have ground floor or elevator access. ZICASSO and this Travel Team to the rescue! I saw Zicasso’s website, made contact, was impressed and, as a result, selected two of the agencies referred to me for proposals on our itinerary. ZICASSO had already achieved “Our Key Factor,” “NO STRESS!” Once selected as our travel agent and his team kept the whole process, "Stress Free," from beginning to end. If we didn't receive a daily phone call or text from one of the "Team," checking on us, they had already called our hotel to make sure we had arrived safe and sound. There were some minor adjustments to our itinerary along the way but they were made seamlessly and at no additional cost to us, a gesture much appreciated by both my wife and me.