Review: Italy Vacation, Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Trastevere, Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii, Food & Wine Tours, Cooking Class

I was extremely pleased with how our travel agency partnered with me to develop a two-week Italy vacation. I waited 35 years for this trip, and I wanted it to be incredible. We gave very specific instructions--only three museums (but the best three), hotels that were strategically located and with great breakfast buffets, food and wine tours, tours of the "must see" sites when they are the least crowded, etc. I specifically requested meals and/or tours in Trastevere and Rome's Jewish ghetto, both areas known for exceptionally great food. My husband and brother, both engineers, wanted to see the Appian Way and the Aqueducts, I wanted to see catacombs, etc. We all wanted to eat and drink our way through Italy. Our travel agent and I had several phone calls and tweaked the itinerary numerous times to come up with what was ultimately an absolutely phenomenal experience. It was our agent's idea for the day trip to Venice, which was just perfect (he was right about how we would be better off spending more time in Tuscany and Florence rather than in Venice), and the tour guides he selected for our private tours were incredible. Your tour guide can make or break your experience, and we loved every single one of ours. Most had master's degrees in art history or European history. Even our driver in Tuscany was from a family with a local winery (they only produce for themselves), and he was able to add a rich dimension to our winery visits. This trip was fantastico! I also want to add that I am a value shopper and very good with research. There is no way I could have put together this incredibly rich trip with so many tours, meals, drivers and experiences for anywhere near the price that our agent gave us. My husband, brother and brother's girlfriend all agree that this trip was an incredible value considering everything we did. We were given a price  per person that included everything, and about 70% of our meals were covered. People who book their own trips can't get the discounts that top-rated tour operators like this company can get.