Travel Review: Italy Anniversary Vacation, Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Turin, Bologna, Modena, Vatican, Auto Museum Tour

Review by traveler

Kim B.

10.4.2017

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Italy

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

My husband and I enjoyed our trip to Italy very much. When we first spoke to our travel agent in Italy, he quickly sent us a draft itinerary. Our travel agent was very willing to assist us as much as we desired, he listened to our ideas, made good recommendations, and quickly ensured our changes to their initial proposal were all incorporated and accounted for. The trip itinerary was very well planned and the actual trip reflected the itinerary exactly as we arranged. Everything went better than we have ever imagined and the trip was unforgettable. We saw more of Italy using this travel company than we could have had we planned it ourselves. Our agent ensured accommodations were clean, comfortable, affordable, and conveniently located. The best part of all was the simple fact that the trip was paid for before we left so we had no worries once there.

Of note, we had unfortunately scheduled our vacation to start on the day Hurricane Irma hit out starting location of Orlando, Florida. Last minute changes required us to arrive in Rome days earlier and our agent and his team successfully arranged for accommodations while he himself was attempting to avoid the hurricane in southern Florida. Our travel agent and his team made us feel as though we had relatives in Italy assisting us all along the way. Fantastic does not even come close to how much we enjoyed this trip and how well he supported us in our time of need.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed touring the Ferrari, Maserati, and Italian National Auto Museums throughout Modena, Bologna, and Turin respectfully. We requested Marcello arrange the transport to the museums and the private driver driving a Mercedes Sedan was exceptional the entire day. What a great way to experience these museums.

Use of the speed rail train between cities seated in the executive car was a fantastic way to get around Italy. Fast, quiet, on time, and spacious train cars with snack service was something I wish we could use in the United States.

The early breakfast tour of the Vatican ensured that the Vatican was not packed with people allowing our private guide to take more time to explain the historical significance of what we were seeing. Our guide spoke English very well, was extremely knowledgeable about everything we saw and was also our guide to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill.

We also went on a private food and walking tour of Treveste, a neighborhood of southwest Rome. Our tour guide, did a fantastic job detailing the local area, visiting a great little café, a local produce market, a butcher shop with the BEST salami and parmesan cheese we have ever had, a chocolatier, a pizza shop with delicious pizza and bread, a beautiful church, and a neat little curio shop that specialized in quite a bit. A quiet, quant, and beautiful portion of Rome with a lot of charm.

Each and every one of the people in Italy that our agent arranged to guide us on tours or meet us in a city were absolutely wonderful. All were very knowledgeable in not only the items they were showing us but also in vineyards, wine production and selection, olive oil production and use in cooking, recipes for exceptional Italian dishes, Italian cars and their manufacturers, and about anything else of interest we could discuss. We had fun throughout each and every tour and city. They were all enthusiastic and we really enjoyed their company.

Our favorite city was Turin. It was there that we discovered why that city is known for the best chocolate and hazelnuts. A small shop had the best chocolate in Turin and we made sure we stopped by. We also found GROM, the best gelato shop we encountered while in Italy (and we sampled quite a bit throughout the country). It was there that we had a wonderful dinner at a small, family owned restaurant on 20 September street near the hotel on 20 SEP. That meal was unforgettable. Finally, the city was cleaner than Rome and Florence and the streets wider with fewer tourists. Very nice!

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

We would not start the trip in the middle of hurricane season from Orlando, Florida. Leaving the state as the eye of a category 5 storm approached proved difficult and forced us to change our plans several times before finally taking off for Rome.

The hotel in Venice was in a beautiful location near the water and Saint Marco Square, but the décor of the room was aged significantly and was musty. I expect that the AC had been off in the room for several days and the odor was significant the first day. The room was clean and well equipped and the hotel staff was wonderful.

Other than these items, we would not change a thing.

Thank you again to our agent, this company, and their attentive and very competent tour guides and staff.

TRAVEL COMPANY COMMENTS:

Thank you for your review and for your feedback.

We are glad that you found your Venice room clean and well equipped, and that the hotel staff was helpful. We have contacted the hotel regarding the AC / smell and they explained that the rooms are very clean and sometimes the smell comes from the waters and air from Venice, which is hard to control. Since the hotel is centrally located and very busy, it's possible that previous guests might not have used the AC the day or so before, or did not open the windows.

Thanks again, and we hope to see you again in our beautiful country!

Photos

Travel Review: Italy Anniversary Vacation, Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Turin, Bologna, Modena, Vatican, Auto Museum Tour

General Info

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

Real Customer Reviews

Other Reviews for Travel Agency 2084171

Small Footer