Travel Review: Luxury Italy Vacation Package, Florence, Venice, Naples, Milan, Lake Como, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Cooking Class

Review by traveler

cherry c.

2.6.2012

General Info

Traveler Review

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

Italy

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

Though there were a few things we didn't understand about trains, etc at the beginning of the trip, Doug at our Italy travel agency was quick to clear things up for us and we loved the whole thing. We are definitely going back someday and we wouldn't hesitate at all to use this Italy tour operator. All of our rooms were exquisite but the one in Florence just blew us away. It was as if we were inside a castle of our own. The room had at least 14' ceiling and maybe 16' and every square inch was painted in trompe' l'oiel (to fool the eye) in the old Renaissance style. La Minervetta in Sorrento was hands down our favorite though and I am decorating my house using it as inspiration.

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

Our first day in Lake Como we got to see a wedding party next door, just over our wall. The Groom and his men flew in on a pontoon plane and the Bride and her party arrived by boat. So exciting. One of the employees took me next door (since they owned both properties) to let me view the reception area. It was so fun. The cooking class we took outside of Florence was the best! We were the only two there and we got to help make dinner for the small restaurant out front. We also were able to eat in the restaurant, our own prepared meal. Chef Claudio was wonderful and we learned so much from him.While there someone dropped off a dressed wild boar he'd caught only a couple of hours earlier and Claudio was so pleased. A little unusual for us as we don't eat much of that here in the states but I'm certain whatever Claudio did with it was delicious. We took bike rides in each city but the best was Florence where our tour director was an art historian with a crazy hat. So as we toured around the city we kept up with him by his crumpled up off white "cowboy" hat. His accent and knowledge made our tour one of the best things we did. Our semi private boat tour 4-5 hours, in Venice was wonderful as well. You just always learn so much more when you have a local to show you around. Did you know that a 900 sq ft apartment costs about $1M USD in Venice? I was thrilled that in today's age we could take pictures inside the Uffizi and the Basilica and other huge pieces of history.

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

The only thing I would do differently is inquire about proximity of rooms to road as the first room was a bit noisy and to inquire about the house keeping policies. The only reason I say this is that although the bathrooms were elegant, any that had tubs topped in Marble or Granite had mold at that joint which is quite unpleasant and some rooms though they appeared to be wonderfully clean on the surface, one could tell that baseboards, door facings etc hadn't had that much attention paid to them. This may have only been an issue for me as I'm a clean freak. It would certainly not deter me in the future. I would just request or inquire first.

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Travel Review: Luxury Italy Vacation Package, Florence, Venice, Naples, Milan, Lake Como, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Cooking Class

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?

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