Andrea did a wonderful job tailoring our perf...
Italy | Sep 18 - Sep 28, 2024

Lisa
Lisa V.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Oct 05, 2024

Andrea did a wonderful job tailoring our perfect trip. He was readily available during our trip when we had some delays with our flight and always connected us with our drivers for the following days. Our most favorite part was exploring Pompeii with our fabulous guide and having a slower paced day exploring the beautiful city of Taormina. Each stop on the trip was better than the last. We did a pizza making class in which we will be making that recipe for many years to come, got to enjoy the beautiful Amalfi coastline by boat, hiked around Mt Vesuvius and Mt Etna, and meandered around Sicily. We were surprised at how crowded and congested Naples and Capri were and probably the part of the trip we enjoyed the least. Overall, it was an amazing 12 days packed full of everything we hoped to see, eat, and do. Thanks Andrea!

Hotel Reviews
Napoli Tree - Lungomare
Naples

Super cute B&B both a wonderful host.

Location
It was a short walk to everywhere we wanted to be
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Residence
Amalfi

Beautiful location and wonderful staff

Authenticity & Character
Location
Right on the coast
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Casa Adele
Taormina

Nice, comfortable room and excellent staff

Authenticity & Character
Location
Right near the Catania Port
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Palazzo Artemide

We wish we had more than one night in the gorgeous hotel!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Villa Elisio Hotel & Spa
Napoli
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Pizza Making class in Naples with lunch or dinner
Pizza Making class in Naples with lunch or dinner
Naples

Our interpreter did such a great job and our host was very patient in teaching us his craft. This was forever our most favorite pizza on our trip.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Naples guided tour on a bike
Naples guided tour on a bike
Italy

While we are decent bikers, we felt incredibly uncomfortable on this trip. Trying to balance on the wet cobblestones, on narrow roads full of people/vendors/scooters, and jumping in and out of cars, eventually just made us not feel safe. While our guide was knowledgeable and patient, and we saw a few neat things, it wasn’t worth it for us.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Vesuvius entrance ticket
Vesuvius entrance ticket
Naples

We were dropped off right at the entrance and got to take our time hiking up and exploring. We enjoyed the self-paced atmosphere while getting to stop at all of the beautiful overlooks.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Group Pompeii ruin visit
Group Pompeii ruin visit
Italy

This was the highlight of our trip! Our guide was amazing and SO knowledgeable. She made the trip! There is so much that has been uncovered that gives great insight into what life was like back then. We were given ample opportunity to enjoy and learn about everything we saw.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day trip to Capri Island from The Amalfi Coast - small group
Day trip to Capri Island from The Amalfi Coast - small group
Italy

We thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride and our guide. He was knowledgeable and took us on a fun exploration along the coastline and around Capri. However, we had our vision of what Capri was going to be and it was too crowded for us (cruise ships kept dumping people by the hour) to enjoy. We felt we weren’t as informed about how to spend the best of our few hours on the island and wasted half of that time figuring it out.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Ancient Theater of Taormina entrance ticket
Ancient Theater of Taormina entrance ticket
Italy

Our guide was passionate and super knowledgeable about the history. The views were amazing and we were introduced to the best granita afterwards.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Mount Etna and Alcantara Gorge expedition - Small group
Mount Etna and Alcantara Gorge expedition - Small group
Italy

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip learning what makes Mt Etna special. The walk through the lava tube was fun and the hiking on Etna was a smooth, moderate walk. We were pretty disappointed with the gorge trek. Our thought going into it was that we would be suited up to walk through the gorge. Instead, we were taken to the water, told we had 45 minutes to explore, and meet back at the cars. We weren’t given any appropriate gear to walk in the water, nor a heads up to pack ahead of time.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Syracuse Neapolis Archaeological Park - private guide
Syracuse Neapolis Archaeological Park - private guide
Italy

After seeing Pompeii, these ruins weren’t as impressive but we loved our guide. He took time to explain the history, we discussed OUR cultural similarities/differences, and it was just a good time. He knew a lot of little nuances that we likely wouldn’t have known about just doing the tour on our own.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Andrea Gambino
Andrea
Andrea Gambino
Local specialist in Turin, Italy | Replied on Oct 05, 2024

Lisa, we are happy you enjoyed your time in Italy. Thanks so much for your useful review.