This really was a great time. I liked learning more about history. Food, olive oil, and wine that were all very good were tasty. I made some great new friends and had a great time.
This was an amazing experience largely as a result of our Tour Leader, Antonio. He joined us late on the first day in Rome having stepped in (and up) for the designated Tour Leader as they had to drop out last minute. He'd just finished another tour earlier that day and had flown to join us in Rome. Despite this he set about introducing himself to everyone and straight away we felt a connection and knew we were in safe hands. Over the next nine days he took great care of us from making sure I had no cheese on my pizza to looking out for our kids (who were also on the tour with us) when they tagged along on one of the excursions, from making sure we all made it to the train station on time and together to making extra arrangements for some of our group who had some mobility issues. At every turn Antonio was there, corralling, caring and communicating every day of the trip. Don't get me wrong, Italy and the sights are amazing but having a great Tour Leader like Antonio can make something special into something amazing and he certainly did that every day. The tour itself has some long days and early starts but because of that you get rewarded with amazing sights and sounds every day from Vatican and Colosseum in Rome, Pisa and Cinque Terra from Florence, Capri and Pompeii from Naples, Lake Como from Milan and beautiful Venice. A good balance (in our opinion) of busy days and free days. This tour is a great way to see most of what Italy has to offer with the comfort of rail travel (shorter journeys between locations, roomy seats and great views of the Italian countryside) and if you're lucky enough a great Tour Leader like Antonio to bring the whole thing together. All in all an amazing experience.
We had an amazing time on this tour! The highlights were definitely Pompeii and Capri. The guide provided insightful commentary, and the bus rides were comfortable. The itinerary was well-balanced, allowing us to see a lot without feeling too rushed. Highly recommend this tour for a comprehensive Italian experience.
