Overall, this was an amazing trip to be introduced to Europe and experience a little bit of everything there. If you are thinking about opting out of a tour service like this and figuring it all out on your own, I would advise against it. There are a lot of cultural and social differences between these countries that a cursory internet search will not make you aware of. The tour guide's guidance is really what allowed us to be safe and not clueless while exploring, and the tour also highlighted a lot of the activities and locations that were actually worth doing. I feel like I truly maximized my time in Europe and did not waste a moment. At this price point, I doubt you would be able to find anything as good. It was truly life-changing, and on the flight back I dreaded coming back home. Also, if you see Kevin Screene as an option for your tour guides, take him. Amazing person and an even better guide.
Exploring Italy through this trip was an unforgettable experience! It allowed us to see all the iconic landmarks in each city we visited, offering a remarkable variety of activities that left no room for boredom. What made the journey even more exceptional were the guides - their passion for the country, combined with their extensive knowledge, made the trip truly unforgettable. They made it a priority to connect with each and every traveler, ensuring that everyone was fully immersed in the tour. With everything taken care of, this trip exceeded our expectations and more. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to discover Italy in the best possible way!
Awesome tour, Many fantastic sights throughout the tour, great experience I'll never forget. Well organised and good value for money. Thanks for all you do. We really appreciated it.
Thursday -10/17-Day 6
BEST DAY EVER!!!! Remember my story about the wine and food pairing for Chefs class that Stu bought me for my 50th birthday in Napa Valley? Well, this day trumped that experience! Today’s Private cooking class from Casa Grande’s Chef Guila was life-changing! I learned so much straight from the expert, hands on, in a real Italian kitchen dating back to the early 1300s, oh my God, the pictures and videos that Stu captured are amazing and will be cherished for the rest of my life.
I am ready to bring this new knowledge and skills back, and teach it to others because the quality of ingredients, the freshness, textures, and flavor profiles, are indescribable and so much fun to learn.
It was exactly what I needed to regenerate my passion for cooking and teaching. So grateful to Stu for making this possible and encouraging me to do it, even though I really was not feeling it last night. He knows me better than I know myself.
And in only two hours, we made four types of focaccia bread, personal pizzas, calzone, white table bread and potato gnocchi with pesto!
I even got a proper pronunciation lesson to boot. I had to promise her I would pass that lesson along to anyone I taught these dishes to.
When everything was cooked and ready, we got to sit down in a very intimate dining setting in the family dining room just off the kitchen and enjoy all that we had made. Stu had plans to go to the gym and for a swim while I was taking the class, but it was so interesting for him that he stayed and took pictures and videos and even joined in and made his own pizza, it was such a good time. One of those things that just happen that you can’t really plan but he just knew that if I showed up, it would be an experience of a lifetime and he was right!
Guila opened a 2019 bottle of Sangiovese Rosso for our meal and we dined like the King and Queen of the casa. After the Rosso we had more of the dessert wine with biscotti, said our goodbyes with much appreciation to Julia and stumbled back to our room through many hallways and staircases, trying not to get lost, again. About to take a big fat nap so much for the rest of the day! We are done!
Buona notte!!
This is a fast pace tour so we've seen many points of interests in 11 counties in 14 days. It was well organized and learned some of the countries history, which was very nice. Pascal is such a caring person and excellent driver. He always have that beautiful smile and warm hello whenever he sees you even though he worked for many long hours. Would give him 7 stars out of 5. He goes above and beyond expectations. What an asset forExpat! Matt is very well versed in European history and it is great learning from him. He also kept us well informed so that the tour runs smoothly, which we appreciate very much. Though a couple of the hotels are not up to par, it won't prevent us from touring through Expat in the future. Overall, it was a great experience for us .
Hi Stefania! Sorry to take so long to write back. It has been crazy trying to get back into the swing of things at work after that trip. Italy was amazing!! We absolutely loved it! As for feedback on the trip, we really don't have anything that was negative. We loved everything that was planned! We especially loved how you planned the sites that we went and how the pattern flowed (not sure if you did it on purpose but we think so). Also, thank you for being very accessible to us during the whole planning of the trip. You helped put us at ease and it was very reassuring that we chose the right company. That is all that I can given you that might be considered constructive. The rest I could say would just be compliments on everything else. If I can think of anything else that I think is useful I will definitely email you. Hope all is well, Jane P.S. - Does your company only provide trips for Italy or other countries as well, just wondering for the future :)
I have had the wonderful pleasure of touring with you, the tour was well executed. The experiences are amazing and very unique. So much fun and I will tour again. I will recommend.
This was our first time to Europe and it did not disappoint! Right from day 1 the fun started! Jared was our tour leader, if you ever get the chance to tour with him, you are lucky. He was fantastic!!! His knowledge of the places we stopped was expansive and he made it interesting to learn the history! Florentin our driver was a rock for us! He got us safely to our destinations and always had a smile on his face! We forged friendships on this tour that made this the most memorable trip! We laughed a lot !!! I am so glad my daughter and I were lucky enough to have such an amazing tour leader, driver and fellow travellers that only made all the amazing places we saw, better! Thank you
COACH TOUR: Take in the best of Italy on this 11-day journey from Rome, looping through Florence, Venice, and the sun-drenched south. Explore ancient ruins in Pompeii, cruise the canals of Venice, and marvel at the Vatican’s artistic treasures. Sip Tuscan wine in Montepulciano, discover Renaissance Florence, and see Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower. In the south, enjoy a formal dinner in Sorrento and a day trip to the glamorous island of Capri. With guided tours, scenic drives and plenty of local flavours, this trip blends history, culture and coastlines—perfect for anyone wanting a deep dive into Italy’s many highlights.