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.
Amazing tour. Full credit to Roma on sharing her recommendations and experience with us. An awesome woman who goes out of her way to ensure an enjoyable tour is had by all. So many places to see & new foods to try. Memories for a lifetime
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 my first trip to Europe and I could not imagine experiencing it any better than on the 18 day EX tour. Although we only scratched the surface of many places it gave a wonderful perspective for places I want to come back to for further exploration. We covered a lot of ground in 18 days and made unforgettable memories. I was expecting to see beautiful things and have great experience but the relationships that formed within our group were an unexpected, and delightful, surprise. I'm so thankful I choose to do this tour and have recommended to all of my friends. I will definitely do another Expat tour when I'm able. Disclaimer; This is not a trip for those who want to kick back and relax. It was very active with many early mornings, late night and non-stop adventure days.
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.
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!!
Overall it was a great vacation. The tour leader (Matt) was professional, knowledgeable and funny. The coach driver (Alex) was great too. They worked well together and gave a constant calm feeling to our group. Our leaders had a few obstacles to overcome and they handled them without us ever needed to worry. A few suggestions from Matt made our trip even better. We ate with different people each night, we rotated seats and made friends for a life time. Life changing experience.