This tour is the BEST way to see all the infamous spots in Italy, plus local hidden gems, at a reasonable cost and if you are short on time (we had a school break time limitation). It covered everything! We budgeted for the add-ons, especially those with meals, but you could choose to have more free time if you wanted. The food was extraordinary, the bus was roomy and immaculately clean, our driver Antonello was superb, and our Travel Director Anneleis was amazing! She was so talented at integrating the tour highlights, guests, keeping it fun even in the rainy weather, knowledgeable, and able to troubleshoot anything to ensure we had the best experience of a lifetime!! I would love to go back and explore Southern Italy next. The hotels were elegant (only one was just "OK" only because it was in need of some renovations) and the service with our luggage, tipping, etc. was seamless. I highly recommend the Italian Intermezzo tour and Insight Vacations. Favoloso!
Good introductory cross-section in major cities. Good balance of scheduled vs. free time. Would like a little more emphasis on art--especially Uffizi Gallery and Pisan Camposanto--plus entry into St. Mark's/Doge's Palace and Duomo church (rather than some of the shopping stuff). A little too much commercial, too little history/art. (Some of guides under-informed, including one who said Galileo discovered the "two planets" around Jupiter!).
It was a great experience with many highlights throughout our tour. We particularly enjoyed the many immersive stops (i.e. wine tasting, weaving, truffle hunting, pasta making, etc.) in addition to our guided tours. Our tour guide, was very well versed, knowledgeable, and helpful and provided good insights and tips throughout our trip. I can't imagine someone else doing a better job than she did! The local experts were also on top of their games.
It was a fast paced trip. It is a bit difficult staying only one night in a few places, just the logistics of packing up several nights and having everything ready for the next day is challenging.
But, that being said I thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many things through out Italy.
That inconvenience was minor in comparison to the amount of ground we covered.