Reflections of Italy

Wow! So many amazing experiences! Hard to pick. Rome was just amazing but so crazy to navigate! Got lost and my phone died but was bailed out by an “angel”.

This was our first trip overseas and it met all our expectations! Simona, our tour manager was fantastic! She explained every day what was taking place, options of extra tours, and free time areas to shop and dine. She really knows her Italy!! There are so many memorable experiences! One of our favorites was our Gondola ride which our tour guide set up a serenade as a surprise for our ride!!

I enjoyed viewing all the architecture. It is amazing how they built the churches, etc. without all the mechanical equipment they use today! You will certainly get your daily "steps" in during this tour! Lots of walking, but nothing really strenuous.

Going to American military cemetery stands out because no crowds and a time to quietly reflect on the past.

The tour went well. Food was great. Sightseeing was great The group of folks were fun and very friendly. Good mix of adult age groups over 45 years old. Good mix of free time, traveling, and sightseeing.

Overall the tour was very good. The hotels were outstanding and their locations were perfect. I loved Waterton Park. It was quaint with great restaurants and friendly, informative staff. The tour guide was good but continued to make comments on political topics in America. She actually asked if we ever heard of the British Tea Party in America which gave the impression she viewed us as ignorant of our own history. Those comments weren't necessary for the role as tour guide.

Daniel, our tour manager, was fantastic. He made sure we saw everything we could and even added many extras. He is so kind, helpful, and knowledgeable about Italy. We would not have wanted to have this experience without him. We were also very pleased with our first host, Roberto, and the bus driver, Julio. Thank you for putting together such a fantastic tour!!

Daniel, our Tour Manager, took care of everything, anticipating needs and sharing his knowledge and experience in Italy. My favorite part - I spent the week enjoying and learning about Italy while Daniel took care of the rest.

The ruins, Vatican, the group toured with.

Venice

Max was amazing. Great tour manager!!

Great tour. The tour guide was amazing. I don’t like the luggage restrictions that don’t allow a carry on. One person on tour had her luggage lost and never recovered it the whole tour. Having a carry on would have enabled her to have at some clothing in a carry on. This is the only tour company that restricts a carry on

the whole experience was great ,so was our tour guide and the people in our group.

Wonderful trip. Very fast paced. Jacopo our tour manager was fantastic. Only downside was our final dinner as a group. Held in a hotel conference room with no windows, bright lights and not so great hotel food.

Great vacation...

I do not recommend Collette tours and I would never recommend buying the Travel Insurance Collette sells which is Zurich ! It’s a scam. Buy your own outside travel insurance. If you have a serious medical emergency you are out of luck. Collette nor the local chamber tour group didn’t even contact my family as I lay in the ICU in an international country in a coma with a 2 percent change to live. Delta found my contact information and contacted my family 24 hours after my accident and made arrangements for my family to fly to Italy to be at my bedside. Delta assisted me Collette nor their insurance did anything Collette sent no one to help me. I was in the hospital for over a month in Italy in a socialized medical hospital with a sheet with holes cut in it for my arms no air conditioning or internet Two weeks in a coma No one stayed behind from the tour group. 6 months since the tour nothing has been paid although as they requested all receipts were saved and submitted to them as they had requested I am recovering after my personal insurance company sent a Doctor and nurse from the United States to med vac me back to the United States to a hospital here or I would be dead. Collette nor their travel insurance company Zurich did anything to help. I was always under the impression that Collette, local Albertville Al Chamber Tour group or the insurance would do the right thing but they haven’t Attached files

I loved everything. It was great fun and very educational. I'd like to see Clarissa doing a tour of Spain in a year or two? Can we arrange that?

The tour was amazing Clarissa our tour guide was beyond excellent. There was plenty of free time balanced with tour time to really enjoy the beautiful country of Italy. Highly recommended!!!

Small village was my favorite I liked the tour guide gave a lot of history and helped “ off hours” to help us explore the area of Perugia and Florence

Winery and Tuscan feast

Most memorable experience was the Vatican. Plus lived that Tour guide-Fedora.

Only downside of our tour was the hotel accommodations, in a city like Rome the hotel was probably the worst. But our tour manager Clarissa was fantastic. If I did another tour of Italy I would definitely want her as my tour manager. She was knowledgeable and super welcoming. Was constantly checking in on everyone to make sure they were having a good time.

Tours should be planned with entrances to see more of Art which Italy is known for. People were nice but all older so I didn’t get to interact with people my age. Some hotels, like on in Rome and Venice, could have been better kept and the food tastier. I liked Italy but would want to enjoy views from train but with a goal in mind not just free time

I liked Perugia, Florence, Law Como but didn’t join groups often because everyone was much older and they just walked around crown in the heat. I liked the view of Italian towns in the country.

This was a great trip through Freeman Advantage of Joplin and Collette. Tour Manager Pelon Son was very minimal in comparison to other tour managers from Collette. She was pretty hands off and uninterested. Our last trip to German Dec 2024, Nora was such a wonder tour manager on the Danube River Cruise. She went above and beyond. Maybe, that spoiled us. Pelon Son only told us how hard her job was and how it was contracted and that didn’t guarantee her an income. It felt like she was begging for tips, yet uninterested in us or our trip experience. She just did what she had to in order to get by. We were disappointed in her lack of interest in our vacation experience. I loved Italy and all our excursions. All in all it was a good trip.

Our tour manager was absolutely the best! We had a wonderful time time on this tour, touching on the many different areas of Italy. One favorite was the more simple, less congested experience in Cortona. Such a lovely village. And the cooking class/vinyard/wind tasting in Tuscany! But my favorite experience was seeking out the wine windows in Florence. Of course I had to experience an Affogato window as well!

Everything was very good. It would have been nice to have another day in Rome, Florence, and Venice. The excursions were all very good. No complaints.

Excellent tour. Saw so many wonderful sites. Wish we had more time in Lake Como.