Reflections of Italy featuring Como

The castle with the cooking class. Florence was the best city to visit and Assisi was the best tour. The only sour note was the serenade supper was total rip off very expensive meat balls and the singing was not great.

Collette does such a great job of putting us in hotels right in the downtown of the areas we will be touring, making it so easy to walk to so many of the destinations you want to see. Their tour guides are fanstastic, and Antonia was exceptional in her knowledge and sharing and making it fun to learn Italiian history, and this is really the best part of traveling with Collette, is how much you learn. The Collesium was a highlight in Rome, along with the Vatican. Venice was an amazing city, and probably my favorite experience of the whole trip.

Was wonderful. Saw so much.

the trip and the meal to the castle/winery. Loved Florence! would have liked a little more free time in Rome.

Daniel our tour guide was amazing, so knowledgeable, so caring, made the trip run so smoothly. Loved all the churches but also really enjoyed our cooking class, I would add a few different activities like the cooking class

Making pasta, gondola ride, boat rides in Como.

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.

I loved Taormina and Lake Como!

Antonio was amazing and very informative, he was great! The best hotel accommodation was in Lake Como! I think at all the hotels the eggs were cold and the bacon was not cooked enough.

Antonio the tour manager

Overall, a really good experience. The primary tour guide was fantastic and the tour itinerary was a very good balance of seeing the key sites along with local guides that shared more personalized experiences, and experiencing the local shops, restaurants, and people. While you can't see everything there is to see in only 9 days, Collette planned it very well to ensure we got to experience Italy. The cooking class/food, Tuscany wines and Vatican were favorites for me!

It was a memorable experience for me. Imagine walking on the same cobblestone streets that the Romans did. Our tour started in Rome and finished at Lake Como. All the beautiful cities we visited had their own charm, I couldn't pick just one. The churches, the statues, the beautiful fountains, the restaurants in the open plazas and much more. We had an amazing tour manager, and our bus driver was awesome also. Our tour companions (43 people) were so, so nice. We all got along like we had been friends for years. We talked, we walked, we danced, and we sang. Every day was a new adventure. Would I do it again? You bet I would.

The tour was a great experience, we got to see different regions in a short time frame, I would have made one change to stay one less day in Rome and perhaps spend that day in Milan at the end of the trip.

Maria did a fine job getting us around. Best part was seeing Sistine Chapel and the statue of David. Loved the Guide’s stories about St. Francis at Assisi and about David in Florence. Also we really enjoyed the optional dinner at LaCherotsa, Florence. Andrea Rola was a wonderful host and singer. That was fun. Stresa was beautiful too. Murano Glass tour was also a highlight.

The tour manager was outstanding making everything perfect During the conclave we were able to witness it and the tour guides managed it perfectly even with the chaos in the city The bus driver was always on time and safe driver The excursions were excellent Restaurants chosen were ideal entertainment and food choices Cultural details provided in depth from tour manager and guides

It’s a fast paced 10 day tour. You should be prepared to do a lot of walking. Travel light as possible. Many early morning departures for bus rides to the next city. Great dinners. Great service Made many new friends. Great cultural learning experience.

Florence was the best

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and want to return to Italy, and explore another area. My pretrial to Sicily was amazing and I would consider that to be my favorite.

I enjoyed Perugia. Thought that town was beautiful. We had dinner there and it was great. Also enjoyed Cortona another beautiful town. We loved the coffee shops there

Our tour manager, Ione Kerr was friendly and upbeat. She was attentive to all our needs and was always there anticipating the next move. She energetically explained everything including the food and where to eat at each location. I’m satisfied the I saw the things I wanted to see. And I loved the art history behind everything we saw. My favorite was the Chianti Region. Loved the food and wine.

WAS a lot missed Rome

Loved it all! Nice accommodations, excellent tour guide & driver. Really enjoyed the Tuscan feast.

The tour guide was excellent....and the local guides were very good too. I am glad my family went a bit early to Rome so we were able to visit a few more places than that which was included in the tour.

Loved it all! Nice accommodations, excellent tour guide & driver. Really enjoyed the Tuscan feast.

The tour guide was excellent....and the local guides were very good too. I am glad my family went a bit early to Rome so we were able to visit a few more places than that which was included in the tour.

Visiting the Certosa Monastery was my highlight. We had dinner and listened to our guide sing opera, and then there was dancing.

Our tour guide, Savio, was excellent, personable, knowledgeable, humorous and at the same time kept the rather large group of 41 together and on time for our many excursions. So many great memories, the Vatican, Assisi, Venice, Tuscany region, Florence. Our tour guides at the Vatican and Assisi were particularly knowledgeable and insightful.. Would have liked to spend a whole day in Cuomo and surrounding northern lake region. The hotels in Rome, Venice and Florence were only fair.

We had a wonderful trip. Our guide, Paolo Santioli was excellent. He was well organized, friendly, gave excellent information about places we went to or drove past, and was very instrumental in making this am excellent experience. In addition, Leonardo, was an excellent driver and always available to help any passengers - and with a smile. It's hard to single out one thing, as all aspects and recommendations were spot on. I personally liked touring the small villages, and getting Paolo's suggestions.

Not enough time in some places (especially Rome), too much time in others. Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica was overwhelming! Magnificent! Venice was unique but too many pickpockets. Be alert; they are brazenly bold! Pre-tour to Taormina, Sicily was very nice. Wasn't crowded. Very laid-back. Very safe. I could have stayed there for a longer time. However, the ATV ride up Mt. Etna was a washout. You could barely see the parking lot through the low clouds. Couldn't see anything about the volcano, so it was a canceled excursion. So disappointing! Our Tour Manager, Mojca, and bus driver, Camillo, we're outstanding.

Saw some beautiful scenery. More time in Rome was needed. Would recommend skipping the overnight stay in Perugia for another night in Rome. Pick pocket attempts were bad, but happily I was 3-0 against them.

My tour to Italy was flawless!!! It’s almost hard to believe going with a group of 40 could go so smooth! Ivan our tour manager was fabulous. Our bus driver Andrea was wonderful too. We were so cared for & I believe Ivan went out of his way to provide extra local tours & assistance with ATM usage which were fabulous. He had such a wonderful personality. All of our accommodations were great. I especially loved Vatican City. Each destination was great. I didn’t realize Lake Como would be so fabulous either. I enjoyed the ferry ride a lot. Each destination was more exciting than I even imagined. Thank you!!

Had a great time on my tour of Italy! Hard to say what my favorite experience was… loved it all!!

I loved our Italy tour. The itinerary was the perfect amount of large cities and small towns with great guided tours and a lot of down time too! Our tour director went out of his way to help us and our motor coach driver was superb. I especially loved all the different hotels we stayed in. They were true Italy!