Budget Trips to Italy

It’s hard to come up with a favorite experience as I liked it all. Seeing the Vatican was something I never thought I’d see. Absolutely stunning! I enjoyed the uniqueness of Venice with the water taxis. Our tour director, Antonia, and bus driver, Andrea, were absolutely AWESOME! The only complaints I have about the trip were the tour guide at St. Francis of Assisi didn’t carry a flag making it hard to follow her among all the other people there. The other complaint I have is we were told Collette only provided transportation to and from the airport within a 30 mile range. Once we got to know other people in our tour group, we found out that all of them either had bus or van transportation. Some of these people were 3 1/2 hours away from the airport! Not sure why we weren’t offered that same option. All in all, it was a wonderful trip of a lifetime!

My only concern with the trip, was the travel arrangements on the way home. You have to get up at 2 AM to get to France where there was a three hour layover and then to get home was exhausting. I feel like the entire trip was five star and the end leg of the trip fell in a hole. It was like it was over and no one cared. It was a trip of a lifetime I would use Collette again and have recommended to Collette to other people. Thank you, Elaine Lombardo

Our tour of the Mediterranean Coastal Journey, far exceeded our expectations. The tour manager was absolutely amazing! Having been thrown some curveballs, especially when the rain and windy weather caused Cinque Terre to be closed! Barbara pulled together a tour of the Imperiale Palace for the next day, with a demo on making Pesto sauce, then each of us made pesto as well. I was so looking forward to Cinque Terre, but in the long run we had a great experience in Genoa. Also, the hotel there was lovely being located on the marina, and all the shops and restaurants were just across the street. I was not looking forward to our stay in Genoa but came away pleasantly surprised. Our group of 22 turned out to be incredibly friendly right from the beginning. All the restaurants were very good, she even surprised us with a 1* Michelin dinner experience in substitution for that evening dining experience having been cancelled, so we got to eat at the number 1 restaurant in Marseilles! I have to say that Barbara was responsible for getting the group off to a great start being together, with her great sense of humor, friendliness, being firm about the start time to be on the bus :-) She went above and beyond making the last night of our tour so very special for my daughter, being it was her actual birthday. It was all just perfect! Thank you, Barbara, what tour will you be leading next season? I would consider going on it knowing how you can handle even those last-minute curveballs!

For my husband and myself, this was not a tour--it was a pilgrimage to the holiest sites of our faith. We are Catholic, and had the opportunity to visit Assisi, home of Saints Francis, Clare, and Carlo Acutis. We got to visit San Giovanni Rotundo, home of Saint Padre Pio. We visited the Abby of Montecassino, home of St. Benedict and his sister St. Scholastica. We visited the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel, and the Holy House of Nazareth in Loreto. I touched the wall of the home where Mary made breakfast for Jesus. Could any Catholic imagine anything greater? Well, we got to have mass in a chapel underneath the House of Loreto where our parish priest led all married couples on the tour in renewing their vows! I have to say that was the absolute highlight of the trip for me, though Montecassino, so high on a mountain, afforded me an equally unforgettable spiritual experience. When we got back to Rome we climbed the Scala Sancta, or Holy Stairs --the stairs that Jesus is said to have climbed when being judged by Pontius Pilate. It's a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church, so the Holy doors of St. Mary Major, St. Peter's Basilica, and St. John Lateran were open to us for the first time. We also happened to be there for the historic meeting of Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III. We couldn't go into the Sistine Chapel because they were having the first Catholic Mass that any king of England has attended in over 500 years! The audience with the Pope that we had was absolutely amazing--we got to see him from so close! Our tour guide, Flavio, was incredible and kept us going during some days that were very packed with activities. We traveled with our pastor and members of our parish, so we had an immediate connection that will never be duplicated. This was a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable trip.

Tour of the Great Synogogue of Rome in the Ghetto of Rome, which we did on our own after the walking tour of Rome which ended in the Ghetto. The other unforgettable experience was the tour of Pompey

Tour was excellent! Tour manager and bus driver fantastic. Collette should know that the welcome dinner at the Orazio Palace was not good. Pasta was so aldente, it was nearly raw. Sauce on pasta was tasteless. Not being given a choice on what we eat does make the meals seem like school cafeteria, very institutional. The Roman feast was not much better ….. food was tasty, but the pasta was cold and glue-like. And the dinner of meatballs and potatoes was not what was expected for a “Roman Feast”. It felt like Collette chose the cheapest meal to feed us, not worth the 100.00 we were charged. Lastly the Hotel Carlton in Venice …. Rooms were too small for two and the blankets on the beds was so worn and pilled, if it was in my home , I would throw it away. Crawling on the floor to find outlets to plug in phones was not fun. Local guides were well informed and fun to be with. Luggage handling and car service to and from airports was well handled. All in all, a wonderful experience I would recommend.