In Italy Online - Guests' Comments

Guests Comments About
Private City Walks & Day Trips in Italy

Our 3-week trip to Italy was the trip of a lifetime for my whole family and we are most appreciative of all your efforts to make the trip as wonderful as it was. Almost everything was perfect. Our tour guides in Rome were wonderful. Eva did our tour of the Coliseum, Forum and Ancient Rome and she was terrific. Teresa from Buffalo, NY was our guide at the Vatican and she was also great, especially with my 10-year-old son. We expected him to be pretty bored but she totally brought the whole thing to life for him and we were all delighted. We stayed at the Hotel Ponte Sisto which has a lovely courtyard where they serve a great buffet breakfast. Great location and great for families.

Our car rentals out of Rome were seamless. The one piece of advice I would give if you are driving in Tuscany as we were for 2 weeks is to GET THE GPS!!!! We took someone else's advice on this and it was a total lifesaver, even if we went a few isolated places that even the GPS couldn't find! Definitely back up with maps.

One place we visited in Tuscany that people with children might enjoy is a cashmere goat farm right outside of Radda in Chianti. We made a stop for about an hour on our way to lunch in Volpaia (fabulous also) and it was great. It is run by an American and a British woman and the kids loved the goats and the adults loved the beautiful little store with hand-made cashmere goodies! As an added bonus, they also breed these little Bolognese dogs and there was a new litter of puppies!

Elizabetta was our guide for a walking tour of Florence and we were a very large group of 13 but she managed to keep everyone moving and interested and was very well-informed. She also had lots of fun stories and anecdotes that kept the kids engaged and led them to her favorite gelato store which was obviously a crowd pleaser on a day that was close to 100 degrees!

Elena spent two wonderful days with us in Venice, one day on a customized four-hour boat tour of the islands and another day on the Venetians Venice walk.   A native of the Lido, she knows and loves the history and pulse of Venice and shares that passionately. I think she was our favorite of all our wonderful guides. The Castello Apartments which we arranged through InItaly in Venice were absolutely perfect for us and the manager, Antonio, was extremely helpful and gracious.

All of your services were wonderful and the people we met through your agency could not have been more professional. I have never hired guides before while travelling and it is something I will do from now on. It definitely enhanced our experiences and brought places to life in a way that would not have happened with simply a guide book. We do hope to get back to Italy and I will definitely use your company again and I have, in fact, already referred you to a friend who is planning a trip to Italy in October.

Thank you for everything.

Regards,
Karen W.

Dear Kristin,

Our trip to Italy was amazing! The help we got from you and your website made a big difference in the way we were able to really feel a part of the history and culture of each site. I can't say enough about each one of our tour guides - they were all different, but all wonderful. We loved Braden on our Vatican tour. She involved all of us, especially our 13-year old son, Scott and really brought the art to life for us with her fascinating, yet down-to-earth explanations. The 4 hours flew by! Our friend Lisa arranged two tours with you for our families in Venice and again, both were memorable. We saw the "real" Venice with Marilena (sp?) and took a boat tour with Sabrina. They were both engaging, warm and so knowledgeable. Florence was no different where Lucia gave us a great history lesson while showing us the major sites. I loved that she was so personable and comfortable with us. The tour was totally customized for our interests. And let me not forget the transfer from the airport to our apartment. I believe our driver was the best driver I have ever seen, with his precision maneuvering and quick reactions through the traffic - it was thrilling, yet always safe for us! Thank you for helping to make our trip a wonderful experience. We will surely be calling on you again, hopefully next year!

The Lombardo and Toth Families
Maryland USA

Hi there Jessica,

Yes, Italy was fabulous, but more importantly, initaly.com lived up to our expectations. All of our accommodations were just excellent ... and each different from the other, in a good way! Also of note, the private tours. The guides were truly wonderful and they really added a depth of understanding that we just couldn't have gotten from a guidebook ... plus, no waiting in long lines! We have already recommended initaly.com to our friends and won't hesitate to continue recommending you in the future. You really made it easy and enjoyable. Thanks again.

Ted and Debra B.

Jessica,

It's not often you get more than you expected and can't conjure up a single negative!! Our experience with your company was that rare event. From the initial contact with you and your prompt responses to the actual tours, it was an exceptional trip thanks to Initaly. The guides were friendly, spoke excellent English and knowledgeable. Each of them exhibited a passion for the subject matter and communicated it with a sincerity that brought things to life. So many tours are dry, fact filled and basically boring. Our compliments and THANKS to you and your company.

Richard B.

Jessica,

We had a great time in Italy. Our tour in Florence/Pisa was exceptional! Our driver was very friendly (we had an Italian speaker among us), and our tour guide, Marco was fabulous. It was great to experience someone so passionate about the information he was sharing. He certainly ignited the passion in us too. Marco would be a tough act to follow.

Our tour in Rome (Ancient ruins and the Vatican) was also good, except for the driver. He was flippant and seemed disinterested and our tour guide Teresa was also visibly frustrated by him. Teresa was very knowledgeable about the areas we visited. We were very disappointed that we were unable to visit the Vatican Museums, as indicated in the tour summary. This was due to the driver's inability to meet us when and where he was directed to by the tour guide, which resulted in us wasting time waiting around for him to get us where we needed to be.

Laura and John K.

Hi Jessica:

Both of our tours were great, especially out trip with Euan (a Scottish man) to San Gimignano and Siena. His knowledge of history and geography were outstanding. Loved it. He truly was one of the best guides I have ever had. Our tour of the Vatican was good. Our guide was very nice, knew his history and art. And a big plus, he took us through a short cut into the Sistine Chapel. The crowds were thick so the short cut was a relief. I would recommend your company and was very happy.

Mike G.

Hi Jessica,

I apologize for taking so long to get back to you regarding our tours in Italy, specifically for Vesuvius/Pompeii and in Venice - all of which occurred in April. We were absolutely THRILLED with Elisa and the wonderful tour she provided us for our day at Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii. She could not have been more terrific in every respect. It was as though we were with a professional archaeologist, plus she was so sweet and charming. Our hike up Vesuvius was challenging, but the group all managed to complete it - and were very proud of the feat. Elisa was patient and caring and she was so totally knowledgeable. Our time in Pompeii was fantastic and she made the ancient ruins come alive. We were all overwhelmed by her training and expertise. It was truly a day to remember. She picked us up on time and got us back to the ship as promised and there was nothing we could say but rave about it to all the other passengers. Thank you for hooking us up with Elisa and Luigi, her driver.

In Venice, we were equally delighted with Elena and her taxi driver, Gianni. We booked the Venice by Water tour and Elena gave us several options, one of which was to leisurely traverse the Grand Canal on our way to San Giorgio Maggiore and Murano. This is the option we took, as we all wanted to see the entire Grand Canal and Murano. It was a perfect combination of things to do and a wonderful 3 hour tour. Elena pointed out all the amazing palazzos on the canal and we were in absolute awe. Again, she was a walking encyclopedia, just as was Elisa, and there didn't seem to be anything she didn't know. She was fantastic. She took us up to the top of the bell tower in San Giorgio Maggiore with its beautiful views of Venice and showed us all the famous landmarks from there and after that we went to Murano for a private glass-blowing exhibition at one of the glass factories. We were so enchanted and enthralled with Elena's knowledge and charm that we asked if we could do one of her walking tours a couple of days later. Fortunately, she had time in her schedule for us and 4 of us met her 2 days later for the walking tour of The Venetian's Venice. It was fantastic and we loved every minute of being with her and learning about her beloved city. She walked at a pace we could handle and took us to one of the best gelaterias in Venice. We were thoroughly exhausted at the end of the 3 hours, but we felt like we had seen Venice as it was supposed to be seen - up close and personal. She was able to tell us so much about all of the paintings that we saw in each cathedral and about the architecture of the buildings - we were crammed full of information but loved every minute of it. I cannot recommend these two ladies highly enough. Our group was thrilled beyond our wildest expectations, but I must admit, that I had no doubts. Having been on tours with Michael and Dennis in Rome, I knew what to expect. And you didn't disappoint at all!!

Thanks again for masterminding our tours. We were absolutely overwhelmed with all tours and guides - and I have recommended your services for several years (since our first time using you in Rome) and continue to do so. I have now made avid fans of 8 other people who were just blown away by both Elisa and Elena. Thanks to Elisa and Elena and to you for finding them. We didn't have any negative experiences to warn anyone about but it might be good to warn people about the very steep climb up Vesuvius. I did notice that it was posted as strenuous, but since we had several in our group who were over 70, I think I would note that it is VERY strenuous. Had they known this, they might not have gone - it was hard on them. BUT, the important thing is that Elisa was very careful about the pace and they did succeed.

In Venice, one of the highlights was attending one of the many Verdi concerts. We attended the one at the Chiesa San Vidal but there are many throughout Venice that are probably just as good. However, I can highly recommend this concert - the church is just across the Grand Canal from the Accademia. Also, a wonderful restaurant in Venice is Il Giardinetto - excellent food and beautiful outdoor dining experience.

Bev S.

Dear Jessica,

I am sorry that I haven't gotten back to you sooner. Once we returned home it was a lot of catch up with work and the boys’ schooling. The tours that you arranged for us worked out GREAT! We enjoyed each of our tour guides. Peter was our guide in Rome, Siena and our day trip to Maranello and Modena. He was very knowledgeable and also related the history and background to our boys on a level that that could enjoy. He was also very clear and easy to understand. We enjoyed our time with him very much.

In Florence Valentina was our guide. Elisabetta was ill so Valentina took her place and we truly enjoyed our time with her as well! Our children were kept engaged in the tours as well as my husband and I. I would highly recommend both Peter and Valentina to our friends and family. As a matter of fact, I have already referred some friends to you for their upcoming trip to Italy in April.

Thank you again for making our trip and tours so easy!

Best Regards,
Nancy W.

Dear Jessica,

We very much enjoyed all our tours. The guides were excellent: friendly, courteous, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their subject. Our driver from Rome to Pompeii, although obviously pleasant, was unable to speak English which was a disadvantage on such a long journey. Apart from that everything was fantastic.

Mike L.

Dear Julie,

Our trips that were arranged by InItaly were fabulous. The Pompeii trip with Rosario (driver), Valentina (guide), and Claudio (return driver to Rome) could not have been more enjoyable and informative. Thank you for helping us have a wonderful and memorable trip to Italy. The excursion from Rome to Florence with Fabio (driver) and Peter (guide) left Julian and I simply enchanted with Tuscany, Siena, and Orvieto.

What a great way for two people who had never been to Italy to have the opportunity to learn and enjoy with great folks like Peter and Fabio. It was ALL too perfect. We look forward to another visit to Italy when we can once again meet such engaging and knowledge friends.

Anne & Julian D.

Dear Kirill,

No matter if you've been to Italy several times before or if this is your first visit, I highly suggest using the tour services offered on initaly.com.  Our party did the Coliseum and Roman Forum tour with Katherine... she was very professional and knowledgable. With her guidance, the old stones and structures came alive and everyone in the group (ages 10 through 65) enjoyed learning some history... her stories through San Clemente cathedral were especially appealing. Likewise, the 3-hour boat tour with Helena in Venice was a highlight for everyone. Please do not make the mistake of spending time in Venice and not seeing Murano and Burano. Hiring Helena to take you to these places is well worth your money. Elisabetta provided superb guidance for us in the Florentine museums during our 3-hour tour of the Accademia and Uffizi Gallery. Everyone enjoyed her animated gestures and obvious love of art - her enthusiasm was contagious. The same could be said for guide during our 3-hour walking tour of Naples (regretfully his name escapes me...). Without his passion and love of Naples, we would have missed a large part of what Naples is and was...It was especially useful to book all of the above tours if you are traveling with older or younger family members... the guides will help your party avoid the long lines and other inconveniences of traveling to these fantastic cities.

Lastly, I want to mention everyone's favorite guide, Maurizio. We spent approximately 8 hours seeing the Florentine countryside with this kind gentleman.  Our trip to Italy this time revolved around the cities but I wanted my mother to spend a day in the Tuscan countryside so we booked a Day in the Chianti. We will always remember our day in Tuscany and our guide with the great sense of humor. Bravo Maurizio!

Michelle C.

Dear Jessica:

We just returned last evening from our two week trip in Italy and I couldn't wait to send you an e mail. This is our second year of utilizing InItaly for information and bookings. I felt compelled to write a letter for your customer comments section about how professional and accommodating InItaly has been for our family. I'm sure many travelers are wary about purchasing tours and such on line. We have two years and many tours under our belt with your firm thus far and I can honestly say everything has been exactly as it was supposed to be. Our guides have always been extremely well educated in the subject of which they were hired. Many firms utilize guides who gloss over a book then send them out in the field. No concerns of that here!

This year our first guide was in Venice. We booked both the Venice by Water and the St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace tours for the same day. Our guide was Elena. What a lovely lady full of information. She was easy to understand and we enjoyed spending our day with her. Since we booked both tours for the same day we were fortunate to share a lunch together and this in itself was very enriching. She of course knew the best local places to eat and we learned a lot just sharing a meal. Being a history major she was able to share information with us that would have been lost with a book as our guide. I highly recommend both tours and most especially Elena. She was definitely a favorite.

Our next tour with InItaly was in Rome. My husband and I booked Rome tours last year through InItaly and were so pleased with our experience that we booked the same again this year and brought our 15 yr. old daughter along. The tour we booked was Full day Rome and the Vatican. We included the Coliseum so needed to trim some time off the other parts of the tour. We requested our guide from last year, Teresa. She is an American living and studying in Rome. Because of her young age and her nationality we felt she gave a different edge to the tours that was very interesting. Hearing her perceptions and experiences about living and studying abroad and being able to discuss the changes over the past year. She is a wonderful guide who will not disappoint.

Our next InItaly tour was in Pompeii. The customary guide for the Rome to Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius and full lunch tour was not available on the day we requested so we booked [through InItaly] a car to pick us up at out hotel and drive us to Pompeii. There we met Andrea. A young student from Naples full of vitality, information and ideas. I must say we had the most incredible conversations with him relative to history, culture, religion, you name it. We spent the day together and enjoyed a wonderful prearranged lunch at a local restaurant [including wine]. This was a full day that I recommend to everyone. Be sure to request Andrea. My only regret is that I didn't get some contact information from him as he would be a most interesting pen pal!

Just a few more comments for your customer section. First is to tell travelers that driving in Italy is no problem. Everything is very well marked. Much better than in the United States. I recommend two persons for car travel. One to navigate [read the map and give direction] and one to drive and watch the road. If you have this team there is no difficulty. My husband and I have rented a car [make sure you have one where you can hide your luggage such as a trunk or it will be stolen when you leave the car unattended] the past two trips and traveled all over the country. You really discover the most lovely towns and vistas when you devote time to car travel. Also, the train [Aerostar] is nothing to worry about. Always travel first class and as always keep an eye on the luggage. Watch carefully for pick pockets and opportunists in the station itself. The trains are clean and all announcements are repeated in English. In two years of travel we have been careful and had no problems what so ever. This year upon returning to the states we were only in the states for about 15 minutes when someone attempted to lift my husbands wallet. Thieves are everywhere these days.

Also, one last thing regarding tours. Keep the tour as small as your budget will allow. The less persons in your group the more personalized your tour will be. If your tour is small and you decide you want to skip and area and visit another it is possible. It is more expensive but when you figure the outcome is exactly as you would want it, and you have planned all year for this trip, then you will feel well compensated for the expense.

Again, thank you InItaly for another wonderful trip. I know my letter is a bit long, but there was so much to cover and I think it may be helpful for travelers to hear the experiences of others. Looking forward to the next trip.....

Best regards,
Bonney L.

Jessica,

We just returned from this trip on Friday. The In Italy portions of the trip went very well (in fact, the entire trip went well). We were more than pleased with the guides (Sarah in Rome and Valentina in Florence especially stood out). Their knowledge, warm personalities, and ability to adapt were fabulous. We will highly recommend In Italy to anyone!!

Thank you for all your help over the last year.

Christie M.

Hi Jessica,

Everything went even better than I had hoped. Teresa and Fabio were wonderful as guide and driver in Rome. We were sad to say goodbye to Teresa at the end of a busy day. Only raves from all four of us. Fabio also drove us to Florence and again I was pleased with his laid-back calm manner midst all that traffic. The guide in Orvieto was also excellent. He imparted a great deal of information in the hour we were with him. Valentino was a delight on our tour through Uffizzi and Academia. We realized that she has a vast store of knowledge on her subject and were delighted to have her share some of it with us. We all enjoyed our day with Evan in Chianti, and sampled a lot of great wine. It was wonderful to get out into the countryside and see how beautiful it is. Our special surprise from Evan; that day was Memorial Day and so he made a stop at the American Cemetery near Florence where 4400 US WWII soldiers are buried. The special services were over, but we got a quiet moment to reflect on all the rows of white crosses and lives lost so many years ago. I did not tell you that I am an independent agent working through a local Carlson office. I like to see what a tour is like before I use it for my clients. Your operation is tops! The people are totally professional. I did tell Teresa that I am an agent and she introduced me to Peter. It was a brief hello in the line to the Vatican Museum. The others I said nothing to, but I did get their cards so I can request them when I plan trips for clients. I have highly praised you to the owner of the agency Mr. Terry Gerken and he may also contact you.
I had not been to Italy (once for a meeting in Milan), and planning this trip would have been a nightmare without your company.

Grazie,
Juliet H.

Jessica:

Thanks for emailing. I had intended to email you but, as you might expect, am trying to catch up after being away. In short, the tours were all wonderful and we had an excellent eight days in Rome. Here are some highlights (no minuses to report!):

Walking Tour: Very relaxing and Michael was great to be with. We started in the Jewish Ghetto and crossed the bridge to Trastevere, seeing a few churches along the way. A more interesting part was when Michael knocked on a door at the main church and a nun answered and ushered us upstairs where the nuns observe mass. There were beautiful paintings and Michael had our 10 year old son playing detective, trying to figure out which of the apostles in the painting was St. Peter. Afterward, we bought rose petal marmalade made by the nuns.

Tivoli: Stefano was our favorite and his archaeology background added so much insight to the villa we toured at Tivoli. The gardens were absolutely breathtaking and a day away from the city was much appreciated halfway through our stay.

Kid Friendly: Katherine was also fantastic and her archaeology background added so much to the catacomb tour, especially since she had excavated some of the catacombs in Rome. She related to our son and kept his attention throughout.

We found that all of our tour guides had a great sense of humor and we enjoyed them immensely.

Re: other highlights, we found a restaurant that we dined at three times. It's the only one on Piazza St. Ignazio and is family owned with great food and a wait staff that was really fun. We also found a ceramics shop that has been in the same location for 200 years and where you can see them making statues, tile, etc. It's one of
the most famous in Italy and even the president of Italy has ordered things there.

Thanks for all your help. Everything went extremely smooth.

Eric

Hi Jessica,

The Full day Rome tour, and the Day trip to San Gimignano and Siena were outstanding. All of the guides were excellent and very well informed. Both

tours as well as the Uffizi and Accademia Tour made our vacation to Italy especially rewarding.

Jim S.

Jessica,

We had a fantastic trip and are very pleased by your firm's service.

Katerina and Antonio the driver for the 100 minute tour were great and both very informative. They covered the high points of Rome and provided us with a basic knowledge to go off on our own to tour.

Teresa provided us the tour for the Vatican and we were very thankful that she held a spot in line for us. It was Easter week and the line was quite long. She did point us to the best Gelato stand in Rome! She was very informative regarding the Vatican and the artwork in the museum. As we are expats ourselves ( London), we enjoyed her perspective as an American living in Rome.

Elisabetha gave us a walking tour of Florence and supplied all kinds of information about Florence, it's history and the architecture. She is a walking encyclopedia of Florence.

We have two daughters, aged 15 and 5. All of your guides took the extra time to pay attention to their needs. It made a huge difference. Thanks for the great service and we will sing your praises to our friends who decide to visit Italy.

Best Regards,
Don P.

Dear Jessica,

All three of our tours, Uffizi/Academia in Florence, Coloseum/Forum, and the Vatican in Rome, through In Italy were excellent. Our three guides were both knowledgeable and charming. One of the reasons we opted for private tours was that we were traveling with our Mother in law who is elderly and we did not want her to feel pressured to keep up with a larger tour. Our guides were able to adapt to this and kept the pace slow. They knew where the elevators were (and in one case, where to find the guy with the key to the elevator) so our mother didn't have to navigate the stairs. Even though I'm sure we didn't see as much because of the slower pace, we felt we got more than our money's worth. The guides provided us with more interesting, detailed facts about everything we saw. Another reason for the private tour was that we knew our mother could not wait in lines for long periods of time. For all three of our tours, we were able to walk right in. The day we toured the Uffizi, the wait to get in was 5 hours long. We would never have been able to see it if it hadn't been for the tour.
The manager of the guides (Monika?) was also wonderful. She provided us with a driver/guide on one of our days in Rome when it rained and also provided us transportation to and from St. Peter's square for the Pope Announcement on Wednesday morning. This turned out to be a lifesaver. The crowds were so thick when the announcement let out that our driver could not drive in to meet us at the agreed upon spot. Monika walked in and found us and then escorted us to where our driver was waiting. The service was really above and beyond and made our stay in Italy so much more memorable.

All of the services provided to us by InItaly were great from the accommodations to the tours to the traveling advice you provided. We will recommend you to all of friends.

Thanks again,
Barbara A.

Dear Jessica,

We were so please with our tours of the Vatican and Pompeii! Everyone in our group were so impressed with the tour guides. The comment everyone made was, you could tell they both really enjoyed what they did, because it came out in their delivery. The guide (her name escapes me now) we had for the Vatican was so nice. When we asked if she ever gets tired of doing the tour, she said, every time she walked through those gates it gives her chills, we knew she loved what she did. And it showed.

And the guide we had for Pompeii was so knowledgeable about the area, Pompeii, and Mt. Vesuvius, we were very impressed.

The guide we had in Florence for the Uffizi and Acsadamia was just as knowledgeable and seemed to love what she was talking about as well. We learned so much from all our tours.
I guess you could say, we were very satisfied.

Thank you so much, your guides made our trip to Italy very memorable.

Sincerely,
Sharon P.

Jessica,

The tours were excellent. Guides were personable and well-versed. Provided the right amount of information. And getting into places without waiting on long lines was a real bonus! I have given your company's name to a number of people planning trips to Italy. Thanks.

Arthur S.

Hi Jessica,

We had a wonderful time in Italy and thoroughly enjoyed the 2 guides you provided us with. Even though there really weren't lines to negotiate at either Pompeii or the Vatican, Lilly (Pompeii/Naples) and Luciana (Vatican) were so knowledgeable that they were worth every penny. The only thing I would have changed was the afternoon journey to Naples because a) we didn't actually go into Naples and I had a car to drive to the sights if I wanted to anyway and b) we were already exhausted from the morning. In fact, I'm glad we limited ourselves to a half day tour at the Vatican because more than 3-4 hours of that type of touring is a bit of an overload.

In any event, you provide a prompt, thoroughly professional service that is worth the small amount of extra money that you charge versus other tours I researched. I believe that "you get what you pay for" and that axiom certainly applied here. If Lilly and Luciana are examples of the guides that you provide your clients, then you are providing an excellent service for your clientele.

Grazie and ciao!
Ken M.

Dear Jessica,

We have just returned from our two-week trip to Italy. I would like to give you feedback on the private day tours that we took while the information is still fresh. For the most part we were very pleased with the guides and the information they shared with us. Without exception, they were all very prompt.

Our first excursion was to Siena and San Gimignamo with Simone. The Tuscan scenery was breathtaking and the two towns were lovely & interesting. We found Simone to be informative, articulate, extremely personable and accommodating. It was a very nice day.

While in Florence we also took the private guided 3-1/2 hour tour of the Uffizzi and the Accademia with Laura. I would highly recommend it as it was the best time I spent while in Florence. Laura has a doctorate in Art History and has been an art curator in Paris & New York. She has a wealth of knowledge and is an excellent communicator. This was totally fascinating and worthwhile.

While staying in Ravello we took a private day tour of the Amalfi coast. Rose was our guide. Once again, she was personable and spoke excellent English. This tour was a good way to see some of the lovely towns on the coast all the way down to Sorrento, especially if you do not have a car to tour yourself. Since you do not spend alot of time in any one town it would frustrate a history buff, but it is a great sampler of what the Amalfi Coast has to offer.

Once again, many thanks for all your assistance and for helping to make our trip a success!

Best Regards,
Kathy C.

Dear Julie,
We had such a great experience with Stefano. We were very impressed with his knowledge of Ostia Antica as well as the general information he provided about Rome and Italy. Ostia Antica was more than we had imagined. What a wonderful site. Hard to imagine why it isn't better known. Our only regret is we didn't have time to schedule another tour to Trivoli...we will next time.
We recommended your company to our Travel Company here in Beaverton, Oregon. Really appreciate your follow through. Your company is on our list of recommended contacts.
Linda & Joe R.

Dear Jessica Scheible and all at In Italy,
I just have to take the time to write you a quick note letting you know just how much my daughter and I enjoyed our trips to Ostia Antica and Pompeii. My daughter, having minored in Ancient Civilization in college several years ago, was hoping that the information she would get would be specific to her level of knowledge. When we met Stefano (who guided us for both excursions) we knew right away that we were in for a wonderful experience.
Who could say that Pompeii or Ostia Antica could be disappointing? But it is the guide that takes you to these places that really enhances the experience. Stefano was knowledgeable, of course with a Masters Degree in Archaeology, but better yet, he was able to convey his love and respect for the history of each area so poetically. His friendly demeanor and great sense of humor endeared him to us right away.
What more can I say......we will certainly take more tours with In Italy the next time we return to Italy. As we gain understanding of the culture and the people, thanks in part to all of you, we can hardly wait to return.
Thank you again for all your assistance,
Mary J N.
Sarah N.

Dear Kristin,
We just returned from a week in Rome and used In Italy for most of our trip. We had two children (11 and 14) which required some thought to make the trip successful. We were thoroughly satisfied with all of the services that you provided.
Our tour guide Stefano C. is a relatively young archaeologist who clearly loves his field. His relaxed manner was great for the kids and he was always making sure that everything was taken care of (train tickets, lunch, etc.) and that we were happy. We couldn't imagine a better guide for tromping around the acres and acres of Pompeii.
Thanks for the great service. We will recommend In Italy to others.
Keith and Laurie T.

Dear Jessica,
We could not be more happy with the tours we took in Rome and Florence! We speak of them as the highlights of our vacation in Italy. Both guides were wonderful. They gave us an excellent perspective on the Vatican, St. Peter's, and the city of Florence. We will recommend your tour service to anyone traveling to Italy.
Thanks again,
Brian T.

Hi Jessica.
We had a wonderful time in Italy. Our "In Italy" private tours were a highlight. I think you are "guilty" of underselling! Our "Rome in 100 Minutes" tour was a wonderful beginning to our time in Rome. We were pleasantly surprised when our guide (Brenda) arrived with driver in an an E Class Mercedes. In 100 minutes we covered a tremendous number of sights and were provided with invaluable information and insights.
Our private tour of the Vatican museums and St. Paul's was a highlight of our trip. Our guide (Becky) was wonderful, possessing a wealth of knowledge and expertise. She successfully reduced the vastness of the museums to manageable proportions and made it a lot of fun.
Our private tour of the Uffizzi in Florence was also excellent. Laura did a wonderful job.
Thank you. I would not hesitate to recommend Italy Online.
Regards,
Brian C.

I loved your tours and have recommended them to my travel agent and friends. The car was there right on time and the tour guides where the best I have ever had. My mother is 74 years old and can't walk very well, so the tour guides adjusted the tour so my mom could see what she wanted and I could see even more! The driver was always there to pick up my mom and move her around. It was perfect!
Karen C.

Jessica,
We're still traveling quite a bit this month, so this will be brief, but we wanted to let you know that we were thrilled with each tour and tour guide that we had while we were in Italy. The private tours were definitely worth the money. Being able to have the one-on-one interaction gave us the opportunity to ask more questions, learn more and see alot more because we could move along much quicker. Each one of our guides was very knowledgeable and gracious. Italy is certainly a country that we would like to revisit and we wouldn't do it any other way! So many of our pleasant experiences had to do with the tours. Thank you for providing the professionals who turned a vacation into a memorable experience. Please keep us updated on changes, new tours and other countries. Again our many thanks!
Sincerely,
Tom & Nancy S

Jessica:
I wish my wife and I could say we were glad to be home. We miss Italy already and especially our new friends Dario, Federico, & Elena. It will be our pleasure to recommend any and all of the tours we took to friends and family. I was also impressed that each of the guides have had a long association with your company and the positive things they had to say about In Italy. By the way, each of the guides had contacted our hotel prior to our arrival. I thought that was a nice touch on their parts. All agreed that September 11th had affected their business greatly, and it is just now that things are starting to pick up again.
March 8th: We meet Dario at our hotel for the Tuscany tour. It was great from start to finish. The key highlights were the trip to the small winery and the lunch we had in the town that Dario lives in. I can't say that my wife or I had ever had "chicken spleen" on bread before...but we have now. To be honest, it was the best meal we had while in Italy! The Ravioli were to die for!
March 12: Elena came to our hotel in Venice for the Walking Tour. She had a very sore back, but it was all we could do to keep up with her. Again, her insight and knowledge were great. We had a great lunch at a very remote spot that is one of her favorites...and now ours. It was obvious that we were the only Americans there. Elena called our hotel the evening after the tour and said I had overpaid her. My wife explained that we had also overpaid Dario and Federico.
Jessica, I don't mind paying for good service and that is what Dario, Federico, and Elena provided. Your company also provided good service throughout the process and for that we thank you. By the way, the Private Transfers went off without a hitch. Not knowing Tuscany or Venice prior to our trip, it was great to have someone waiting for us.
We will certainly visit Italy again. When we do, I will visit your web site and see what else is available for us to secure.
Thank you for making our vacation to Italy a memorable one!
Best regards.
Steve & Susan M.

Hi Jessica,
Our trip to Italy, as always was perfect. We are in what some could say is a travel rut....we go to Italy almost every year, and cannot seem to find our way to any other country...the people, the food, the culture has stolen our heart! Our guides were perfect. After multiple trips to the same place, it is wonderful to have a guide who can take you somewhere you have never been, explain things to you in different ways, and have the innate knowledge of a place that only living there can provide. Each of our guides was unique and exceptional. Each was prompt, professional, and so very knowledgeable, while at the same time personal and charming. Our trip to Ostia Antica was taken on a 70 degree day, with gorgeous blue skies, and azaleas blooming everywhere! Who could ask for more? Our trip to Siena and San Gimignano (sp-help!!) was taken on stormy day, with patches of blue sky wandering in and out...and it still was spectacular- we sampled the gelato that has won the "prize" for being the best in Italy, and also cappuccino that was by far and away the best I have ever tasted! ...and Venice...well, the weather was immaterial, Elena's tour was exceptional. We even had an adorable older Venitian man telling us jokes in Italian that Elena translated for us!! So this service will be recommended by the Joneses!
Thank you.
Jan J.

Dear Jessica,
We had a wonderful time on our trip to Italy. Dennis, Frederico and Elena were excellent guides! Their knowledge of history and art, their deep love for their cities and neighbors and their suggestions for restaurants and sites to see on our own, made our tours with them the highlight of our trip. You operate a very professional, high quality tour service and we will enthusiastically recommend Tours in Italy to our friends. Please forward our best regards to Dennis, Federico and Elena and thank them for making our visit to Italy a treasured memory forever.
Sincerely, Debbie and Gordon S

Dear Jessica,
We got home a couple of days ago and I wanted to let you know how all of our tours went. We really could not have been happier.
Rome: Michael was fabulous. He is so knowledgeable and had a real talent for sharing his knowledge. We all thought he was fantastic and Rome was one of our favorite places because of him. The Vatican tour was fine. Nothing exceptional, but OK. It's such a huge place and so overwhelming - we saw as much as the kids could take in.
Venice: Elena was also very wonderful and knowledgeable. However, our tour with her was the only one with a glitch. We opted to get to Venice, that day, later than we planned, as our kids were on the verge of burnout. She had a very tight schedule, so we knew we were cutting ourselves a bit short. That was OK, though she had told us to take the public water taxi to meet her and that was a big mistake. It took twice as long as any of us anticipated and we should have spent the money for a private taxi. Yes, it would have cost more, but we only had Helena for 1 1/2 hours because of the crowds and the timing. It was nobody's fault, however, I would not tell people to use the public taxis in the summer if they have a deadline. The crowds are ridiculous and Celia told us the Venetians never use them.
Thank you is not enough for what your company added to our trip. Our experiences were simply wonderful. Oh, and the museum reservations were a godsend. The lines were huge and we could just walk right in. I would also recommend to people to use the audio guides in the museums. All of those that we used were very good. Also, I want you to know that all of the guides offered their help to us if we had any questions or problems during our trip. They recommended restaurants which turned out to be some of the best we ate in during our trip. They were places the locals would frequent and not the tourists. The guides were all kind and generous with their time. We just had a great time with all of them and we learned a lot as well.
Jessica, thanks again for all of your help.
It was all terrific.
Very thankfully,
Janet P.

Jessica:
I was going to sit down and write you in a few days to tell you THANK YOU for such a wonderful trip. The guides were all outstanding and yes I have some wonderful comments for your site. What a wealth of knowledge they all possessed and what charming young men!!!
The hike to the tomb dig and the day in Chianti country with Dario was marvelous. The winery he took us to and the restaurant (featured in May 2000 Bon Appetit-the owner brought it over for him to read the comments to her) WOW what a day.
Our 4 hour walk with Frederico was incredible-we hit one of two days a month that Florence closes down the streets to traffic except taxis and buses. Everyone was out walking-what a difference it makes to see Florence without all the traffic-almost felt like going back to times past. Wonderful to see the families out with their kids. Got to see a convent that is only open once a month (Frederico had only been there once before himself). The masterpice of the Last Supper was one of the most breathtaking piece of art we saw-imagine it was painted for a group of cloistered nuns for their dining hall.
Dennis was a doll for our Moonlight stroll in Rome-we made it earlier which worked out better for everyone-he even put up with half our group getting to the wrong meeting place(wrong fountain) and our search trip to find them-what a charming man and his restaurant suggestion was awesome-a 500 AD wine cellar for dinner!!
Alessandro 's 3-hour tour of the Vatican and his insights into the history of the art and artists was incredible-the Sistine Chapel was even more beautiful than I remembered especially now since the restoration.
All in all our trip was incredible thanks to you and your site. I so fortunate I stumbled into it before we left. The private guides for the 3 of us made our whole trip. Each time we met one of them we kept saying the next one just could not live up to the last one but they just kept surprising us. I will do this trip again with my husband in the next few years and you can count that I will contact you to line up the guides for us as well. Thanks again for a wonderful trip.
Debbie S.

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