Testimonials

What our clients say about us.

 

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Dear Christina,

We're always delighted to receive and share our customers' Road to Italy vacation experiences, as well as their impressions of Italy.

Christina - we are at rome airport heading to US from one of our top two vacations ever! The trip was amazing and the memories are embedded in our minds. Giaccomo (sp?) was a GEM! Our trip was truly elevated to the highest praise I can give because of the impeccable guide he was. When my wife was in Pratola Peligna he was able to communicate with locals, find a relative with same last name, get us to a meeting with mayor, find the record of my wife's grandfathers birth in 1888 (the actual record book and all). This moment brought my wife to tears in the mayor's office. We had so much fun with him.

The hotel in sorrento and at rome airport were very nice for the price we paid. Again, the only downside we saw was the driver of the bus in Rome. Thanks for all of your help in working with us and customizing a itinerary. We will call you again when the need arises for sure. Blessings,

Tony Brown

June 5, 2010 Flavia,

Thank you for making our 20th anniversary trip to Italy the best trip of our lives! Christina was great at spoiling us with the best of everything. The sights are generally the reason to take trips, but it was the people that made this one special. Maria, Paulo, and Valentina were the best guides anyone could ask for and Claudio and Giacomo might be friends of ours forever (I'm so thankful that we didn't try to drive ourselves.)! The lunches (and wines) at Avignonesi, Osteria de Passignano, and Ravello were incredible, and as usual, we were treated better than we deserve! Thanks again for putting together a trip that we couldn't have planned on our own, a trip where we could just relax and enjoy ourselves because you had taken care of everything already. gracie!

Chris and Kristi

 

April 24, 2010

Dear Christina,

I would like to thank you and Road to Italy for the efforts that were put into making my family’s trip a complete success.

From the time we landed in Venice until the time the plane left Rome all of the details that Road to Italy arranged were carried out exactly as planned. I did not have to worry or stress over any of travel within Italy, hotels, or details of tours. We especially enjoyed the water taxi from the airport in Venice to the hotel.

All of the private tours that were arranged for us were excellent. We found that the guides that conducted them were very well educated, articulate in details, and extremely passionate about what they do. They all were personable and very proud of their country as well as their roots. I think that this was my favorite part of the trip. It was nice to have someone to answer all of your questions about places and things as well as the culture.

In general Italy was a nice place to travel. The people are very proud of the country and their heritage. They are welcoming, friendly, and make every effort to be accommodating.

In the age of computers and the internet it is nice to speak directly with someone to help with travel planning. The internet is just that but a personal touch is so much nicer.
Road to Italy and Christina made our trip a complete experience.

Robert & June O’Leary

Dear Christina,

We want to thank you for planning a wonderful trip for us.  This is our second visit to Italy that you have planned and this one was even better that the first.  We can’t believe that for two whole weeks nothing went wrong.  All of our guides, drivers and assistants were very professional, courteous and most important, on time.

We were traveling with friends, the Maser’s, that had never been to Italy before and they had a wonderful time.  The special handling that we got when we arrived in Rome to get us to the domestic flight to Venice was especially nice.  Andrea met us and made us feel relaxed from the start. 

The hotels in Venice, Florence and Rome were excellent and the beauty and elegance of Castello di Spaltenna was perfect.  All of our guides were excellent and we especially enjoyed the private guides in Sienna and Assisi, which we did not have during our last trip.

Our cooking lesson at the Ristorante Malborghetto with Simone was a great experience.  He had us basically make everything from scratch, including the pasta for the ravioli’s.  We felt like we were in our own kitchen.  The food was outstanding and I’m sure that was because of Simone and not our cooking expertise.

We cannot say enough about Giacomo.  He has now been our driver on both trips and he is definitely part of our family.  His sense of humor and knowledge of Italy, customs and history, made this experience more that we ever expected.

We are already looking forward to our next trip to Italy.  Thank you again for all your help in making our trip a success.

Warmest Regards,

Joe and Margo Yarashas

Dear Paola, October 12, 2009

On behalf of Don and Joan Posner and my wife Terri, I want to thank you and your staff for arranging THE PERFECT vacation in Italy for us. Every detail, each and every day was just as you had planned and scripted it. From our arrival in Venice to our departure from Rome, we were always confident that each day would be well-organized, easy to follow and a pleasure to enjoy. Oh, did I mention that we had 14 consecutive days of blue-skies? We did! We never saw a single cloud (not counting the little one sitting over the top of Mount Vesuvius). So, thank you also for the prayers to the Weather Gods.

Of course, there are several people who made the trip an experience beyond expectations. Starting in Venice, our walking tour guide Sabino got things off to a wonderful start with a light, easy style to introduce us to the gems of Venice. What a delight! His knowledge of everything from the great Piazza San Marco and the Doge's Palace to the little back streets and canals was amazing. A true art historian, as well.

Then, on to Florence for history, art and architecture. Special note must go to Pascualino for our walking tour. What a delight! He took us by the hand and got us through the crowds and into the Accademia and the Uffizi with wonderful commentary and insights. He even introduced us to granita on the way to the Duomo! Refreshing and delicious on a warm day!

When we were preparing to visit Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano and Siena we had no idea we would have such great good fortune to have Claudio as our driver, commentator, historian and Silvio Berlusconi expert! Claudio made the trips to and from each location an absolute joy! Maybe some day we will meet his wife, Megan, and the family dog. He was terrific! In Pisa, our guide, Monica, took us through history and the great buildings of Pisa. She even climbed the Tower with us to point the sights below in the city and along the mountain ridges. She was very thorough in her descriptions and wonderful to have on a crowded day when we needed to steer throught lines and waits.

Just when we thought that things could not get any better, we met our next driver Giacomo D'Augustino. Giacomo was our "long-distance" driver: from Florence to Rome; from Rome to Positano, and then back to Rome. He showed us the wonderful sights along the way and let us see Italy in a very personal and informative way. His insights into "being Italian" were priceless. We all love Giacomo. Road to Italy has a real treasure in Giacomo. We tried to bring him back to the States, but he had to stay in Rome and feed his c

Speaking of true treasures, in Rome we were extremely fortunate to have the lovely guide services of Valentina - La Regina di Roma! Valentina took us through the Vatican as only Valentina can. Everyone in the Vatican knows Valentina (including the Pope, with whom she has exchanged emails. True!). We would have liked to spend more time with her, but her afternoon was taken up with a famous American country singer. Lucky for Kenny.

Last, but not least, we had a fabulous day on Capri with our guide Luca. Luca also knows everybody along the way and that made things ever so much fun. His knowledge of Capri and the surrounding areas of Sorrento and the coast made our day very complete and enjoyable. Luca also knows how to find good gelato!

So, Paola, there you have it - briefly, of course. There were several others who helped us along the way and provided prompt, always courteous and smiling services. There is no doubt for any of us that you, your husband, your staff and your contractors at Road to Italy are THE BEST. I am so glad that I found Road to Italy and should we ever find ouselves back on "The Road" we will be coming to you for your help once again.

With many thanks and best wishes,

Bob

Christina…

Our family’s recent trip to Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice) exceeded all our expectations. From the moment we arrived in Rome to our departure 10 days later in Venice, everything worked like a Swiss timepiece.
The airport and trainstation transfers went without a hitch and all our guides and drivers were at the appointed place…not only on time, but, in most cases, early. A word or two about our guides and drivers: all were fantastic. But, a few stand out. In particular, Rosanna clearly has a passion for what she does. Her love for Rome and its history is contagious. We thoroughly enjoyed and learned much from both our tours with her (Ancient Rome and the Vatican). She even helped our daughter find the fantastic Tempiento del Bramante, which is certainly not on the usual tour agenda. Giacomo, our driver on day excursions to Pompeii, Sorrento, Umbria and Tuscany, was also extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun to spend a couple of days with.
In Florence, Claudio, who toured us through the Chianti region, was very entertaining and knowledgeable. We ate extremely well and sampled some outstanding wine and olive oil. And, we learned that those who live and work in Chianti are very territorial about their olive oil. We didn’t get to spend much time in Venice; but, our exit was a little harrowing. We just barely got out of town (by an hour or so) before the city flooded on November 30. Our guide and the watertaxi pilot did a great job of getting us under the bridge on the Riva without just minutes to spare as the tide continued to rise. It was quite an exciting conclusion to a fantastic trip.

We would highly recommend Road to Italy to anyone considering a visit – whether it’s their first trip or just the latest of many. The hotels, transportation, and most importantly, the people, were all outstanding. We had the perfect mix of planned tours and free time to walk and explore. Special thanks to you, as well, for putting all this together. It’s a trip none of us will ever forget.

The Stuart Family

September 24, 2009

Hi Paola,

I have just returned from my trip and I wanted to say thank you for a fantastic vacation. You were an absolute star right from the time I first contacted you and you carried it through right to the end. Five star service, which is rare these days. Everything went like clockwork from the moment we were greeted at the airport, to the time we were sadly on our way home. Everything was professional, friendly and punctual. I appreciated the way the local Road to Rome office checked with the drivers to make sure we were on schedule – nice touch, even though it annoyed the drivers at times! The hotels were great and the view from the balcony at the Tramontano was breathtaking. The tour guides and drivers were all very good and often went the extra mile without being asked or prompted. An advantage to being on private tours is that you can make changes as you go along and the guides were very flexible. However, of all our tour guides one stood out in particular and that was Valentina Crivellari. As our Rome tour guide, Valentina was outstanding. She was knowledgeable, had a great personality and she made the whole thing a lot of fun! In short, an excellent guide. Overall, they all delivered on expectations.

I must also congratulate you and all the staff concerned for some pretty slick logistics and planning – it was appreciated. All in all, a fantastic holiday in Italy. From the hectic, noisy hustle and bustle of Rome to one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, the Rome/Sorrento and Amalfi Coast trip was certainly an unforgettable experience. Once again, a big thank you for a fantastic trip.

Until next time, ciao

Ross van Zantenp

Dear Flavia, June 2009

Bon journo! What a wonderful trip! Thank you very much for anticipating our needs on our trip to Italy. This was the trip of a lifetime for us, Flavia. Everything from our accommodations in Rome (conveniently located, easy walking to everything we hoped to see) to our beautiful suite in Sorrento (again, easy walking to everything, gorgeous sunsets from our room) to the apartment in San Vincenzo (uninterrupted ocean view, gracious receptionist who brought us her coffee maker from her home!) to the breathtaking views from the agriturismo and San Gigmingnano (perfect place to meet up with our children, niece and her mum-in-law) to our river-front suite (with an upstairs bedroom and bathroom, no less!) in Florence (again, within easy walking of fabulous sights) to our final night's stay in Venice where we had the best meal of our whole trip in the hotel La Caravella Garden Restaurant (for me, sea bass on a bed of fried leaks and pine nuts, chocolate mousse for dessert and of course, limonecello to top off a fabulous dinner!)

Every accommodation was stellar. Every hotel staff was efficient, helpful and very kind. We will certainly recommend your services to our friends and business associates, Flavia. You listened to my special requests (water views, easy walking, air conditioned rooms and vehicle….by the way, John's in love with that Mercedes 200 we rented from Sixt! Everything was so thoughtfully planned out by your agency, we have nothing but happy memories of celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in beautiful, friendly Italia!

Thank you so much for your attention to detail!

Sincerely,

John O. and Sherry Smith

 

Hi Paola,

Our Family (the Whitney's and the Sylvia's) from Arvada CO USA booked a 10-Day Private Tour in May 2006.
Since then I have sung your praises to anyone considering a trip to Italy, but I never got around to thanking you personally.

THANK YOU!

Without a doubt it was the most wonderful family trip we have ever taken. The Hotels were outstanding,
The guides were great! The transfers were flawless right down to our, too soon, departure from Roma.
The tour itself was exactly what we hoped for.
I am so glad we chose the Castle Spaltenna, our most memorable lodging & dinner of the whole adventure.

In our small group of 7 we had 1st timers as well as return travelers, Both of the "returnees" were thrilled to have our private guides give many details missed on previous trips. We, 1st timers were just plain thrilled with EVERYTHING.
We were traveling with our 18-month-old grand daughter. She was not only well taken care of but was a "star" everywhere we went.

Months later she was looking at a Calendar with photos of Italy. She picked out one and said. "That where grandma got her pants dirty."
She was correct. I sat in a little puddle of water on the edge of a fountain. We had not taken a photo at that spot so we know that she actually recognized the garden from memory and it was not just from reviewing our vacations photos. She also LOVED the statues and angles in all forms of art. So even a very small child can enjoy the tours. There was even time for naps in the car-seat on several occasions.

My college student son, Thom, was able to request certain points of interest associated with his Landscape Architecture studies.
By the way Thom is known for taking naps while traveling TOO, (uncle night night) but even he did not nap while traveling by Caravan as our guides had so much to tell us and it was also such a good time for us to ask questions.

The best part of the trip was that it was relaxing for all the members of our family.
We were so happy that we were able to get our whole family in a single vehicle. Our driver and/or guide, familiar with each area, never had to pull over and study the map (again), as we have on other self-drive trips.
My husband got to see the stunning Amalfi Coast instead of just concentrating only on that centerline.

We knew that if we had a problem (which we didn't) we could just call Paola
Three years later we are still raving about it and hope to plan another in the future, this time with TWO grand daughters.

THANK YOU

Diane Whitney and family

Christina,May 01, 2009

We can not thank you enough for the wonderful two week tour you arranged for us in Italy. We wanted a private tour for our 30th anniversary and what you arranged was 1st class. Our drivers were always on time, spoke excellent English, gave us an insight to Italian culture and became our friends.

We were amazed at how informed and educated our guides were regarding their various cities. At busy places like the Vatican or popular museums where the lines are ¼ mile long, it’s wonderful to have our guide take us to the front of the line and go right in. We really enjoyed having our own guide since they could spend extra time on items of our special interest. The guides prefer small groups as they can cover 3-4 times the material in the same time. The 4-star hotels you picked were all wonderful. We feel we got great value for what we received in return.

If you have future clients who have questions, feel free to forward e-mails to me. I’ll be happy to reply to their e-mail or even call them in the evening if desired.

Camille and Steve Ruyle
Wichita Falls, Texas

Good morning Alan, June 2009

We had a truly marvelous time!

Everything went very well and even when there was a hiccough (a tour guide had car trouble) we got a call from the Road to Italy office immediately and there was someone else there 20 mins later.

Every hotel was very well situated. The first hotel in Rome was not as good as the others but was only 50yds away from the Trevi Fountain. The hotel in Sorrento was fabulous, and was our favourite. I was thrilled and surprised that English tea is served everywhere!

Every tour guide and driver was fantastic. Each tour was full of information and there weren't any questions that they couldn't answer. The personal touch is the only way to go as it avoids all the time in line queuing to get in to each place. Valentina, in Rome, knows everyone!! Giamcomo, a driver, and every tour guide provided us with so much info, and were so polite and gracious, that our heads were spinning with information. (FYI - if anyone asks a questions about anything Renaissance the year will always be 1504!) Most drivers and tour guide went the extra mile to get us a special view, or a short cut,etc. that the one on one touch was so much better.

It rained on two evenings; one in Sorrento and one in Florence. I think that this is possibly something beyond your control, along with all the smoking, so I wont go on about it!!!! It didn't stop us doing anything; it was all just part of the experience...

The honeymoon was everything we could have wished for and Venice was far more romantic than we thought. The only big complaint is that we only had 2 weeks as we wanted to spend more time in each city!! The itinerary was great and, for us, was laid out perfectly.

We have told everyone that we have talked to about your tour company and we are already talking about going back. Our bound itineraries and book of vouchers impressed everyone that saw them.

Thank you so much for all your hard work. It really was the holiday of a lifetime (and I did it all with one suitcase!) I don't know if you have had the opportunity to do any of the tours yourself, but take my word for it - just do it!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Regards,

Fiona Hyslop

Dear Christina, Nov 2008

We just wanted to thank you and Road to Italy for one of the most amazing vacations we have ever taken. The accommodations, drivers, guides…just every detail was perfect. Our friends that we travelled with could not believe how wonderful all the services were. We were so lucky to have amazing weather, so every day seemed perfect….We loved our day trip to the Chianti region. Our driver Claudio was great and we had a blast at Il Selvatici, for our wine tasting and lunch. San Gimignano was such a beautiful place to see and walk around. We were blown away by the beauty of the Amalfi Coast and our driver Renato for our day tour was great. He turned us on to a restaurant "La Tagliata" that was probably our most fun night of the whole trip! On to Rome which was very busy with only 2 days to see all the highlights, but Valentina our guide for the 2 days was great. When we got picked up to leave for the airport, I didn't realize we would have someone to personally make sure we got into the airport ok. It was a great way to finish the trip...

I would highly recommend Road to Italy to our friends, and next time we plan on going back to Europe you will be hearing from me again.

Thank you again for such a wonderful time and memories!!

Marcia Roth

Oct 2008

We (a group of four friends) planned a tour for last August to Verona and Pesaro to visit the Verdi and the Rossini opera festival, combined with day tours to lake Garda, Venice, Ravenna and Rimini. I simply gave Christina with “Road to Italy” our requirements and they organized our tour to our 100% satisfaction. All drivers (we had limousine service) and tour guides were on time, exceptionally friendly and helpful, without exception. The hotels were exactly what we required. They purchased the difficult to get opera tickets and planned our tour to make it one of our most memorable ones.

Sincerely,

Max R. Bruderli

Hi Christina; Aug 2008

We're back. What a trip! Everything worked out like clock work. All planes, drivers, guides, were on time. They were all very helpful and extremely friendly. Domenico, our driver in Pesaro, brought us to his house and his Mamma let us pick fresh peaches in her garden and they served us local wine. He also introduced us to his friend Ricardo, who is a "cacciatore di tartufi" (Truffle hunter). Ricardo went out with his sniffing dog and got us about 3/4 lb of fresh truffles, which we brought to a local restaurant that prepared all kinds of truffel specialties for us. After that we rarely eat at any restaurant without producing a truffle from my pocket and sprinkling our meals with it. Ricardo is now our friend too and will keep us stocked with fresh truffles, when in season. The first batch is scheduled to arrive here next week.

We'll never forget this unforgettable opera trip. Although we were rained out of Rigoletto in the arena of Verona we consider this trip a total success.

Thanks again for everything.

Kind regards

Max

Dear Christina, May 2008

You have done it again! You arranged and planned an amazing and memorable trip through Italy. From our greeting in Venice to our farewell in Rome, each and every guide and driver was pleasant, knowledgeable and accommodating. We feel like we have made friends in each city, we hated to say good bye when each tour was concIncluded.

Our hotels were centrally located and the staffs at each were helpful and always pleasant. Road to Italy/Road to Travel has now given us two trips that have been perfect. Everything on schedule and no problems. I can't wait to start planning our next trip.

Christina, I don't know how you managed it but I was so happy to see Giacomo waiting for us in Florence. Lou didn't tell me that he had gotten a letter about the change, so I was really surprised to see his smiling face when we stepped out of Hotel Lungarno. We enjoyed our day with him as we traveled to Assisi and onto Rome.

Christina, I know I gave you some challenges this time with my health being an issue. Everything worked out just fine. The Hotel Lungarno was our favorite hotel and what an amazing location...right on the Arno! I was tried by the time we reached Rome, and, I think the Mascagni was my least favorite hotel. It was clean and pleasant but the decor was dark and I was feeling less than 100% so everything affected me. It was difficult for me to climb the hill back to the hotel so we often had to take a cab. The further away we were from the hotel (Piazza Navona etc.) it seems the cab drivers were less familiar with the location of the hotel. If we said Piazza Republica, that helped.

The 'boys' absolutely loved the experience of the soccer game. Since AS ROMA won the game, it was like a double scoop of gelato!

Once again, I want to thank you for your patience, effort and planning in giving us an amazing trip and memories that we will cherish.

I hope one day we can meet so I can thank you in person and give you a big hug.

Molto Grazie,

Francesca e Luigi (Franny Capozzi-Alvin and Lou Alvin)

Sara-Ana e Justin (Sara-Ann and Justin Amendola)

Dear Flavia,  Oct 2008

We returned from our Honeymoon last week and we loved every minute of the trip. All of the accomadations were spectacular, and all of the other arrangements went off without a hitch. We wanted to thank you for all of your hard work. Thanks again,

Dina and Sean.

Paola, September 2008

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for a flawless, no hassle, amazing trip to Italy!! We enjoyed our trip immensely and want to compliment you and your company's commitment to quality!!! Everyone was on time, courteous and the tour guides were outstanding- they were like history professors by our side. The cooking lesson, wine tasting and olive oil tasting were once in a lifetime opportunities. We really enjoyed our driver Claudio whom we had for two days in Florence also. He was the one person we forgot to take a photo with..any chance you have a staff photo available of him to complete our album?

Again, thank you for an amazing trip! It was worth it even with the weak u.s. dollar!! We will recommend your company to friends!

Candice Tung