“Ciao!
We had a wonderful trip and want to thank you for being so attentive to our needs and desires from the planning of the trip to the finish. We loved meeting such wonderful people and also feel one of the highlights was our dinner with you and Matteo.
The guides were great and Georgio and Roberto were wonderful. Roberto turned out to be incredibly sweet and accommodating. He took us up the mountain when we had time before our private guide of Assisi and drove to Paciano so we wouldn’t have to wait for the ferry. He took us to Deruta and found a guy who gave us an amazing gallery tour.
I will eventually try to send pictures after we download them. As to the places we visited, it is hard to give all comments because we loved so many. I would have liked to have spent more time in Pittigliano. It was fascinating and even wish there had been a private tour. In no particular order, we went to Vulpia instead of Castelnuova, which was lovely. We also went to Cortona which we liked a lot. I could have done without Greve and Trasimeno Lake, which, as I said before, wastes too much time with the ferry. Spello was too steep to climb down. If I were to do it again, I might have a couple less churches and villages because after while they all look alike. Instead I might combine one more larger city with it.
I totally adored the workshops and the cooking class (Wendy and I became quick friends), and I was happy that Marika got us into the paper mill workshop for a demo in Bevagna.
I loved how the art tells the history, including political, religious and the evolution and progression of the art itself. Visiting the small villages really takes you back in time.
The hotels were great but I did not like staying in Torgiano. The hotel was great but the energy of the town is strange. I guess there is no other nearby base to go to Deruta.
I hope I gave some helpful feedback. Please keep in touch and visit if you come to Florida.
Regards, Elissa.”
Elissa Soyka – (Sarasota, FL) – JUNE 2014
Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi at sunset, Umbria, Italy
Sunset at Passignano, Trasimeno Lake, Umbria, Italy
Pienza Italian medieval village. Val d’Orcia, Italy.
