“Dear Daniela,
We had an absolutely wonderful time on our vacation. The ideas and suggestions that went into the planning of the trip from you exceeded our expectations. In general, having the drivers picking us up and taking us to our destinations worked out splendidly.
The concierge at the Hotel in Venice, was extremely friendly and helpful. We were surprised the next night with a bottle of champagne for my birthday (which he had discovered from checking us in with our passports!) We were delighted with the hotel, especially because it was within walking distance of all the main sights yet, at the same time, it was somewhat removed from the center and in a more quiet location.
The Venice tour guide that you had hired for us was extremely knowledgeable and personable. We thoroughly enjoyed our tours with Minu and appreciated that you had secured her and the tickets to the main attractions in advance.
The dinner that you reserved for us in Venice restaurant was terrific. The ambiance, food and service were terrific and we thank you very much for an absolutely lovely meal.
Our transportation from Venice to the train station went well and so did the high-speed train to Florence where our driver was waiting for us perfectly ontime.
Upon our arrival at Florence Hotel we were told that we were given a room upgrade and were thrilled to have a view of the Arno River and the beautiful landscape across on the other side. After having lunch, we were promptly picked up by our Florence tour guide, Alessandra. We began our wonderful tour walking around the city and getting acquainted with all the sights, Piazza di S. Croce, Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Palazzo Vecchio, Accademia Gallery, the Duomo, Oltrarno neighborhood, etc. Again, the tour guide did a great job showing us around, explaining about our tickets for the next day at the Uffizzi, and we thoroughly enjoyed talking with her and exploring the city with her.
Furthermore, the cooking class in Florence that you signed us up for was one of the many highlights of the trip. We had lots of fun, cooked a great meal, enjoyed the Chef and his sous chefs and had a lot of laughs. It will be a miracle however if we are able to recreate the recipes at home!! We will try!!
Again the Florence Restaurant that you booked for us was exceptional.
The Chianti Countryside hotel was very charming. We could have used more precise directions for getting around Tuscany; However, the views were magnificent, we made it to the wine tasting and the Tuscan lunch a the Osteria you recommended was divine. We enjoyed being able to walk to town from the farmhouse and enjoyed our glasses of wine and macchiato. We were reluctant to leave Tuscany with its gorgeous landscapes but somehow we did and with much trepidation, made it back to Florence to return the car and made it to the train station for our train for Naples.
When we got to Naples, our driver was waiting for us and promptly took us to Pompeii where the tour guide you had booked for us did a great job taking us to a good place for lunch, walking us around, giving us details about the history and again we enjoyed and found the guide very professional. After the tour, Ivo drove us the rest of the way to Positano Hotel where again, we were told that we had a room upgrade. We’re curious as to how come we received the upgrades. We found our room to be fabulous with the most spectacular view of Positano. The location of the hotel was perfect and the breakfast was delightful.
We walked up and down all over the lovely town of Positano, going into the stores, having macchiatos and generally having a lot of fun. We also took the public ferry to Capri and had a terrific day there, taking the funicolare to the top and exploring the streets.
The day that our driver Ivo came to take us on our private excursion on the Amalfi Coast was breathtaking. Amalfi, Ravello, Villa Cimbrone were very picturesque. Ivo was a delight and once again we had a magnificent day and enjoyed his company. It was hard to leave Positano to go to the airport but somehow we did, and here we are at home! It almost seems as if we were never away but I have over 1200 photographs to prove that we were there in Italy!
Again, we both want to thank you for planning this trip for us. We felt as if we got to know each of the areas that we travelled to a certain extent and enjoyed the differences and variations that each region had to offer. We also found it very comforting having the transportation taken care of and waiting for us. We enjoyed the boutique hotels and liked their locations. The breakfasts were good and the service was friendly and helpful in all the accommodations. Yet we are not use to the showers/bathtubs that don’t have a full glass enclosure. We were constantly flooding the floors! Be that as it may, they were terrific choices.
We certainly ate and drank and photographed our way through Italy enjoying every minute. Enclosed are a few pictures from our journey. Thank you again for planning such a great trip.
With the warmest regards,
Phyllis and Kurt”
Kurt Shaw (Bergenfield, NJ), OCTOBER 2012
View on Tuscan City of San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy
Siena panorama view from Torre Mangia tower, Tuscany, Ital
Marina Piccola on Capri Island, Italy
