I loved dining at outdoor restaurants watching the people go by. Perhaps my Wow is remembering this during todays uncertain times.". The entire trip was very well organized and everything flowed smoothly which allowed us to see and experience everything included in the tour as well as those things we planned outside of the tour. She went out of her way to assist my husband and i when my husband got Covid 19 on the tour unfortunately. The pace was just right for me and I appreciated the balance of free time with structured touring. We were extremely happy with the agenda plus the side trips that the guides were able to arrange. Great overall. The Venice glass-blowing shop. "The first trip down the Grand Canal of Venice left us in awe, so beautiful and almost hard to believe that what you are seeing is real. Our guide Lisa was terrific and the local guides were equally great. Patricia had the group sing to me at dinner and I felt like it was a dream come.". There was see.". Also, too, our 28th wedding anniversary dinner in Florence which our tour guide, Lisa, arranged for us. The free time was great so that we were able to visit sites not on the tour with excellent opportunities for fantastic restaurants and coffee bars.". The choices that the Rick Steves tour made of sites to see gave us an experience of many best known places. 01/01/23 10:25 AM 2948 posts It may be too late, but flying into Venice and out of Rome, an open jaw itinerary, would probably have been ideal. The guides were ALL excellent, the balance of scheduled- and free- time felt just right, and the tour experiences chosen were all excellent. Every day was something new. No bus. Reading about and seeing pictures of the treasures in the cities is one thing, but nothing like standing in front of them and having them described to us. The contrast in regions. Our guide, Tina, was wonderful! Sleep with street noise and no (or weak) air conditioning. The nighttime gondola ride was so peaceful and lovely.". One month prior to the tour departure, you'll find the directions to your first tour hotel and a complete list of hotels where we'll be staying while on tour in the Documents section of your tour account. The cooking class was lots of fun and we will definitely try the recipes at home. "Getting "lost" in the streets of Venice. However, the months of April, May, September, and October are best for combining the convenience of peak season with the most pleasant weather. Kindle. My tour of Italy was exceptional from beginning to end. Anja kept us on track and informed in such an easy manner on a daily basis and always had a smile and an answer for whatever was happening. Timed entry and setup were good, although the Vatican museums were extremely crowded; very uncomfortable due to the amount of people and made it very difficult to enjoy the collection. The accommodations were an important part of the experience and we thought they were excellent choices. Also being able to spend several days in each city was a huge plus. The food ! Rick took his first trip to Europe in 1969, visiting piano factories with his father, a piano importer. My husband and I were delighted with the tour guides who were flexible humorous and very knowledgeable. Since this was the first time I had been on a tour I was hoping that it would be unique and informative. While in Venezia, Stephanie found an evening concert for us of the finest Venetian Virtuososstill in awe & still smiling; also loved our evening gondola ride surrounded by the lights of Venice, St. Marks Basilica & Square & our first group dinner. "Venice was new to me and exceeded my expectations. The other travelers, were like minded and a joy to be with. Love the musicians Lisa hired for our gondola ride - especially when we entered the Grand Canal! With this being my first time to Europe I felt like I was able to see all the major and important parts of history, art, and best parts of each city we visited. She was so knowledgeable helpful and caring. "I enjoyed the winery, cooking class and St Peters Basilica most of all. Our tour guide, Stephanie, was organized and preparedshe would go out of her way to find us other interesting and fun things to do in our free time. Kudos to her.". See details on why, and how to visit inside on your free time. and no cars or bikes! Venice is so worth it. It was an experience of a lifetime! It was very hard for our travel-weary brains to actually grasp that this was not Disney World or Las Vegas this was the absolute real thing and it was simply breathtaking! "The serenade on the gondola was a great "wow" moment for us. Cecilia was outstanding. We had a fantastic guide, Stephanie, who made the experience memorable; and provided opportunities to participate in additional events. This morning we'll devote our time to the breathtaking Renaissance art of the Uffizi home to the finest collection of Italian paintings anywhere including works by Leonardo, Botticelli, Michelangelo, and more. "That's very hard to pick one, but if I had to I guess it would be seeing St. Peter's basilica. Your guide will help you with any post-tour planning, leaving you well prepared for the road ahead. The three cities were all so diverse and enjoyable to see". In Venice, I loved the gondola ride, visiting Burano, and all the delicious food and drink. Patricia has a keen knowledge of the areas we visited and her delivery and attention to detail were fantastic. I must say that this tour coming on the heels of the Villages of Italy tour proved to be physically exhausting. Dr. Rick Gastil, PsyD, MSW, LMFT, Marriage & Family Therapist, San Clemente, CA, 92673, (949) 397-6704, Are you currently struggling? The tour guides were knowledgeable, helpful, with great ideas for other sites to see on our own. I would not have been without the local guides enthusiasm and knowledge.". Loved the sights and food in each city. I was very impressed with the level of organization. Italy's three greatest cities are like fine gelato why settle for just one flavor if you can get three scoops at once? It's an essential part of the Rick Steves tour experience. It was one of those moments where the perfection of the art and the placement of the piece all came together to create this moment where you were just speechless.". Donald and Chiara, our tour guides, were friendly, professional, knowledgable, and fun to "vacation" with. She was a wealth of information and gave great advice regarding restaurants, things to do on free days, and schedule for each day (posted at hotel reception area). And the gondola ride when we were serenaded.". She is an asset to your company. Loved the small group size and opportunities to get to know one another while traveling. Heart of Italy in 9 Days Tour - 2023 Our Tours Tight on time? "There were multiple "expected" breathtaking moments: seeing David, the Uffizi, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Forum in person was as awe-inspiring as I'd hoped. Had a fantastic and memorable trip/, "All of Italy was a "wow" for me with each city presenting something new and exciting. Wow! Excellent! "There were too many to be able to pick just one. $19.99 Read with Our Free App. With Rick Steves. First time to Europe. We got to tour the grounds, the wine cellar was beyond words! This is one of our most active tours! "Going to the top of the terrace in Venice to overlook the city.". "My favorite wow moment was the gondola ride in Venice. Everyone got on very well. Overall a first rate experience. Paperback. Both my wife and I were more than impressed with everything about this tour. Dimitri was fantastic host and each of the local guides were top notch! As my first solo international trip, I felt supported and welcomed by the company before and during the tour. "My favorite moment with the group was our happy hour up on Piazalle Michelangelo in Florence. It was wonderful! It was an amazing experience. We knew we would get to see many things we've been wanting to see for a long time. I thought the local guides from each city were engaging, well informed, and I felt they helped narrow down the most important things to see. Loved the tour leader's enthusiasm about Italy. I loved the beauty of Venice, and as a special added touch we had musicians on one of our gondolas. There were so many wow moments but this is at the top.". In case you wish to book pre- or post-tour hotel accommodations, the contact information for the tour's first and last hotels is included in your tour confirmation email as well as in the Itinerary section of your tour account. Another: the cooking lesson at Tavola in Florence -- a hands-on experience which was not only instructive but another great way to enjoy the company of our traveling colleagues.". Very knowledgeable and friendly too. I do wish there was a little more detail in terms of timing on the first couple days in order to make reservations for places not included on the tour. It was thoroughly enjoyable. Italy is so beautiful and we really felt like we had a great intro to it. Our guide also handled a situation with COVID with exceptional care and judgement. Strenuous walking: 28 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain. Also seeing Tuscany for the first time, I thought it would look just like California where I'm from, but it enchanted me with it's light and beauty.". On our Best of Venice, Florence & Rome in 10 Days tour among other things you'll need to happily. "I dont know how to choose just one wow moment out of so many! So fun! The overall experience was great. We will definitely take another Rick Steves' tour. Our tour guide, Lisa, was experienced, knowledgeable, friendly, and helped to make this a memorable experience for my husband and myself. Local guides were very knowledgeable. If I had to pick one, I think it was seeing St. Marks tomb.". The singer really loved to entertain and hearing him belt out some classic tunes as we floated down the scenic waterways was certainly a memorable moment". Our tour guide was awesome and the group size was perfect. I gained a lot of information from the Tour Team and the local guides. THIS is why we travel!". The amount of free time and planned activities was perfect. What a fabulous tour! ", I joined this tour because I had never been to Europe. We could not have asked for better people on our tour and our tour guide was amazing!! We hit the highlights of each city and of course we can't see everything so we'll just have to find a way to come back! "A few airline issues aside, I would say the entire trip was a WOW. However the tour group size was a bit large for me. "I think I was prepared to be disappointed in the colosseum and was actually very taken with it and the forum. The hotel locations were great. All in all, we saw and did everything I had hoped for. Cooking class and wine tasting pretty darn WOW!!". It was superior to my first experience, which was very good. Instructions were perfect. I loved each of our hotels (Guerrato, Silla and Ludovisi). "Difficult to choose from so many, but Michelangelos David is a stunning site. Since 1973, Rick Steves has spent about four months a year exploring Europe. Lots of wow,". Honestly, it exceeded all my expectations. We loved every part of our tour in Italy. "We have irritating dietary needs. I was surprised to find that many of the venues we visited were very crowded, a lot of pent up demand I guess. "Every aspect. If there is another trip to Europe, it will certainly be with Rick Steves tours. Plenty of free time to explore on your own but your guide makes sure you know just how to get where you want to go. Riding the Venetian canals. "My Wow moment was when Lisa, organized our Gondola ride with a live musician and a singer! We cut, measured, chopped, kneaded, rolled and fried, fried, am talking the entire process from kneading the dough, flattening to cutting into strips. Your afternoon will be free to see more of the city's museums. She shared her love of Italy with us! I particularly loved the personal aspects of side field trips that Tina knew about: Flash painting, Murano Glass bead making, Tenuta Le Velette Winery in Orvieto. Lisa, our tour leader, was very likeable, knowledgeable, organized, and very empathetic to everyone's needs and capabilities. The winery visited was very run down, and needs to be changed. It was like hitting the jackpot! I would highly recommend Rick Steves tours and will be planning my next trip soon! "The first glimpse of the canals of Venice and watching it function as a city. ", "My guide created an environment where we found the WOW in all moments good and not so good. ", "looking at the colosseum for the first time". "The gondola ride in Venice with the serenade by a local musician. This my first Rick Steves tour but it definitely wont be my last! Last time I visited was on another RS tour in 2014, and the crowds were unbelievable due to the canonization of two popes. So many WOW moments.". It was great to do it on my own with the Rick Steves podcast in my headphones. The tour was everything I had hoped for and our group got along very well. "Maybe St. Peter's Basilica but its hard to mention just one.". Local guides were very good for the most part but the guide in Florence was not as well versed in the locality as the guides in Venice and Rome. My sister and I did this tour together because neither of us wanted to have to plan anything. Our Tour Guides company was great! we stopped at for lunch and wine tasting in Umbria. It was very good. The tour was fabulous! Rick Steves reportedly enjoys a splendid net worth of $10 million. ", First of all, the tour guide Francis I was tremendous and I dont know if I wouldve had joyed the tour quite as much had he not been our guide. I'd been to Italy before, but in a rushed manner, so this tour was the perfect deeper dive. I was transported into an authentic adventure. Every aspect of the tour exceeded our expectations. ", The tour was comprehensive and the guides very well informed, "Rome. Then, she talked to us about the wine and told us what it would pair best with and why. I appreciated learning so much art history and seeing three magnificent cities. "It was our first trip to Italy so there were many wow moments. Likewise finding the cafe at the top of the Bardini Gardens and having an aperol spritz with a view of the city from the terrace. Everything was extremely well organized. The content focused on history, art, and culture. Having someone to work out the logistics for your trip and having local guides give you perspective and history was fantastic, "The wine tasting in Umbria. The Rick Steves and the local guides anecdotes and historical facts brought everything to life in a way we hadn't experienced before. We had a wide variety of ages and experiences among the group. Our tour guide Lisa was so knowledgeable and made sure everyone was comfortable. Our guides were very knowledgeable, accommodating and informative. Our tour guide was amazing, very knowledgeable, friendly and well organized.. She made the trip very memorable. With your emotions? The hotel, food and restaurant choices were excellent. All the local guides added so much to the experience that was way beyond my expectations. Good balance of scheduled itineraries and free time. I really the cooking lunch class and wine tour plus the format where there were a lot of half days on your own.. "Venice, Florence and Rome each had it wow moments, from art, architecture to food". I have waited for years to go to Italy and I loved every minute of it! The Italian singers at the farewell dinner put a cherry on the top of an amazing 10 days. I cannot say enough good things about her, she was tremendous. This particular tour had wow moments daily. The tour was very good. David, The Pieta, Moses and the Sistine Chapel all compete for top wow moment, as well.". There were several in each city we visited. In all aspects, the tour exceeded expectations. Our local guides were wonderful and Lisa made sure we had great meals and activities. Tour very well planned out in regards to activities and timing. The only downside to the tour was the covid policy, which we think is very weak and fails to adequately protect tour members. So lovely!". His patience was much appreciated as I was traveling with a non-native English speaker, which required I share my interpretations of what our guides had just explained. The tour guides and the historical references to the sites, paintings, etc. After some free time to make your own Florentine discoveries, we'll gather again this evening at the Accademia Gallery to marvel at the power of Michelangelo's rough-hewn Prisoners and his greatest masterpiece, David. Such a thrill!". Overall great experience. The tour was extremely well thought out with unique touches mixed in with all the classic sites. Hearing the music echoing in the canals of Venice was priceless!". I am still processing all we saw in such a short period but it was wonderful. Our local tour guides were very good-particularly Francesca in Rome. "Amazing history of churches, art, sculptures in each city. ", "Vaporetti ride at sunset was amazing as was the winery.". "Our long meal in Florence I had such a great time in!". The scale and beauty was breaktaking!". Sarah and Tom (our RS guides) were organized, fun, and down-to-earth. My goal was to see the Italian masters and the tour did not disappoint!". "Extremely hard to pick, but probably seeing the Uffizi gallery.". . A local scholar will join us this morning as we take a walking tour of the backstreets of Florence, with some fascinating peeks into Roman, medieval, and 19th-century Florentine life along the way. The Rome hotel was in a great location with a great breakfast. We loved everything about the tour, from the lodging and food, to the transportation and itinerary, and especially our tour guides. I guess I would say my first glimpse of the inside of St. Peters Basilica was a major wow! I had grown up hearing about the Basilica, never imagining that I would one day stand within it. Standing at the Vatican City wall waiting to enter I had to pinch myself to believe I was actually standing in the place I had seen on television and in the movies. All good things, all good things! The gondola ride, and walking into the colosseum.". It was thoroughly enjoyable. "Stepping out of the train station in Venice and seeing the Grand Canal for the first time. This is my first tour experience in my life. A few top moments include: 1) Gondola ride in the evening gliding along the quiet waterways, 2) Walking through the Sistine Chapel and actually knew what I was looking at (because the local guide gave an amazing crash course about the paintings in advance) 3) Exploring and enjoying all the regional culinary specialties".
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