We had a great time on our tour with Roberto from We Drive You Tuscany! We did the 8 hour San…read moreGimignano and Chianti Classico as well as the Pienza, Val d'Orcia, Montalcino wine and Pecorino cheese private tours with Roberto. This was my first trip to Italy, we enjoyed a comfortable ride throughout the countryside in the clean, air conditioned van! Roberto was so knowledgeable and made sure we knew all the best places to visit along with the history of the beautiful Tuscan countryside! He even gave us recommendations for our second leg of the trip to Rome. We will definitely use this service again!!

We had the pleasure of touring Tuscany with We Drive You Tuscany. Roberto was our driver and we…read morehad a beautiful Mercedes van that was new and comfortable. Bottled water was provided and he even stopped to get Fresh pizza for us. By the time we finished touring with Roberto for two days we felt that we knew so much about the area, history and culture of the region. Roberto's knowledge or art, history, food and culture was so impressive. The tour we did with Roberto was much more than him driving us from place to place. Each place we went was so carefully planned and curated. We visited wineries, vineyards and a sheep farm that makes cheese. With his help, we were able to visit every place we wanted to see as well as some smaller unknown, hidden gems. We saw so many beautiful landscapes and Roberto stopped frequently for us to take in the views! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Roberto. We hope to go back soon to tour Umbria and Florence with Roberto.

We had so much fun on our gelato & pizza making tour in Florence! The walkabout tours staff member…read moregreeting us at the meeting point was a bit harsh, did not seem like she wanted to be working in customer service of any kind, and made it a rough start to our tour. After the rude greeting, the experience itself went smoothly - the farm has great views and the chefs did a nice job shuffling us between rooms for maximum efficiency as we prepared our meal. It was a bit of a bummer to not be able to choose our own gelato flavor to make (the were 30ish people total so they wanted us to divvy up flavors). We also had to wait a while to make our pizza since there were so many people in our group, but there was wine and good company for the wait! They were running out of some of the pizza toppings by the time we got to making ours at the end, but they still turned out delicious! The chefs were so entertaining and the food tasted great - it was nice to learn the process to make such a delicious Italian dinner. I can't wait to receive the recipes to make this meal all over again!! Thank you for a lovely experience!

In the short time I had in Firenze, I knew I wanted to see as many sights as I could - knowing I…read moreneeded to sacrifice some due to only being in the city for a few days. That being said, I attempted to balance guided tours with my own explorations. I did not want to be part of a guided tour all day every day, so when one of my colleagues recommended Walkabout I inquired to see what they had to offer. I noticed that they had a 3-hour tour of the Piazza del Duomo which included a climb to the top of Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore Duomo di Firenze. This sounded perfect, so we decided to book it for our first full day in Firenze. Prior to my arrival in Firenze, I received correspondence from Walkabout with details about my tour. Via email and Whatsapp, I was given my start time as well as where to meet and who my tour guide will be. I booked a private tour, and I assume that's why they asked me where I was staying since my meeting point was about a 3-minute walk from my hotel. We met up with Lisa at the designated time, who gave us a quick rundown of the tour and shortly after that we got started. We began the tour in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo - we spent a good amount of time here looking at each of the exhibits, and Lisa did an excellent job going through all the details and history not only of the pieces but of the history of Firenze that shaped what we saw. The museum is noteworthy that it contains many of the original artifacts of the cathedral itself (they have been replaced by replicas in order to preserve the originals). The original doors of the Baptistery are also here, as well as a scale replica of the first three stories of the Cathedral in its original form. After some time in the museum, we made our way to the Cathedral to begin the climb. It's not the easiest climb I'll admit, as it's 400+ steps and there are points in the ascent that are tight with steep steps - but I would say it's totally worth it as the views up top are magnificent. You get panoramic views of the city so my camera was constantly clicking. While the climb concluded our tour, our tickets did include access to the Bell Tower and Baptistry which were valid over the next couple of days which I thought was a nice perk. Overall my experience with Walkabout was excellent - Lisa did an awesome job guiding us through the exhibits; she's very knowledgable, engaging, and really made this tour amazing. I would have no qualms booking a tour with them next time I'm in Florence.

This is a wonderful food tour by an American & Italian dual citizen who's lived in Florence for…read moreover 20 years and has been guiding for most of them. She knows the shopkeepers by first name and by the quality and pricing of their goods. A truly friendly lady who really enjoys her work.

My family and I had a great tour with Alessandro. Florence…read moreis paradise for foodies, and he knew some great places for us to try and was able to explain the background of the food. Some of the old places won't be around much longer, given how things are changing. Taste it while you can. It was a great experience for us, and, if you love food, this will make you happy.

Such a fun day exploring the foods of Bologna! First we were picked up promptly, first thing in…read morethe morning (the sun hadn't come up yet) at our hotel in a passenger van, and drove to the first experience which was the cheese factory/farm. We actually got to see how the whole processing of making Parmigiano Reggiano,from start to finish, which was very enlightening. I have to say their Ricotta cheese is the best I have tasted from all over the world. Next we drove to a family owned DOP balsamic vinegar vineyard where we were able to see the process of making balsamic vinegar. Did you know it takes years and years to make just a small amount of vinegar. Very fascinating to hear and to taste. We got to compare balsamic venegar that isn't DOP and some that is. We were also able to taste the 25 year old, and 50 year old vinegar. This is tightly guarded as it is quite an arduous process, and very, very, time consuming just to get a few bottles out of the 25 and 50+ vinegar. Let's just say it's yummy. Make sure you buy a bottle while you are there. I didn't, and I could kick myself as it's more expensive is the USA from the same vineyard. Then it was off to the place where the prosciutto di Modena is made. That was interesting as well all these ham hocks hanging up, and the process of how the most tasty prosciutto is made. Final stop was to have lunch at a cantina on a sprawling estate. Great views. Did I say FOOD, lots, and lots of Italian food and wine. Very tasty and a good variety of Italian dishes. Then off to our hotel we go. We had our driver drop us off closer to city center so that we could enjoy the city before heading back to our hotel since this was or last night in Italy. She was very happy to oblige us. Such a fun day. I highly recommend this tour.

We had a fabulous tour with Italian Days! We saw how they make Parmegiano Reggiano, Prosciutto and…read moreBalsamic Vinegar. Not only did we get to taste the finished product, the process that goes into making them was very interesting. Alessandro, our tour guide, was excellent at explaining all the steps for each. We had a lovely breakfast after the Parmegiano Reggiano tour. After touring the Prosciutto company, we had a lovely five course meal including wine. I highly recommend Italian Days.

Had a WONDERFUL private day-long wine tour with Matt/ Mateo in the Chianti region of Florence! He…read morewas a FANTASTIC guide!!!! Not only was he incredible knowledgeable about wine as a sommelier but he was also friendly, fun, warm and so easy to learn from. The trip was truly a highlight of our two week trip to Italy!!! Matt took INCREDIBLE photos for us as well and did an EXCEPTIONAL job!

Very scenic though long drive. The wineries we visited were unique and very informative. A couple…read morequaint little towns were neat to wander around. Going into a cave for a tasting was fun. Lunch was at a great spot. And it was great.

Hand-crafted pasta since 1912, the owner Giuseppe has been in the family business since 1950, is…read moreextremely friendly and informative, and made us feel welcome for our free, private tour. During World War II, the Nazis took over the building, a villa, making it their headquarters in 1944. The family had to walk for two days to Florence while the Germans occupied their home. Once the Nazis fled from Allied Forces, they returned home and were the first pastificio (pasta factory) of 36 in Pistoia to resume operations after the war. They are the only remaining pastificio of the original 36. The factory has been somewhat automated since 1950, but many of the pastas are still handmade. They have numerous varieties of pasta, including their signature brands, made with only Tuscan flour from the Pisa area. They recently unveiled a pasta in the shape of Pinocchio characters called "Le Bugie" ("the lies"), the result of a scholarship competition in the local schools. The factory employs only six people, but they produce a wide variety of pastas using old family recipes and processes. The small river behind the factory once spun the turbines beneath the building which allowed them to resume operations so quickly after the war. Special drying units maintain constant temperatures between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius (90-95 Fahrenheit) , ensuring that the pasta does not break, reducing waste, and resulting in quality products. Pastas take from 24 hours to six days to dry depending on the shape. The bronze pasta forms used to give the pastas their various shapes result in a special consistency not found in mass produced brands (De Cecco, Barilla). Their pastas take much less time to cook because the pasta from the brass forms allow the boiling water to saturate the pasta instead of cooking it from the outside. The water they are boiled in also has much more starch then that of the mass produced brands, allowing the water to be used to thicken sauces before serving. The valley in which the villa sits is quiet, green, lush, and much cooler than smoldering Florence, so it was a breath of fresh air, literally, after a month in 100 degree Florence and its wall-to-wall tourists. Giuseppe is working on adding a small gift shop and cafe, culinary demonstrations, and possibly pasta making and cooking classes in the near future, but in the meantime a tour of their operation is a must if visiting Tuscany and tell him CombatCritic sent you! CombatCritic Gives Pastaficio Chelucci Tour The Coveted 10 Bombs Out Of 10 ... IT'S THE BOMB ... More Bombs Are Better!

From the owner: Production of hand-crafted pasta utilising bronze forms as has been done for over one hundred…read moreyears. Our facility has been in the family since 1912 and was confiscated by the Germans during World War II, serving as their headquarters in 1944. We were the first of 37 pasta factories in Pistoia to reopen after the war and are the only remaining open to this day. We offer tours of our facility by appointment.

Best culinary experience of my life!…read more I don't take this review lightly and I mean every word of this title. I first met Paulo in Oct 2021. My wife and I were looking for an 'authentic' wine tasting experience near Florence (something close enough for my wife and I to ride a moped through Florence). Paulo didn't have the most reviews online but every review I saw was 5 stars. This piqued my interest..."there's something here". We find ourselves walking in the front door of an old mom and pop shop bodega/general store. Paulo greets us warmly and we walk down some stairs to his basement. We're greeted by a pre set up tasting table that just looks fantastic. Paulo goes on to teach us about the components of the tongue and how the various fruit, nut, cheese, combinations hit the senses that just so happen to pair perfectly with his Rose wine--and that was just the beginning. To this day we continue to recommend him without reservation to all of our friends (with 10+ friends being able to experience his tasting, and each agreeing this was one of their best memories in Italy). We also continue to order his wine and olive oil direct to the US and his wine currently occupies the top shelf on our wine rack. Paulo, you're awesome!!

Went into this wine tasting blind with a party of 12 and was quickly amazed by the owner Paolo and…read morehis shop/ tasting room. The tasting ( in my experience) was much more than wine tasting but a combination of cheeses, jams, mortadella, prosciutto, and of course wines which he makes. The first course included a rosé style wine and a few different cheese all of which were different ages, topped with different jams including a truffle blackberry jam and cashews which were absolutely incredible! I will not spoil the rest of the experience but if you're looking to go wine tasting in true Tuscany with generations of experience look no further. I can't wait to go back

Linda was an excellent guide and had an excellent personality and attitude that quickly had us…read moreopening up about all our culinary adventures over the past 2 weeks of European honeymooning. She gave us excellent tips to finding the best of what we loved. My personal highlight of the trip was tasting the best truffle fois gras of my life! Great samples of Prosecco and Chianti as well as authentic Italian snacks and a store that had an amazingly diverse and splendid selection of wines and hard alcohols under one roof, and owned by a family. Little bits of history and shared experiences from other lands all added to the experience and the fact that it ended up being a personal instead of group tour for the same rate was an amazing bonus. A great way to spend 2.5-3 hours and learn about some future favorites in cuisine.

Absolutely amazing tour! We got Linda, the manager and did the Apertivo: Tour of Florence…read more Wonderful experience. Linda has such a great sense of humor, lots of knowledge and experience. It felt like I was meeting up with a friend who knew all the hidden gems (and not so hidden) lol. Such a great time. We ended up having a private tour so it was a lot of fun. Linda is great! Will meet up again if ever back back in Firenze (Florence). Thank you so much Linda for the memorable experience.

Can't say enough positive things about Easy Touring and its owner operator Wolfgang. We met…read moreWolfgang by chance as he was our transfer arranged by a restaurant in 2013. Since then we have traveled with him for custom tours to Chianti, Bolgheri, montecarlo, and Montalcino as well as for many train station and airport transfers. He's the best. Professional, knowledgable, kind and very good at helping you coordinate your tour or transfer needs. A valuable resource for your trip in tuscany! He even planned transportation for our wedding, getting 75 guests to a hillside church outside of Lucca!

From the owner: I am a private-hire in Tuscany and can take you from your hotel to the airport for example but also…read morespend the day on a tour of your choice. I am fluent in English, German and Italian and like culture, history, good food and wines!

Absolutely a great time to tour Florence on a sidecar. Gilberto and Ricardo took four of us older…read moreladies for the ride of our lives and we loved it. Visited landmarks in fFlorence and some of the best view in the city. It was educational, exhilarating and just cool. It end with an aperitif at a cozy restaurant. This is a tour not to miss.

We had a fantastic time on this tour--one of our favorite activities while in Florence! Gilberto…read morewas our driver and we took the morning tour. He took us first to a great spot for breakfast and then we headed towards Piazza Michelangelo, one of the best views in the city. I had let the group know that it was going to be my husbands birthday so Gilberto even brought along a candle to put in his croissant! He was fun to hang out with and gave us some great history of the city while on the tour. This is hands down one of the most unique ways to experience the city of Florence--definitely give it a try!