I love this place. It's as pretty as it is in pictures…read more Short story: Woke up at 6am to catch the 7am train to Cinque Terre and guess what?! The train conductors decided to go on strike that day. People at the station said all regional trains are canceled this morning. I was about to cry because the #1 thing I most looked forward to was visiting Cinque Terre on this trip. Everything happens for a reason, right? Somehow at 9am, a train decided to take off going to Pisa, which connects to Cinque Terre. We got to Cinque Terre around 11:30am. Late start to the day but I finally got there. I visited and walked all 5 towns. Each one is special in it's own way. The five towns are called Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Most people would say Manarola is the prettiest, not going to disagree with that but I actually love Corniglia the most. Maybe because you have to climb a few (a lot) steps to get there. It's small and charming once you get to the top and you can see Manarola. I had the best gelato there and I have eating a lot of gelato during my 2 week trip in Italy. Each town has their own special food too. A lot of street food which was awesome. When I do visit again, I would stay a night at least to do the full hike and enjoy all the towns a little more. I cant wait to get back.

Cinque Terre translated into English is roughy "5 Lands" but it is more like "5 Villages."…read more Daniele was a great tour guide! He is very knowledgeable and passionate about his village of Manarola... And the other 4 "Cinque Terre!" The villages are only accessible by local trains from La Spezia train station or Levanto. It takes about 15min to arrive to Manarola from la Spezia (but take an earlier train because Italian trains are often very late and crowded!) We did the morning tour, meeting Daniele close to the marina at 9:45am. There were 12 of us on the boat (all Americans so communication was easy). Daniele speaks almost perfect English so the tour went very smoothly. He drove us past the Cinque Terre giving a very nice history of how his forefathers turned a very steep/rock facade into a fertile farming area. Fighting off pirate attacks and later becoming fishermen. Cinque Terre has a very deep and amazing history that Daniele tells as you pass some of the most beautiful scenery! Daniele stopped the boat for two separate swims in the Mediterranean Sea! Daniele was very helpful as to where to swim and not to. How not to use your legs (avoiding kicking the rocks) and how to climb the rocks without slipping! We dove off rocks, took a refreshing shower in a natural waterfall and swam the clearest of blue water! I cannot say enough of Daniele and his 2.5hr tour! He provides beer, water, wine, sodas. He was considerate to the children on our tour who began feeling a little sea sick. Bring sun screen!!!! There is no room on his boat for your luggage; we left ours in a "Left Luggage" for $9 euro (3 bags) at La Spezia Train Station. Hotels are NOT easy to find in Cinque Terre so make reservations far in advance or stay outside in La Spezia.

We were unable to have our walking food tour in Genoa because of heavy rains. Via telephone, our…read moreguide confirmed we would be refunded. Do Eat Better now refuses to even respond to our requests for refund. Now that we are 5,000 miles away, they must know that we have little recourse. Beware that once they have your money they are likely never going to give you a refund, regardless of circumstances. In our case, they provided nothing in the way of services, yet kept our money. This is not the way ethical and legitimate businesses operate.

We wanted to travel to Genova for a day trip. We have always found food tours a great way to…read moreexperience the culture and personality of a city rather than just visiting a whole lot of historic locations and The Do Eat Better experience was exactly as we'd hoped. We ate some great street food, perhaps too much and saw many fantastic things in this beautiful city. However, it was our guide's insights into Genova and its people that really made this tour amazing. Genova is only just starting to embrace tourism and this is a great way to get under the skin of the city. We loved walking with a local "friend" explaining us the curiosity of the city!!

ArtViva has really great ratings here and on that other travel review site, but our experience was…read moreunderwhelming. I found their pre-tour communication really unprofessional. I had reached out asking about a few different tours and inquiring whether we could bring our 4 year old. They responded promptly that we could, and offered us 10% off if we booked three or more tours. I responded yes, that sounds great, we want to book these three tours on such and such date. No response. I followed up, no response. Followed up again, no response. It was getting pretty close to our trip and I was nervous about things filling up, so I decided to just book online. It annoyed me that I couldn't get the discount they'd offered with an online booking, so I decided to only book two tours with ArtViva and get the third tour from someone else. So I booked the two tours online, choosing from their available dates and times, which seemed to track with reality (i.e., tours for museums weren't sold on Mondays when museums are closed). I almost immediately got an email that the date I had selected for our gelato making class wouldn't work and they would have to move it to some other date. Um, why did you sell us that date, then? I responded with some dates that worked and said we could also possibly do Monday if necessary. Of course they rescheduled us for Monday. Ok, fine, we moved some things around. Then right before we left for our trip they emailed us that actually it would have to be at 9 am on Monday. I was a little wary about that since it was our first full day and I thought we might be jetlagged and starting a tour that early wasn't a good plan. When I asked if we could keep the later time, they said they could keep our original date and time (Friday at 10 am). So much drama just to keep the times we had originally booked! I also asked them multiple times what the meeting point for the gelato class was, because I needed to know if we needed a stroller to get there. Our hotel was in central Florence, no more than a 15 minute walk from all major tourist attractions, so this was the only thing we would possibly need a stroller for. It was like pulling teeth to get a response. I think I had to email them three times before I finally got a response with the address, and it was indeed quite far from our hotel. The tours themselves were ok. We did a tour of the David and a gelato making class with ArtViva. In hindsight, we did not need a tour of the David. The tour only lasted about 30 minutes and cost about four times what museum skip-the-line tickets did, and while the David is amazing, but it's also impossible to miss. (A tour is much more important at the Uffizi, which has a much larger collection.) But I don't know that I can really fault ArtViva for that, it was kind of poor planning on my part. The gelato class was advertised by ArtViva as kid friendly and it is not. We did an actually kid friendly pasta making class at an agriturismo and the difference between them was like night and day. I knew it was not going to go well when we showed up and they told us they didn't have kid-sized aprons so my 4 year old just wouldn't get one (that went over like a lead balloon, as I'm sure anyone who has ever had a 4 year old can imagine). ArtViva had specifically requested our favorite gelato flavors in advance, and although we'd told them our favorite flavor was chocolate, the gelato chef had chosen to make a flavor that had wine, honey, mascarpone and orange extract as ingredients...not exactly kid-friendly. I'm also not sure what the purpose of asking your favorite flavor is if they totally ignore it? Fortunately they had some chocolate and caramel gelato in the freezer they kindly let us sample. The gelato chef was nice, and tried to roll with the situation, but it was clear she was not prepared for a kid and didn't have much if any experience cooking with kids. They really need to make it clearer this class is not set up for young kids. I know things are weird with Covid now, and I'm trying to cut them some slack, but I feel like the communication issues are not really related to Covid. Also I was mostly communicating with the owner, who is British, so this is not a language barrier issue at all. I would not rule out booking with ArtViva again if they had a tour I couldn't get anywhere else, but I would definitely not seek them out.

We had three tours in one day... which is enough to wear one down. Artviva's team made each tour…read moreinteresting, fun and their lively attitude's made for a wonderful day. Our first tour was a walking tour with Florimda. We walked through down town to review the architecture and history of the city. The second tour was to the Uffizi, which included a fantastic review of the statues outside the Uffizi and the art within it's walls. (Or maybe the walking tour included the statues... either way, one of the tours did!) The Uffizi tour was good, and I recommend allowing yourself time after the tour to go through the museum on your own in case you want to see something again... for an art lover, this tour could be considered too short. Our last tour was with Angelo to see Michelangelo's David. Angelo is VERY charismatic and the tour included a good amount information about the statue itself. I'm not sure that a tour is needed for the University, as long as you have the information you want on the art. I felt that what I learned from Angelo was definitely worthwhile, and I probably would not have taken the time to learn it on my own.

Note: this is only during truffle season, so for 2017, it was September 22 to November 11…read more Definitely book this ahead of time. You can book online or in person at the tourist information center. Tickets are €22 a person - if you pay in person, it's cash only. When we checked online, they were sold out, but they still had a few tickets in person the day before our tour. It's a max of 15 people, so reserve early. You meet in front of the cathedral and get some history on the town of Alba, the name, and the areas. Parts of the walking tour: - Cathedral: you briefly tour the cathedral , and our guide pointed out some interesting historical features and gave us some background information. - Wine: we went to a local wine bar and had an Arneis and a Nebbiolo. Our guide happened to complete year 1 of sommelier training, so he was able to tell us all about the regions and explain the different soils and flavor profiles. - Truffles: there was a small shop where you could smell truffles and sample various truffle products including truffle salami, some spreads, and cheese with truffles, as well as some wine and hazelnuts (no pressure to buy anything) - Grappa: we finished off in the last shop with hazelnuts, chocolate hazelnut spread (more than double the hazelnut content compared to nutella), and we sampled two types of grappa (moscato and Barolo). It was my first time trying grappa, and that stuff is pretty strong... Overall, it was a great tour to learn more and sample a little of everything. Our guide spoke really good English, as well as Italian, and he did everything in both languages on our tour. He was super knowledgeable and was a great host. In total, it took about 2 hours. I think it's definitely worth checking out if you're in town the right time of year.

My friend and I did a private wine tour and both state it was the best we've ever been on. I have…read moredone wine tours in other areas of Italy, as well as in France, Croatia, Greece, and many areas of the US... none compare to the personable experience had with Stefano. He picked us up from the train station as predetermined and immediately started sharing information and points of interest on our drive to visit the town of Barolo. We toured the town, learned knowledge, he took our photos when wanted (hey we are women living in the age of Instagram), and bought us coffees and a bite to start the day. We visited 2 wineries in Barolo (as I requested when booking), with lunch in between at a restaurant with a stunning view and delicious food (cost not included in tour fee). The 2 wineries we visited were great, first a more modern family owned one and second a more homely own one. At both, Stefano and the winery owners gave us knowledge on the wines, the area, and food pairings. Stefano was very easy to speak with and it was fun asking his opinion on Italian and wine culture, etc.. as well as sharing ours. It was like spending the afternoon with a knowledgeable funny friend. I was insistent on not visiting a Babaresco winery as I am a HUGE Barolo fan but Stefano insisted we should try one if there is time (and luckily there was). We visited a winery owned by two sweet older men and tried over 10 wines there and sat chatting. I will forever remember this experience and 100% credit it to our wonderful guide. To know: The guide picked the wineries and restaurant based on the price point we wanted since that was an additional cost. Everything else was included in price (pickup/drop off, wine tasting at all wineries and snacks too). We visited: Pira, Cantina Stroppiana, and Grasso and also tasted (at additional fee) a tasting of Gaja wine at a shop while visiting the town of Barolo. In addition to the wineries we saw many sites and learned a lot of history not only about wine but the area. 100% recommend!

今次我们夫婦倆参加了這一個酒莊導賞團，實在是物有所值。雖然是短短一天的時間，但是Stefano(我们導遊，也是在酒业打滾多年)用他的車子接載我們 遊覧Piemont区內Barolo…read more及Barbaresco的地方，也帶我們去了兩個酒莊(都是家庭式的)，真是大開眼界。 STROPIANNA 酒莊和GRASSO 酒莊都是家庭经營，莊主很友好，不介意讓我們看他們釀酒的機器/酒桶，也很用心地解答我們的各種問題。我们在这兩酒莊內共試到15至16种酒，他們的售價也很合理。總括來说，我们对这ALBA WINE TOUR 十分滿意，也已經向朋友極力推介

Costa Crociere, also known as Costa Cruise Lines, is the European branch of Carnival Cruise Lines…read moreand aims to embody the Italian dolce vita! Costa Cruise Line ships are big and bright, with Mediterranean-influenced cuisine, regional wines and warm, rich decor. The lifestyle onboard is "Italian vacation resort". Costa is one of the few cruise lines that offers rolling embarkation in Europe, with passengers embarking and disembarking at several ports on any one cruise. Costa Cruise Lines offer a European experience that is primarily geared toward Europeans with 15 different cruise ships that sail all over Europe. Ship Amenities 8/10 We sailed on the Costa Fortuna which pays tribute to tribute to ocean liners of the past. The public areas and restaurants are decorated with reproductions of advertising images of the roaring '20s and '30s which I thought was quite charming and nostalgic. The 13 decks of the ship are dedicated to international ports. The Costa Fortuna features 4 pools, one with a retractable roof, hot tubs and slide, open decks, casino, disco, and a theater! Ports 10/10 The primary reason we booked this cruise was the Itinerary: 1. Genoa, Italy (near Portofino) 9/10 2. Marseille, France 9/10 3. Tarragona, Spain 9/10 4. Palma de Mallorca Island, Spain 8/10 5. Ibiza Island, Spain 10/10 6. Olbia, Sardinia Island, Italy 8/10 Food 8/10 Unlike American cruises where you can find food at any hour on the ship somewhere, there were gaps of no food between 10am to 12pm, 3pm to 645pm, and after 9pm no food was available. It's probably best that I don't eat late at night but sometimes we get back from the port starving and have no food options for a couple hours and it can be rough. The food quality was pretty good with plenty of seafood options but I think I like the food on Royal and Norwegian better. For breakfast, I was able to still get the amazing salmon bagels so that was nice! I was very surprised that they charged extra for ice cream and crepes because they don't on most other cruises. More surprisingly, these 2 vendors always had long lines the entire cruise. Drinks 8/10 The banana coladas, strawberry daiquiris, Mai tais, pink panthers, and White Russians were amazing. However one of my favorite drinks, the caipirinha and the mojito, the bartenders just could not get right. The pool bartenders margaritas were pretty bad but I managed to find some great margaritas on the deck 4 bar made by a Honduran bartender who made the best margaritas on the ship. I was only disappointed that I did not discover this bartender earlier in the cruise! Crowd 7/10 On European itineraries, Costa attracts mostly passengers from Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, and the U.K. while Americans are a minority. It was tough talking to a lot of fellow cruisers as many did not speak English. Service 8/10 Bartenders were pretty quick and friendly, dining servers were friendly, and the cabin steward was pretty friendly and managed to never wake us up but he did not make any towel animals on the beds like on other cruise lines. The mater d for formal dining was pretty grouchy with us as we changed dining times a couple times but that was because of various on deck activities and port arrival times. Norwegian and other cruise lines have more flexible dining options for sure. If you're looking to do a Mediterranean cruise and go to Ibiza and party in the late hours I definitely recommend this cruise as this is one of the only cruises that stays overnight in Ibiza. All the ports of this cruise are amazing and it's so nice to have 7 course meals and wake up at a new location without having to haul luggage around and take trains all across Europe and waste your day hours traveling sitting on a train. However, if you seek more English speaking fellow passengers and more flexible dining options I'd recommend Norwegian or Royal Carribean Cruise Lines over Costa Cruise Lines but you may not get the same great ports and it will cost you a good couple hundred more.

To whom it may concern: My wife and I have just returned from a Costa cruise which started in…read moreHamburg Sept 15th and ended in Savona Sept 29th.Unquestionably, it was our worst cruise experience ever. I will enumerate your deficiencies and our experiences in the following bullet points. *no internet available on board for "Americans" *arrived late for first sitting due to medical emergency concerning my wife. Was told to come back after second sitting was seated. Declined that offer. Went to pizza restaurant, ordered a pizza and had to pay for it!! When did you ever have to pay for food on a cruise ship?  *First breakfast on board was terrible. Ordered 3-minute soft boiled eggs which came nearly raw. Complained to Maitre D', he removed the eggs, offered an apology, never saw him again. *Sunday, Sept 17th, tour desk not open until 17:00. Unable to book Kristansand city tour. *Had to pay for a cup of tea in the lounge (3.10 euros plus .47 tip ) *Many times our waiter didn't know the items on the menu. Often times served the wrong items ordered. *QR code on the menu was useless. Hard to access and difficult to read. Most passengers used printed menu instead. *No pharmacy on boat. (ship medical center and staff were excellent.)  *Excursion queues on and off the ship were horrible. Very poor planning/organization. Recommend greater intervals between groups. *Tour bus pick-up in Lisbon left prematurely leaving us stranded (eventually took another bus back to ship). My jacket, with camera in the pocket was left on the bus and, to this day is still missing. When I reported the incident at the reception desk, I was treated with serious disrespect. I had to remind the young lady, that I was a guest and "I wanted to treated like one". *Charging passengers for shuttle service to and from the ship is unheard of. *Ordered swordfish for dinner one evening. Couldn't t eat it. Too salty (as was most of the food) *In general, the food, both in the dining room and at the buffet, was sub standard. (An opinion shared by our table mates). *At Marseille, paid $19 euroes for shuttle bus while free shuttle was available and unmentioned to us. *Bath water is too hot. Dangerous, potential scalding situation. Possible code violation. In closing, it was not a very enjoyable cruise experience. My wife and I would need some assurances that the above critique are resolved before we would ever consider another cruise with your line. It was a shame because the ship is beautiful. The wait staff, cabin crew, entertainment with few exceptions were all exceptional. Looking forward to your response, we are: Harry and Elena MacDonald                                                                      3 Carroll Road                                                                      Woburn, Ma. 01801                                                                       hmac917@comcast.net