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.

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.

Our wine tour with Viaggi d'Ambra absolutely MADE our trip to Florence. My fiance and I went on the…read moreChianti Classico tour, which stopped in Greve and at two incredible wineries -- Vallone di Cecione (incredible small family run, super intimate) and Savignola (medium-sized, trendier). Vallone di Cecione in particular was incredibly unique and special. The views were also breathtaking. We ended the day with an incredible home-made lunch overlooking the Tuscan Hills. It was the most charming, personal, and thoughtfully-arranged wine tour either of us has ever been on. Azzurra is so warm, passionate and knowledgeable about winemaking and the winemaking process, and makes you feel like family. We learned so much from her in just one day and walked away from the experience full and happy, with an incredible new friend. Seriously, if you do one thing during your trip to Florence, do this tour. You will not regret it. Thank you Azzurra and Viaggi d'Ambra. We love you guys and will absolutely be back.

My boyfriend and I went on a private wine tour of Tuscany with Christian. It was well worth the…read moremoney we spent. Christian picked us up right by our hotel, we were staying at the Alta Duomo in Siena. He was friendly, knowledgable, and we felt very comfortable. The highlight of the trip was when Christian took us for a tour of the Altiero Winery. At this winery, we had paid extra to have a home-cooked lunch in the winery's owners home. It was the best meal we have ever tasted. We still talk about it to this day! Along with a few bottles of their delicious wine, we also were able to buys a couple liters of the freshly pressed olive oil. So delicious and almost a fluorescent green color due to the freshness of the olives. I STRONGLY recommend a tour by Christian. This was the highlight of our trip to Tuscany and we will never forget it! Price was about 450 euro for a private all day including lunch for the two of us. WELL worth the money spent. Make sure you do the lunch option as well.

When my significant other told me we were going on a bus tour, I pictured a slow, simple, and quite…read morerelaxing ride through the Tuscan countryside -- maybe some wine, some photos, and lots of air-conditioned comfort....... Something I've done before, the standard issue bus ride. You can imagine my surprise, and moreso, confusion, when we arrived to find Luca, our friendly tour guide, peeking around the corner greeting us with a very excitable, "Are you ready for your Vespa tour?!?" My eyes immediately widened. Did I hear him correctly? Was something lost in translation? I paused to process.....instinctively went outside for some fresh air.....and came back in after momentarily catching my breath. Still visibly choked-up, I struggled to speak during my waterfall of emotions......."Who's cutting onions in here?" This had all hit me, fast, all at once. I was beyond moved and thoroughly excited. Now, I've been riding for nearly 34 years -- from dirt bikes to adventure bikes to the high-speed track, and as an instructor -- but this experience was something entirely different. What started as a "bus tour" magically transformed (with a twist of the wrist) into one of, if not, the most profound and unforgettable rides of my life. The awesome team at Arianna & Friends made everything seamless, and our private guide, Luca, was nothing short of exceptional -- professional, kind, and deeply passionate about sharing the hidden beauty of his piece of Tuscany. He led us through rolling hills, olive groves, and charming villages, while stopping at breathtaking viewpoints that perfectly captured the magic of the region. This was our ride, Luca included, not just mine. Even with all my years on two wheels, this day reminded me why I fell in love with riding in the first place -- the freedom, the connection, and the pure joy of the open road. I have seriously struggled to find the words (strong enough) to thank Arianna & Friends, Luca, and my significant other, for turning a "bus tour" into a bucket list experience checked off in the most meaningful way. This adventure was exhilarating, enriching for the soul, and unforgettable..... I found peace. Andiamo!

Prior to our visit to the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Borgo Alle Vigne in rural Selvatelle south…read moreof Pisa, Italy, we contacted Arianna & Friends on line to arrange for a private cooking class for 4 at Rita's Farm in rural Tuscany. The five hour hands on 4-course food preparation session was the best and most rewarding experience of our trip to Italy. Massimo was an excellent guide and teacher. We were impressed by his vast knowledge of subjects which he presented in an interesting way. Silvia the cook was patient and supportive. Her warm, sweet personality showed through language barrier. We really had fun learning to cook and appreciate Italian food and wine.

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!

He's the best on earth. No other guide in Tuscany is worth your time. You will have a custom tour…read morethat will fit the dream trip you desire. Giorgio is THE MAN in Tuscany

I found Giorgio Fronimos's Real Chianti while looking for help planning a tour of the Chianti…read moreregion in Italy. Giorgio picked us up at our hotel in Florence and drove us to our hotel in Gaiole in Chianti and then over the next three days proceeded to drive us around the Chianti region visiting several wineries and historic sites. Giorgio's knowledge of the local wines, wine production and the region made our trip something special.

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.

Our group of 8, spent 18 days in Italy in October, 2019. In the beginning of our adventure, we…read morestayed 6 nights in the San Gimignano area and experienced many day trips to Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano and "My Tuscan Wine and Tours". Afterwords, we went on to Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily. It was a wonderful trip, but the day I spent with Marialuisa in the Tuscan countryside with my daughter and 2 other members of our group, was one of my favorites. The 3 wineries we visited (including Marialuisa's family winery) were excellent. We tasted many spectacular wines with suggested wine pairings, toured 2 wineries and enjoyed an amazing lunch. Not only was Marialuisa extremely knowledgeable, she was an absolute joy to spend the day with. She also arranged affordable shipping of the wines we purchased from her family's Cesani Winery...eccellente! When I return to Italy, I will take the time to experience another wonderful day with "My Tuscan Wine and Tours." Marialuisa, thanks again for an amazing memory that I will cherish forever! Fino alla prossima volta!

Marialuisa is unbelievable. I can't imagine a better person to give a tour of Tuscany and the…read morevineyards. Extremely knowledgeable and one of the nicest people I've ever taken a tour from. She brought our family on an all day tour (9 - 6) that went by way too quickly. She also brought us to a local restaurant that was one of the best meals we've had. So vastly exceeded any expectations - I truly can't imagine recommending anyone more strongly.

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.

Andrea / Massimo / Olga, thank you for the hospitality! I appreciate it greatly that you offered to…read morehelp pick me up and drop me off at my Airbnb (which I learned was not at the greatest part of town). I had a great day exploring Bologna. From the food tours (Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, and all of that wine pairings!) who knew that bad mix vinegar was delicious on vanilla ice cream?! The day ended with a 6 course meal in Modena. The restaurant and scenery was beautiful. The food was of course delicious, you can never have too much pasta. You'll get treated like family here! Andrea and Massimo were always helpful, offering to take pictures and checking to see if we needed anything. See attached pics for a preview of what the day was like! Highly recommend this tour!

Fantastic tour. Totally worth the money. The two of us were picked up early at our hotel, we then…read morepicked up one other couple and were off for a day of food and wine. Started at Prosciuttificio Nini Gianfranco which was as small operation but cranked out a ton of prosciutto hams. We saw the entire production and tasted some various pieces with the owner. Then went to Parmigiano Reggiano in Modena and saw how they make the giant wheels of Parmesan. Also had an opportunity buy a wedge at a fantastic price. Then went to Azienda Agricola Romano Boni where they make some of the finest aged balsamic vinegar in all of Italy. Really nice guy running the place. Then went to Chiarli 1860 winery and saw the operation and tasted various wines including an amazing Lambrusco. Finished with a long lunch with several courses at La Ca' Bianca in Modena. Went upstairs to meet the dream team of ladies making all the various pastas and tortellini. Then a ride in the early evening back to our hotel. Took a ton of pictures, ate all kinds of food and wine and had a great day. Our guide Andrea and driver Ricci were spectacular. Totally worth doing this tour.