We did a Chianti Classico Wine tour with Tomasso on April 27th. It was the best day ever!!!…read more Tomasso took the time to show us the best of the local family vineyards. We also had a few stops in addition to the wine tasting- like at a meat and cheese store in Greve, and a small village with a castle wall around it - SO quaint and wonderful to see!! This made our day even more special. We highly recommend booking your wine tour with de Gustibus!!

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.

TL;DR - this tour is a delight to those who truly care about the entire winemaking process,…read morehistory, and culture. My wife and I planned our dream vacation to Italy with a focus on food and wine. Our time in the Florence area mandated the intentional trip to my (and now OUR) favorite winemaking area - Montalcino. We spent months planning and researching and came across this wonderful local company - "Italy & Wine Tours." Upon review of their website we were captivated by their intentionality to have the time be an intimate and thoughtfully curated all day adventure from Florence through the Chianti region, into the romantic hills of Val d'Orcia, and onto the hillside of Montalcino. To our delight - on the day of the trip we found that we were the only couple who signed up to go that day. Our tour guide Nicolò (who was INCREDIBLE and has formal WSET training/certification) was joined by the delightful daughter (Ippolita) of the company's owner. It was the best experience traveling with them. From the moment we were introduced to the moment we were dropped off at the end of the day we never stopped talking, laughing, sharing stories, and learning more about our favorite shared passion - Italian wine. Now onto the WINE! I won't spoil your trip with too many specifics, but our tour began from the beginning - how did Brunello di Montalcino come to be? We toured the streets of Montalcino and immersed ourselves in local history, tradition, etc. following the city, we were off to the first winery. The first winery focus was on the (traditional) aspects of Brunello. The centuries old family fortress made it abundantly clear. It was an idyllic location through the cellars, learning about the soil, property history for pilgrimages, ancient Rome, and crusades. We sampled 4 wines produced by the site which trended towards elegant, refined, and approachable. During the tasting we were blessed with a delicious and traditional private Italian lunch. Afterwards we went to the second winery which was slightly more modern (in winemaking style) but nonetheless a delight. We dove deeper into soil composition, weather, aging conditions, and micro-factors. The wine at the second location was big, bold, wonderfully complex and personally my preferred style. We concluded our time thanking our hosts and guides over and over again with multiple bottles in hand to bring home and shared with our family. We sincerely hope you (the reader) get to experience Italy and Montalcino in the same way we did. Personal highlights / Why choose this company: - historic, locally/generational owned wineries - not large corporate productions. - 2 production styles helped compare/contrast the same type of wine helping me choose future bottles more accurately. - The tour guides / owners. They care about you, and hospitality is so genuine. Please support companies like this. Thank you so much Nicolò and Ippolita. You are forever in our hearts and we hope our paths cross again in the future!! *David & Kenzie (Seattle, WA)

Our Montepulciano wine tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy, and much of that was…read morethanks to Niccolò. From the moment we left Florence, he transformed what could have been a simple drive into a fascinating journey through Tuscany. We spent the day discussing Italian history, culture, education, and different perspectives on life, which added tremendous depth and meaning to the experience. Niccolò is knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely passionate about sharing his country with visitors. By the end of the day, he felt more like a friend than a guide. The wineries themselves were equally impressive. We especially appreciated visiting family-owned vineyards where generations of winemakers have preserved traditions while producing exceptional wines. The hospitality was warm and authentic, and each winery offered a unique glimpse into the rich heritage of the Montepulciano region. The wine tastings were outstanding, but it was the stories, family histories, and personal connections that made the experience truly memorable. This tour provided far more than wine tasting--it offered an opportunity to experience the culture, people, and traditions of Tuscany in a meaningful way. If you are considering a wine tour from Florence, I highly recommend this experience, and if you are fortunate enough to have Niccolò as your guide, you are in for a remarkable day. Thank you, Niccolò, for making our day so special and for sharing your knowledge, insight, and enthusiasm with us. We will remember this experience long after the last bottle of wine is gone.

My wife, my daughter and myself went by taxi to our morning appointment with the 500 Touring Club…read moreand met our hostesses, Bella and Sofia, who utterly enchanted us with their warmth and good humor. We were the only ones scheduled at that hour, which meant we could move at our leisure. Bella took advantage of that fact and slyly guided us through the soft dark earth toward an older couple at work in their olive orchard. They were raking the ripe olives off the branches the old way, with tools that gently combed the fruit off the tree onto the green netting below. Some brisk introductions and we were fast recruited to try our hand at this ancient harvest. A delightful start to our adventure. Then came the instructions for how to operate these old miniaturized Fiats. As luck would have it, we all three already knew how to "drive stick", but the refresher course was helpful! And there were nuances unique to these old cars which we needed to know. Once we got the gist of it, we headed out and tooled across the Tuscan countryside like the smart set on a happy jaunt! The little car ground gamely up the hills and around the curving vales, through cozy villages and past old castles until we found a place to park so we could take in the view. And what a view! The rolling vistas of Tuscany are incomparable; the beauty and richness of this wine district are breathtaking. We posed for pics alongside our tri-colored little pet and then switched drivers, letting my daughter take the wheel for a spell. She loved maneuvering our Fiat 500 around the hairpin turns and past the racing bicyclists. Another stop and my wife had a go. Experts all! Before long it was time to eat, and our hostesses had a feast in store for us. We stopped at La Capannaccia di Luca Bini, an Old World house where the owner and maker of the celebrated Chianti Classico and Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva lives. The finest cold cuts and chicken pâté were laid out for us ahead of time, alongside three wine glass tastings of their finest vintages. Naturally we were ready for this. But it wasn't all, as the second course of meat balls and pasta were presented to us. We spent at least an hour noshing, chatting and laughing like old friends. We bought a bottle of red and a tin of olive oil to cap the meal. In due course, we drove the short distance back to our starting point where the ladies called us a taxi and shared with us their web addresses, hugs and sweet partings before we left. Bella and Sofia, we won't soon forget you. Thank you for a lovely time.

On my weekend trip to florence the highlights was uffizi (leonardo room) and a 2hour drive with a…read morecinquecento. To get there, i took a taxi from town (approx 20euros). Arriving, my car was already parked to go. A lovely bright red cinquecento, with open roof. Being used ro driving in switch gear cars in netherlands, it was not too hard to drive. Just had to use the 'claxon/horn' a bit more often. The route went through country side chianti. And yes, there is traffic on the road so you do need to be a capable driver. But, for anyone enjoying driving cars, this is sooo perfect. Loved it so much, that i had difficulties to Wipe off the smile in my face. Will definitely return again next time i am in florence. And rate this with 5stars as it was well worth 6stars.

We did the truffle hunting experience as a group of 40 the day after our wedding. Vittorio was very…read morehelpful in making sure that we had a bus big enough for the group and gave clear instructions on where to meet him in Florence for our pickup. Our group loved learning about truffles, meeting the dogs, and exploring the woods. We even found 4 truffles that day, though Luna ate one. The lunch is absolutely delightful. Each course is paired with wine and you get to try fresh bread with all of the different truffle oils and butters. I could eat that truffle pasta every single day. You are served in the family home and are treated just like family. It's really very special. At the end of the tour, you can buy wines, salts, or truffle oils. They also sell beautiful candles and plates. This was the perfect post-wedding activity and was so much fun. We left at around 11am and got back by 5pm.

This is an amazing experience to do if you're in the Florence area. The farm is located about 40…read moreminutes away from downtown Florence and is worth renting a car. The roads to the farm are windy and narrow, but the views are incredible. Once we arrived, we were greeted by Francesca (our host and guide). She offered us coffee and water, as well as mosquito repellent since it was summer time. She has a brief overview of what we were going to do. Then we went and got Choco, our truffle hunting dog. He's a friendly and energertic Lagotto Romangnolo. He's specially trained to find truffles, but not eat them. Since it was July in Tuscany, Francesca reminded us that she respected the dogs and if Choco was too hot, we would have to end the hunt. Then we went off on a short hike through the woods. As soon as we got into the woods, Choco stopped and started digging. Francesca and Choco work extremely well with each other and respect each other. Francesca dug up a small (about the size of a button mushroom) white truffle! These are not in season, but it still smelled fragrant and Francesca said she would keep it since it was good quality. For the next half hour we continued to walk through the forest and found 2 black summer truffles and another white truffle. The black summer truffles are not as aromatic as the white ones, but had an earthier smell. Francesca also pointed out other plants and vegetables along the way. When Choco was tired, he let us know by sitting at our feet which indicated it was time for pictures lol. We then walked back to the farmhouse where we said good bye to Choco and ate an amazing 4 course lunch with tons of truffles. Even though it was hot, they provided fans and ice water to keep us cool. I was shocked by how much food we got and the wines served with lunch was incredible! We were so full after lunch! Francesca and her family made sure we were comfortable and well fed. Their hospitality was so generous and we loved every minute we were there. *Helpful Hint* Wear long pants and good sneakers because the forest has lots of branches and thorny plants. The other people in our group wore shorts and it was unconfortable for them to walk around.

We had Francesca as our tour guide. Went to 3 different vineyards. All I can say is breath taking…read moreand outstanding. Been to Italy twice and this was our best time ever spent here. Francesca knows so much about wine and answered every question that our group of 8 had. I highly, highly recommend this tour. It was fantastic and I will forever remember it!

This tour was the highlight of our honeymoon! Lorenzo was the best guide you could ask for and each…read morevineyard offered an intimate glimpse into Tuscan winemaking. We visited Solatione, Il Bacio and Fattoria di Bagnolo. Each stop included well-paired snacks of fresh bread, olive oil, cheese and chocolate with a delicious homemade three-course lunch at Il Bacio. Lorenzo was kind, funny and knowledgeable - we can't wait to return to Florence and will definitely give him a call when we do! Highly recommend this tour.

Memorable tours both in Firenze and Paris Heard Versailles…read morewas great from friends Fantastic experience Great tour guides

It was a rough morning. I had just gotten over some stomach issues, and if I recall correctly, I'm…read morepretty sure my husband and I got into a small fight right before. On top of that, I have a deathly fear of riding bikes because of past trauma. But for my new husband, anything. Despite how dreary the situation was set up to be, this bike tour with Fat Tire was one of my favorite memories on our honeymoon. We arrived for our 10 AM tour after thinking we were going to be late, but the staff was very accommodating towards everyone. Our tour guide was Raquel, and I grew attached to her. Apparently she's from Florence, and the passion for her city was inspiring. I was enamored by the history lessons. We biked around for about an hour and a half, and she never made me feel like I couldn't keep up. My husband and I saw beautiful landmarks with the rest of our small tour group and went back to visit some of them later on. Though there were parts of the tour where I needed to walk my bike or stop myself from "capsizing" the positive experience helped me overcome my fear!

I absolutely LOVE Smart Trip! I took a bunch of trips with them during my time studying in Florence…read moreand Rome and loved all of them. The trips are cheeper than other companies but you do all of the same things if not more! I went to Prague, EuroTrip (Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium) and Budapest/Salzburg/Vienna Originally I had booked France instead of Prague, but unfortunately It was canceled due to low booking, but they offered me a bunch of different options and different weekends to travel. I decided to go to Prague after looking at the website and it was one of the best decisions I made during my study abroad time. Prague was and IS now one of my absolute favorite places to visit. The hotel we stayed in was super nice and clean, and super close to the city center. Smart Trip really makes sure that their accommodations are in the best possible spot for the quality and price. All of the hostels and hotels I stayed in with them on my trips were amazing and typically had super cool amenities or other attractions inside of them. Each of the locations that we went included a walking tour with a local guide which was also super enjoyable and all of the smart trip leaders were super nice and helpful! I would recommend Smart Trip to anyone studying abroad looking for a weekend getaway, or anyone visiting Italy looking for an affordable way to take trips. They do day trips, weekend trips, and long break trips, so there's something for wveryone

Smart Trips staff member had norovirus on the bus on the way to Croatia and got many students sick,…read moreincluding myself. I ended up in the hospital in Croatia the whole weekend and paid $400 for medical care. The doctors said this happens often with Smart Trips. No staff member could assist me to the hospital or checked in on me the whole weekend. All I got was a hope you feel better. I had booked $100 tour that I couldn't attend and was not reimbursed for. Because so many students got sick they cancelled all of the Sunday events and took us straight back to Florence. They forced all the sick students to sit in the back of the bus wearing masks for the 12 hour drive back. it was a miserable weekend. When we returned, I emailed Smart Trips my experience and tried to call them but they never responded. my roommates and others I spoke to didn't enjoy their trips they booked through them either. the bus rides are long and uncomfortable, the hostels are always far away from the cities/attractions you are visiting which ends up costing a lot of extra $ for transportation, and the extra activities aren't worth the price.

Mano was our tour guide during our stay in Florence. It was well-organized, and filled with so many…read morehistorical and fun stops along the way. We started early around 7AM, grabbing a bite to eat at the train station where we met up, before embarking on our adventures. Our first stop was at Pisa where we spent about an hour taking pictures of the leaning tower, as well as the Duomo cathedral. Next stop was the Cinque Terre, which we got to visit and see 3 out of 5 islands since 2 of them were closed off. The tour did not include lunch, but there was an option to prepay for our lunch or to venture on our own. We opted for the prepaid one since we knew we were limited on time, so that Mano could put in our order for us. Cinque Terre was breath-taking, and words could not sum up the feeling when you come there. It is crowded for sure, but take a moment to be still and look around you. All of the colorful houses were unique and quirky, which made for great background in photos. There is enough time to shop around for souvenirs, and eat gelato (omg, the best)! I only wished we booked lodging here so we could spend more time to explore, but until next time. This tour was amazing, and the group of people we were with were engaging and chill. We each did our own thing, and only met up at each designated spot when it came time. We ended the tour around 8PM, so it was well spent to say the least! Highly recommended!!

My boyfriend and I booked a half day WINE NOT tour with Italy on a Budget and as it was low season…read morein January, we ended up being the only ones on the tour! We were very pleased with the outcome of the private tour and was quite glad the company did not cancel our booking due to the small amount of people. The office itself was very easy to locate, just 5 minutes away from our hotel. Eduardo was our tour guide/driver and he did an excellent job providing useful information and answering all of our questions. The countryside of Tuscany/Chianti region is a beautiful place that is best reached by car. As we all know driving in Italy can be scary if you're a foreigner so we were glad we had Eduardo to drive us. Not only was Eduardo a wonderful tour guide and driver, he also was our photographer during the tour. This man is a jack of all trade! We visited 2 wineries on the tour. The owner of the first winery gave us a wonderful overview of how his winery works and we got to sample cheese, bread, and olive oil along with our wine tasting. The second winery we visited was a smaller, family-owned winery. Here we also got to sample olive oil with bread and wine. In the end we enjoyed both wineries so much my boyfriend and I ordered wines to be shipped back home to the U.S. After a few hours of wine tasting Eduardo drove us back to Florence. We had a nice chat along the way and learned a lot about Italy. If we had more time I would not hesitate to book with this company again. They offer many other great tours at a very reasonable price. Thanks again Italy on a Budget and Eduardo for a wonderful time! My last bit of advice to you is to be sure to have eaten prior to this tour as you will be tasting quite a bit of wine. Enjoy and have fun!