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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This was an amazing experience! All of the chefs were friendly, kind, patient, funny and…read morepersonable. Chef Roberto and crew were wonderful with our special needs son - ensuring a welcoming, safe environment and that he had a great time. Learning to make these dishes was fun! They made it easy to follow and understand. The food was delicious and we look forward to using the recipes. Thank you so much :)

We went here for a Corporate event and this was one of the best times we've had in Florence…read more Cooking on vacation doesn't sound like it would be a "Must Do", but believe me, it was! The Mama Florence Team were spectacular (knowledgeable, friendly, and extremely helpful). They taught us step by step how to make an awesome meal! Even if you've never even boiled water, you will be able to do this class! From beginner to expert, they've got your back. I love this place and will definitely come back next time we visit Florence! Great job team!

Since today was a free day for me, I worked with my hotel to book two tours. The first one was at…read more10 and it was a walking tour of Florence. It was great, there were 14 of us and we all got to know each other while we were walking. The history and the knowledge of these guides are amazing. I would recommend you give them a try. We finished our tour with gelato! I took an afternoon class on cooking -pasta and gelato. The class was hands on and it was fun and delicious! Thank you Tommaso and Serena!

Had gone here for a vespa class and it was the best experience I ever had. Fantastic teachers that…read moreactually try to teach you how to ride, and then they take you on an amaizng trail on the country side of tuscany. Afterwards, you get to go to a very local gelato shop that was honestly so amazing we lined up twice for their gelato, followed by two wineries and a nice group dinner. Afterwards, I decided to book their pizza and gelato cooking class for my family, and again we had a wonderful experience. The teachers were very professional and gave us tips on how to adjust our pizza and gelato making at home with different ingredients and equipment. Would recommend any of their tours!

My family took a beautiful horse tour through the Tucson countryside. This was our favorite…read moreexperience during our vacation throughout Italy! The lovely staff were extremely kind and accommodating and made sure the experience was enjoyable for all experience levels--we are beginners and felt very comfortable. Our guide took plenty of beautiful pictures, as well. The view and experience as a whole is one we will remember for the rest of our lives, I cannot recommend it enough!

I just got back from Italy and Simona from Florence Country Life made one of my dreams come true. I…read morereally wanted a quintessential Tuscan hillside horseback ride where I could trot and gallop through wine vineyards. Other companies I contacted were only able to offer trail rides with horses head-to-tail. Simona orchestrated a private ride for me with a local horse owner in the Tuscan hills. I was picked up by their driver, Marco, in downtown Florence and delivered to a modest horseback riding school in Rufino, about 35 minutes outside Florence. There I was greeted by the owner and a bi-lingual instructor. The three of us set out on our horses, walking through neighboring gravel streets, behind homes where locals came out to wave to us as we passed. As we walked further up the countryside, we trotted alongside family gardens, and then took off into a gallop in an open field. Further up the hills, we galloped again right through grape vineyards. Our guide pulled some fresh figs off the trees and we enjoyed a snack along our way. At the highest point, I could see all of the towns below. It was truly breathtaking. On the way down, we walked through olive groves and enjoyed a few more figs. By the time we got back to the stables, my heart was full as one of my life-long dreams had been fulfilled. Marco drove me back to Florence and it was back to the city life. Simona called us on the way back to ensure the ride met my satisfaction and welcomed me back to visit them again if I were ever so fortunate to return. Thank you, Simona, for arranging such a special ride for me. It was beyond my expectations, yet so simple and without worry.

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