From A to Z, Hotel Le Ortensie in Roccaraso was a dream! With style and decor that reflect the…read moreculture and region, this delightful 8-room boutique hotel is the best that this quaint town has to offer. The service was personal and exceptional. The included continental breakfast offered amazing pastry choices along with great charcuterie and coffee. The luncheon and dinner dining was top notch with prime beef offerings that were expertly prepared. We highly recommend this awesome gem of a hotel!

Incredible service. On time, kind and professional. Great communication and attention to detail…read more Will use again and highly recommend to all. The price for private transportation is close to what you would pay for a taxi or uber service which was impressive. Truly priceless at the end of the day for security and peace of mind. Thank you to Fabio for his great driving!

This was my first trip to Europe and I traveled with my adult daughter. I booked my tour far in…read moreadvance, and Irene was very accommodating and helpful. She answered all of my questions quickly and completely, and tailored our experience to what we wanted to see and do. My daughter and I booked a pick up from the cruise port of Civitavecchia and tour of Rome. Andrea was there to pick us up promptly and it felt like we had just reconnected with an old friend. He was very knowedgeable and personable. We were able to see all of the main attractions we wanted to see, and he utilized our time well, avoiding traffic. Andrea made reservations for us to enjoy lunch at a local restaurant where we sampled local food and wine. We were also able to go shopping for souvenirs and learn about the history of the area. We ot back to our cruise exhausted but happy from all we had seen and experienced. The following day, Andrea met us at the Naples port and we headed to Pompeii. He had arranged a private guided tour of Pompeii for us, which we thouroughly enjoyed. We then headed to Sorrento for lunch and shopping. It was a wonderful experience and I would definitely utilize their services again when we are able to return to Italy!

We had never travelled to Europe before and were looking for a special way to celebrate 30 years of…read moremarriage. When we found the Wine & Cooking in the Heart of Chianti and Florence, Tuscany trip on the CDV website, it seemed like everything we were looking for. Now that we are home, we look back fondly on a perfect vacation, and know we can't wait another 30 years to do it again. From the initial planning, CDV was super responsive and helpful in answering all our questions, and they sent detailed information about what to expect. When we departed for our trip, we felt comfortable that we were in good hands. Then, from the moment we arrived at the Florence airport, our host Lorenzo took over led us on the trip of a lifetime. The entire week was very well planned and organized, and we went to so many fabulous places, but whenever we discuss our trip, the thing that stands out most is the people we got to meet and spend time with: Lorenzo is an amazing host - fun, passionate, patient and knowledgeable. He did a great job transforming our group from strangers to close friends by dinner on the first day. He is a great person and we feel so fortunate to have met him. We still keep in touch with Lorenzo on WhatsApp. Gianfranco was not just our bus driver. He is part of our CDV family. Yes he got us safely from point A to points B, C and D comfortably and safely every day, but he also cooked with us, dined with us, and had fun with us. Unfortunately for Gianfranco, his job did not allow him to drink wine with us. Simonetta - our amazing chef and cooking teacher. We had two cooking classes with Simonetta and she prepared two of our dinners. I could talk about Simonetta for hours, but for this review I will just say that we love her. The cooking classes were so much fun and she is very special. CDV has close relationships with all the people we visited, and we especially enjoyed our time with Mourizio at Piombia; Enrico at De Rici - what a fun guy he is; Patrizia our cooking teacher in the Cortona countryside; Piero at Poggerino; and especially Simone and Chris at Castellinuzza e Piuca - I don't remember having a more fun evening than our time with Simone and Chris. There are too many others to list them all here, but every host was gracious and engaging. Grazie Mille CDV for a trip we will never forget!

VACATION OF A LIFETIME - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING…read more My lifelong dream has always been to go to Tuscany. After considering all options, I chose the Culture Discovery "Wine and Cooking Under the Tuscan and Umbrian Sun" vacation. I wanted to see the countryside, the small towns, the history and how the people really live. CDV gave me exactly what I was hoping for, and so much more. Italy was everything I had ever imagined it would be - the people; the food; the ancient, interesting small, hill towns; the spectacular scenery. I cannot say enough about how friendly, warm and welcoming every single person was. They truly made us feel like we were one of the family - family I would love to visit often. The other guests on the tour were a wide range of ages and from all walks of life. They were interesting and fun and everyone came together to have and make the best possible experience they possibly could. The small group size also contributed to that feeling of family. Our accommodation was absolutely gorgeous and CDV had thought of every possible comfort and welcoming kindness. The sightseeing trips were wonderfully selected, the cooking classes were more interesting and fun than one could hope for and the food and drink were just plain amazing. I would never consider traveling with another company after the incredible time I had with CDV.