Be careful to read the fine print of your tour booking and ask questions before paying. I booked a…read morepricey private tour but due to airline changes, I had to modify - there was no availability for a different time or day. Although a private tour, it was apparently not a private tour that fell into the 50% refund category. So, an unfortunate and bad experience not of my own making. The customer service was less than helpful, did not attempt to accommodate in any way.

We planed a one day tour for our first full day in Milan. We connected with Tiziana Lo Castro and…read morehad a fabulous 1/2 day tour. We started with the Monumental Cemetery near the AC Hotel Milano by Marriott where we were staying. There were an amazing number of statues from VIPs and their families buried there over the last 300 years. Tiziana had many stories about the various Italian families and individual who were buried there. We then flit about Milan walking through the fashion district (seeing many beautiful people) and ended up near the Duomo. She shared quite a bit about Italian history and the city. We enjoyed our time together.

We spent two great afternoons touring with Micaela on Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta. Our tours were…read moreprivate and personalized. Micaela booked our boats and amazing lunches, then led us on fun, informative tours of Isola Bella, Isola Madre, and Orta San Giulio. Micaela's knowledge of the history, art, and gardens is amazing- we definitely recommend!!

We were only visiting Stresa for two days and really wanted to make the most of our limited time…read more From several past trips to Italy, we have found hiring a local guide to be an excellent way to maximize the time and get the most of your vacation and Macaela ranks near the top of the many guides we've used in Rome, Tuscany, Positano and throughout wine regions of Italy. We found her online (here) and are so glad we did. Her English is top notch and communications with her by email for booking was very easy. She offers a number of tour options from full or half-day trips, with or without private boat transfers. We ended up booking the full day excursion with private boat transfers and were SO glad. With the private boat-there was absolutely no waiting to go from island to island as our captain Allesandro was always ready to go when we arrived (having been alerted by Michaela at just the right moment to come by for us). By the way, the typical boat seats 30 and is covered but was dedicated just for the two of us. This is an option- you can hire her without private boat but then you rely on the ferries and have to deal with the crowds. Even though the temperature was soaring into the 90s we had a wonderful day. It started with her meeting us in the lobby of our hotel that fronted the lake and we simply crossed the street to the lake where the boat was waiting and we headed out to our first island -Isola Bella. Machaela is versed in history, art and botany (some) and we spent 2 hours touring the palace and gardens-so much better than a canned audio tour. She gave us the full history of the Borromeo family, important historical events, discussed the art and identified all the interesting plants and trees throughout the day. Next we headed over to Isola Pescatori (fisherman island) for a stroll through town then a couple hours free time for lunch. She guided us past some of the more tourist spots and recommended several of the better places. We had a great lunch at Ristorante Belvedere. After lunch it was on to the third island, Isola Madre and a tour through the botanical gardens, renaissance villa and some time visiting the colorful peacocks and pheasants. We headed back to the hotel around 3:30, were dropped off in the same spot just across the street, made payment to Michaels (cash only, at the trips end) and headed in to jump in the pool. A perfect day.

Amazing experience to watch a match for the A Series in Italy; a LOT of food trucks outside the…read morestadium even some with coffee espresso machines! Truly a great experience that we can only hope to see again! Forza Milano!!!!!!!

My husband, two friends and I spend a long-weekend in Piedmont this fall and this tour was…read moredefinitely the highlight of our trip. We booked a private all-day wine and truffle tour and we were simply blown away. First, the Piedmont region is one of the most beautiful in all of Italy with its steep rolling hills and views of the snow-covered Alps in the distance. The tradition of the white-truffle festival in Alba is something that any gourmet simply must experience at least once in the their life and the Nebbiolo and Barbara wines of the regions are beyond compare. We met Robert in the small town of Neive around 9:30am and he drove us through Barbaresco to Barolo over the course of the day. We stopped for tastings, amazing view points, and a wonderful lunch that was prepared by Leslie. During lunch, Robert taught us the "Art of Sabrage" or the opening of a sparkling wine bottle with a sword. My friend Emily really enjoyed that and Robert got a great video of it. Speaking of video and photography, Robert is also a semi-professional photographer and he taught us a great deal about techniques for capturing the best shots with our SLRs. The afternoon included an actual truffle hunt complete with a truffle dog. The day ended with an amazing aperitivo with the locals from Neive including tastings of sparkling wines, barbaras and Barbarescos. We were also introduced to several producers of the wines we were drinking (including their families). This really was an experience beyond compare and when we return to Piedmont we will absolutely be giving Robert and Leslie a call

Nothing but amazing things to say about Robert and Leslie. They are an American couple that moved…read moreto Langhe and offer wide ranging tours, from wineries to beautiful vistas, and classes in cooking and photography. They were nice as can be, generous (they gave us two bottles of our favorite wine!), and incredibly knowledgeable about wine and the area in general. If you come to Piedmont you NEED to contact them for a tour! Thanks guys! 131/365

Sara was an outstanding guide. She knows the area and players like the back of her hand and…read moreintroduced us to a wide range of wine makers. I highly recommend spending a few days with her.

What a fantastic experience! My wife and I could not have enjoyed ourselves more on this food and…read morewine tour! Sara picked us up from our hotel at 10am with a smile we'd quickly discover was contagious and a passion for the Piedmont region (her home) that only a local could bring. We took a short drive to her friend Frenanda's for the cooking portion of the tour. The quaint neighborhood in the hills, the cozy kitchen and the warmth of our host could best be described as stepping into "Nonna's kitchen". Using all fresh, local ingredients we made: - Hazelnut "Kiss cookies" - Veggie flan - prepped and slow cooked beef with veggies in wine - Chocolate stuffed peaches - ate a variety of seasonal cheeses and honey - and made pasta from scratch (meat stuffed raviolis). Everything was paired with delicious wines which we sipped while learning the local history, including the origins of Nutella, Fiat and Eataly, as well as the farming community that shaped the culture of the region. We at and drank to our hearts desire before saying our goodbye with full stomachs and a goodie bag for later. For our wine portion of the tour, Sara drove us to meet a young, local winemaker named Luca. Luca's enthusiasm for sustainable growing and using "smart techniques" to make his wine brought an unexpected but delightful new-age wine-making vibe to his whole operation. "We have a brain, we have science, we use it." And all the latest advancements in "cork technology"... who knew?... Luca did. Our personal wine tasting went through every variety of wine the Nebbiolo grapes of the region had to offer. The Barolo was our favorite! A very fun, stomach filling day with Sara came complete with great vibes, local stories, and memories we'll never forget!