We have had many wonderful vacations, but we had never been on a group tour. Then we decided to finally take the big Italy vacation (Rome, Florence, Venice) we had always promised ourselves. Because there was just so much we wanted to see, and so much to learn, and so many details to get right, we decided to try a group tour for the first time. Right away, Nada's motto "Tours for people who don't go on tours" spoke to us! But we didn't jump in right away, instead we compared what Nada offered versus other operators. Several companies with "small" group tours offer similar itineraries and promise similar amenities. But Nada seemed more interested in the culture, food and experiences rather than just a checklist of must-see's. And though not cheap, the price was competitive.
We took Nada's "Italian Treasures" tour featuring Rome, Florence, and Venice (and some stops, including some surprises, in between). So how did it turn out? Our travel dreams were realized beyond all expectations!
Our tour leader Alessandro was an exceptional personality, incredibly helpful and informative, yet low key, cheery and cordial. We loved that he worked so hard to keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes, yet was able to join in the experience with comments and his thematically appropriate set of shirts for the sights we were seeing. In particular, his very passionate and personal stories at the American cemetery near Florence were deeply moving and appreciated by all.
We learned that Nada's definition of a "small" group was VERY small, small enough that our group could go into any restaurant and be treated like normal guests, and small enough that our minivans could go places big buses could not. And small enough that we could easily visit small artisan workshops, which was a real highlight.
The value of a group, especially the very small Nada-sized group, was crystallized for me one morning in Florence. We had just had a wonderful round of visits to artisans in the Altrano, and the group was next going on to lunch and a patisserie. It was a good time for our local guide to give us a short heads-up presentation for what to expect later in the day when we visited the Uffizi. So, our group stopped in a small coffee shop, and while our local guide prepared us for the afternoon, Alessandro retrieved cappuccinos for all of us. It was all so smooth, so relaxing, so endearing, and yet such a good use of time. There is no way it could have worked so well with a larger group, and it would have been impossible to do all this so calmly on our own.
Hotels: All of our three hotels were comfortable, very welcoming and in good locations.
Restaurants: I loved *ALL* of the chosen restaurants on the tour. It was so nice having regular tables, rather than being herded into a special side room as a larger tour group would have required.
Tour vs. free time: We thought Nada's provided the perfect balance between major sights where we needed the organization and interpretation from our guides, and free time for us to see things of our own special interest. read more