I struggled trying to select the perfect winery tour that would allow my family to have a varied…read morememorable experience. My friend recommended Grape Tours and I felt relief as there was no easy way to have that kind of experience with 8 family members without a car. We selected Fabulous Tuscany! We walked to the wine and cheese shop right from our Airbnb in Florence. We were greeted by Rebecca at 8:45AM, and our driver for the day, Daniel at 9AM as planned. All 8 of us had an amazing day with Daniel visiting Campo Sasso with Pierre (and Frisbee their amazing pup!), sampling wine, balsamic and cheese (all incredible!) on their gorgeous country grounds. Then onto Tenuta La Novella, another beautiful winery with unique wine barrels and fabulous wine and honey to die for! Again the pups (Little Nana especially) kept us entertained. Our final stop was with Miscia at Tenuta Montiani and just wow! Miscia *and his pups!* shared a meal with us that was out of this world and his hospitality and stories top notch. One of the best days on our trip together and I highly recommend Rebecca and Pierre's special itinerary they put together for a varied winery experience! My only negative was it had to come to an end :( Thank you!!!

My wife and I chose the Chianti & Cheese tour and had a remarkable time! The wines of Tuscany are…read moresome of the best I've had and are on par with many we've had in Napa. The countryside of Tuscany is breathtaking, that alone would make the trip worth it but the food and wine are just as stunning. This is perfect for a nice reprieve from sightseeing in Florence and really helps put a trip in perspective. If you love wine and cheese and beautiful vistas, this is the perfect choice!

ArtViva has really great ratings here and on that other travel review site, but our experience was…read moreunderwhelming. I found their pre-tour communication really unprofessional. I had reached out asking about a few different tours and inquiring whether we could bring our 4 year old. They responded promptly that we could, and offered us 10% off if we booked three or more tours. I responded yes, that sounds great, we want to book these three tours on such and such date. No response. I followed up, no response. Followed up again, no response. It was getting pretty close to our trip and I was nervous about things filling up, so I decided to just book online. It annoyed me that I couldn't get the discount they'd offered with an online booking, so I decided to only book two tours with ArtViva and get the third tour from someone else. So I booked the two tours online, choosing from their available dates and times, which seemed to track with reality (i.e., tours for museums weren't sold on Mondays when museums are closed). I almost immediately got an email that the date I had selected for our gelato making class wouldn't work and they would have to move it to some other date. Um, why did you sell us that date, then? I responded with some dates that worked and said we could also possibly do Monday if necessary. Of course they rescheduled us for Monday. Ok, fine, we moved some things around. Then right before we left for our trip they emailed us that actually it would have to be at 9 am on Monday. I was a little wary about that since it was our first full day and I thought we might be jetlagged and starting a tour that early wasn't a good plan. When I asked if we could keep the later time, they said they could keep our original date and time (Friday at 10 am). So much drama just to keep the times we had originally booked! I also asked them multiple times what the meeting point for the gelato class was, because I needed to know if we needed a stroller to get there. Our hotel was in central Florence, no more than a 15 minute walk from all major tourist attractions, so this was the only thing we would possibly need a stroller for. It was like pulling teeth to get a response. I think I had to email them three times before I finally got a response with the address, and it was indeed quite far from our hotel. The tours themselves were ok. We did a tour of the David and a gelato making class with ArtViva. In hindsight, we did not need a tour of the David. The tour only lasted about 30 minutes and cost about four times what museum skip-the-line tickets did, and while the David is amazing, but it's also impossible to miss. (A tour is much more important at the Uffizi, which has a much larger collection.) But I don't know that I can really fault ArtViva for that, it was kind of poor planning on my part. The gelato class was advertised by ArtViva as kid friendly and it is not. We did an actually kid friendly pasta making class at an agriturismo and the difference between them was like night and day. I knew it was not going to go well when we showed up and they told us they didn't have kid-sized aprons so my 4 year old just wouldn't get one (that went over like a lead balloon, as I'm sure anyone who has ever had a 4 year old can imagine). ArtViva had specifically requested our favorite gelato flavors in advance, and although we'd told them our favorite flavor was chocolate, the gelato chef had chosen to make a flavor that had wine, honey, mascarpone and orange extract as ingredients...not exactly kid-friendly. I'm also not sure what the purpose of asking your favorite flavor is if they totally ignore it? Fortunately they had some chocolate and caramel gelato in the freezer they kindly let us sample. The gelato chef was nice, and tried to roll with the situation, but it was clear she was not prepared for a kid and didn't have much if any experience cooking with kids. They really need to make it clearer this class is not set up for young kids. I know things are weird with Covid now, and I'm trying to cut them some slack, but I feel like the communication issues are not really related to Covid. Also I was mostly communicating with the owner, who is British, so this is not a language barrier issue at all. I would not rule out booking with ArtViva again if they had a tour I couldn't get anywhere else, but I would definitely not seek them out.

We had three tours in one day... which is enough to wear one down. Artviva's team made each tour…read moreinteresting, fun and their lively attitude's made for a wonderful day. Our first tour was a walking tour with Florimda. We walked through down town to review the architecture and history of the city. The second tour was to the Uffizi, which included a fantastic review of the statues outside the Uffizi and the art within it's walls. (Or maybe the walking tour included the statues... either way, one of the tours did!) The Uffizi tour was good, and I recommend allowing yourself time after the tour to go through the museum on your own in case you want to see something again... for an art lover, this tour could be considered too short. Our last tour was with Angelo to see Michelangelo's David. Angelo is VERY charismatic and the tour included a good amount information about the statue itself. I'm not sure that a tour is needed for the University, as long as you have the information you want on the art. I felt that what I learned from Angelo was definitely worthwhile, and I probably would not have taken the time to learn it on my own.

We did 2 wines tours with Italy and Wine, one with Nicole and one with Matteo. Both guides were…read morefantastic as were the vineyards/wineries. Highly recommend the Brunello tour and the Chianti and Super Tuscan. We learned such a lot from both guides and bought 3 cases of wine and wine olive oil! Would not hesitate to recommend.

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.

Do not hesitate to book with Andrea and his team. We echo other reviewers here who had amazing…read moreexperiences with Guidaly guides and drivers. We spent 2.5 days with Raffaella in Rome, 2.5 days in Florence/Tuscany with Bianca and Francesco, an afternoon in Pompeii with Andrean and 1.5 days with Fulvio in Naples/Amalfi Coast. All of them were friendly, knowledgeable, professional and delightful company. We learned so much from each of them! Guidaly isn't your average tour company. With Andrea's help we were able to customize the perfect itinerary for our family. Andrea is meticulous and thorough with planning, and provides terrific recommendations of things to do and see. During our travel, he was even in communication with our guides making sure things ran smoothly. This is an extraordinary company with exceptional guides.

Absolutely wonderful experience working with Guidaly on private tours in both Florence and Rome…read more Andrea coordinated a terrific 4 hour adventure for us in Florence with our guide Siro. Siro was very accommodating for us given we had come off an international flight into Rome and drove up to Florence - he helped us cover both Uffizi and Accademia in detail never once not answering the plethora of questions we had including from our kids. It was clear that Siro knew the deep and rich history of Florence and it's renaissance masters inside and out. Further Siro ensured to make front of line arrangements for us despite it being the Easter weekend - what was cool to see was how many folks knew Siro - he's quite popular with the locals! If you want a world class experience and actually are looking to learn, look no further than Guidaly and Siro. For Rome, Magdalene was our guide for two days - day one focused on many of the ancient sites such as the Colosseum and Palantine Hill whole day 2 was focused on the Vatican. Having the benefit of a private guide for both was outstanding especially with front of line tickets - the ROI on the investment was well worth it. The depth at which Maddy covers all the sites with us, how she elaborated on the history, had a tablet with her to show us drawings of what the sites looked like in ancient times, and the backstory of so much including some secrets of the Vatican were off the charts. Further, our children thoroughly enjoyed how she would engage with them and answer their questions. Hands down, when we go to Rome again we will be reaching out to Guidaly and Magdalene. Overall just a wonderful experience across both Firenze and Roma primarily due to Siro and Maddy from Guidaly. Don't think twice about it - you can tell from how responsive Andrea is that they will be ensuring a 5 Star experience.

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 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.

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 dad and I enjoyed this tremendously. Our tour guide, Ben, was extremely nice and personable. He…read morewanted to know about us, and gave us every fact about what we were seeing. He also explained everything thoroughly, while making sure we were comfortable and safe. Definitely worth the money, meeting a local wine maker and eating at her home was once and a lifetime.

Five stars for the team at Tuscany Bike Tours. Here's the day:…read more 9:30am Rendezvous at the shop in Florence. Meet your fellow riders. Try to pick out the riders that seem weaker than you. You'll need this info if it snows and you get stuck in the Pyrenees. 10am Take the shuttle bus out of Florence, into the Tuscan countryside. The van seats 8 comfortably. Bonding time with fellow riders...from Canada and the States and Oz. Note that many of them have cycling gear on. Lie to them and say that you competed in the Tour de France in 2012. Wear your seatbelts on the van. (This is Italy.) 10:45ish Tour the castle. Fortify yourself with a little wine. Get fitted for bikes and helmets. Your bike has a name. Remember it. Off onto the Tuscan roads 1pm Enjoy a late lunch at a little roadside cafe. Bruschetta, salad, pasta, lots of wine and plenty of convivial conversation with your fellow bikers. Tell them you were just joking about the Tour de France. Eat a little fruit and some espresso to get you ready for the road again. Try to remember the name of your bike. Was it "Diablo" or "Dianna Ross"? Consider going back in for some more wine while you try to remember. 2pm Another hour or two of biking the countryside. Your route includes an (optional) 2kilo stretch of road straight up Mount Everest. (Okay not really Mount Everest, but it feels like it by the time you are done.) You have the option of tapping out anywhere along the line. It is grueling. Consider giving up. Consider which of your fellow bikers you'll eat first if you've got to survive. Wish that you had done the Tour de France to warm up. Wish that you had not had so much wine. Wish that you never went on a biking tour. Wish that bikes had never been invented. Reach the top and forget all of this in a rush of endorphins. High five the other bikers. Feel better than you've ever felt. Consider buying a bike. Consider watching the Tour de France this year. Consider hugging that guy you were secretly planning to eat if things got really bad. 4pm Return the bikes and get in the van for the trip home. Realize that this was the best thing you've done in Firenze so far. Have a fantastic time talking to the people on your bike tour. Try to put that business about eating the weak behind you. Get lots of great tips from your driver. 5pm Reluctantly say arrivederci to your fellow bikers. Spend the rest of the evening talking about what a great day it was.

Mela Vespo was one of my favorite experiences in Florence. They took great care of me and I had an…read moreexcellent time with their Vespa! Thank you Mela Vespo.

Hands down the best place to rent a Vespa in Florence. The staff is very gracious, thorough and…read moreconsiderate and go through paperwork, gps and scooter overview quite well. The Vespa scooters are in great condition and come in different ccs. My husband and I enjoyed a 125 which had plenty of power. Make sure to have your passport, drivers license and a credit card for deposit. Call if you have questions-- they are very helpful. I would recommend mapping out your route prior to use, as the streets, restrictions and pedestrian areas can be daunting. However the GPS they provide come with programmed routes in case you'd like to take their suggestions on sites to see.