Hi Alessia, We had a wonderful time in Italy- especially the week that you helped to plan for us. Really loved Florence, and actually took the train back from Rome to Florence for an extra day with the Up with People group. The gondola ride at sunset in Venice was lovely- I got a very nice photo that I am going to enlarge. Really appreciated the private walking tours in Venice and Florence. It was hard to hear the tour guides on the large group tour to San Gimignano, Siena & Chianti- and the day was very foggy, so it hard to see much. The smaller tour to Lucca and Pisa was nice; we enjoyed leisurely walking around the perimeter of of Lucca and getting some quiet and fresh air after the larger bus tour the day before. The hotel in Venice was a bit hard to find at first, but was adequate. The hotel in Florence was absolutely fabulous! One of the most amazing highlights of the trip for me was visiting the Duomo in Florence- we climbed to the top of the cathedral and the bell tower. Rome was interesting- the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, St. Peter’s Square, but we realized that we really prefer to travel on our own vs. with a large group. There was a lot of hurry up and wait time with the Up with People group in Rome. I really appreciate all of your help in making our visit to Italy a very pleasant one. I will definitely recommend you and Cultural Italy to friends… As a matter of fact, I just sent some info to a friend in Florida who is planning a trip to Italy with her children this summer. Wishing you all the best in 2014.
Betsy Kolber
