April 2023
Because of the great experience my wife and I had on our honeymoon trip to Northern Italy arranged by Cultural Italy in 2011, we enlisted them again to assist us with our trip itinerary and arrangements for our second honeymoon- a long-planned visit to Southern Italy: Naples to Sicily, with several stops in small towns that our grandparents emigrated from. Rita and Liliana did a fabulous job picking just the right hotels in Naples, Padula, Bisignano, and Palermo. This reflected their knowledge of hotels and understanding of those that would best suit our needs. They were very comfortable and in the heart of the cities. The private and group tour arrangements were very enjoyable and well-planned. We particularly appreciated the consistent and prompt communication during planning and particularly while we were on the ground in Italy. Lucy, our tour guide in Naples was fun and engaging and really helped us get acquainted with Naples. We enjoyed our 5 days in Naples more than we thought – probably because we are both from New York City and appreciated the vibe and the similarities to our Italian “culture” in New York. We experienced this 5-day stay without a car – which was great for touring Naples and surrounding areas- but we had to move on to the driving part of the trip in order to visit the small towns. Despite the occasional stresses of driving in the cities and small towns, mountains, and narrow roads (and amongst Italian drivers), the scenery was truly stunning throughout our travels through southern Italy and Sicily and well worth it. Our experiences in the small family-origin towns were enhanced by the local genealogists that we hired. It turned out that the hotel that Rita arranged for us in Padula was across the street from the house in that my grandfather was born. I also ran into a second cousin who knew my father. We had similar experiences in Bisignano, which was a very welcoming town despite minimal English speaking. The 5-day stay in Palermo with visits to Cefalu and Racalmuto rounded out this very memorable trip. We were extremely satisfied with the work that Rita and Cultural Italy did to make this a great and memorable second honeymoon. This reflected their knowledge and experience with travel in Italy and their attention to detail. I would highly recommend Cultural Italy for travel in Italy, from the main destination itineraries to fully handcrafted trips, including exploring family roots.
Grazie
Bruce and Marge
