outstanding experience
I was reading through some of the posts, and I thought I would share some experiences of my family's Classic Italy tour, which was 7/19-8/2/22. Hard to believe that it was so long ago. I traveled with my husband, and my children ages 21,19 and 18.
We arrived a day early and had a wonderful time in Sorrento. The fabulous hotel overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. For our first full day (we started the tour officially at dinner time), we went to Capri. People - go to Capri if you get a chance. Beautiful island, and the people are so friendly.
The first night we had a great dinner and then we wandered around the town. Very nice group, a good mix of couples, singles and families.
The next day, we went down the Amalfi Coast which was unbelievable - the side drops off and I give kudos to the bus driver who handled the twists and turns with ease. Ate at a small restaurant, couldn't have been better. Pompeii was awesome, but you really need more time than is allotted. I felt as though we could have used 2-3 more hours to explore. I was sad to leave Sorrento, but onto Rome. Now, I have to say that Rome was my least favorite part of the tour. We were supposed to have received a private Vatican tour, but it didn't work out and we ended up being pushed along like cattle in the very hot Vatican.
At night, we walked down to the Coliseum which was lit up and saw the Forum as well. It was a lot better at night, less heat and deserted.
Assisi and San Gimignano are towns lost in time. As you walk along the curved walkways, you can only imagine how many others passed before you. The people in these small towns were very friendly as well. So much to see, I could have walked forever.
Cinque Terre was also scenic, and the boat ride out to the island allowed us to see most of the other villages.
Florence was just superb. My favorite part of the trip was our private tour of the Uffizi Gallery. We had a wonderful tour guide and seeing the gallery empty allowed us to enjoy the paintings and exhibits without being jostled or rushed. Florence was a very walkable city, and each day we spent a lot of time wandering the streets, just seeing the sights. Our last night in Florence, we ate at Sesto on the rooftop and watched the sun go down.
Venice was very crowded and hot. I loved the gondola ride, and also the boat ride through the canals. We hired a local to take us through the canals on a private tour. Expensive, and worth every penny. My husband wanted to see the canals and went up to a water taxi driver to ask him to take us on a tour. Yes, everyone speaks English.
If you want a lot of varied sightseeing, with a combination of rural and urban sights, and to cover a large part of the country, you will enjoy this tour. The pace is quite strenuous, however, I can highly recommend this tour. Be aware that you will be going nonstop, and every day will be full. You will definitely get your money's worth, and I was so happy I went. We all loved the trip, it was a fabulous experience. Enjoy.
Comments
We recently watched a documentary on Venice ahead of our trip in May and wondered about the bathroom situation. Google results imply bathrooms are filthy require payment, do not have seats, bring your own toilet paper, etc. Is there an alternate experience for hostel backpackers than Tauck-rate tourists? (Not to be elitist, but adjusting expectations for the touted luxury experience). What was the experience for others?
We've been to Venice twice and never had a bathroom problem. Generally, we use the bathrooms in the hotel or when we dine in a restaurant. On our last trip, we did use the public restrooms in the Giardini della Biennale (the park where the Biennale art fair is held). While not outstanding, they were not memorably bad. No worse than many public toilets in the US. Many public restrooms in Europe do require a fee and because of that it's always good to have small Euro coins available. Generally, these restrooms are well maintained, as the attendant is paid to keep it clean. On our first trip to Italy in 2005, we did encounter some Asian style squat toilets in public restrooms (described by our TD as following in the "Footsteps of Napoleon"). These were not in Venice, however, I think these have largely been updated since then. In short, not a problem you need to worry about.
We did this tour just before COVID and found the trip to be the best we have ever taken. Just a side note: do the small groups tour if you can. Also, every public toilet we found in Italy (not restaurants and hotels) was seatless.
Cheryl thanks for your post! We are looking forward to this trip this fall. I did not realize San Gimignano was a stop on this tour and I am so excited to learn this!!!!