Great Italian Experience

This is a wonderful tour for--especially for people who like a combination of art, architecture, history and wine and food tasting. Lots of walking (but I expected that and was prepared--comfortable walking shoes and cool clothing a must, if you are taking this trip in the summer). I strongly recommend the optional excursion to the Colle Verde wine/olive oil tasting/lunch at the vineyard (near Lucca)—great wine and food and charming! The wine tasting at the restaurant near San Gimignano was a bit too commercial, but the one at the Mintalcino vineyard (Prime Donne) was very nice. I think most of the people on our tour would have preferred skipping the dinner in Passignano and going straight from Cortona to Perugia. In my opinion, Perugia was the nicest of the smaller cities with the underground Etruscan town still mostly intact, wide streets for shopping and restaurants and cafes with no cars, beautiful views and architecture…charming. Our guide made the trip special--she was extremely knowledgeable, personable and a lot of fun--exceptional!

Great Trip for Sightseeing!!!

Good trip for visiting multiple areas in Italy. Good for getting ideas on a place to re-visit.

Feasts for the Eye and the Palate

A Taste of Tuscany and Umbria added a new spin on previous travel. In addition to learning about and seeing the art and history of these two regions of Italy we were privileged to enjoy some of the best food and wine in places where they were actually produced. "Mama's lasagne" at Tenuta Torciano near San Giminiano, along with the beautiful Brunellos produced on the property, was delicious. The fish-based dinner on Lake Trasimeno . . . YUM! Best of all, the meal at the trattoria in the middle of nowhere. I'm proud to say that I can now make pasta from scratch and my family loves it. Tour director Sabra is smart and funny. Hotels were very nice, but often much farther from the center of things that I would have liked. I'm looking forward to my next traveling adventure.

Ancient Cities Are Fascinating

I recently experienced this tour with some friends. I found the medieval towns of Siena, and Orvieto especially fascinating. Siena has a wonderful, vibrant feel with it's Palio horse race, and accompanying history. Orvieto has the most wonderful underground caverns that were dug in the 3rd, and 4th centuries. These sustained the inhabitants by supplying food (pigeons roosted in them), sisterns for collecting water, and a cool place to store food, and wine. Each walled city had it's own unique appeal. Our tour director, Sabra, was very knowledgeable about history, wine, architecture, and displayed a good sense of humor. She went out of her way to accommodate every request. So many charming memories! Plenty of good food and wine.

A Special Trip even better the 2nd time

I was on the inaugeral trip for this tour and thought it was pretty fabulous but the 2nd trip was even better. This trip was very special because it was the first trip I have taken with my oldest daughter. We so enjoyed the group and the itinerary but we especially enjoyed the tour director, Sabra. The food and wine were wonderful and and we loved the cooking class and the little surprise side trips planned by the director that were "off" of the itinerary. One couple in our group got engaged; 2 couples were celebrating anniversaries and my daughter and I were both celebrating our birthdays. Sabra and GoAhead made our "special" days even more special. This was my fourth trip to Italy and my 6th with GoAhead. We are already planning our next adventure. I would have preferred that the hotel in Rome be more centrally located It did not have a restuarant or any food service besides breakfast and bar snacks and it was not easy to find anything within walking distance.

Great trip, great times. Beautiful Tuscany

We saw such beautiful country. The trips to the wineries and walled cities were outstanding. The food and wine was delicious and enjoyed at wonderful restaurants,wineries and in the city plazas.,

Outstanding introduction to a group tour

My husband and I were extremely happy that we chose Go Ahead instead of visiting Italy on our own. The knowledge of the Tour Director gave us insights that we would have missed if touring on our own.

A Taste of Tuscany & Umbria

A wonderful trip with much to recommend it. From the sights of Florence and Rome to the vistas of the mountain towns. And of course the wonderful wines and foods of the Tuscan and Umbrian people.

Italy Countryside at its Best

This trip is concentrated between Florence and Rome in the Italian countryside. The villages/towns visited are very historic, some dating back to BC! When you picture Italy in your mind, rolling hillsides, walled villages perched atop mountains and hillsides, miles and miles of vineyards in the valleys, and quaint narrow cobblestone streets, that is this tour! It is very warm in July in both Florence and Rome. Suggest avoiding the hot summer months if possible. If not, bring a hat and enjoy! The rating of a "2" for this trip is misleading. It is a "4" with the severely inclined streets, thousands of steps, and the amount of walking. Perhaps the "2" rating is because each day covers just a few miles and there is some down time. We had several people on our tour who just couldn't physically handle some parts of the tour and were surprised it was rated a "2."

Fantastic Italy

What a fabulous way to see Italy for the 1st time. Our group leader, Carol Kendrick was extremely knowlegable in preparing us for our trek around Italy. We were ready with everything needed from our sun screen & hats to our portable wine glasses which really came in handy for our roof top gatherings to chat about the days events while enjoying a little vino. Our Italian tour leader, (Sabra) was magnificent in sharing the history & culture to be experienced everywhere we ventured. Overall, it was all I expected it to be times 10. Thanks for the memories Go Ahead. Janice Gale - Sun City, AZ