Zicasso Travel Blog

We received wonderful service. Zicasso’s travel specialists were always available to help in planning and executing the trip's plans.

The trip was made carefree by Zicasso's travel specialists. The destinations were well worth the visits and the guides, drivers, and captains were delightful.

This was my third customized trip with Zicasso. I previously worked with Zicasso to plan and take mother-daughter trips to Iceland and Croatia. They are the perfect company to help your dreams for a personally unique adventure come true!

This time, I traveled with my daughter, son, and daughter-in-law to Italy. My hope was for my daughter and son to see the towns where their great-grandfather and great-grandmother emigrated from in the Abruzzo region, in the towns of Roccamontepiano and Bugnara. My research had an address for where their great-grandfather was born. Our driver found the address and we took photos of us standing in front of the house, which could now be considered a real fixer-upper. Just the same, it was a moment never to be forgotten. Thank you to our driver and his wealth of information!

Our home base was in Pescara, where we enjoyed a walk on the beach, excellent local cuisine at a local restaurant, and seafood at another local restaurant. These were recommended by our local travel agent and were clearly favorites of the locals.

We had a wonderful tour in Chieti, an historic and cultural gem, with our guide. She too was a gem of a guide!

We then traveled to Venice, which was far less crowded with tourists than in the high season. Upon arrival, a private gondola ride during dusk and at sunset was a surreal way to be welcomed to this beautiful city.

The next day we had a magnificent tour of St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace. Our guide was so engaging and knowledgeable, and eager to share ideas about other things to see while in Venice. We followed our tour with lunch at a historic restaurant, home to the invention of the Bellini. Yum! After lunch, we took the elevator to the top of the tower across from the basilica, with its spectacular panoramic view of the city and surrounding islands. Then our group splintered off—two of us did a Grand Canal boat ride and the other two headed to the isle of Murano to search for glass souvenir treasures.

Our next stop was Lake Como, with a one-hour unexpected stop in Verona. Thank you to our driver for suggesting the stop! Who knew there was a Roman arena and some to-die-for hot chocolate in Verona!

Then off to Lake Como. We had time before we could check in to our hotel, so we did a walkabout to acquaint ourselves with the city. We took a ride on the funicular for another delightful panoramic view and enjoyed cocktails while surveying the lake and city below. That evening, we traveled up into the mountains and had a marvelous meal at a mountain trattoria. We were just us and one other couple in the restaurant, and we watched the chef prepare our local food specialties from our table in front of the wood-burning fireplace. The mantel was adorned with trophies and photos of the local bocce teams over the decades. Again, if you want to travel for cibo delizioso, go to Italy!

The next day, we had a three-hour boat ride on Lake Como. Our skipper and guide made certain to point out and give some history on the villages dotting the coastline and the famous villas.

The following day we traveled north to Domaso for an afternoon at a family-run vineyard and restaurant with views of Lake Como and the Alps! Bellissimo! A family member gave us a wonderful tour of the history and the winemaking facility, as well as the many wines we sampled. We were treated to local charcuterie and ravioli that was made fresh while we were busy sampling. When we received the wine we ordered and shipped back home, they threw in extra gifts for us, with wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Then we were off to Milan for a chance to try our luck at making our own pasta, sauces, and gelato at a cooking school. Our chef instructor guided us as we made tagliatelle with a pesto sauce and pumpkin ravioli with a cream sauce. Of course, there were wine pairings! He made certain our creations were delicious!

That evening, we donned our fancy apparel and headed to La Scala to take in the opera, "Così fan tutte." The modern take on the comedy was refreshing and the venue was a must-see!

The next day, we were met by our guide, who shared the history of the UNESCO site of Santa Maria delle Grazie and Leonardo da Vinci’s "Last Supper" with expertise and reverence, while keeping us engaged. She likewise inspired us as we toured the Duomo di Milano, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, and the controversial Il Dito sculpture outside the city’s stock exchange.

That evening, we experienced a delightful meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The chef, from Naples, created and explained a never-to-be-forgotten bite-sized sampling plate highlighting the tastes of Naples on a plate shaped like the region, with its various borders.

Before leaving Milan, we had a tour of La Scala and its adjacent museum with our guide. She provided us with a history lesson that was quite interesting. That night, we dined at a local seafood restaurant, another treasure clearly favored by the locals. Our waiter was a gem and sent us off with the gift of a bottle of wine.

Our final stop was Turin. Once again, we divided—two of us visited the National Museum of Cinema and the panoramic lift housed in the museum. At the top, we gained a wonderful sense of the city,and the cinema museum was a fun surprise! Our other two toured the Juventus Museum and Stadium, and they thoroughly enjoyed their experience as well.

Our final day, we met our guide, who spent the entire day with us, with only a short break, beginning with a gourmet food tour of traditional Piedmont dishes. Along the way, she shared insights into the history and cultural significance of the foods. Later in the day, she guided us through the Royal Palace of Turin, including the Holy Shroud Chapel, Armory, and Museum. Once again, we were treated to a knowledgeable and entertaining guide.

We departed the next day, leaving with priceless memories of our Italy adventure.

Thank you so much to Zicasso’s travel agent. You helped make our trip come true with such care. Grazie mille!

Everything was great, with a variety of activities. The hotels were perfect; great accommodations and perfectly located. It was nice to actually meet Zicasso’s travel specialist in Oslo.

Zicasso’s travel agent was beyond wonderful! If we could give him 10 stars, we would. He was so incredibly helpful with any “issues” or questions we had. I would highly recommend the travel company for anyone traveling to Costa Rica!!

It's hard to know where to start. First off, everything went as smoothly as could be. I traveled with a friend to Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria. We also took a four-night cruise on a dahabiya.

Our guide in Cairo and our guide in Luxor and Aswan were excellent, and presented us with far more information than it was possible to digest. Our guide in Luxor and Aswan, in particular, gave us a history lesson as we were sailing on the boat, as I sometimes found it hard to contextualize all that we were seeing. That was an enormous help.

We were taken to a couple of shops in Luxor and Aswan, and I'm always a little nervous about bargaining, as I worry I will come out on the losing end and resent being taken advantage of. I didn't buy anything at the alabaster shop, as I felt their prices started very high. I did buy some essential oils and a handcrafted bottle at a shop in Aswan, and though I don't know if I paid too much, I was very happy with what I bought, including a gift for a friend, who was thrilled.

My mobility is limited and I fatigue easily, so I was apprehensive about going on this trip and yet still eager to visit Egypt. The first few days I was very jet lagged, having traveled nearly 40 hours, and I was somewhat dazed and confused and didn't take everything in like I wanted to. But as time went on, I got progressively more into the journey.

The cruise on the dahabiya was so relaxing. We would see some sights, but also have time to gaze out to the river banks dotted with date palms while lounging on a chair. I kept pinching myself to think that I was sailing on the Nile River.

We met three other pairs of travelers, who were very pleasant. We had a barbecue on shore one night, where some hardy travelers could swim in the cold Nile River. There was local music and dancing. Ordinarily, I hate to dance, but they forced us all to join and before you know it, we were having a blast. The next night there was a belly dancer before dinner on board. If you can afford it, a small dahabiya is the way to go—far better, I can only imagine, than a huge cruise ship where you're stumbling over masses of people.

We took a side trip by plane to Abu Simbel. For some reason, our regular guides did not accompany us and a couple of Nubian guides took us around. They were subpar in their guidance, but very pleasant. And just to see Abu Simbel was worth the 3.45am wake-up call. Absolutely breathtaking; I will never get over it.

Before taking this trip, I was apprehensive, as I said, about my ability to get around, but our guide in Cairo, especially, was extremely considerate in making it possible for me to see everything in a way that was as smooth as possible. I am very grateful to him. He was a delightful man—warm, humorous, engaging, and, of course, highly knowledgeable. And our driver was lovely and the most amazing driver I have ever seen.

When I returned home, a friend who had been to Egypt last year asked me what my favorite experiences were. It's So hard to choose, but I would pick the Valley of the Kings for the brilliantly preserved and colorful iconography, Abu Simbel for its sheer overwhelming magnificence, and, of course, sailing on the Nile.