Luxury Italy Vacation: Rome, Florence & Venice in a Week

Our 16-day trip through Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, and Rome was outstanding in every detail. Every transfer ran on time, every guide was knowledgeable and warm, and every hotel was a great choice.

Our favorites were the private lagoon boat trip in Venice, the Brunello wine and cheese tour, the pasta class at a Tuscan farm, Pompeii, the Capri cruise, and the Vatican tour. We couldn’t have asked for better planning or support. We highly recommend Zicasso's travel company.

This was our first time visiting Italy, and we were very excited to experience the country through a thoughtfully planned luxury itinerary. Overall, we had some wonderful experiences, but there were also several disappointments that affected our trip and that we feel are important to share.

Highlights

Venice was a highlight of our trip. We loved the atmosphere, scenery, and overall experience of being there.

The wine tasting experience in Tuscany was another major highlight. Our trip to Chianti from Florence was beautiful, and the Tuscan countryside was exactly the type of experience we had hoped for. Our cooking class with our instructor in Florence was also exceptional. Making fresh pasta and tiramisu while enjoying wine, music, and great conversation made it feel authentic and personal. These are experiences we will truly remember.

Areas That Fell Short

We would have appreciated much more advance guidance about how incredibly hot and crowded Italy would be during peak season in September. We experienced a significant heat wave and extremely limited air conditioning throughout the trip, including in hotels and fine dining restaurants. This made traveling much less comfortable than anticipated, particularly as first-time visitors to Italy.

We also visited four cities in just eight days, which in hindsight felt far too rushed. As first-time visitors, we were relying on the agency’s expertise to help us create a realistic itinerary. We would have appreciated being advised that this pace was too ambitious and that fewer destinations with more time in each would have made for a more relaxing experience.

We also did not particularly enjoy Milan and felt there was not much there that appealed to us. In hindsight, we would have preferred to spend more of our limited vacation time in destinations that were a better fit for us.

The Lake Como boat tour was canceled at the last minute because we were given the wrong pickup location. This was especially disappointing because it was an experience we had been looking forward to and had planned our day around. Having it canceled at the last minute due to incorrect pickup information was frustrating and felt avoidable. For a luxury travel itinerary, we expected a higher level of coordination and attention to detail.

Transportation was another area that fell short. The three-hour private drive from Venice to Milan was exhausting, particularly because the driver was blasting music throughout the journey. We also had a four-hour drive from Lake Como to Florence in cramped transportation with limited air conditioning, which was extremely uncomfortable given the heat. For a luxury itinerary, we expected transportation to be spacious, comfortable, and properly climate-controlled, especially for longer transfers.

The hotel in Florence was particularly disappointing. We found the atmosphere to be creepy and uncomfortable and did not feel that the property matched our preference for modern, understated luxury. The shower would not drain properly, and although maintenance told us they had fixed it, the problem continued. The hotel did have an excellent location, a balcony, and warm, attentive staff, which we appreciated, but the overall property was not a good fit for us.

Communication

One area where the agency excelled was communication. The team was consistently prompt and responsive through WhatsApp, which truly became our lifeline throughout the trip. Whenever we had questions or needed assistance, we were able to reach someone quickly, and we very much appreciated that level of accessibility and support while traveling.

Overall

Italy was beautiful, and we are grateful for the opportunity to experience it. However, the trip did not consistently feel like the luxury experience we had envisioned. For future clients, we would strongly recommend providing more candid guidance around itinerary pacing, September peak-season crowds, heat, limited air conditioning, hotel style, and destination selection, as well as ensuring greater attention to detail with transportation and excursions.

We had a short but action-packed week: three nights in Rome and four nights in Paris. Our Zicasso travel specialist was terrific to work with, very responsive in planning and execution. Accommodations, guides, and activities were all first class and well balanced. We saw all the appropriate sites (Vatican, Colosseum, Louvre, Versailles, Eiffel Tower) and had some great alternative activities (Vespa sidecar tour, cooking and bakery classes, Paris sewer tour!). VIP service at the airports was a game changer. We'll be back.

We chose Zicasso’s travel company to organize a nine-day trip to Venice, Florence, and Rome for our family of four adults. My wife and I are in our 50s and our two sons are in their early 20s. We all love to travel, but have a range of interests when it comes to experiences, activities, and cuisine. The travel company created an itinerary that gave each of us something memorable.

Everything was planned and executed with care. Hotels were thoughtfully selected, transportation kept us moving without feeling rushed, and every tour guide was exceptional. The team also checked in periodically to make sure we were having the best experience possible. We've traveled internationally many times and this ranks among the very best.

Nine days is just a taste of what Italy has to offer, but our "sampler" tour left all of us excited to return and explore more.

The travel professionals at Zicasso’s travel company worked with us for over a year to plan the most amazing 14-day tour of Venice, Florence, and Rome. They were beyond patient and kind, fielding my endless questions and providing assurances for every detail. Every day was jam-packed with guides and travel. Well, one really doesn't know until you get to Italy, right?

Upon our late-evening arrival to Venice, we had our personal escort waiting for us at the airport, with private transport to our hotel in Venice. She did not leave until we had our bags in the lobby. I knew right then and there we had made the right choice with the travel company.

We found that everything was taken care of by the travel company, down to the smallest detail. Every guide, and there were many, came to our hotels to greet us and escorted us back to our hotel upon conclusion of our tour. Every single guide was a treasure. We never had to hail a taxi, which to me was the most amazing thing, as the travel company had private drivers picking us up or waiting for us at hotels and train stations.

Upon leaving Venice for Florence, our personal escort from the airport was waiting for us at the hotel, with a water taxi to the train station. She walked us through the train station and showed us how to find our gate for our train to Florence. Upon arrival in Florence, we had a private driver waiting for us for transport to the hotel. Same from Florence to Rome, Rome to Naples (for Pompeii and back to Rome).

We had multiple food tours and they were all amazing. We spent every day with private guides. Believe me, the travel company knows the very best guides in Italy. They are there 24/7 for you if things don't go as planned. Trust me on this.

In Venice, our tickets for St. Mark's Basilica that were reserved for our guide disappeared. There we were, no access. Our guide tried to secure tickets on her own and access was sold out. She called the travel company, which somehow secured access, even to the second level, where we could visit the four bronze horses.

Did I mention our day in Tuscany? The travel company insisted we were spending too much time with tours and insisted we take a day in Tuscany. We visited a vineyard in Tuscany for what turned out to be a private tour and lunch hosted by the vineyard owner. We had a table set up overlooking the vineyard and indulged in what may have been the best food we experienced in all of Italy. Everything was made on-site and perfectly paired with the vineyard wines. We were entertained by her three wonderful dogs, two of which were lovable and goofy Labrador retrievers. What a perfect day!

Without a doubt, the travel company is the finest travel agency we have ever had the privilege to work with. As I said earlier, everything was taken care of, nothing was missed: drivers, trains (business class), guides, food tours. The best vacation we have ever had.

Zicasso's travel specialists did a magnificent job planning our itinerary to Rome, Florence, Bologna, and Venice. Our hotels were all beautiful and perfectly located. We really loved having luxury vehicles to bring us everywhere instead of having to get a taxi. It made a huge difference in ease and comfort, plus all the drivers were so nice and knowledgeable. The tours we went on were all enjoyable.

They also provided restaurant lists for each location. Of course, the best part was that we got married in Capri 20 years ago and this was our anniversary trip to bring our daughters with us and renew our vows together. They planned a lovely ceremony in a palace located on the Grand Canal, with a gorgeous private garden. It exceeded our expectations and ended our trip with a memory that will last forever!

We were sad to leave and can’t wait to go back, and will absolutely use this travel specialist and his crew again.