Best Ski Holiday: Italy & the Dolomites

My daughter and I had a wonderful vacation in the Dolomites, and Zicasso's travel company arranged for us to truly experience the beauty of this part of Italy!

Zicasso's travel specialist was very helpful throughout the planning process and the trip itself. She provided a lot of useful information and tips leading up to our departure. She was supported by customer service personnel, who recommended restaurants and handled the reservations.

Stresa was a very interesting destination, not only for the natural beauty, but also for the history of the Borromean Islands.

Ortisei in the Dolomites is a charming town with excellent accommodations and restaurants. The hikes in the mountains with stunning views were the highlights of our trip.

The hotel in Modena, with its gourmet restaurant, was a perfect ending to our journey.

Zicasso's travel specialist and the travel company helped us plan the trip of a lifetime! My fiancé and I eloped on this trip, and from the first moment we met with our travel specialist, we were struck by her attentiveness, level of engagement, responsiveness, and knowledge. The itinerary was put together with such care and included some exceptionally special experiences and moments. We iterated on the itinerary quite a bit, and we could always count on her to provide insight into the alternatives and recommendations. We had three stays in Lake Garda, the Dolomites, and Venice, and each hotel was perfectly suited to our travel style and preferences.

The travel company customer support team was also wonderful, from restaurant reservations and booking to checking in during our trip to a dedicated WhatsApp group that we could use for real-time questions or adjustments.

Overall, the trip to the Dolomites and Austria was amazing. The team provided fantastic support before and during the trip. Communications were timely, accurate, and concise. There was never a time where we didn't feel supported or were unsure about trip details.

Hotels were top-notch and all in good locations. I will definitely use Zicasso again if the opportunity presents itself.

Overall, the trip was fabulous. From the start, everything worked like clockwork. The drivers were on time and great. Our connections with trains worked perfectly. I had a concern about the noise level in several of the hotels and that was addressed. Thank you.

The Guides: Our guide in Bologna and Modena was extremely knowledgeable and delightful. We loved spending time with her. Our guide in Verona was knowledgeable and entertaining. Our guide in Ortisei was a good guide for the Dolomites. We enjoyed our hikes and lunches. He also made sure we knew where to secure gondola tickets for the third day. Our guide in Stresa was delightful and extremely knowledgeable. Milan was extremely hot and it was difficult for the four of us to keep up with our guide's commentary on the busy streets.

Hotels: Our hotels in Bologna and Verona were great. We loved the balcony and rooftop bar at our hotel in Bologna. Our hotel in Ortisei was wonderful. The service, room, and amenities were all top-notch. I did not care for the town of Torbole. We hiked to Riva del Garda and that would have been a better location for us. Our hotel in Stresa was beautiful and the pool was fantastic. Our hotel in Milan was nice, but nothing fantastic.

Side Trips: We absolutely loved our trip to Modena, learning about Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar. We also loved our cooking class. Our host and her mother were fabulous, the lunch was wonderful, and the town of Borghetto was breathtaking.

We had an excellent experience working with Zicasso's travel specialist to plan our Italian vacation.

Starting with our first conversation, our specialist listened to us on where we wanted to go, which was the Dolomites, Rome, and Sorrento, what we wanted to see and do, and, most importantly, the kind of experience we hoped to have. He then planned different custom-tailored itineraries for us to choose from.

We were traveling with our mother, who is an active senior, and these itineraries took this into consideration. The accommodations, transportation, and activities were thoughtfully chosen so she could participate comfortably and fully enjoy the active and varied itinerary.

His support continued throughout the trip. Having someone knowledgeable and responsive available when things didn't go according to plan gave us tremendous peace of mind. For example, there was a planned train strike on the day we were traveling. Luckily, it didn't go through, but our specialist was monitoring the situation closely and ready to give us an alternative solution so that our trip would not be disrupted.

Communication throughout the entire process was excellent. Our specialist was transparent and responsive. He was only one phone call away at any time, which is a wonderful change from the automated system one gets these days.

Thank you for being our partner on our family trip to Italy. We came back home well rested and with wonderful memories of our trip.