Tuscany and Cinque Terre Itineraries & Tours

Zicasso’s travel specialist and her team crafted a wonderful 10-day trip to Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Florence for my husband's 60th birthday. All the hotels were beautiful boutique hotels that we probably would not have found if we were planning it ourselves. The same was true with the experiences they booked for us. They have the local connections and can provide experiences you may not easily find by searching the internet.

We loved that our wine tastings were at smaller local wineries. All our guides were very friendly and very knowledgeable. All our drivers were always on time. They took care of reserving our train tickets, as well as dinner reservations. We felt very well taken care of throughout the entire trip.

Our Zicasso travel agent did a great job planning and executing our two-week tour of Italy. Transfers were seamless and guides were knowledgeable and experienced. We particularly loved Florence, our hotel, its staff, and its walkable location to so many sites. We loved the guide in Cinque Terre; he knew the area, specifically a restaurant where we were away from the crowds. Thanks to the travel agent for a job well done.

Most of the arrangements were fine, but as we've used Zicasso several times in the past, I was disappointed that the day trip on June 2nd to Spoleto and Perugia was on a national holiday. Nothing was open, and so we spent a lot of money, drove a long way just to have lunch in Spoleto. We spent 30 minutes in Perugia and did not use anywhere near the 9 hours we were paying for.

Also on Sunday, May 31st, the trip to Cinque Terre was not good planning. I told you when we started our discussions that I walked with a cane. The distance to and from the train stations in each of the cities was quite extensive so we only ended up in 3 towns. Again, we did not use anywhere near the 10 hours allotted for the tour.

In summary, I rely on your expertise of the area to guide us as to what to expect in the different destinations. We could have switched the days for Spoleto and Perugia, to avoid the holiday and could have tailored the Cinque Terre in other ways. I thought we were paying for a private excursion so I wouldn't have to do so much walking.

Again, my husband and I felt that the 2 days of private tours were money not well spent.

The transfers in all locations were excellent and the travel agent was delightful (although she did not give us the name and phone number of our drivers the day before, as was stated on our itinerary from the travel specialist).

All in all, we had a wonderful trip to Italy but feel some more personalized attention should have been paid to our specific needs, as this was a costly trip for 7 days.

Zicasso’s travel company and every single guide and driver were stellar. All four hotels were good or excellent. There was one error on the schedule for the day outside of Florence when we had a driver to take us to the Siena region. The schedule stated three hours, so we paid for tickets to the Pitti Palace/garden, which turned out to be wasted money as the driving tour was actually nine hours. It was a beautiful day, though.

The trip was awesome. The accommodations were very nice. We just did not realize how much walking we would do, but we managed. There were a few hiccups, but nothing major.

Our transport from the airport to the hotel in Venice went smoothly. We definitely appreciated the private transfer after seeing the crowd on the public transportation. My sister was a little disappointed that the gondolier did not sing to us in Italian, but she thought the ride was very relaxing. The tour guide for St. Mark's was very knowledgeable and informative. Venice was a lovely and unique city. We were surprised by the narrow walkways/streets and canals; but came to appreciate them. It gave Venice its charm. The transport from the hotel to the train station was right on time and the guy at the train station was great. He explained exactly what we needed to do to catch the train to our next destinations. We really appreciated his help.

The transport from the train station to the car rental agency was okay. The driver spoke little English and the A/C did not work in the vehicle. The driver did try everything to work the A/C and did apologize that it was not working. The driver dropped us off at the wrong spot at the rental car place. He dropped us off where you turn in the cars.  We had to walk to where you rent the cars with our luggage. The car-rental line was extremely long and somewhat confusing. There were no instructions to take a number. We only knew because a nice couple informed us to do so. And there were so many other car-rental places with no lines. 

We explored Cinque Terre, Pisa, and Florence during our time in Impruneta. We really enjoyed the cooking class and winery tour you scheduled for us; our guide was a great teacher. Driving in Florence was a little confusing with the ZTLs, but I think we did okay. Little did we know how much we would appreciate the ZTLs while walking around in Florence. We walked and shopped in Florence. We even did a tour at the Accademia Gallery to see the statue of David. 

Returning the vehicle was way easier than renting it and our next transport picked us up right where we were dropped off. We felt very comfortable navigating the train station for our train ride to Rome, thanks to the train station lesson we received from the guy in Venice. The train rides went very smoothly. The transport from the station in Rome to our hotel went very well. He literally dropped us off right in front of the hotel.

Rome was different. It had the narrow, quaint streets between buildings which made Rome very walkable. However, we did not expect cars/motorcycles to be driving down these narrow streets as well. It made for interesting walks. We really enjoyed our tours with our guide. She was very knowledgeable and informative. She also allowed us to go at our own pace. Needless to say, our pace became slower than usual from all the walking we already did in Venice and Florence. Our feet were starting to hurt, even though we wore comfortable shoes the whole time. We also enjoyed the Vatican Necropolis. I was extremely humbled that I was able to kneel and pray before the actual remains of St. Peter. I am very grateful we were allowed to get into that tour. Although Rome was different, it was very historical and a lot to take in. There was just so much history everywhere you turned. Rome was really inspiring.

Our transport from the hotel back to the airport was on time and went very well. The driver spoke very good English and gave us some additional interesting facts while on our way to the airport. We were ready to go home, but also sad to be leaving.  

Thank you for putting the details of the trip together. The trip would not have been as great as it was without you.

When we started planning our trip to Italy, I knew I wanted to work with a travel agent—specifically, someone who specialized in Italy and was based there. After reaching out to several agencies and reviewing their responses, we chose Zicasso and, more specifically, our travel agent. She is based in Milan and from my very first interaction with her, I knew we had made the right choice.

Our trip could not have been more perfect. Our agent put a lot of thought into every location and planned activity. At the outset, we had a few discussions with her about what we wanted from the trip and, after that, we were happy to leave most of the details in her capable hands. Our goal was to explore mid-to-northern Italy and everything—from the hotels and tours to the free time and transportation—was beautifully organized.

Our 11-night trip started in Milan and ended in Florence, with overnight stays in Milan (one night), Lake Como (three nights), Venice (three nights), and Florence (four nights). Initially, I was hesitant about staying at Lake Como for three nights, but our agent encouraged me to do a little research. I’m so glad she did, as it turned out to be incredible. We had more self-guided time at Lake Como, which was perfect as we adjusted to the time change. In Venice, our itinerary became more structured, but we still had plenty of time for our own explorations. By the time we reached Florence, we had activities and tours planned for every day, which was just what we wanted.

A highlight for my family was a full-day trip into Tuscany, where we visited San Gimignano, an organic vineyard in Chianti, and finished with a tour of Siena. Our day trip to Rome allowed us to see the main attractions and we concluded the journey with a tour of Florence and the Accademia Gallery. Every tour our agent arranged was spot on.

Throughout our trip, she was wonderfully communicative—always available when we had questions, but never intrusive. She even helped us with a couple of last-minute requests: booking a hotel in Milan for one night and arranging train tickets to Verona for an impromptu visit to Juliet’s balcony. Whenever we needed something, she was there.

When we return to explore the mid-to-southern part of Italy, there’s no question that we’ll be asking her to plan our trip again. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a seamless, thoughtfully curated Italian adventure.