Italy Vacations in August

We had the pleasure of working with Zicasso’s travel agents to create the perfect Italian adventure. I had quite a few specific requests, from travel logistics to hotel preferences, and they were incredibly patient and collaborative, offering multiple variations of the itinerary until it matched exactly what we envisioned.

Our journey began in Venice, where we were seamlessly picked up by a private driver, transferred to a water taxi, and dropped directly at our hotel. After a wonderful stay, we were taken by private driver to the train station for our ride from Venice to Florence, our one and only train trip, as we opted (based on their smart recommendation) for private transportation for the rest of our travels to avoid potential delays and enjoy added convenience.

From Florence, we were driven into the Tuscan hills, where we experienced magical wine tastings, vineyard tours, olive oil tastings, and unforgettable meals with wine pairings. 

Next, our private driver brought us to Pompeii, where we enjoyed a fascinating tour with our private guide, and then continued on to Rome. In Rome, we loved the private golf cart tour of the city’s major landmarks, as well as a delightful cooking class that was arranged for us; it was a real highlight!

Finally, we traveled by private driver to Sorrento. From there, we had a breathtaking driving tour of the Amalfi Coast, a lemon farm tour, and an amazing day trip to Capri. Every detail was thoughtfully planned and executed.

Summary:

Planning and Itinerary Creation: Zicasso’s consultants made the entire process easy and stress-free. They worked closely with us to perfect the itinerary and were always receptive to changes and feedback.

Hotels: My sister and I requested adjoining rooms and were provided with beautiful family suites throughout the trip. Each hotel was ideally located, comfortable, and well-appointed, with all the amenities we needed.

Transportation: Every transfer was smooth and punctual. The private drivers were professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. (A special shoutout to our driver in Florence/Tuscany – he was the best!)

Communication: Throughout our trip, the travel company’s team was always accessible. Whether we needed to make adjustments or had a question, they handled everything promptly, allowing us to relax and fully enjoy our vacation.

We spent just over two unforgettable weeks in Italy and it was absolutely perfect, all thanks to the hard work, attention to detail, and excellent communication from Zicasso’s travel company! I highly recommend them and would not hesitate to use them again for future adventures.

Italy was fantastic! We visited Venice, Amalfi, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii, and Rome.

Zicasso’s travel specialist was knowledgeable and patient with me when planning the trip. She was amazing at taking in the information I shared about my family and creating an itinerary that worked well for our family of five (our three children, ages 20, 20, and 22), including food-allergy limitations.

The chosen tours and tour guides were incredible, knowledgeable, engaging, attentive, thoughtful, and a pleasure with which to spend the day or half-day.

When we were in Italy, our travel specialists quickly responded to inquiries and to new requests for transportation needs resulting from unanticipated and good “extra” opportunities.

I highly recommend the travel company and our travel specialists.

I recently completed an incredible 12-day vacation in Italy, arranged by Zicasso’s travel company, and it was one of the best vacations I have ever had. From the initial planning with the travel specialist and her team to the seamless execution on the ground, everything exceeded my expectations for a luxury custom trip.

We started in Italy, where we were immediately met at the airport by a hostess who got us through all the lines in record time and into a Mercedes Sprinter van that took us to Naples. Naples offered us a really vibrant, authentic Italian feel, and the incredible food that the travel specialist recommended from the movie "Eat Pray Love" was the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my life. I don’t think I can eat pizza in the United States anymore. The private drivers and guides made this whole trip stress-free.

Our next incredible experience was the dream-like Amalfi, Sorrento, and the Isle of Capri. The hotel in Positano was beautiful. We were enchanted with all the colorful cliffs, the boutique shopping, and the stunning view from our balcony room. Sorrento was my favorite city of all. It was very relaxed, with lemon groves everywhere and beautiful sunsets, and our hotel had balconies that opened up on the Mediterranean. The highlight of our trip was the island of Capri. The boat ride was just fantastic and we started at the top of the mountain and did the chairlift so we had a whole view of the city.

The highlights of the trip for me were the boat ride along the Amalfi Coast, the cooking class and wine experience at the female venture, and the wine by Mount Vesuvius.

Our last two nights were back in Rome and it was kind of hard to go from the low-key vibes of Sorrento to the action-packed atmosphere of Rome, but the hotel the travel specialist picked was just perfect. It was 10 minutes from the Spanish Steps and she arranged a tour of the underground Colosseum. I learned so much about everything in that area. All the guides, the drivers, everything was magical. I would highly recommend this travel specialist and the travel company.

Zicasso’s travel company helped us plan and execute a vacation to the Amalfi Coast. The travel specialists suggested sites and arranged hotels, ground transport, and guides. It was all accomplished flawlessly; we had a perfectly paced itinerary.

Not only were the drivers well experienced with the incredible labyrinth of roads along the coast and in Sorrento and Positano, where we stayed, but they were also great sources of local colorhighly experienced with the incredible labyrinth of roads along the coast and in Sorrento and Positano, where we stayed, but they were also great sources of local color and conversation, and, above all, they conversation, and, above all, showed their love for the country and region.

We had several guides who were spot-on, including an archaeology graduate for Pompeii and Herculaneum, and an incredible historian on a walking tour of Naples.

The hotels were wonderful, with experience and professionalism throughout.

The drive along the coast to Amalfi and Ravello was spectacular!

On the whole, we enjoyed our trip. However, we want to make note of a few things that could have been done better. When we landed in Naples, our driver was waiting for us. But instead of bringing the car to where we were, the 4 senior adults had to walk with luggage in the heat to get to his car. On our first full day in Naples, we were picked up for our cooking class. The driver did not speak any English, and when we arrived at the address, he expected us to get out of the car. We did not know where to go, and he was not able to assist us. Lucky for us, we met a nice lady who spoke English and was able to help us. The cooking class was wonderful. One of the highlights of the trip. The Capri boat tour was enjoyable. The tour of Pompeii was fascinating. The day we were taken to the Amalfi Coast was a holiday, and we mostly sat in traffic. Not anyone's fault but not very pleasant. On June 3 we were picked up very early to go to the port for the Hydrofoil to Ischia. At the port, we had to wait around for almost 2 hours. We were not sure why we were picked up so early. On June 6 we checked into our hotel in Naples, looking forward to our Jewish Heritage tour the following day. Our tour guide was lovely - 4 stars for her - but we learned there is no Jewish heritage in Naples, so that was quite disappointing. It would have been nice to establish realistic expectations.

Overall, the trip was perfect! The hotels were really nice and the itinerary was great.

A few things I would have changed. First, the Amalfi tour day. There was not enough time in Ravello or Positano. We needed more time to relax and shop.

The class of train could have been nicer for the Florence-to-Rome portion of the trip.

We've been to many wineries throughout Europe and the one we went to on our way to Siena was okay, but we have been to much nicer wineries, with better wine and food tastings. It was not a great wine tour experience.

Everything else was wonderful and we really enjoyed the trip with our sons!!!

Thank you!