Italy & Switzerland Tours

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.

We were so pleased with the travel company. The hotel they suggested was nicely located in Como, with our rooms having a view of the lake and a small balcony. We were also provided a lovely breakfast in the morning.

They suggested a nice, four-day itinerary: a food tour, with the extra bonus of an orientation to the city the evening of our arrival; a wonderful boat ride for four hours on the next day; a trip to Lugano, Switzerland; and then a private transfer, stopping in Bellagio and Varenna on our way back to Milan.

All of the drivers and guides were excellent, although the driver for Lugano thought he was taking us to Bellagio. This may have been due to a switch of drivers due to a schedule change, as the boat ride and Lugano days were switched to make sure we had a beautiful day on the water, as some rain was threatened on the original day.

The travel company also made a lunch reservation in Bellagio for us based on a recommendation we had gotten from our son. The driver for that long day was great about arranging the travel so we could be on time at the restaurant and was there promptly to pick us up when we were done.

We will definitely utilize Zicasso again and would reach out to the travel company if we travel again to Italy.

The trip was great. The hotels in Tuscany and Lake Como were great. I highly recommend both. The rest of our trip that Zicasso's travel company put together, which included wineries, hikes, boat rides, a balloon ride, and recommended dinners, was top-notch. Our travel specialist and her team were very responsive. We highly recommend them.

The trip Zicasso's travel consultant designed for us was absolutely perfect in every way! The hotel in Florence was a beautiful place to stay. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, and the breakfast was outstanding. I loved seeing art everywhere in the hotel and the staff were helpful and accommodating.

All of our drivers were friendly and helpful. As two women traveling in a country where we didn't speak the language, our drivers made us feel safe and well taken care of.

Our guide for the Uffizi, Accademia, Bargello, and the Duomo was incredible! She enriched our experience with her extensive knowledge base and delightful personality. We formed a fast friendship and were sad when our time with her came to an end. She was one of the highlights of our trip. I can't say enough wonderful things about her! 

The wine tours were fabulous! We learned so much about the Chianti region. Each tour was well done, but Montalcino was the stand-out experience. It was so elegant and wonderful. Needless to say, we brought home several bottles...

I can't thank the travel consultant enough. From start to finish, she was absolutely lovely to work with. She understood exactly what we wanted and curated a trip of a lifetime for us! I fell in love with the art, architecture, people, food, and wine of the region, and hope to return someday.

I must also acknowledge our US contact. He was incredibly helpful any time he was called on to assist. So cheerful and positive.

I have already recommended Zicasso to many of my friends. I will certainly look forward to my next trip curated by your company.

Thank you for an incredible experience!

The drivers were timely, professional, and very prompt. The guides were very knowledgeable and generally designed the tours to match our requests. The hotels were exceptional and our only comment is that there was an odd odor in our room in one of the hotels.

Our only true complaint would be about the wine tasting on May 22. The location was not aware of our reservation. The couple running the vineyard seemed confused by our arrival. After a bit, they offered to accommodate us, but we felt like we were imposing on them. Then, at our lunch at a restaurant on Capri, they did not have a record of a reservation and placed us at a table without a view, near the entrance. We made the best of the meal, but for the price we paid, we would have expected confirmed reservations and a table with a view.