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Message: [QUOTE="AreBee1969, post: 4349770, member: 7315"] Well [USER=1325]@Icculus[/USER], how was it? We had a great time. We used Gate1 Travel for the tour and it was great. The tour manager was fantastic and extremely well organized. He also added in several personal touches that really made you feel like part of a family, corny as it sounds. Every place we went, our tour manager handed over the tour to a local guide, so you got a real local perspective on the history of the area. Although it was a busy tour, we never felt rushed and we always knew what we were doing next. We had a group of 20 so it wasn't too big at all. This type of tour was truly a beginner's guide and when we go back we will know where we want go and what we want to do. Venice was the only destination that felt touristy. If we ever return to Italy we would definitely skip Venice. Montecatini in Tuscany was our home base for five days and from there we did day trips to Lucca, Florence and Cinque Terra. We skipped the optional trip to Siena and went back to Florence for a second day. I could spend an entire vacation in Florence. My favorite city by far. Cinque Terra are five coastal towns linked only by boat. Really cool to see and we got in a little (extremely crowded) beach time. Had dinner at a farm that produces its own wine and olive oil. Ridiculously good. Naples was our final stop and from there we did day trips to the Amalfi Coast and to the Isle of Capri. Both amazingly beautiful destinations and crazy driving tours. The roads are insane! Highlight for my girls was eating dinner at the table next to Matt Damon and his family in Naples. Overall observations: The wine - freaking ridiculous and cheap! I bought a bottle of Barolo for 10 euros at a rest stop and it was better than anything you can get here for $30-$40. The food: I'm going to preface this by saying I group with an extend family of amazing Italian cooks and I'm married to an amazing Italian cook who I met at an Italian Restaurant. That said the food was decent. Never had my socks knocked off. Even the Bistecca Alla Fiorentina was just average. It was 35 ounces but it wasn't the life changing experience I was told it would be. Lots of seafood and all good. I ate mussels until they were coming out of my ears. Bread was great except in Tuscany where they don't use salt in the bread. The people: all really nice and helpful with those who don't speak the native tongue as a first language. Service was pretty bad everywhere and servers were always indifferent, but I guess that's just Italy. But when I'm on vacation I don't want to have to a dance to flag down a server when I need a drink or my check. When we tipped them, their tune changed and they were very gracious, but at that point it didn't do us much good. Safety: a woman in our group had her Apple watch taken right off her wrist and she never knew it. I never had any issues with confrontational beggars or anything but at times I found myself paying more attention to my pockets than to the tour guide and that pissed me off a bit, but overall I always felt pretty safe for my girls (18 and 22). Even where we were in Naples I felt fine. Great trip overall and hope to go back sometime in the next five years. [/QUOTE]

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