Cultural ItalyReviews of culturalitaly.com

Thanks to Marcella at Cultural Italy my husband and I had a wonderful 1st trip to Italy. Our accommodations in each city/town were lovely and our travel from one city to the next was seamless. We were especially grateful that Marcella was able to get us on a train during a transit strike so our trip to five different locations wasn’t interrupted. The three private tours Marcella arranged were great. We especially enjoyed the young girl who guided our private tour of Murano and Burano in Venice (whose name I can’t remember), and Sabrina from LivTours who guided us on our Vatican tour in Rome. Marcella also suggested that we start our trip in Laveno- Mombello, which we loved. Our room there had a beautiful view of Lake Maggiore and the food and ambiance of the restaurant at Hotel de Charme Laveno were wonderful. We will definitely contact Marcella at Cultural Italy when we return to Italy. Bonnie and Rich Schoonmaker

Marcella is the absolute best. She planned a trip for me and my family of 20 and did the most amazing job. Every detail was perfect. The trip was the best trip that me and my family have ever had. I could not have asked for anything more. She is truly amazing.

Recommended by a friend, who used their services for a trip to Italy in Sept 2023. On their advice, we reached out and worked with Rita. Rita took the time to listen to what mattered most to us, and customized a fantastic vacation that fit our budget and time frame constraints. Everything went as smoothly as possible - transfers, rides and shuttles were on time. Tours were wonderfully coordinated and culturally relevant. Couldn't be happier - highly recommend Cultural Italy!

We cannot be more pleased with our 16-day tour arranged by Pia Accardo of Cultural Italy. Through several phone calls Pia learned what we like and dislike, the things we wanted to see and do, our physical limitations, and the budget we had for hotels, etc. The private tours, guides, and drivers that she lined up were delightful, very knowledgeable, and friendly. Pia is an expert on Italy and she takes great care in designing an itinerary to fit your needs. You will not be disappointed in working with her.

After having a positive experience with them for a trip to Greece, we decided to use them for our 30th wedding anniversary to Italy. We were thoroughly disappointed in our trip to Italy as it cost us almost $20,000 and there was nothing about the trip that warranted such a cost. Our accommodations were subpar as were most of our tours. That cost did not include airfare or food. We were told that they were an expert in Italy and there was nothing expert about anything that we received on this trip. They didn’t even bother to let any of the hotels that we stayed at know it was our 30th wedding anniversary. I made it very clear to them that I wanted the experience to be as good if not better than Greece and nothing was nearly as good as our Greece experience. I also found out that the reason that this was is because they had a different travel agent plan our Greece experience. They used someone who was an expert in Greece instead of using one of their travel agents. We were completely ripped off and we asked multiple times for an itemized statement as to what our expenses were and we were told we could not have one. We were also told that their fee was 25–30% higher than if we would have booked on our own. I did not know this and had I known this prior to booking, I would not have booked with them. They refused to take any responsibility for our subpar accommodations and kept blaming us for our disappointment. The only thing they offered us was when we canceled our last ciry, Venice, they offered to give us some vouchers. They told us if we booked with them again they would make sure we had the trip of our dreams. I thought that was what I was getting when I booked with them originally. I told them I would never book with them again! And if I were you, I wouldn’t either.

Ci sono molte emozioni. Impressioni positive

My wife and I wanted to take a trip to Italy, and I reviewed for weeks on the Internet tons of available tours. Then I learned about Cultural Italy. I believed working with a travel agent in Italy would be far more effective then with one in the USA who might have traveled to Italy but who couldn’t possibly have the insight of a person who actually lived and worked there. Working closely with Fiiorella Sartori, we designed a special vacation that covered all the spots we wanted to see. Fiorella put together an itinerary that included Venice, Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast and the Isle of Capri. We told her the sights we wanted to visit. We also gave her specific dates on which we could travel and a budget we could work with. We told her we didn’t want exclusively private tours, but that we also didn’t want to tour with 50 people! Fiorella explained how traveling by high-speed rail would be so much better than traveling on a bus with 50 people because we would get to where we were going in far less time. Fiorella put together a package that included all the cities we wanted to visit, and guided tours to all the major sights in those cities. So of course we saw the Sistine Chapel, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum and Forum, Michaelangelo’s David, the ruins of Pompei, and so much more. She sent us an itinerary that included all of the railroad tickets and all of the tickets required to see all of these attractions. Everything Fiorella planned for us worked flawlessly. Drivers met us at train stations, guides met us at the sites we were touring, and all the hotels were beyond satisfactory. At the ruins of Pompei we had a fantastic private guide who had actually written a book on Pompei. Our tour of the Coliseum included only about 10 people. Our ride down the Amalfi Coast included only seven people in a Mercedes van. Our boat ride to Capri included only 11 people. Fiorella arranged everything perfectly. Most of the tours I had previously researched included most meals. Now having taken this trip, I realize that, though saving us money, this would have been the worst decision we could have made. Yes, it cost more to buy our own lunches and dinners, but at least we could walk around when we wanted, look at as many menus as we wanted, and eat where and when we wanted. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We experienced very few issues, but when one arose, Fiorella was quick to resolve it. When we arrived in Sorrento, our taxi driver couldn’t drive right up to the hotel because the street it was on was being paved just when we got there. There was wet tar everywhere, and we didn’t know how to get to the hotel without stepping in it. We called Fiorella, who called the hotel, and within a few minutes two men from the hotel met us and carried our luggage to the hotel. Great service. In summary, I would say that Fiorella and Cultural Italy proposed a perfect trip for us, did all of the work (hotels, tours, guides, tickets) to make this a pressure-free and issue-free vacation, and was there when we needed her. We are happy to leave this glowing 5-Star review for a company that has earned our trust and respect.

I have been to Cultural Italy twice before and have enjoyed the experience both times. The guides give a great deal of insight into the history of the country, which is another reason I like Cultural Italy. I would recommend you check them out