scapjm

We had rain on our trip back to ship from Florence. Then a double rainbow!! 6 of us in Mercedes white van. Simona, our driver, was awesome!

Christy, Italy tours gave us a meeting time based on our ship, Viking Jupiter, at Livorno port last November. On tour day, as we stepped off the ship, before we even walked down the ramp, our driver was holding up our names. Granted our ship was way smaller than yours but I’m sure Cristina knows how to be sure you are on your way with your group. Once you book, you get a VERY detailed email with instructions. And I still hounded them with questions. They (Cristina or Maria) answered every one with kind replies. Don’t hesitate to ask them your questions so you’ll rest easy and continue to enjoy your trip planning and anticipation. We just booked another excursion with them for next fall on the Celebrity Constellation. They are very conscientious!

Don’t blame you. I’m surprised to read this based on our experience but that’s not right; they should be responding to you directly. We also like Bella Italia tours… used them for our first day, while at the Livorno port. Our friends did all the communicating with them and were very happy about it. Same large Mercedes van that they refer to as minivans.

Do ask them what kind of minivan you will be in. We hired them and it was lovely. It was a Mercedes “minivan”, nothing like the American “minivans”. Leather seats very comfy, tall interior. One of the couples on our tour to Florence was probably at least 6 foot two he looked very comfortable. The day prior, we toured with Bella Italia, and same thing; Mercedes “minivan” they are large!! PS, a tall person can always choose to be in the front next to the drivers. That tall man in our group, got into a rear seat with his wife, and another man sat up front. All very comfortable and friendly.

We were there with you! And Steve and Kerrie from Australia! It was a great tour!

My husband and I and friends took a Viking cruise a few weeks ago (November 2023) called the iconic Western Mediterranean. We were in Livorno port for two days and the second of the two, we wanted to go to Florence. I came across ItalyTours while looking at options besides the Viking excursions. I liked what I saw: opportunity for a very small group and a guide, a good price. I began email communications, and was very pleased with the responses. Being our first trip to Europe and on a cruise, I was a little nervous about the fact that our ship would set sail out of port at 6 PM. Multiple communications (I’m a pain in the you-know-where) with Ria, Rachele and Cristina all assured me there would be no problem, and with tailor our excursion to begin earlier in the morning. After booking and paying, we received a lengthy, extremely detailed message regarding meeting times, communications etc. could not be more thorough and very reassuring… well long story short, we could not have been happier with our choice to tour with this company! As we were told, we were met at the dock right on schedule. In fact, as we stepped out of the door of the ship, my husband saw the sign with my name. We were six people in a clean, comfy Mercedes van with a lovely driver named Simona. She was more than a driver, pointing out so many different things along the way, explaining. Her English was perfect, and her Italian accent was delightful. She was a significantly lovely part of our adventure. We had been told we would meet our guide in Florence who would take us on a walking tour, and get us to the Academie to see the original sculpture of David… so we were met by Virginia, who was also lovely and delightful, and she did more than get us there; she ushered us in past the line, pointed out where the restrooms were, and set up a meeting time. When we were done there, we continued with her on our delightful walk through parts of the city, through the Uffizzi gallerie, the Ponte Vecchio bridge, and other amazing wonders. She took us to the Piazza and pointed out where we would meet up with Simona later on. We had a perfect few hours to roam out on our own, and had delightful lunch at Osteria Del Porcellino. Simona was parked exactly where Virginia said she would be …well before our appointed time and we were happy to patiently wait for the others to arrive back as it had started raining heavily. We had a delightful ride back to the ship that included seeing a double rainbow, and more pleasant conversation with our driver and information… it was perfect day and we were back on the ship at 4 PM. Thank you Italy Tours; we will always recommend you very highly!!