Aldo from sorrento or Franceso Marrapese

[bappo]

ALso wanted to know if anyone has any opinions on Aldo from Sorrento and Francesco Marrapese? We are considering using one of these drivers for our tour of the AMalfi Coast. Rates are similiar, but know a little bit more about Francesco than ALdo. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

 

Barb

[Queenk2]

Check out Nello from info@drivesorrento.. He was a fabulous guide. He is very personable as well as extremely knowlegable about the Amalfi coast.He will customize the day to suit your needs. My husband and I had one fabulous day in Naples with this gentleman!

Karen

[Gypsy76]

Go with Aldo, they are both very good, but Aldo just has that little bit extra something...don't know what it is, but he is brilliant and you will not be disapointed:)

[bappo]

Thanks Gypsy76. Think we will go with ALdo. His wife sent us a super e-mail outlining the itinerary. What areas of the Amalfi coast did you see with him, and anything special that are must sees? Thanks.

 

 

Barb

[muse_clio]

We have booked Francesco for our group from the Grand Times, Grand Med cc group in May. He has been quite helpful, and when i did the research, his name came up with positive comments over and over. His website: http://www.francescomarrapese.com/tour_amalfidrive.htm

[BarbMatt]

I'm also having the same issue - Aldo or Francesco??

Any other feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks

[Tropic]

We contact Francesco and though not available coordinated to have Dominico as our driver who was wonderful. Would use them in a heart beat.

[BarbMatt]

So are you telling me you booked with Francesco - and he sent another guy??

[muse_clio]

Thought I would follow up my earlier post with actual experience with Francesco. Thumbs up and stars all around for him. He was wonderful. Here are some points to consider:

1. He has a brand new Mercedes van, quite spacious, and good air conditioning. Good windows for photo taking. Comfortable seats, with doors that open in front and BOTH sides.

2. His written and spoken English are excellent. He does have an Italian accent, very melodic, that made me want to put him in my suitcase and take him home. Alas, it was my honeymoon, and that wasn't an option.

3. He's very accommodating. He constantly asked if there was something specific that we wanted to see or do.

4. He has the Italian graciousness, even to the point of hand carrying for us some boxes of souveniers that we gave to a friend at the port in Naples.

5. He was born and raised on the Amalfi Coast, so he REALLY knows the area. He knows the "tourbook" kind of facts, but he also knows little tidbits that make the area come to life. For example, he told us about the making of the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" and how and where some scenes were shot. He also knew when the traffic would start, and how to time our visit to avoid that traffic when possible.

6. He was very concerned about returning us to the ship on time.

7. He arranged a very good Pompeii tour guide for us, whose name was Vincenzo.

 

We would rebook with him in a heartbeat.

 

Any questions about Francesco that i can answer, please email me! :)

[KnoxvilleSam]

We hired Francesco last summer when we were in Naples and the Amalfi Coast. He is highly recommended on Fodor's BB as well as here. He was prompt, reliable, engaging, and easy on the eyes for my wife and her friend Beth. He was not available to pick us up at the Naples train station and take us to our hotel in Positano but did arrange for another driver. He was available the following day for a full-day tour of the Amalfi Coast (including Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano, and other smaller towns) and took us to Pompeii where he arranged for an official tour guide (Enzo). When we told him that we were going to Capri for a couple of nights before returning to Naples for our train back to Rome, he offered to pick us up at the hydrofoil dock in Naples and take us to the train station - he was quite worried about us getting to the train station on time and with a reliable driver. He met our boat, helped us carry the bags to his Merceded van, drove us to the train station, helped us carry our bags to the waiting room in the train station, pointed out the track we needed for our train to Rome, etc.

 

We were so happy with his service and friendliness that we are using him again in a couple of weeks when we get to Naples when we're on our Med cruise on the Millennium.

 

I don't know Aldo, but I'm sure there are many good drivers available. But I do know Francesco, and he's good.

 

KnoxvilleSam

 

P.S. There is a picture of Francesco with my wife and her friend on the testimonial page of his web site.

[Host Karen]

muse_clio, thanks for posting your review here, and I'm sure the OP will appreciate it. CruiseCritic encourages its members to ask and answer questions on the website so that everyone may benefit from your experience. So, if anyone has questions for you and posts them here, I hope you will be kind enough to answer them and offer your assistance online in the future.

 

Thanks again!

 

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

[muse_clio]

absolutely! I want to "pay forward" the help and kindness I received when I was planned our cruise. We did tours in several ports, and I will be posting a tour guide/driver report in the Europe forum in the next few days.

[itsanita]

We had the pleasure of spending the day with Francesco 2 weeks ago. He was great...I completely agree with everything that has been said. He is a true gentleman and a wonderful guide.

[beantownbaby]

I chose Aldo because I liked that he visited Pompeii at the end of the day, and his wife, Chris, speaks great English. On the day of our tour, I saw Aldo waiting for us, but alas, it wasn't Aldo, it was Carmine. Apparently, Aldo had an emergency dental appointment and sent Carmine in his place. Had Carmine not been such a doll, I might have been upset. We had a fantastic day with Carmine. My nephews, 8 and 10 years old, LOVED him. He took us to a great little restaurant near Positano, and seemed to know a great deal about the area. He was our favorite of all the ports we visited. In addition, the guide they arranged for us at Pompeii, Pina, was the best. She made Pompeii come alive for us.

[muse_clio]

ALso wanted to know if anyone has any opinions on Aldo from Sorrento and Francesco Marrapese? We are considering using one of these drivers for our tour of the AMalfi Coast. Rates are similiar, but know a little bit more about Francesco than ALdo. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. Barb

 

Our tour in May 2006 of the Amalfi Coast was with Francesco and his services were superb. Wonderful no-smoking vehicle, excellent suggested stops, great driver (important on the Amalfi Coast), and excellent English language skills. Also very good with responding to emails, and his rates were (at the time) lower than others. And he was easy on the eye (i noticed even on my honeymoon!) and a true gentleman. His knowledge of the area was amazing, but then he's from the area. The restaurant we stopped at for lunch had a take your breath away view and complimentary limoncello. 5 Stars for Francesco

[MomC]

I, too, would like to hire Francesco based on recommendations on this thread. Could someone please post his e mail address and website?

 

Thanks,

MomC

[gdayhoff]

We used Francesco in July 2006 and agree with everything Muse Clio said.Wonderful guide.Great time.

[muse_clio]

I, too, would like to hire Francesco based on recommendations on this thread. Could someone please post his e mail address and website?

 

Here you go! Best wishes on your trip.

 

E-mail:info@francescomarrapese.com

Web site: www.francescomarrapese.com

Fax: +39 0815323480

[mimrodg11]

Another vote for Aldo. His services are supremely professional and, in addition, he has the most wonderful personality we have encountered in a private guide.

[BooBooTX]

Would someone please post contact info for Aldo? Thanks!

[mimrodg11]

I have two addresses for you to try.......chrismiller@libero.it and http://www.aldotaxi.net.....hope they work...

[Ashlea13vb]

Another thumbs-up for Aldo - we had a fantastic day with him!

 

One thing I loved is that we actually took a hydrofoil over to Sorrento to meet him when the ship docked. Seeing the Bay of Naples (and Mt. Vesuvius!) from hydrofoil was outstanding - a perfect way to begin the day. He then took us on our amazing tour of the Amalfi Coast - Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello, and then a few hours in Pompeii.

[dileep]

Another vote for Aldo. His services are supremely professional and, in addition, he has the most wonderful personality we have encountered in a private guide.

 

Great! We have booked Aldo for our Oct cruise.

[jburp]

You people make these 2 drivers sound fantastic. I am now second guessing my choice of Benvenuto Limos (Giovanni Benvenuto) for our Amalfi coast, Positano tour. Should I change my mind?