Italy's Treasures Starting From $4,999 pp* Art, Food & Wine of Italy

Villa Lecchio Cooking Class in Tuscany

The pre-planning and direct execution of this tour brought us far more joy than I had hoped; way beyond my expectations. The locations we visited and the hotels we stayed in were top-notch. Our Tour Guide (Elena) was very knowledgeable and perfectly, appropriately friendly. (Our only struggle was before the trip on account of the many COVID restrictions and paperwork).

I have been on Collette tours many times and have never been disappointed.

Always a great trip with Collette!!

Luigi (our tour manager, was INCREDIBLE! We have already booked our next tour group for next year and would like to request him. He is aware of our request and is excited to see us again if that can be arranged. The tours we did were perfect for our group. We loved all of them. Our driver, Raffaele was wonderful. The spots he squeezed that coach into earned him several rounds of applause. See the video I put together of our trip here: https://fb.watch/c_hv30Sp3g/ Some feedback that would improve the tour even more. The first hotel was INCREDIBLE! The location, furnishings, service...everything was 5 star. The next two hotels were in beautiful locations, had stunning views but they were nowhere near that first one. The second hotel in the castle was beautiful and again, in a great location, but the room bed was very uncomfortable with rock hard beds and flat pillows. The other issue at this property was that they had no luggage racks or places to put your luggage. so, our luggage was just left open on the floor. This was fine for us but I cannot imagine someone over 65 doing this and being ok with it. A couple of luggage rack, some new pillow and a foam pad on the bed and this would be a home run. As it was, I woke up every morning and my back and neck hurt from the poor bed and I am not even 50! The "tuscan villa" room was very disappointing based on our expectations. It was not in the Tuscany hills. The positive to that is that it was very close to the town square, but I would change the description to a hotel located in a converted villa to avoid disappointment for future travelers. The food was excellent there. Our view was of a courtyard that was very pretty but several in our group had a view of the roof or no view at all. This is very disappointing especially after the first two places. This hotel was switched out at the last minute for another because the first choice was under construction. It was a let down after the Regina Palace for sure. The hotel in Venice was perfect. Great location, comfy beds, and welcoming staff with a great breakfast. The Lake Maggiore Cruise was disappointing because Isola Bella was closed. That was pretty much the whole reason we added this on was to see that island. Instead we saw a free public park and got 15 minutes on the lake. When I mentioned this to Luigi, he got us a refund and a free gondola ride in Venice. This was above and beyond what i would have expected and spoke to the quality that Collette represents. The transfer company that you used to pick us up from home and drop us back off was WONDERFUL! I am considering using them for my daughters wedding transportation. Just fabulous! The only serious negative feedback would be for Anne in your 24 hour service desk. MaryAnne and Elaina from our group went to Albany airport and could not check in because their flight had been cancelled. They called me and I called the 24 hour line and had the misfortune of getting Anne. The options that she offered were to get them there a day late OR to have them somehow get a ride to JFK to meet us instead of leaving from ALB. Collette cancelled these flights. So, I told her that i was not ok with those options and asked for others. They told me that they did not have anything else. I told her that, if she could not get them transportation to JFK or get them on another flight that I would be happy to call Christian at home and see if he could come up with anything else. I should not have to drop an executive's name to get this resolved. After telling her that, miraculously, they found them a flight on United and rebooked them. I thought things were all fixed and the ladies were thrilled as they have status on United. They ended up in the back of coach in separate sections, not seated together for a 12 hour flight o less than ideal but they got there within a few hours of the rest of us. That would have been the end of it, but on their flight home, Mary Anne got a call from the driver who was waiting for them at the airport. They were still in Newark. Anne had never followed up to be sure that their flights were updated with the transfer company! I called in to the 24 hour line again. Unfortunately, I got Anne again. She remembered the ladies and said that she had sent the request but never gotten confirmation back from the transfer company. I said, ok, so we need to get her a ride home then. Her reply, "worst case, they will take a cab and we will reimburse them". I told her that was not an option. These ladies have been traveling all day. They booked a 4 star luxury vacation and they needed a ride home like they were promised. She replied, "What can I do to make you happy?". At this point, I was tired and angry and had enough of Ann so I was less than polite. I told her that, short of turning back time and not screwing up my clients flights to start with, you can get them a driver to take them home from the airport." She said that she would try but she was not sure if it could be done. Again, I said, ok well let me know if you cannot and I will reach out to Jaclyn or Christian and see if they can help. Again, only at this point did she actually get a ride for my clients from the airport. I own my own agency and I would not want someone like this working in my 24 hour desk. She told me that she works in the air department. I would not have this person taking calls from travelers with an issue. The Anne situation aside, we had a fabulous trip! Villa Il Leccio (which was a last minute sub) wit Giada and Paulo was a highlight, as was Oira and Mario. These small, private gatherings are what i love about Explorations Tours. As I said, we have already booked for next year with tour of southern italy and sicily for june 2-13th. My only request would be to take a look at feedback for the hotels for that tour because I have and a couple of them are really not good. I just want to be sure that we have great properties to stay in. See the feeback from a couple of those below and maybe have product take a look. Super excited to bring another group to Italy with Collette. Feel free to call with any questions or clarifications. Thanks! 2nd hotel for the southern Italy and Sicily tour - read the recent reviews here - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g675638-d577986-Reviews-Baia_di_Ulisse_Wellness_SPA-San_Leone_Agrigento_Province_of_Agrigento_Sicily.html The MH Matera gets very mixed reviews. Lots of mentions of rude staff and hard beds. The rest of the properties on the tour look like they are first rate. Just wanted to point out the all the negative reviews so product may want to reconsider these mentioned above. From the minute I booked this tour almost a year ago, Jen Roser and Todd Bridges have been absolutely wonderful! I love working with this company and the professionals that represent it. Meeting Christian and Todd at the Affluent Traveler symposium in Florida was wonderful and they are so passionate about the company, the product and really seemed to care about us as advisors and our clients. That reflects in the quality of product you offer. Thank you for giving me something that i can sell confidently and know that my clients will always be well care for (unless Anne answers the phone :)) I was representing NEST and Affluent as an Elite agency in NY and just missed Jaclyn. I look forward to meeting her in person soon.

Great accommodations, good experiences in food wine. Tour guide was wonderful

Great accomidations. Outstanding tour guide.

Well organized. Tour had a nice mix of sites. Accommodations good.

Well organized, nice variety of sites/activities. Tour Manager was knowledgable and efficient. Our stay at the charming villa in Tuscany, with the side trips to Sienna and Lucca, was my favorite part of the trip.

All went very well. The accommodations, the food, the service, the Tour Manager were exceptional. The only negative comment I have is that our last stay fell a little short in that our rooms were not set up according to our requests and the farewell dinner was not as exceptional as the others which leads me to believe that when the end of the holiday is near details don't matter. Unfortunately, that is why I gave you a four and not a five.

The food and wine were exceptional except for the last night. I felt that the plating and choices of the 2nd course fell short compared to what we experienced at the beginning and middle of the tour. It would have been nice to have a beef or pork dish offered.

Accommodations, tour guides, destinations all top rated.

We saw a lot of beautiful places, had excellent food experiences, all led by a wonderful guide. I loved Bologna street market.

Elena, the tour director was amazing and made the tour 5 stars. There was a perfect balance between organized activities and free time. We visited some amazing, non touristy places that gave a true feel of Italy.

Cooking class and visit to the locally owned vineyards was a great experience. All but one of the local guides in the cities we visited were very engaging and knowledgeable.

Dario Panniello was the best Collette guide ever! He was high energy, gave of his own time during many of our "free time" excursions, sincerely cared about each person on the tour, made sure our optional excursions proceeded without issues (even when other groups were trying to cut in front of our group), gave clear directions, was happy to repeat directions, provided maps he created for shopping, was friends with everyone (without favorites) … everything we could hope for in a guide! We loved the wine tastings, the food tastings, and the hands on cooking class! Each location was wonderful and the local guides were marvelous!

Amazing selection of locations, experiences, and a wonderful Collette guide.

Best tour yet! Dario excellent guide, would tour anywhere with his expertise

Each day, well organized, open time provided,and Dario provides other options

Our experience with Collette was great. Main tour guide excellent. Hotels/ Villa were perfect. Loved Italy and Collette's choices of places to visit, food experiences. The guides in the different cities good. Another day in Venice would have been good. Maybe I should have stayed on my own a few days more.

So many favorites. I guess Venice pretty incredible. At the same time loved the lake area with the backdrop of the alps and Italian Riviera / Cinque Terre.

City tours, accommodations and places to experience the local food and wine were outstanding.

The Villa Lecchi in Tuscany! The people, Scenery, food and accommodations.

Our tour manager Antonella Regi was amazing. Knowledgeable, patient, professional. I was hospitalized the first night of our tour and Antonella accompanied me to the hospital, translated for me and supported me through the process. I was able to rejoin the tour the next day and was very grateful for her support. I liked listening to her background talks about the places we were visiting. She has the perfect personality for managing a bunch of tourists and did it with grace and humor.

excellent tour manager. She was knowledgeable and managed the tour with grace and humor.

Absolutely everything was perfect. Antonella was so passionate about sharing her knowledge of her beautiful country and did everything to make our trip special. We have already recommended Collette to many and will continue to do so!

I cannot single one thing out as every day was perfect!

Everything was well planned and executed. There was even a couple of spontaneous add ons that added to our fun

Absolutely fantastic, a trip we'll never forget.

Our tour manager Guilio welcomed us with open arms and showed us the generous open heart of Italy as well as the explaining the history and culture of each region we visited. The smaller numbers of people on the "explorations" tour gave us the feeling of being guests in the homes of the marvelous villas, castles, vineyards and charming Italian medieval villages that we that we toured.

Our stay at The Villa Lecchi in Tuscany was living in PARADISE! The Food! The View! The personal attention given! Bella! Bella! Bella!

The trip and locations we visited were awesome. But what truly made our trip was our amazing tour manager, Antonella Regi. She was stellar.

Besides our amazing tour manager, Antonella (who really made the trip), my favorite place was Stresa and the small town of Oira. It was so intimate and I loved seeing the simplicity of a medieval town.

It started with Antonella - she was absolutely amazing. So warm, engaging and knowledgable. I would take another trip that she leads. I loved all of the places that we went, although I would change Cinque Terre. Was so hot and wasn't that impressed, although the story was interesting and amazing.

The kindness of Antonella allowed us to relax enough to be able to enjoy the whole experience. Because of that attitude, I was able to completely take in the trip.

Excellent trip. Tour manager was the best. Great locations and great food, and great wines. I would recommend this trip to everyone.

Everything was fantastic .

Sergio was fantastic. He kept everything moving smoothly. Very nicely priced. Tour was excellent. We have been wanting to visit the Lake District, and the tour of the area was perfect for us.

Lake area was beautiful. Sergio made our whole experience perfect

The itinerary, our hotels, the driver and the tour manager were excellent-five stars all the way! We received the highest level of service on this tour which included the best tour manager we've ever had; "Cookie"! .

The highlight to our trip was the four night stay @ Villa Lecchi in the Tuscany region. The villa, the owners, the staff and the food were top notch. We were treated like family! Regarding the trip rating, I cannot give the tour an overall five star rating because of the improper classification of a "3" activity level which is documented in the 18/19/20 brochures and online. Based on this rating, I booked four passengers on this trip (ages 74-85) who in the end, really couldn't handle the pace and the exertion required to fully enjoy the tour because it should be rated as a "4". This is an issue that should be reviewed by management and corrected in future publications so that travel agents and travelers can make the right travel decision. It's important to note that because of this "classification error" some of my clients are unlikely to return to Collette for future travel. As for me, although I continue to be impressed with the quality provided by Collette, I no longer feel confident in their activity level ratings which is critical when dealing with the population that can afford this type of trip.

Certainly the tour and tour guide were excellent. However, our travel agent said this tour was a 3 on a scale of 1 -5. When we realized there was no way we could keep up the pace, we questioned our Collette tour guide. She said it was a 4. Being in our 70's, we NEVER realized the pace, amount of walking, climbing of stairs (and without railings I must add). All of the Cinque Terre towns offered the same views, restaurants, shops. There was no reason to tour them all, although we did only 4. Some of us just sat by the water on the last town, Much too much for seniors,

I loved Stressa, Lucca, and Tuscany, especially at Villa Lecchi. I could have stayed there for a week. The family was so wonderful and charming, We should have been told Italy has no railings on steps - in the US they are everywhere. And no grab bars in the bathrooms. Dangerous for seniors, We were all afraid we would fall down the steps while in Florence especially.

Loved that they provided transportation to and from the airport. Right size group. Great tour manager. Wonderful meals and accommodations. Well planned itinerary. Loved that we had a lot of interaction with locals. Visited interesting places that larger groups would not be able to go.

Staying at Villa Lecchi was like staying with family in a beautiful villa. The food was wonderful and it was nice to have a home base for four days.

A great tour guide, good accommodation, and excellent tours and meals.

I love that we had at least two nights in each hotel and four days in the villa in Tuscany.

From start to finish everything was taken care of in a professional manner. The young lady who led the tour was excellent would love to be on another trip with her leading the tour.

Every day was filled with new trips. I loved Luca,Sienna the five star hotel in Stressa . The Villa in Tuscany was delightful, terrific breakfasts and the views were amazing. So many highlights for me too many to tell you. It was amazing everyday.

Loved the group leader, liked staying more than one night at a hotel, very interesting places

Veniceee previous statement

Selection of all hotels were excellent. Very knowledgeable tour manager and good with Managing challenges at times and a variety of personalities. All tours selected were great.

Provided great overall experience and favorite memories are all equally enjoyable

Excellent tour manager (Cinthya Pavan). She is a Collette treasure!

Loved that there were so many dinners and tastings included. Each one was truly an adventure.

Our tour manager Sergio Solazzo was marvelous. He was knowledgeable, super nice, entertained us with funny stories, and kept us informed many times every day about the events and schedule for the day. I was not feeling well for much of the trip and he was concerned about me, asking multiple times each day how I was. Everything was just as promised; however the weather was bad for much of the trip and we were not able to do the Lake Maggiore cruise.

See the previous comments

Excellent tour manager, local guides and driver of our bus. Wonderful car service and connections to and from airport BEAUTIFUL hotels

Four days spent at the villa in Tuscany

Yes I would definitely travel with them again. We stayed in great hotels and the tour manager was very good.

Loved the little quaint places we visited even more than the major cities. It gave me a real feeling of the Italian culture.

We enjoyed Italy trip immensely. Cinthya Pavan was excellent tour director. She was very organized, caring and flexible and entertained concerns of all the participant. We also liked the small group travel.

There were so many wonderful experiences that is is hard to single out one - Cirque Terre, Sienna, Lucca and a surprise addition of San Gimignano where we had the best Gelato. We propose that it should be included in the itinerary.

Outstanding tour director. He was knowledgeable, personable, and respective of each of us. The cities and activities at small farms and villages could not have happened on one's own. Restaurants scheduled by the tour were quite good as well as those recommended by the tour guide.

We have travelled previously with Collette and this trip was by far the best. The ability to stay in one hotel for more than one night and make trips from that base was more effective than moving every day. The smaller group allowed people to interact effectively and move more quickly.

Tour guide often walked too fast for the group. Physical requirements were not adequately described for this trip. Some of the seniors of our group found this trip quite challenging, Two of our four accommodations were really shabby.

I loved the gondola ride in Venice!

My reaction may be based on my age and the fact that I'm not a 'morning person'. It was stressful to have to make an 8:30 bus in the mornings to head out. Also, experiencing Italy is very affecting and until I took a personal 'day off' there wasn't time to 'process' the experiences. One of my best days was spent on my own in Venice walking at my own pace and stopping in shops or for refreshment. Although a seagull did steal my half finished slice of pizza while I walked in St. Mark's Sq. Something to warn people about and now, "I have a story to tell".

Previously discussed. At the pasta making demonstration the woman/cook had a magnificent singing voice which was an exceptional treat.

The most enjoyable trip. Our Tour Guide Antonella was terrific. She turned lemons into lemonade, arranging for an evening boat ride to an island that was mostly closed for season and had the restaurant open for us to serve dinner. She showed us places that were a complete surprise and very interesting. Our handsome bus driver Daniele was a marvel, his driving skills are 5 star, very polite in assisting us on and off the bus. Our traveling companions were entertaining, we all got along very well and had some great memorable times. I’m ready for the next Collette tour.

Arriving at the gorgeous Regina Palace in Stresa and meetung our tour guide and traveling companions.

Everything we hoped for! Driver and tour guide were exceptional, and the experiences were fun and educational at the same time. Would highly recommend this company, especially small tour groups.

Really liked going to the BellaDonna winery, making noodles, meeting the owner, and the meal.

I did not like the villa because it was too isolated. the trip to all the places were too long on the bus. I would have liked more time in Venice and less in Tuscany visiting more than one frattoria.

Do to the rains, we were not able to go to Cinque terre. I became ill. None of these were the fault of Collette but made the trip less than stellar.

We had a great time. Our tour director Mickey, was perfect. Professional, competent, and very kind. She almost blamed herself for Venice flooding when we were there. Great trip

Tour guide was great. Hotels were excellent especially in stresa

The service teams' responsiveness and care was wonderful.

The itinerary was very well thought out. Accommodations were good to excellent. The tour director was outstanding.

This was an outstanding tour. The only change would be to limit the time at the leather factory to one half hour. Food was great. Hotels outstanding. But the best was our tour guide, Annajetta. What an enthusiastic lady. The group size of 20 was just perfect. This was my fourth Collette tour in the last three years. You are the best and I will not travel with any other company. Keep up the good work.

Great all over tour. Would highly recommend.

Excellent tour guide. Made Italy come alive for us. Always helping where needed to make the tour as enjoyable as possible for everyone. She was extremely knowledgeable, fun and enthusiastic. Consistently well located, high quality hotels. Food was delicious and in abundance. Our guide took us to out of the way places that only a native Italian would know about. These restaurants and wineries featured local specialties and delicious cuisine. Great bus driver--safe and courteous. Even the detail of Collette taking care of our luggage enhanced our enjoyment of the trip. Our tour group was congenial. We all enjoyed each others' company. Highly recommend this company to others.

There are many special memories. Dinner al fresco in Venice. The breathtaking view from our villa in Tuscany. A cooking class in a beautiful winery snuggled in the country. Walking along the shore in Sestre Levante. Sipping cappuccinos in many town squares. Incredible paper sculptures in Lucca. The antiquity of the buldings and how carefully they have been preserved. The pride Italians take in their homes and their everyday activities. The consistent attention to clean fresh linens, glassware and cutlery on the tables at every cafe and restaurant. Nice to see a total absence of throwaways!

Excellent guide in Italy!!! Sergio was informative, very helpful, entertaining, and professional. I’d take a tour led by him again. I thoroughly enjoyed all the places we went.

I loved Venice, the lakes in northern Italy, and the Tuscan area. I also loved the day spent in Cinque Terra.

T.M. Maria Pillar made the trip

All places we went to, Maria and local T M's all again were fantastic.

It was a dream come true. Our Tour Manager, Maria Pilar was outstanding. The accommodations were superb. The food, the wine, the tours were more than I could have wished for. Our one incident was caused by a local and was handled by Pilar very professionally. She went above and beyond what was expected of her. Looking forward to our next tour with Collette.

The small towns were a delight. From our first hotel in Stresa to our last in Venice, the accommdations were great.

Our tour of northern Italy was spectacular! Not only were the sites magnificent, but the area was brought to life and the entire tour greatly enhanced by our tour director, Pilar Roccio. Pilar is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and completely involved in making a tour the best experience for each traveler. I experienced so much more than my expectations. Her personable way helped to create a little family of our fellow travelers and us, which made the trip even better. Pilar made such a difference that I hope to take another tour with Pilar.

Staying in Tuscany in the Villa Lecchi as a home base for 4 nights allowed us to experience the beauty and food of the Tuscany countryside in the morning and evening, while seeing the sites in Florence, Sienna, etc.

The guide, Antonella Regi, was the best guide ever. She was caring, helpful and always full of exciting ideas!

A tour with 20 people is great. Our tour guide made the trip a truly memorable experience. The bus driver, Maurizio, was excellent! Could have done without Bologna. A boat to the Cinque Terra would have been better to get the experience of seeing it the way it appears in your ads!

The Tour Manager was wonderful. The Hotels were great. It was a group of 20 which was ideal.

Venice- San Gimignano- Cinque Terre

I would definitely travel with Collette again. The hotels were excellent and the included meals were fabulous, especially those we had at the villa and the wineries. It's those extras that make the trip.

My favorite experience were the tastings, wine and food, fabulous!

Everything scheduled was on time and the tour guide kept us informed very well.

The hands-on cooking, making pasta then touring the winery. Ate what we had made, a great experience. Lots of fun!

Great Itinerairy Great Guides

The Food The senery The people

I thought the places chosen to visit were very nice. I enjoyed traveling with the small group. It was a good experience.

Would have liked to have more meals included; however, I was pleased with all the meals and venues visited.

The tour guide was excellent and accomodating in scheduling extra excursions. I also enjoyed the scheduled places visited on our tour.

Staying at the Tuscan Villa was a beautiful and wonderful experience.

Our guide, Michela Lombardi, was excellent, most attentive to every detail. Itinerary was great! Trip pace was good. 4 day stay in Tuscany was super.

There were so many! The esthetic beauty in so many areas, the feeling in body, mind, spirit. The people, the food, the service, the fun!

Pretty helpful but we asked for 1st class plane seats and they said they couldn't do that. Our plane and seats changed and we were never told and ended in last seats by bathroom! I called and talked to Sunshine while awaiting getting on plane and she said it wasn't your fault and said I was lying and she wanted to talk to desk attendant who was doing plane boarding. I checked with the attendant before calling you and was told Collette was informed in January after we booked our trip in Nov 2017. THen Sunshine hung up on me.

Went to cities I never would have thought to go and they were wonderful. Guide Michela Lombardi was FANTASTIC, accommodations (except in Venice) were wonderful. Loved every minute once we got there and except for Venice-too touristy. And Linda the tour guide on the first island was very hard to understand and too into details of art work instead of history of the building.

This was our first Collette tour and we were extremely impressed with how well everything was organized, and especially appreciated the door-to-door service. We found Collette staff very cordial and helpful, always giving us the best value for our money. One example was during booking air travel arrangements, our advisor noted that the assigned seating on one of our flights was inconsistent with the class of service we had booked, and she proactively contacted us to work through it. And we can't say enough about our tour guide, Michela (Miki). She was not only remarkably knowledgeable, but was unflappable, and went above and beyond in taking me to a pharmacy in Sestri Levante when my wife needed some medication. Her infectious enthusiasm contributed to our entire group quickly forming friendships, some of which have continued beyond the tour.

Aside from a minor glitch on our first day (attributable to hotel staff, not Collette), we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our trip. This was our first time visiting Italy, and our first time with Collette, but it certainly won't be our last! It is difficult to name just one memorable experience, but the highlight for us was the four days spent in Tuscany, and specifically at Villa Lecchi. We felt like part of the family and couldn't believe the beautiful scenery in every direction. The food throughout the trip was unbelievable! Another memorable, and touching, experience was an unplanned stop at the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial just before Memorial Day. It gave us a small glimpse into the appreciation felt by the Italian people for America's role in liberating the country from German oppression.

Very disappointed in your communicating to my wife and I that not only had our first set of Flights to Europe had changed but you did nothing to advise us that our seats had changed and we were basically in the last row. As we were boarding our flight to Italy your Staff actually called my wife a Liar POOR POOR. Came close to cancelling trip and flying home the day we arrived Our Tour Mgr Michele Lombardi was so so nice and calmed us down and did call Collette and she was told a different story basically OUR Fault Your selection of Hotels and side trips was A+, our Driver Mirko and Tour Guide AA++. The Tour Guide on the lsland off of Lake ORTA SUCKED Could not speak English and her talk WAS SO BORING nothing about Castle or inhabitants only about Art. My Wife ended up after a few minutes getting help from Michele and leaving The Hotel in Venice RUDE RUDE Pompous ASSES. When my Wife and I and other on our Tour asked for Helped getting the WiFi to work basically dismissed Breakfast Atrocious .. Something that made an omelet looked and tasted like DOG FOOD Have second thoughts of using your firm again.. If We Do we will take advice of fellow guests Book Flights on your Own Summary Hotels and Food AA++ except for Venice Tours Speakers AA++ except for Orta Driver Mirko and Tour Mgr Michele AAA+++ Your Communications D

Our Fellow Guests and Michele and Mirko made Trip

Our tour director made the trip! Collette took care of everything and the choices they made on destinations, hotels and local tour guides was top knotch. But, the tour director made it fun!!! If only we could choose her in the future, but I know that is not possible. She bonded the group and made us laugh, each and everyday.

We chose the Italy's Treasures trip. Also called the Food, Wine and Art tour. Best decision we ever made. Tuscany was hands down our favorite!

As always, a great, and itinerary fantastic hotels.

It was a small and fun group, with a tour guide of exceptional energy and knowlege

Every aspect of this tour was well organised. The blend of content gave a perfect insight into the areas visited and many experiences to remember.

This was an amazing tour. Each hotel was memorable for different reasons. From lakeside elegance to Tuscan country villa each hotel chosen lived up to its promise. Making pasta for our own lunch was an experience and an achievement.

I love to travel with your professionals. I learn from all experiences a nd the company takes us to wonderful places. I will go with Collette again and again. The tour guides, the places, and the people who we meet on the trips are top notch. ❤️

Missed some of it but enjoyed what I was able to do.

Collette is a wonderful group. My husband and I have traveled three consecutive years with Collette and will travel again next year with them. They are extremely organized, the travel host is well versed in the history of the region, and everything is taken care of behind the scenes. I highly recommend Collette to anyone who wants to travel in style and comfort. The hotels are wonderful and the restaurants are excellent. Collette is our #1 choice for travel.

We loved our recent tour. The stay at the Villa in Tuscany was great. So relaxing and a beautiful in the Tuscan country-side. The owner was remarkable and the food was exquisite. Our tour hostess was outstanding. Everything was taken care of. All of our adventures were wonderful.

I would travel with Collette again. Loved the entire trip

Gondola in Venice. Seeing David in Florence

The trip was very well planned from our ride to our airport and then home. Our guide, Marco, was fantastic! He was personable and capable and really helped make the trip amazing! Our busdriver, Belagio, was teriffic as well!

It was all so memorable!! I loved the Tuscan countryside, the magnificent lakes, Cinque Terre, Venice, visiting local wineries, glassblowing... Truly truly wonderful!!!

Yes, I'd recommend them to anyone. The fact that trip insurance was part of the initial cost was "life saving" to put it bluntly. I had an accident during my first tour 10 Sept - 23 Sept. and if my Italy's Treasures tour manager, *******, hadn't recognized that I was in trouble, I wouldn't be here today. She arranged for a Dr to come to our hotel and followed through with me. I ended up in a hospital for 12 days receiving excellent care, eventually being flown home with a nurse ******. I had a subdural-hematoma and surgery to correct it.

My only regret is I never saw Venice! I will go back!

Everything! It started with the sedan service to the airport. Flight was easy. Our trip to Italy was amazing. We went to so many places and did things we never would have thought of but these were included in our tour. Hotels were awesome, food delicious and our tour group was so much fun. Everyone had a great time plus our tour manager, Tina was the best as well as our bus driver, Lorenzo. The trip was better than I had hoped!

Every town, village and city were remarkable with their architecture and art work from hundreds of years ago. We loved Tuscany and staying in a villa, making pasta, tasting wines in so many places. The activities and restaurants included in the tour helped make this adventure a extremely memorable experience. We loved the gondola ride in Venice also.

Tina took us places that we would have never seen on our own. She was organized and knew how to navigate towns and high traffic areas based on time of day. It was our honeymoon and she took time to add details to make the trip extra special.

Siena was absolutely breath taking! Venice was so unique and beautiful.

Staff was very helpful when I called to book. Transfer from airport to hotel went smo I thky. Our guide did his best to prvide for us.

Would have rated higher but tour bus was awful. Way too small and uncomfortable. Suggest you include tips in cost so you're not having to constantly worry about tipping. Really enjoyed Sienna and Venice. Cinque Terra has been ruined by all the tourists. Enjoyed the wineries and the inclusion of wine with meals.

This was our third trip with Collette. All have been excellent. This trip - Treasures of Italy was exceptional. Our tour director, Ernesta was superlative, extremely Informative, organized and very personable. Our small group - 21 on our tour, made for a more personal experience. It was a wonderful trip that went by far too quickly. We will book again through Collette. Curt & Ann Wilkins Smithfield, RI

Italia...fantastico.....The tour was well paced, very educational and included a wonderful group of fellow travelers and awespme tour director.....Eccezionale!

We loved the group size - 24. We left the tour as friends, email addresses and all, talking about doing another trip together again! Our guide- *********** was absolutely fabulous!! Very knowledgeable and very personable. One thing that we really appreciated, our bags were lost in route (KLM canceled a flight and we were rerouted) and ***** got right on it. She dogged the Milan airport people until they showed up. Very fond memories of the whole trip. Great job.

Our favorite stop was the first few days at Stresa. Of course we would like to go back to all of the places, but Stresa was out favorite.

We had excellent service from our tour manager and bus driver. Very helpful and friendly people. They were both very knowledgeable about the area we were in.

The tour was everything we hoped it would be.

*******, the tour guide was outstanding!!!

Great group of people on the tour! Liked the small group--24 people. Again, the tour guide, ***** and the bus driver, ********** were the best of the best!!!

This trip was an absolute favorite of all time! I could have done the trip over again in a minute. ******* was just an exceptionally good tour guide. She went above and beyond and made it a great experience for us all. We loved all of the accommodations and activities included on this tour and the food was beyond what we expected. Loved it all!

We feel that the dollars spent on this trip was worth every penny. Our expectations were truly exceeded in every way from the experienced guide, Pilar, to all of the accommodations that were included and the many experiences. Did I mention the food? Unbelievable!

The hotels, activities and sightseeing were well chosen, planned and executed. This was an overview trip and there are several places I'd like to revisit and spend more time. However, I have to say that a good deal of my praise goes the amazing tour manager that we had. He was extremely well organized, attended to detail and was one of the most amusing people I've ever met. Collette is extremely lucky to have him. He really cares about his job and his groups' experiences.

Hard to pick one; each town was unique and wonderful on its own. I'd have to say that Tuscany was great, especially the winery and medieval town that we visited.

Over all wonderful trip. Everything was well organized. Great local guides in every city. Restaurant choices for group meals were perfect. Our Tour Manager was loved by all.

The whole tour was great!

Wonderful experience. Would definitely use Collette again.

Every day was wonderful and full of new places and experiences. The 4 nights in Tuscany were my favorite. The views from our hotel were magnificent. Loved the Tuscan countryside. It was just as I imagined it.

Pick up at the terminal agent not visible took half hour to locate and was not in the area noted on the arrival information. Out of pocket meals were more than expected and too much free time in areas not located near major towns. More museum options should be offered instead of roaming the city and free time.

None. Too much down time and the time of the year is too hot and too many tourists.

One of the best trips ever of many I have taken. Over the years this is my 4th trip with Collette and I have been happy with all of them. In particular, Italy's Treasurers had us staying in the best places outside of large cities (except for Venice, of course) in picturesque villas seen only in movies. The whole experience was exceptional. Our guide *personal details removed by Feefo*, was outstanding. The only complaint was with our flights on American Airlines. Ancient equipment, food that was literally inedible and mostly surly flight attendants. I was embarrassed "America" was part of their name on an international plane carrying foreign passengers.

Living the dream of beautiful Tuscany.

billing error

fantastic hotels and villas in beautiful settings

I thought service was fine, no problems

Just a little to much walking. Could have done with another half day of freetime.

I find what makes the difference with Collette is their fabulous tour directors. We had a wonderful tour director on this latest trip to Italy *Personal details removed by Feefo* and an equally great director on a tour of South america we took several years ago. Really enjoyed the small group explorations format. I have already recommended Collette to friends *Personal Details removed by Feefo* loved the tour she took in Greece and I would recommend Collette again. I would also consider taking another tour with Collette

Enjoyed everything about the tour. The culinary experiences and tastings were a wonderful added touch.

good experience, normally enjoy a "guided" tour but this one had too much "free time" (I don't shop I go to see new things) I was very disappointed at the lack of guidance from the tour guide for the "free time" in fact we eliminated a stop so that people could go "Shopping). The TG did do us a few favors but there was always confusion in the direction & orders and often the message did not get to us. She was very knowledgeable and was good with the locals (spoke fluent Italian) but most of the time we didn't know what was going on next. I like certainty and order and it was not evident .Did I enjoy the sights and activities, you bet! but I'll be more selective in going on another Collette tour before I get some questions answered and know what I'm getting in to.

ate our way thru northern Italy

From the first when we decided on this trip I asked questions. They were mostly answered. A couple times I had to ask twice on an email and finally called and talked to a person.

Overall the tour was awesome. We took this tour because it was going where we wanted to go. We really liked the small travel group. One reservation, though. Wish Pisa was part of the itinerary. Can't imagine going to Northern Italy and NOT going to Pisa. We found a service to take us and a local guide to assist us once we got there along with 10 additional travel companions. Several days there was too much "free time" for shopping. The time could have been better spent with a guide. Many many memorable experiences. Our guide spoke great Italian and the local guides were all excellent. Our coach needed some cleaning. A few days the smell was hard to take. We would recommend this tour to those who want to go to northern Italy. Food and wine tasting experiences were above and beyond.

Poor value based on the price. Very expensive.

Poor value for price paid, overall, and hotel in Tuscany was a penal colony, absolutely nothing to do during down time except by pricey cab ride away (20€). Swimming pool /sauna cost 20€ for 1 use!

The Tour Manager was excellent. The Bus Driver was excellent. Everything proceeded as planned. The Tour Manager was very outgoing and went out of her way to make feel welcome to Italy. She way always there to answer questions, gave sound advice and completely/clearly explain was going to happen each day. She addressed the needs of each tour member and efficiently took care of any special needs individuals may have required. She fostered a warm friendly atmosphere for all.

Sights and sounds of Italy.

excellent

Day at the winery inTuscany

The hotels and the meals provided by Collette were great, as were local guides and experiences. Downside: our tour mgr was too young.

Loved Siena, Lucca, winery tours, provided dinners. Gondola ride was overpriced ($75/each).

7 excellent days, 3 so-so days. The airport plckup was late and two tour stops were unimpressive. The rest was delightful. If I hadn't been to Florence before, I would have been disappointed at the omission of important museums.

Our visit to Cinque Terre was very disappointing. I expected beautiful vistas and instead got souvenir shops

It was a wonderful trip in all regards. We loved being in a small group, both our guide and driver were excellent.

Just a grrrreat trip. The Tuscany region is just beautiful. We couldn't find a bad bottle of wine, nor a bad meal.

Knowledgeable tour guide, very nice hotels and food. Also day trips were very good.

Overall great tour. Favorite outing for me was organic farm dinner. Favorite town was Senna. Our tour guide was so good she made Italy come alive.

This was not a "high service" transaction, we paid our money and received our documents. Found no value to the printed bag from Collette. I liked the design of deeper exploration of a smaller area, especially tasting of wine and foods of areas. Would enjoy other small group tours.

I felt this tour was well planned, though I question the value of including the Cinque Terra, as it is so crowded. Loved all of the other included tours, enjoyed having free time. Tour manager was literally a fountain of information and history, but, treated the group a bit more like seasoned travellers" , which many were not! Could improve emphasis on meeting times and places, but other than that fine.

The hotels were in great locations, although Venice hotel was very dirty. Most destinations were beautiful....skip Bologna. It would have been nice to include the Accademia in Florence so we could see the David and to offer an optional weather permitting Boat tour of the Cinque terre. The tour manager was not interested in helping us plan anything other than was in the itinerary....she told me she "deflected questions" about anything that was not related to the tour we were on....she said, "why are they asking me about Switzerland...they don't need to know that." Our American Tour manager took the wrong train in Cinque Terre and spoke very poor Italian....she also lost a person on tour in Bologna....an Italian tour manager would have been better!!!

My most memorable experiences I did on my own...a boat tour to Cinque Terre and we took a taxi to San Gimingano....really the bus driver couldn't take us there? It was about a 10 minute ride from our Villa. The Tuscany landscape was beautiful...it would have been nice for bus driver to stop for pictures of lavender field, poppies and sunflowers, as well as picturesque hill top towns.

We had a wonderful time on this trip. Our tour guide was a delight and knew how to balance professionalism with fun. This tour was very rigorous and had one heck of a schedule. The things we got to see on this tour were both intimate and informative. The places we stayed were perfect and most of the food was good. The one disappointment for me was the cooking class. It was lame. The woman showed us how to make pasta by hand. I got to knead the dough for 1 minute. My vision for a cooking class was having someone take us to a market to purchase the fresh ingredients and to actually make a meal and eat it. Maybe a half day experience. I had seen videos of this type of class on line. A suggestion also... maybe have a bit more free/down time to explore and maybe catch our breath. The Cinque Terre experience would have been better if we could have done it by boat rather than train. I was hoping to take some beautiful pictures of the coastline of these cities. All in all.....super fantastic trip. Thank you Kathleen and the wonderful guides we had in the places we visited. Thank you Collette.

My favorite part was touring the agritourisimos and tasting all of the wonderful wines and organic foods they grew and made themselves. The group of people on our tour made it amazing. Loved them all! Miss you!

The Tour Manager was not a very good. She was not answering questions she was more interested in deflecting question. She was not around most of the time. Just not overall helpful. However the hotels were good and the locations for excellent. The food and the hotels was below average.

Favorite memorable experience was the boat ride to the Chicque terra that was not part of your tour.

Our trip called "Italy's Treasures" was excellent from start to finish. Even though I had been to many of the sights previously, I thought the guides were very good and I learned a lot. I would have liked a bit more free time, but think that is just me - the group seemed to like the pace. To answer your question, the service given by Collette US was excellent.

my favorite experience of the tour was staying in Stresa - I loved that town and will go back. I also really enjoyed the visit to Lake Orta and the "Way of Silence"