Southern Italy & Sicily featuring Taormina, Matera and the Amalfi Coast

Description	Room	Night	*Price
Standard Sea View	1	2	$210.00
Standard	1	2	Included

Reviewed on 11/29/2024

Reviewed on 11/22/2024

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This was a wonderful trip. Our tour guides were excellent. Especially memorable was the trip to Mt. Etna.

Barbara Puglia

Reviewed on 11/22/2024

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Overall, I truly enjoyed the tour. It covered a lot of grounds and gave a good sample variety of Sicily and Southern Italy. I was very impressed by the farm to table experience. The hostess was extremely friendly and welcoming and made us feel like family. I truly loved Cefalu and its charms. Arigento and Valley of the Temples was a wonderful experience. Matera , Taormina and Pompeii were learning experiences as well. Exhilarated to experience Sorrento and travel the Amalfi Coast. Alberobello and trulli homes was a great learning experience.

Celestina Ishmael

Reviewed on 11/22/2024

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Valley of the Temples, in Agrigento, deserves more time than the tour planned. Thank goodness our tour manager, Christian, arranged for my spouse and myself, along with others who wanted to spend time there, avoiding a complete meltdown on my part. One of the main reasons we chose this tour was to spend time here. And the dinner "at a local restaurant and an evening view of the illuminated Valley..." is a complete fabrication; the restaurant was nowhere near the ruins and the only "panoramic spot" was on the bus as it was leaving the ruins.

Reviewed on 11/24/2024

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My wife Gay responded to your forms and we shared the same feelings. The tour was wonderful in every way and Christian was fabulous!!!! So helpful, brilliant , funny and we both feel that we’d be so happy to go on any tour that he would be guiding !!!!!!

Robert Donofrio

Reviewed on 12/30/2023

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Top notch guides, excellent hotels, and reliable transportation

James Hannum

Reviewed on 12/30/2023

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Tour leader made the trip!

Reviewed on 12/22/2023

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Incredible activities and accommodations with knowledgeable tour manager who had great sense of humor and tons of patience

Reviewed on 12/04/2023

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I was happy with all that was included as well as the tour manager. I wanted the be a part of the real living- farm life over there in Italy. Going just out of season was great because less vacationer’s which meant shorter lines and less people to mill around for the tours scheduled.

Reviewed on 12/01/2023

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I felt the tour guide we had went above and beyond to sssure that my dietary needs were meet. I truly appreciated it

Jeanne Auger

Reviewed on 12/02/2023

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Our trip to Sicily & Southern Italy this past October, 2023, was just AMAZING! Everyplace we visited, everything we saw & ate was absolutely wonderful & our Tour Manager, Enjo was the best! He was friendly, funny, informative & helpful in every way! My husband & I have been on other COLLETTE Tours & I can’t say enough about COLLETTE, they think of everything & we feel that you definitely get your money’s worth with COLLETTE! Thank you for a wonderful trip!

Theresa F.

Reviewed on 12/03/2023

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Wonderful experience getting a taste of the culture meeting new people learning so much

Laura McDonough

Reviewed on 12/03/2023

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Great accommodations, great food, and Ilearned so much about Italy.

Barbara Verhamme

Reviewed on 12/03/2023

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Excellent cities of choice, experiences and guide

Reviewed on 12/03/2023

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The tour manager made our tour really enjoyable.

Reviewed on 12/04/2023

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Very well done and appreciated all of the sites seen. My most memorable place was my great-grandmother hometown. it was great to see where she grew up and lived before coming to the USA. The only hotel not up to par was the Hotel Michelangelo. Great location place but not the best room size for most of the group I was with (10 in my group).

Norman Brockett

Reviewed on 12/01/2023

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Manager went above & beyond to please and inform everyone! With a group of 42 folks, no easy task and she succeeded! Fantastic with recommendations when we had free time also. Rooms were all very clean and comfortable. We were satisfied completely. The inclusions were such a grand learning experience and with such fun!! Would do them all again!!! Great items for us to choose!!!!

Jeanne Irving

Reviewed on 12/01/2023

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a lot of traveling on the bus without the use of the bathroom. The wooden marquetry was not worthwhile nor was the bufflao ranch

Reviewed on 12/01/2023

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need usage of the bathroom onboard bus. Tour manager was not sympathetic to that need nor was she tolerant when peope had questions about the schedule and or needed her to repeat them

Reviewed on 12/01/2023

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We saw so many things in such a short timeframe. Loved the interactions with the locals and learning about their culture.

Reviewed on 11/10/2023

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Palermo Sicily Italy was the best part of the trip

Reviewed on 11/10/2023

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Palermo Sicily was the best part of the thrip

Reviewed on 11/11/2023

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The tour manager was absolutely excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and very entertaining. There were many memorable experiences but one I did not expect was courtesy of a local guide who was the owner of the Varisco sheep farm. Her enthusiastic presentation was heartfelt and inspiring.

Daniel Croak

Reviewed on 11/11/2023

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Excellent experience from start to finish.

Keith Faucher

Reviewed on 11/11/2023

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Sicily was awesome very different from Italy. It was my third to Italy but my first time to Sicily. So much history Sicily has to offer I didn’t realize how much.

Reviewed on 11/12/2023

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It was a great tour! Great people. The tour manager was excellent, as was the bus driver. All the tour guides were very knowledgeable. We just loved it.

Carol Amodeo

Reviewed on 11/12/2023

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Sicily was a great surprise concerning its history, culture, and seeing that it was really a tropical paradise. Monreale with its mosaics, the Valley of the Temples, and the beautiful beaches were the highlights. Southern Italy was very good, but the tour of Pompeii was very crowded and rushed.

Robert Eugene Corsi Jr

Reviewed on 11/13/2023

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GREAT TOUR. GREAT TOUR MANAGER!!!

Robert Amodeo

Reviewed on 11/01/2023

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Group of 46 was to large. Made it difficult to enjoy tour and limited free time, restaurant selection, and hotels were average at best. Rome hotel was 45 min to an 1.5 hr outside of city depending on traffic. Too many individuals unable to keep. Food was average and except for three meals provided were at the hotel restaurants. All the same meals.

Reviewed on 11/01/2023

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The itinerary, hotels, and tour leader and bus travel was phenomenal. Air travel arrangements not so much.

Reviewed on 11/01/2023

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If you are over 65, don't go on this tour. Rated a level 3, More like a level 4+. Pace is extreme. Some hotels leave much to be desired. Sights and tour inclusions are excellent however.

Reviewed on 11/01/2023

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Needed more time at featured locations.

Robert Morgan

Reviewed on 11/01/2023

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Too big of a group to travel with 46 people is too many.

Reviewed on 10/29/2023

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Great tour. Loved Sicily. The food, the accommodations, the history content, the places visited were all excellent. Although a very fast paced tour, it was great. I would have made it a full two weeks so that one could have some relaxation added in in between.

Reviewed on 10/27/2023

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Excellent Tour. Tour Manager Very Good!

Reviewed on 10/06/2023

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Overall tour schedule was excellent, brisk but that's what you pay for! On-tour hotel food choices/options could have been a little better. Our tour manager, Martina, was amazing and made an excellent tour truly memorable. She put her heart and soul into making sure each of us was having an exceptional experience, resolving any issues, etc. Plus, she had a natural gift for bonding with people, keeping us fully entertained and "two glasses happy" as she would say! Brava, Martina!! Grazie mille!

Michael Briglia

Reviewed on 09/28/2023

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I've already filled out this survey. Why are you asking for it again?????

Teresa Porto

Reviewed on 09/14/2023

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top rated hotels, tour guide was excellent and bus was first class

Joseph Marasco

Reviewed on 08/04/2023

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To much time spent on the bus. , room request when booking and while on the tour were barley meet . Redundancy in meals provided on tour Tours with local guides seem to be on time schedule so some felt rushed The tour manager I for the Rome pre trip was excellent!

David Moretto

Reviewed on 07/06/2023

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The tour was everything and more than I expected. I didn't want the tour to end.

Shawn Quiane

Reviewed on 07/07/2023

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Our tour manager, Ms. Martina Musso, made the travel experience exceptional and wonderful for me and my wife. She was totally committed and caring for all our needs. Her passion shined through on every tour making us all feel like family. She went above and beyond to get to know us and engaged with everyone. Fabulous tour manager!

Scott Mills

Reviewed on 06/02/2023

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Mgr was great. three of the hotels were subpar.

Raymond Cadei

Reviewed on 06/09/2023

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I already completed and submitted a review last week which explained everything about my trip. Hope you received it.

Reviewed on 06/16/2023

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Our trip was excellent because of your Tour Director. She was very well organized and had a terrific personality. She was amazing how she handle over 40 people, always very happy and a pleasure to travel with. She is a valuable asset to your company and I hope you pay her well and never let her gol

Joyce Pignatelli

Reviewed on 06/17/2023

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The tour included so many highlights. It is difficult to pick one.

Reviewed on 06/19/2023

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Great itinerary with a good balance of scheduled and free time. Included meals at hotels were not great.

Nancy Menne

Reviewed on 05/05/2023

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I especially enjoyed the trips to Mount Etna and to the Valley of the Temples. I think that you could easily spend the entire trip in Sicily and do a more in depth tour. The tour manager, the driver and the location guides were excellent and very professional.

Laurie M Deredita

Reviewed on 05/05/2023

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Hotel Garibaldi was not 4 star and probably not even 3 star. Had issues with our rattling heating unit. First night the hotel reception who we found out controls these units, turned it off at 1:30 in the morning. We woke up freezing. 2nd night we woke up at 3:30 in the morning and we were sweating. It was 30 degrees Celsius. We had no control to change the temperature either night. We called reception and complained again. We told them to lower it to 22, leave it at 22 and NOT to change it or shut it off. The lobby was in bad need of an update. My wife spoke to our Tour Guide and told her what we thought of this hotel and if this is how it is going to be on the trip, we are ready to pack and go home. Very bad first impression. She assured her that it wasn't and asked my wife to trust her. We found out we were not the only ones having issues with the heating units. Paola told us that future tours will not be staying at Hotel Garibaldi. We had an issue at another hotel with the heat and they immediately offered to change our room. We were glad we trusted our tour guide Paola. We stayed and had a wonderful time. Paola was excellent.

Reviewed on 05/05/2023

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Hotel Garibaldi was not 4 star and probably not even 3 star. Had issues with our rattling heating unit. First night the hotel reception who we found out controls these units, turned it off at 1:30 in the morning. We woke up freezing. 2nd night we woke up at 3:30 in the morning and we were sweating. It was 30 degrees Celsius. We had no control to change the temperature either night. We called reception and complained again. We told them to lower it to 22, leave it at 22 and NOT to change it or shut it off. The lobby was in bad need of an update. I spoke to our Tour Guide and told her what we thought of this hotel and if this is how it is going to be on the trip, we are ready to pack and go home. Very bad first impression. She assured me that it wasn't and asked me to trust her. We found out we were not the only ones having issues with the heating units. Paola told us that future tours will not be staying at Hotel Garibaldi. We had an issue at another hotel with the heat and they immediately offered to change our room. We were glad we trusted our tour guide Paola and stayed with the tour. We had a wonderful time. Paola was excellent.

Reviewed on 05/05/2023

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We moved around a lot and there was always something good to experience. I especially liked seeing the Valley of the Temples. It included a lot of places I enjoyed seeing. I liked not having to drive!

John Deredita

Reviewed on 05/12/2023

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There was not enough free time

Herbert Clarkson

Reviewed on 05/15/2023

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Really packed a lot into the time we had and saw a lot. Tour Manager and all guides were awesome and full of information. I would have liked a little more discretionary time to explore some of the area's restaurants and less hotel food. Because there were so many hotel changes, we felt a little rushed, I would probably elect fewer optional excursions next time just to be able to relax a little. That being said, I felt we really did see the best of Sicily! The farm trip and the visit to Savoca were both fantastic. Accommodations were generally very clean and comfortable with the exception of one room that only provided a full size bed for a double occupancy.

Reviewed on 05/19/2023

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.Rome Pompeii Siicily Mt. Etna

Reviewed on 05/19/2023

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Organized , very personable,knowledgeable really liked the farm we went to that the family ran he seemed to be very well acquainted with them taste of Sicily food was cold but entertainment was good

CECILIA YOWELL

Reviewed on 05/19/2023

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Enjoyable and fun. Tour was well thought out.

JAMES FERGUSON

Reviewed on 05/21/2023

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Collette had everything organized beautifully and our tour guide, Rosarrio was excellent in every way.

STACEY SWAFFORD

Reviewed on 05/26/2023

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Extrodanary across the board!! Tour guide Paola was totally exceptional and well organize and related to all ages very well. Attentive to our needs and listened to our input and addressed them.

Judith Lange

Reviewed on 05/26/2023

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Tour guide Poala was very efficient and friendly. She made sure we had a wonderful time!

Suzanne Weiss

Reviewed on 05/26/2023

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I liked everything about it. Excellent tour guide and overall great tour!

Daniel Lange

Reviewed on 05/26/2023

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Great tour guide. Saw much of Italy. Would have liked to have seen more of Rome. The food the first night was bad. The hotel at the last place we stayed charged me 20.00 Euro for wine I did not order, and told me to prove I didn't order it.

Jennifer Bumann

Reviewed on 05/26/2023

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Wonderful trip! Great guides and fellow travelers

Reviewed on 04/21/2023

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All the tours were excellent and memorable. Our tour director, Marisa, was fun, knowledgeable, and quite helpful in many ways. We were very fortunate to have such accomplished people in charge. The only negative was that 48 people in one group was way too large. Never had that experience before and hope it’s the last time.

Reviewed on 04/21/2023

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I think the tour covered highlights quite well. Family farm visit, dinner with oompah group, Pompey visit…. and a great bus driver negotiating all the curvy roads, The only suggestion would be a smaller group…although the tour manager handled all very well.

Carolyn Mierzwik

Reviewed on 04/21/2023

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Trip excellent with all the.hotels, places to see , and Bucket list locations from Greek temples to Pompei and Rome. Need better scheduling with airfare. Almost missed flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles going home. 1.5 hour too tight to get from Terminal A to Terminal Z.

Kathleen Mccord

Reviewed on 05/20/2023

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The farm visit we did in Sicily was outstanding

Cecelia Zelenski

Reviewed on 05/20/2023

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Dinner at the winery was outstanding

Paul Zelenski

Reviewed on 05/27/2023

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THE TOUR WAS FANTASTIC. WE HAD A GREAT COORDINATOR FROM UW OSHKOSH REPRESENTING COLLETTE.-THE TOURS, THE FOOD, THE HISTORY THAT WE EACH LEARNED FROM OUR VARIOUS GUIDES ON OUR MULTIPLE TOURS--THE SHAIRNG OF GOOD TIMES, THE FANTASTIC DRINKS, AND THE BEAURTIFUL REATURANTS. EVERYTHING WAS TOP NOTCH!! WHAT CAN BE SAID BE WOW! ADDITIONALY WE HAD A WONDEERFUL GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS VARING IN AGE FROM VARIOUS STATES THAT ALL CONGEALED INTO AN EXCITING GROUP.

CAROL

Reviewed on 05/30/2023

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Fantastic tour group and great places to see!

Cassandra Curry

Reviewed on 05/24/2022

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Pompeii was amazing. I also enjoyed the Sistine Chapel, Papal Basilica of St Peter and Vatican were all wonderful sights.

Reviewed on 05/24/2022

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It was a well planned trip.

Joyce Kajtaniak

Reviewed on 05/24/2022

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Great trip. Tour guide was tops, bus driver was the tops. Hotels were good. Included food was pretty bad.

Mary Schultz

Reviewed on 05/24/2022

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We saw and did so many things!

Mildred Colonneso

Reviewed on 05/24/2022

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Excellent tour company, timely, tour manager Federico Alvarez was absolutely fantastic!

Marianne Cohen

Reviewed on 05/22/2022

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Wonderful experience. Great tour director and a great itinerary!

Reviewed on 05/17/2022

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Overall, the Sicily & Southern Italy Tour was very good. Our tour manager was terrific as were the included sites, Some of the hotels lacked sufficient storage, such as sufficient drawer, shelf or closet space. The hotels were otherwise clean and staff were all pleasant.

David Schuchman

Reviewed on 05/15/2022

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Overall experience was excellent! Our main tour guide and the local guides were knowledgeable and friendly. They gave great suggestions for local restaurants and activities to enjoy in our downtime. We had a small group of fantastic people who made our first trip even more memorable!

Reviewed on 05/15/2022

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We had a great group of 15 fun people which made our first tour a great experience. Our tour explored locations that we had not personally considered. Mario was amazing and we had great local guides!

Reviewed on 05/13/2022

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Excellent tour manager with Dario Panniello. We saw many interesting, history and beautiful sites in Sicily and Southern Italy. The local tour guides were generally outstanding. A very nice tour.

Ulf Lindqwister

Reviewed on 05/13/2022

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Wonderful places visited and great food!

Scott Stevenson

Reviewed on 12/24/2019

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Only one afternoon that was not on par with the rest of the trip

William Baylor

Reviewed on 12/11/2019

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Francesca, the tour manager, was AWESOME! The local tour guides for the most part were very good. Diana in Sicily was a star. Roberta was also very knowledgeable about the churches she guided us through.

Reviewed on 12/08/2019

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Catania was interesting and unusual

Hamida Dharamshi

Reviewed on 12/09/2019

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Sicily visits and Pompeii Antipasti and pasta.

David Bewick

Reviewed on 12/09/2019

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Poor for Rome extension and good because of Sicily, southern Italy, and our wonderful tour manager and bus driver.

Reviewed on 12/09/2019

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Pompaii

Sandra Mountz

Reviewed on 12/08/2019

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Alexa was very knowledgeable and filled with historical stories of all the areas we visited.

Sally Bewick

Reviewed on 11/20/2019

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It is hard pick the most memorable, because there were several and the were distinct

John Massale

Reviewed on 11/18/2019

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The hotel in Giardini Naxos needed a make over 10 years ago. We had 4 included dinners at hotels. The only good one was at the MH Madera Hotel. The other 3 were really bad. Too bad. I didn't come to Italy to eat bad food.

Reviewed on 11/18/2019

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The food was a disappointment with few exceptions.

Bruce Decker

Reviewed on 11/18/2019

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The tour manager and the driver made it wonderful.

Janet Reagan

Reviewed on 11/18/2019

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We loved the hotel in Giardini-Naxos (the Hellenia Yachting Hotel) , though our room very disappointingly had no view of the sea.

Reviewed on 11/17/2019

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Tour of Southern Italy & Sicily was thought provoking, enlightening, editing and beautiful in every way possible.

Reviewed on 11/17/2019

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It’s hard to name a favorite experience because they were all memorable.

Donna Schalge

Reviewed on 11/12/2019

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Would go again ! Enjoyed the food and the sites

Earl La Bean

Reviewed on 11/12/2019

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Sicily is so beautiful; Taormina was my favorite. The farm we visited was a wonderful experience, great food. The evening at the restaurant with the Four Carmello's music and dancing was really great.

Renee

Reviewed on 11/12/2019

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Definitely the Amalfi Coast!!! It was spectacular!

Jill Carto

Reviewed on 11/12/2019

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Amalfi Coast and Pompei Beautiful costal trip.

Denise

Reviewed on 11/11/2019

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As I said before , Marta made the itinerary come to life !! We were wowed by our Bus driver, Franco with his excellent driving skills. Robert: Loved Sa.........Savoca-. He got to sit and relax at the historic bar Vitelli's- a long time wish !! Debra: This trip included all the areas where my ancestors lived, thus everyday felt magical & filled with memories of the tales all my life. I truly can not pick a most favorite, as I loved it ALL. Swimming in the Ocean while at Taomina was great. Optional excursions were enjoyable.

Robert Howarth

Reviewed on 11/04/2019

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Sicily was my favorite. It's truly what I think of Italy. The places we visited were not a touristy as most of the places on the mainland

Reviewed on 11/04/2019

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Just a terrible experience from the beginning

Debra Bell

Reviewed on 11/04/2019

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The problem with Alitalia was disappointing and I missed 1 1/2 days of the tour. But that wasn't Collette's problem. I would request that the flights be direct. Flying from Rome to Detroit to Phily was exhausting and too time consuming.

Ronald Webster

Reviewed on 10/21/2019

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Very helpful and accommodating. I usually do our travel planning so I actually was able to relax and not stress.

Debra Meyrer

Reviewed on 10/21/2019

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Except for Palermo, the tour was great. Love Mattia and Maximo our driver was amazing. The farm dinners we’re awesome.

Maxcine Halley

Reviewed on 10/21/2019

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Prices are comparable to other tour groups

Kathleen Broughm

Reviewed on 10/21/2019

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Visit to farms. Mattio excellent tour guide.

Wayne Lambert

Reviewed on 10/17/2019

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The tour was educational and fun all the way through! We had a feast on a local farm in Sicily! It was a Fantastic evening!

Jay Loehr

Reviewed on 10/16/2019

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All details well taken care of, Great Itinerary.

Gregory Heidrich

Reviewed on 10/15/2019

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Positives - Good trip with a great group of people. Tour manager and bus driver were good. Location and quality of the hotels was mixed; some were good and some were average at best. The optional stops were very good. The visit to Cefalu and local farm was excellent with a very nice family dinner and experience. A walk to Old World Sicily at Savoca was equally entertaining and beautiful. Matera and Pompeii were fantastic places to visit. Improvements Required - Two of the hotel locations were poor in that they had no local restaurants or shops to stop in. This was extremely disappointing in that one was believed to be in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. The hotels in Giardino Naxos was very dated, had small rooms, and the first room we entered was not clean. The pace of the trip was not ideal. We did not spend enough time at some of the great towns on the Amalfi coast and other places. We would stop and have to meet back in 90 minutes or so which left little time to eat, explore and shop; this occurred at Taormina, Sorento and other places. Group meals provided by Collette at the hotels we stayed was disappointing as finding the unique restaurants would have been much more fun and better.

Riffy

Reviewed on 10/15/2019

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Agriturismo with Chinnsia was soo fun. The food was fabulous & great value. She made the whole evening !

Marilyn

Reviewed on 10/13/2019

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There were two the first what is a trip to a farm and dinner there which was more than exceptional. The second was the city of Pompeii which I found fascinating

Reviewed on 10/10/2019

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Good trip. Organized. Would use them again

Heidi Tazza

Reviewed on 10/08/2019

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The hotels were not up to par. Our room at the Matera Hotel smelled like body odor and had gnats flying all over the bathroom. The Hotel Degli Aranci in Rome was nice however our room was outside the main hotel on the street and looked out at the dumpster.We had bars on our windows. Terrible. Also the trips to the shops were a waste of time. They just wanted to sell us jewelry, limoncello or cameos and we wasted a lot of time there. I don't think one person bought a cameo.

Laurie Stetzer

Reviewed on 10/07/2019

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Going to the Volcano although we needed more time to explore

Kenneth Tazza

Reviewed on 10/07/2019

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Roma was my favorite part of the trip followed by the Amalfi Coast. I wish we could have seen more of Roma but time was limited.

Rufus Harris

Reviewed on 10/06/2019

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Great trip to Southern Italy and Sicily!

Sandra Young

Reviewed on 10/04/2019

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The tour gave me the chance to experience ancient sights like Matera and Pompeii with a group.

Reviewed on 10/01/2019

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The whole trip opened up new experiences in vìsiting very different locations, sampling amazing food and wine, all coordinated by an excellent Tour Manager

Carol Harrison Dorie

Reviewed on 10/01/2019

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Some of the accommodations were very poor, the hotels had not been updated for years. Some were off were out of the way and food was not up to par.

Andrew Andrews

Reviewed on 10/01/2019

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Sicily has such a rich cultural heritage . My favorite places were Catania, Taormina, Matera and the Amalfi Coast.

Reviewed on 09/30/2019

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The Amalfi Coast was beautiful but scary. Loved the town of Matera but did not really enjoy the town of Alberobello. Wished we were staying in that town. My favorite memory was the Cefalu Farm and dinner. Loved Cinzia as she made it such a fun time. Also enjoyed the winery with dinner and the Flavors of Sicily dinner.

Linda Lyon

Reviewed on 09/30/2019

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It's a wonderful tour. Got to see a lot of areas that were included in the price. When we were in Silcily, we stayed at a hotel right on the Mediterranean ocean, sunset was spectacular, with dinner out by the pool on that Friday night. Outstanding, I won't forget it.

Reviewed on 09/23/2019

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I did so on previous page in great detail. So refer to that review

Reviewed on 09/03/2019

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The whole tour of Sicily and Southern Italy went way beyond our expectations. We discovered information from the Allied Landing Forces Museum regarding the British involvement during WWII and loved the whole experience of Sicily - the scenery, the way of life, and the interesting history, which we knew nothing about before our visit.

Reviewed on 08/09/2019

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Some favorites were Mt. Etna & the views of a smoking Etna from the Greek theatre in Taormina, Giardini-Naxos, Agrigento & the Valley of the Temples & Monreale & the Norman Cathedral. We had a couple issues with hotels. 1- they had AC but for the most part it felt like it was barely working. 2- we had a gorgeous room with wonderful views in Giardini-Naxos but the shower leaked. Also, the beach is very rocky so bring swimming shoes.

Maria Codd-perez

Reviewed on 08/06/2019

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Amalfi coast and visit to Pompey

Louis Schultz

Reviewed on 07/08/2019

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Tour was great. Excellent guide and excellent driver. Only problem was that the trip was too fast-paced. No time to relax, just rush, rush, rush.

Virginia Sue Gray

Reviewed on 06/27/2019

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Have been to Italy before. Won't be going again

Janet Schaaf

Reviewed on 06/26/2019

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Well planned. Interesting locations

Susan Gibbens

Reviewed on 06/21/2019

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We went to family farm in Sicily for a tour & a meal. They showed us how to make rice balls the family was really adorable & the woman who was our host was so funny. We could easily see how genuine they are & how they enjoy sharing what they love doing. The food was amazing!!

Ann Goetze

Reviewed on 06/20/2019

Trip Rating:

I chose the tour for the itinerary and that was up to my expectations! However, there was at least one day that we were on the bus too long although there were stops. When we had dinners arranged, a choice would have been better than a fixed menu. A map included in our packets would have been helpful, as well as our tour guide displaying our daily trip.

Joan Jaworowski

Reviewed on 06/18/2019

Trip Rating:

Some of the hotel locations I didn't like.

Reviewed on 06/18/2019

Trip Rating:

This was an outstanding tour of a very interesting and picturesque area. This was our seventh tour with Collette and while they have all been very good to great, this one stoodout because of our Tour Manager Paola Balzo. She did an outstanding job and should be commended for the way she did her job.

William Webb

Reviewed on 06/16/2019

Trip Rating:

Tour guide and driver were excellent. Tour provided some amazing experiences

Reviewed on 06/16/2019

Trip Rating:

This tour covered all the highlights (and I am already longing to return to see more of Sicily. As a tourist you do not always feel welcome if you are visiting an area that has perhaps seen too many visitors. Not so in Sicily, we felt so welcome everywhere we went. This was most evident at my favourite optional tour, the Agriturismo Case Varisco. Cinzia was a delight, and having the men on the tour helping her prepare food was a definite highlight.

Jillian Paulson

Reviewed on 06/10/2019

Trip Rating:

Scenery was great and Mt. Etna had a small eruption when we were there.

David Thompson

Reviewed on 06/10/2019

Trip Rating:

1)The perfect time of the day to see the smoke coming from the mouth of Mt. Etna, amazing. 2) The sight seeing ride on the Amalfi Coast 3) the Fish Market in Catania, amazing to know that man still there shopping and waiting until the end to find “bargain” for the sale of day 😅😅😅

Reviewed on 06/07/2019

Trip Rating:

The tour guides were great.

Margaret Adelsberger

Reviewed on 06/07/2019

Trip Rating:

The scenery Did not care for activities to not opt out because already checked out of hotel such as cameo factory, inlaid wood out of date

Reviewed on 06/03/2019

Trip Rating:

Stops at very high end places and very touristy places. Matera was very interesting but Arbolobello was terrible and it rained very hard. Also tour manager often talked for ever when we had little time to see some shops and sights. She had a hard time counting so many heads! Would have enjoyed more time in Sicily at less touristy sights.

Shelley Merello

Reviewed on 06/03/2019

Trip Rating:

The Roman ruins and Sicily

Patricia May

Reviewed on 06/03/2019

Trip Rating:

Day at the winery. Informative and delicious food and wine

Angeline Moore

Reviewed on 06/03/2019

Trip Rating:

We had a lovely experience except for the group was too big. And there were two groups within that group that were each about 16 people. It didn’t make for people mixing well

Reviewed on 06/03/2019

Trip Rating:

All of it...trip was fabulous...winery was wonderful!! Oranges were delicious, wine was tasty, also!!

Sarah Robinson

Reviewed on 05/20/2019

Trip Rating:

Seeing Pompei was really thrilling.

Carole Allen

Reviewed on 05/20/2019

Trip Rating:

Not enough time to wander around towns and shop, as previously mentioned. Our tour manager was truly great; I was impressed with the hotels but would have preferred smaller meals.

Reviewed on 05/20/2019

Trip Rating:

Our guide, Daniel, was very organized and knowledgeable. We especially enjoyed the Amalfi Coast and Pompie.

Linda Verzin

Reviewed on 05/20/2019

Trip Rating:

Detailed view of impressive sights. All things taken care of so could just relax & enjoy!

Reviewed on 05/20/2019

Trip Rating:

Having Daniel was the highlight of the tour; he patiently explained everything we asked about; he provided maps and other helpful handouts, and he made sure that everything ran smoothly.

Marilyn Ewing

Reviewed on 05/16/2019

Trip Rating:

Taormina was our favorite overall. It was beautiful! We would have loved to have stayed longer.

Valeri White

Reviewed on 05/05/2019

Trip Rating:

Southern Italy and Sicily are beautiful areas of the world. We visited several incredible places (Matera). Because we staid 2-3 days in each hotel and did not leave hotels until 8-8:30 am the tour was not very tiring. Bot my husband and I loved the tour. (My only issue was that Collette website did not let me check balance owing if I booked the tour through the third party)

Alexandra Saretzky

Reviewed on 05/02/2019

Trip Rating:

Amalfi coast drive was one of the highlights.

Reviewed on 04/29/2019

Trip Rating:

Touramina and Matera were the highlights and the drive on the Amalfi coast.

Francis Adamouski

Reviewed on 04/29/2019

Trip Rating:

Just what we expected a bus tour to be. Fast moving but we saw a lot.

Judith Adamouski

Reviewed on 04/28/2019

Trip Rating:

Great local tours especially liked Matera. Also tour manager was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. Local tour guides were all very good.

Diana Robertson

Reviewed on 04/22/2019

Trip Rating:

Our tour began in Sicily with 5 nights there and then across to the Toe of Italy and over to the Boothill area and finally to Pompeii and Rome. So much Beautiful country and History to enjoy. Our tour was in the Spring of the year and is the most beautiful time to see Italy. Snow on Mt. Etna while Almond trees bloomed below. The first green leaves sprouting on the grape vines and gardens being prepared by the local people. Visiting Pompeii on the last day was a truly memorable experience which was improved by a knowledgeable local guide. The tour bus driver was amazing. In Sicily I don't think that there is a mile of road that is straight and he maneuvered that bus as if it were a sedan around curves and over roads which seemed impossible. A truly enjoyable trip !

Bennett Jones

Reviewed on 04/22/2019

Trip Rating:

The group is too big (40 people). Overwhelming for Luciana. Time/day is too short. We started at 8:30. In few days, we were done half day. We were not told that there is group (29 persons) within this trip, leaving us (11 persons) awkward and out of place in the beginning. The group did not want to rotate seats; only within themselves. Dinners should be in local authentic restaurants; not in the hotel. Breakfast should be combined with other hotel guests. Otherwise, menu is limited (mostly American Continental); tables are assigned. We want to enjoy local Italian dishes. Luciana and local guides were excellent (Jackie, Diana). Matera guide was good. But in Pompeii (Pasquale?) was not good (not engaging, boring). Bus driver (Giuseppe) was excellent. We did not visit Salerno due to traffic, but this should be expected. Shopping should be optional; or after the tour is done. Otherwise, we wasted our time.

Andreas Kwee

Reviewed on 04/22/2019

Trip Rating:

The only bad thing about the trip was the number of miles traveled by bus. I think we could have skipped a UNESCO site and stayed longer on the amalfi coast or in Naples area. Great dinner last night in Rome.

Claude Fortin

Reviewed on 04/15/2019

Trip Rating:

All the city and sites I visit was great!

Reviewed on 04/09/2019

Trip Rating:

Saw a lot with an exceptionally wonderful tour guide. Would have liked to spend more time in the bigger cities.

Linda Tolve

Reviewed on 04/09/2019

Trip Rating:

Our tour guide was great. The Farm Dinner and tastes of Sicily are highly recomended. I felt our hotels where not located close to other events that you could do on your own. had too much free time in hotel....felt stuck in area with nothing to do.

Margaret Evelock Doherty

Reviewed on 04/08/2019

Trip Rating:

Cefalù was great with her and her family at the farm. The food was amazing. So much, so good. They were warm and friendly. Amalfi coast ride unforgettable! Positano was beautiful! Naples was were my grandma was from , so meaningful to me. Pompeii had so much history and and interesting facts. The Greek ruins showed how much they influenced the area. Loved the churches. We were able to attend mass at St Agatha church on Sunday that Deanna told us about. Loved Jacqueline knowledge of the area. All tour guides were super. Mattia and Massimo the bus driver made the trip!

Mary Ann Mucedola

Reviewed on 04/08/2019

Trip Rating:

Our guide, Mattia di Carlo. was informative and personable. He educated and entertained. The various structures, buildings, churches and cities came to life because of him.

Reviewed on 04/08/2019

Trip Rating:

Favorite was the farm dinner

Reviewed on 03/18/2019

Trip Rating:

Because of the time of year

Robin Arinsberg

Reviewed on 03/18/2019

Trip Rating:

the dining out with group and music

Paul Reilly

Reviewed on 02/04/2019

Trip Rating:

Sicily has so much to offer. Before I took the tour I knew little about this region. I definitely would go back again

Reviewed on 01/05/2019

Trip Rating:

Already explained how I felt about my trips!

Joanne Coney

Reviewed on 01/04/2019

Trip Rating:

The pace of the tour, the quality of the guide and the hotel accommodations were top notch. Our bus driver was also multi-talented.....and I'll leave it at that as a surprise to the next tour.

Lorraine Tone

Reviewed on 01/04/2019

Trip Rating:

The travel to and from on international flights could have been better arranged for the follks from Baltimore. Overall, the pricing, what we saw and travel on the tour bus was quite good.

Reviewed on 01/04/2019

Trip Rating:

Staying across the sea from Sorrento and seeing Mt Vervisous from the shore.

Mary Salisko

Reviewed on 12/03/2018

Trip Rating:

There were so many memorable experiences...Darion was awesome, the Greek Temples were amazing, the beautiful seaside villages or Taormina and others were a vacation spot we would come back to in the future, the winery was so much fun!, and Matera and Pompeii were so impressive historically...I really can't pick my favorite, as we loved the whole trip from beginning to end!!

Joanne Duff

Reviewed on 11/13/2018

Trip Rating:

There were so many memorable moments but we especially enjoyed our visit to Matera where we met a local artist.

Jo-Ann Stebbing

Reviewed on 11/12/2018

Trip Rating:

Pompeii was so very interesting

Mary Bologna

Reviewed on 11/12/2018

Trip Rating:

The entire tour was memorable.

Ellen Fallon

Reviewed on 11/09/2018

Trip Rating:

see the previous comments.

Edward Blotzer

Reviewed on 11/05/2018

Trip Rating:

Too many people on tour never again

John Dean

Reviewed on 10/29/2018

Trip Rating:

Beautiful tour of the Amalfi Coast.

Mary Lou Galante

Reviewed on 10/29/2018

Trip Rating:

On the the beach at Naxos, Sicily.

Reviewed on 10/26/2018

Trip Rating:

Farm Case Varisco in Cefalu - Hostess had exceptional personality, food was great, very entertaining optional tour

Suzanne Chadwick

Reviewed on 10/22/2018

Trip Rating:

The visit to Matera was highlight of tour.

Reviewed on 10/17/2018

Trip Rating:

So manywinderful experiences that it is difficult to choose .. Cefalù , an optional tour was one of my favorite stops- the setting , the host and the food just outstanding!

Christine Gaetano

Reviewed on 10/15/2018

Trip Rating:

There were so many memorable experiences - swimming in the Meditterean Sea, having sandals made in Amalfi, the views from Taorimina and Mt Etna.

Reviewed on 10/07/2018

Trip Rating:

Pompei was probably my favorite.

Barbara Barth

Reviewed on 10/08/2018

Trip Rating:

Eating at good restaurants especially the night where we had live music. The visit and meal at an agritourismo was a treat.

Marcel Paquette

Reviewed on 10/08/2018

Trip Rating:

Going on a tour made it Stress free travel

Reviewed on 07/09/2018

Trip Rating:

Mt Etna, Taormina, Matera, Pompei

Dennis Consolazio

Reviewed on 06/18/2018

Trip Rating:

It was a good experience.

Reviewed on 06/13/2018

Trip Rating:

All of the details were so well organized for us from buses, hotels, route and sights. Great guides too.

Mary Engle

Reviewed on 06/11/2018

Trip Rating:

Read what I have written today about activity levels to truly help customers judge which tour to go on.

Reviewed on 06/11/2018

Trip Rating:

Exceptional experience in 🇮🇹 Italy!!

Claudia Schmidt

Reviewed on 05/28/2018

Trip Rating:

Terrible mini bus!!!!! Totally uncomfortable

Robert Cala

Reviewed on 05/16/2018

Trip Rating:

The tour met my expectations. I think you should have non- smoking groups. Some of our tour group were smokers and did not show much courtesy to others by not taking their smoking away from the group. When they returned to the bus, you cold smell the smoke on them. I thought the dinner meals at the hotels were not very good. Better to allow more free time so 43 people are not trying to be fed at once and can have better selection of what to eat.

Sandra Davis

Reviewed on 05/16/2018

Trip Rating:

Mattera, Taormina Small towns of Sorrento and Salerno--very authentic.

Anthony Albertson

Reviewed on 05/16/2018

Trip Rating:

It was all our favorite. Every stop had a great and memorable experience.

Lorna Tice

Reviewed on 04/09/2018

Trip Rating:

Taormina Greek theatre was a highlight

Greg Hooper

Reviewed on 04/01/2018

Trip Rating:

Liked the places we saw as well as th food and wine.

Michael Ashburn

Reviewed on 03/21/2018

Trip Rating:

Great trip and outstanding tour manager, *****

Carlos Villarosa

Reviewed on 02/22/2018

Trip Rating:

Great tour, just the right length. Was surprised at the history and cross culture heritage of the region, and very much enjoyed the food and sights.

Reviewed on 02/21/2018

Trip Rating:

Amalfi and Catania were highlights for us.

Reviewed on 11/08/2017

Trip Rating:

The itinerary for this tour was great. Our guide ***** was exceptional. He's very knowledgeable, patient and organized. Our driver *******, always made us feel safe. The local guides and our side tours were great too. We had a wonderful group of people on this tour which added to the positive experience.

Nicoletta Caforio Sine

Reviewed on 11/15/2017

Trip Rating:

My favorite was the bus tour around Rome

Carol Houston

Reviewed on 11/08/2017

Trip Rating:

Every minute was terrific. Loved the itinerary.

J Sine

Reviewed on 11/08/2017

Trip Rating:

I thought the tour was managed very well. Good hotel choices, tours, tour guides, and bus driver.

Theresa Wu

Reviewed on 11/08/2017

Trip Rating:

The Amalfi Coast is a place I have wanted to photograph for over 28 years. It was worth the wait.

Gerald Wu

Reviewed on 11/08/2017

Trip Rating:

The places we visited, the excursions offered, the guides, hotels and meals all made for a great experience.

Roseanne Mistretta

Reviewed on 11/01/2017

Trip Rating:

Only negative is that the days were jam packed. Sometimes starting at 6 A.M. and ending at 10 P.M.. The days were too long for many of the seniors on the tour. Many people got sick. There was also A LOT of walking.

Reviewed on 11/03/2017

Trip Rating:

so much information provided - favorite was bus through the Amalfi Coast - very professional bus driving necessary for this - stunning scenery - unforgettable

Carole Klotzbach

Reviewed on 11/03/2017

Trip Rating:

We visited cities and places that were rich in history - Matera, Pompeii. places - valley of the temples - saw natural wonders = Mt Etna and Mt Vesuviues. Seeing the cathedrals in Palermo and Monreale and Chefalu were very special to me. ;I cannot find just one place that was more memorable than the others. Perhaps the Amalfi Coast comes the closest.

Jean Fischer

Reviewed on 11/02/2017

Trip Rating:

Some changes required regarding washrooms, additional tour guides

Diane Fedele

Reviewed on 11/01/2017

Trip Rating:

There are many things to do and see in Sicily and Southern Italy...this tour provided a good sampling of those things.

Raymond Heinle

Reviewed on 10/24/2017

Trip Rating:

The most favourable memory we visiting the family on the farm and dining in their restaurant and seeing the Sicilian way of life. The drive up the Amalfi Coast was also a treat.

Amanda Martin

Reviewed on 10/06/2017

Trip Rating:

Love Sicily, but mainland was great, too.

Karen Mikulin

Reviewed on 10/07/2017

Trip Rating:

good hotels, good food, interesting stories & sights

Carolyn Martin

Reviewed on 10/01/2017

Trip Rating:

Too much walking due to bus not being able to park in a convient location when dropping us off to visit a site or going to dinner. Worse night was in Rome, we walked a good half hour to get to the restaurant when there were many restaurants much closer where we did not have to walk so far. The restaurant was very small and could not accommodate the group in the dining room and some people ate by themselves. The food was not up to par based on all the other wonderful meals we had. Very disappointed, we were not able to see the beautiful coastline of the Amalfi Coast due to the fact that we were sitting on the opposite side of the bus. The tour manager should have switched the people over halfway on the Amalfi Coast so everyone would get a chance to see the beautiful scenery.

Reviewed on 10/01/2017

Trip Rating:

I explained too many stops and forced to visit inlaid wood shop, winery, Cameo shop

Karen Steinbach

Reviewed on 10/04/2017

Trip Rating:

Your brochures said "moderate" walking....I think it should have said a LOT of walking up hills, cobblestone pavement, etc. The tourguides walked way too fast for some of us to catch up to them & unfortunately we missed some of the comments, etc. Also, the last supper in Rome...why did we have to walk over 20 minutes to get there when there were other restaurants we passed that would have been just fine. Plus the restaurant was too small for our group. Dinner was adequate but we were crushed in that room. In fact, one couple had to sit in another room by themselves. The food in this establishment was sub-par compared to the rest of the places we ate at. Also, the only reason my wife and I went on this tour was because my wife always wanted to go to the Almalfi coast. Your brochure said explor the Almalfi coast. We only stop at a tourist little area for 10-15 minutes to get some pictures & soveneirs. Then we got on the bus and rode the rest of the way. Where is the "EXPLORE"". Plus we unfortunately has the driver's side of the bus. We DID NOT get to see the coast only the buses coming at us the the moutains. Why did I save so much money to explor the coast, and only get to see the road, busses, etc. VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED. Maybe the tour guide (half-way through our drive) could have asked the people to trade seats so EVERYONE could get a view of Almalfi coast, etc. My wife was very, very DISAPPOINTED. This was supposed to be her dream vacation.....NOT!

Archie Bain

Reviewed on 10/01/2017

Trip Rating:

Agri tours, Agrigento, Pompeii

Reviewed on 10/01/2017

Trip Rating:

Love Amalfi coast, Mt. Etna, Albero Bello

Reviewed on 09/17/2017

Trip Rating:

Places we visited were really great

Reviewed on 09/17/2017

Trip Rating:

The favorite experience was the Amalfi Coast drive.

Reviewed on 08/13/2017

Trip Rating:

Our favorite moments were at the farms the food was excellent and it was nice seeing how the Italians live. We were disappointed at one of the farms because in your ad it said we get a tour of the farm and we did not.

Cynthia Nolet

Reviewed on 08/09/2017

Trip Rating:

There were many nice people on the tour that we enjoyed meeting. Sicily was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed the experiences each day.

Mary Luzzi

Reviewed on 08/09/2017

Trip Rating:

The people on the tour and the beautiful scenery.

Francesco Luzzi

Reviewed on 06/21/2017

Trip Rating:

Difficult to pick one thing. Everything was great and out of the way places were well chosen

Gwendolyn Mackay

Reviewed on 06/21/2017

Trip Rating:

Tour Leader was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the history and the areas we visited. Loved Sicily and especially southern Italy. Though Rome was not a tour visit, we did do a bus tour and a walkabout to see several select sites. Terrific!

Suzanne Hudson

Reviewed on 06/07/2017

Trip Rating:

Taormina was just so nice.

Sondra Tepper

Reviewed on 06/07/2017

Trip Rating:

I loved the Sassi di Matera and Alberobella.

Reviewed on 05/25/2017

Trip Rating:

I enjoyed the mixture of historic Italian cities, the charm of the smaller towns and the beauty of Amalfi and Capri. Plus acres of farm land with orange, lemon, olives groves and grapevines.

Elaine Mccarty

Reviewed on 05/24/2017

Trip Rating:

I loved the hotel on the Bay of Naples. We had a wonderful room and it was beautiful. The hotel in Rome was beautiful too, but we only stayed one night so couldn't really enjoy it. Loved the shopping in several places. I think my favorite though was Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Those were very interesting.

Bonnie Kinser

Reviewed on 05/24/2017

Trip Rating:

I have already outlined my reasons.

George Flanagan

Reviewed on 05/24/2017

Trip Rating:

The city of Metera, had no idea it even existed.

Reviewed on 05/17/2017

Trip Rating:

Pompii, Matera of prior human habitats

Reviewed on 03/15/2017

Trip Rating:

Personal interaction with a working family farm in Sicily. My husband and I own a farm in Virginia & naturally I was interested in this optional choice. Every day's planned schedule was so memorable that I can not choose just one experience.

Rosemarie Ayres

Reviewed on 03/16/2017

Trip Rating:

Ancient sites...awesome, foods delicious, wines good and beUtiful,scenery...Amafi coast ...

Reviewed on 03/15/2017

Trip Rating:

Enjoyed tour and Sicily, hotel in Naxios was bad

Steven Berk

Reviewed on 11/30/2016

Reviewed on 11/27/2016

Trip Rating:

Too much time on the bus going from Sicily to Catania, which I could have skipped altogether. To much emphasis on shopping instead of suggestions for other cultural sights during our free time.

Reviewed on 11/27/2016

Reviewed on 11/24/2016

Reviewed on 11/23/2016

Trip Rating:

a lot of favorable moments. the best is Alberobello.

Reviewed on 05/18/2016

Trip Rating:

Although we were delighted with the itinerary, we were disappointed in the superficial approach to seeing this history-rich island. The tour of Palermo was merely a drive through on the way to Monreale - which was a wonderful and focused visit. The Valley of the Temples showed us three temples but gave little exposure to why the community developed in the "Valley" or how extensive it was. The hotel here was exceedingly poor with littered grounds, failure of the water system, out in the boon-docks so there was nothing to do or see during free time. (Wish we could have visited Piazza Armerina since we traveled very near it on our way to Catania.) Materna and Alberobello were fascinating and a selling point for this itinerary. The Amalfi Coast spectacular. "Free time" gave us very little time to really look around a town - 1-1/2 hours is not much when we had to find our own lunch and look around, too. There was quite an emphasis on "shopping" which is not at all our emphasis. We would have preferred to visit museums that would have enhanced our understanding of Agrigento and Pompeii. The limoncello and cameo factory stops added nothing to the tour. The dinner tour to the family farm in Cefalu was superb! The dinner in Giardini Naxos with the musicians was a trial - the food and wine were not tasty and the musicians were so loud and constant that it made dinner conversation all but impossible. The Sorrento seaside hotel was lovely. We were amazed at the number of people on this tour - which definitely required a lot of walking on cobblestones - that were not able to walk very far or on hills. There were some travelers who frequently grumbling about having to get out of the bus "again". (Please note: a woman on a scooter NEVER caused any delay - she was marvelous!) The tour director always had good alternatives for these folks, but the comments got a little old. We came home thinking we had only skimmed the surface of Sicily. The local guides were all very interesting in their focused tours, and our tour guide was an efficient and fun tour director, but overall we felt the need to buy informational books along the way to fill in the holes that we felt remained in our exposure this magnificent island.

Judith

Reviewed on 10/26/2016

Trip Rating:

Self Explanatory This is not the right time, but we found the food at Collette Dinners very poor

Lolita Ferris

Reviewed on 10/23/2016

Reviewed on 10/12/2016

Trip Rating:

Agrigento and Matera had great history to see and hear about. Taormino had beautiful gardens and vistas, while the Amalfi Coast was just spectacular.

Allan Atchison

Reviewed on 06/08/2016

Trip Rating:

The drive along the Amalfi coast was breathtaking. I enjoyed visiting the wineries. The ruins of Pompei were awesome! Climbing Mt Aetna volcano was great. Weather was freezing!

Mary Susan Widmann

Reviewed on 06/01/2016

Trip Rating:

The ride along the Almafi Coast , was an AHHHHH moment

Ann

Reviewed on 06/01/2016

Trip Rating:

In Sicily the Greek Temples. In Italy the Amafi Coast was spectacular.

Anthony

Reviewed on 06/01/2016

Trip Rating:

Our tour guide, Jovanka, was knowledgeable, interesting, and made the trip special; along with our bus driver, Franco. Every place we went (with the exception of the WW2 museum, the local guide was not good or helpful) was absolutely amazing. I can't say enough good about this trip. The accommodations, the food, the tours and guides were wonderful. When I am asked what my favorite part of the trip was, my answer is everything.

Reviewed on 06/01/2016

Trip Rating:

mattera was exceptional, especially getting to see it from both sides

Gayle

Reviewed on 06/01/2016

Trip Rating:

The dinners and the wine that were included were amazing!

Reviewed on 05/18/2016

Trip Rating:

This was our FIRST bus tour. Experience mostly positive. However, two comments : you should have a policy that departure of the bus will occur within 5 minutes of the time given. If you're not there, you'll be left behind. We waited once for 25 minutes before leaving. Steve knows the circumstance. Do what you say. Mean what you say (like with little kids). : we read in your brochure that the normal sized pull-along could not be accommodated. If brought along, the traveler would be required to pay $4.00/day/bag. We did not bring our pull-alongs and found that required us to pack quite differently than we normally do. It looked like about half of our fellow travelers brought their pull-alongs. Were they charged $4.00/day, or did you just let that go? Do what you say. Mean what you say (like with little kids).

Reviewed on 05/12/2016

Trip Rating:

The Amalfi Coast Drive was our most memorable and sadly most disappointing. It was the most beautiful part of the entire trip but we were stuck on the side of the bus away from The View. Halfway through the Dr they should have made everybody switch sides so that the entire bus got photo opportunities of the Amalfi Coast. It would have been the fair thing to do.

Lisa

Reviewed on 05/04/2016

Trip Rating:

Matera was the most memorable. However, we should be given a map of the towns as part of tour materials. Luckily, we ventured out and found much to see on our own. Things that the tour could have included without great expense, or at least be given highlights of a town which would be of interest. Same applies to the Palermo, Taormina, Amalfi,etc. Collette should include more, I.e., the church in Amalfi, instead you get dropped off and then "good luck"! Free time especially in Taormina and Alberbello was too long. We could have seen something else as part of tour. We had no choice but to sit and wait for our coach, we were stranded during the time when things were closed. P. Would have liked more time in Sorrento in the evening when Sorrento comes alive. Again, if hotels had been more centrally located, the experience would have been much better. The meal at the winery was poor. The winery tour itself was very good.

Richard and Suzi

Reviewed on 2025-07-11T18:48:41.761Z

Trip Rating:

Visting farms where they make ricotta and mozzarella chesses and learning how to make Arancini. I made so many wonderful memories in this beautiful country can't wait to return.

Ann Ralph

Reviewed on 2025-07-11T14:01:52.107Z

Trip Rating:

Overall the tour was good. Loved all of the history that we learned and went to see in person. The only issues I had a few times was the lack of food quality that was available at some of the hotels / resorts we stayed at.

Casey Wagner

Reviewed on 2025-07-05T17:46:14.691Z

Trip Rating:

Tour was fantastic. Tour guides were kind and went above and beyond. I loved the visits to the farms and orchards. The food was fabulous. Good balance between touring and downtime. I loved hearing about the history in Sicily and touring some famous sites.

Reviewed on 2025-06-17T12:29:17.501Z

Reviewed on 2025-06-15T23:07:25.748Z

Trip Rating:

The tour of Pompeii

Alan Chandler

Reviewed on 2025-06-15T18:05:17.695Z

Reviewed on 2025-06-15T12:18:55.551Z

Trip Rating:

The winery with the cooking was amazing. I like the one hotel on the beach. The buffalo cheese experience was better than I expected. The optional dinner was not worth the money.

Ilisa Sacknoff Hoppes

Reviewed on 2025-06-15T12:13:54.349Z

Trip Rating:

Overall the trip was good. There was a lot to see and do. I especially enjoyed seeing Pompeii and going up Mt. Etna. However, I would not recommend going to Rome during a Jubilee year. Way too many people, and you couldn't stop and look at anything inside the Vatican Museum.

Reviewed on 2025-06-09T14:43:32.945Z

Reviewed on 2025-06-06T22:08:29.213Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily was spectacular and greatly enhanced by our tour guide Davide Porto. He gave great information on the cities, the traditions and folklore. It was very educational and delightful. The hotel accommodations were high end and the staff were great. Large rooms- great staff and great food. I will use Collette tours again. I am a fan and have referred people to the website! Very professional and overall a good time and very nice people too. Thank you Collette tours!

Reviewed on 2025-06-06T12:34:11.020Z

Trip Rating:

Food was good but a lot of pasta and eggplant. Sicily is noted for their seafood and didn’t have much of that at all. Agrigento the leisure time going to the beach and stepping into the Mediterranean Sea. The trulli homes, farm dinner, Taormina my ❤️

Reviewed on 2025-06-06T12:26:44.403Z

Trip Rating:

Farm to table experience in Sicily was amazing. Delicious food created with traditional recipes. Incredible views. Warm inviting hostess.

Reviewed on 2025-05-24T11:57:16.548Z

Reviewed on 2025-05-24T03:01:36.026Z

Trip Rating:

Pompeii and our exceptional tour manager, Federico

Don Simpson

Reviewed on 2025-05-23T14:08:41.186Z

Trip Rating:

It was a wonderful trip with a great itinerary, beautiful scenery and great food.

Reviewed on 2025-05-23T13:00:03.986Z

Trip Rating:

The farm with lunch and my Etna excursion were highlights of my trip

Reviewed on 2025-05-06T11:53:50.369Z

Trip Rating:

The meals at the Agritourismos were fun and the food was wonderful. Sorrento, Pompeii, Matera and Alberobella were so interesting. So much history.

Teri Koester

Reviewed on 2025-05-05T20:37:38.911Z

Trip Rating:

I loved everything.

Carmelina Fabiano

Reviewed on 2025-05-03T01:43:02.353Z

Trip Rating:

All the walking tours, the UNESCO sites, absolutely fabulous! From Palermo, to Meterá, Agrigento, Giardini Axios, Positano, all unforgettable and truly remarkable places! Each place has it’s own personality! The food was fabulous! I also enjoyen visiting the two Agrefarms! Fabulous food, and allowing some of the group to participate was wonderful! I could go back to the farms now, just to eat!

Eileen

Reviewed on 2025-04-30T16:16:23.852Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-29T12:16:08.031Z

Trip Rating:

Enjoyed trip to casa varicose, and Carolina as well as positano as well as buffalo farm to name a few . Wish we had more time on positano and taromina but realized time constraints and would not have seen so many other things. Glad I saw so many things

Reviewed on 2025-04-28T19:46:43.086Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-28T12:23:26.966Z

Trip Rating:

Trip of a lifetime. largely because of Marney our tour guide.

John Falco

Reviewed on 2025-04-28T11:06:02.599Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-27T17:00:39.200Z

Trip Rating:

Overall, everything was very good, but as a travel agent, I have to be honest. The food at two hotels — in Palermo and at the Agrigento beach hotel — was not up to standard. Honestly, it would have been better if they had just served a properly made grilled cheese. Most of my group stuck to salad and bread. Unfortunately, there were no other local dining options nearby, or we would have gone elsewhere. That said, the hotels themselves were very nice. The ride to southern Italy was long, and the gas stations along the way were disappointing — not the usual good Italian rest stops you find in the north. I would recommend rethinking the combination of these two areas in one tour or, at minimum, giving travelers a very clear heads-up that the ride is long and food options are extremely limited. (I had actually mentioned this concern before we departed.) One last thing: there was roadwork directly under our rooms in Sorrento, going until 2:00 AM, which made it difficult for the group to sleep.

Nicholas Neske

Reviewed on 2025-04-26T06:01:58.775Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-16T14:39:07.780Z

Trip Rating:

Tour was excellent! Collette always delivers--starting with a very knowledgeable Tour Manager, to lodging selection, to sightseeing sites, and the number of meals included in the package. I was impressed with the agri-turismo sites we visited, the meals we ate there, and the very informative reception we received. All in all, the trip was well worth it!

Reviewed on 2025-04-15T13:00:43.010Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-13T18:12:33.399Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-12T04:00:11.799Z

Trip Rating:

With ny friends. the hotel The food

Maria Teresa Abalos

Reviewed on 2025-04-11T20:48:50.857Z

Trip Rating:

It was the best tour I’ve joined. Itinerary was great, Tour Manager (Apollonia) and accommodations were the best. I just wish we have more time to enjoy our accommodations.

Reviewed on 2025-04-11T17:04:22.322Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-11T14:42:31.774Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-11T13:51:02.577Z

Trip Rating:

This marks my fourth trip to Italy, and I find this latest experience to be the most delightful.i have always been impressed by the warmth and hosptality of the Italian people, who are exceptionally friendly. We visited numerous places, but two on particular stood out. First, Sicily is truly breathtaking, with its incredible cuisine, ancient temples, medieval churches and stunning beaches, all of which are remarkable to witness. Second, there is Mount Etna, on the east coast of Sicily in the City of Catania, which is the tallest volcano in Europe. Only a few of us in our group were brave enough to ascend to the summit craters. The trek along the slender trail was rather intimidating, featuring a steep drop and a deep ravine on one side , one misstep could lead to disaster while the towering mountain on the opposite side seemed to offer a sense of safety. However, once we reached the top, we were rewarded with captivating views, other worldly landscapes, and picturesque scene reminiscent of the moon. Ms. Apolonia, did a great job as our Tour Manager handling important logistics on our Southern Italy and Sicily tour from March 10-26, 2025., her tireless efforts, dedication, support and generosity had been exceptional! Hotels and meals were great ! So many fun times shared and unforgettable memories made. Much appreciated!

Reviewed on 2025-04-11T13:03:49.023Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-08T02:44:32.262Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-08T01:17:18.803Z

Reviewed on 2025-04-08T01:15:24.527Z

Trip Rating:

I can’t choose one experience, there were so many! The trip was exciting and wonderful!

Pamela Hamrick

Reviewed on 2025-04-04T21:58:15.789Z

Trip Rating:

Amazing tour. Paolo was very informative and a wonderful all around great man. Antonio was a wonderful driver. Hotels and restaurants were wonderful. Chuck was also very helpful and informative. Chuck and Paolo kept us informed and on time. There is nothing I can find to complain about on this trip. I would definitely do it again.

Michelle Buster

Reviewed on 2025-04-04T12:02:14.479Z

Trip Rating:

We had a great time. Tour guide was fantastic. The extra excursions were unique & the food was excellent. The group was just the right size and everyone was friendly.

John

Reviewed on 2025-04-04T09:07:18.170Z

Trip Rating:

The tour was amazing. Paolo our manager was engaging, funny, and knowledgeable. Our driver Antonio was impressive. Not sure how he does it. Chuck our organizer was a great host sharing his trips, and hosting a pre trip dinner. A few recommendations. I ordered diabetic meals on the plane, and they said they never received the order and couldn’t assist. As a couple having our seats together would have been nice. With a seven hour layover, offering to book a lounge would have been great. Excursions. They were all well done except one day we took the added excursions and it ended up creating three in one day. The last being the taste of Sicily. The idea was good, but nobody told us what we were tasting. The music was great though. Cinzia the host at Agriturismo Case Varrisco was truly special. That is a definite keeper. It was a trip to remember. Thank you.

James Africano

Reviewed on 2025-04-02T22:16:48.697Z

Trip Rating:

I looked the meals we had at farms and winery’s. Was a great experience! The tours of all the ruins, churches were amazing! Best vacation of my life!

Jamey Moore

Reviewed on 2025-03-22T13:18:27.475Z

Trip Rating:

Wonderful way to see Sicily and Southern Italy.

Rene

Reviewed on 2025-03-22T00:45:13.927Z

Trip Rating:

Chuckie and rosario

Reviewed on 2025-03-21T12:15:43.399Z

Reviewed on 2025-03-21T12:14:58.579Z

Reviewed on 2025-03-21T10:13:12.754Z

Trip Rating:

Visit to the family owned farm the hostess was excellent. The walking tour with Jackie she was very knowledgeable. . All our city tour guides were very interesting Rosario was the best tour manager Buffalo farm was very interesting Also, Pompei is a must see

Joan Cinelli

Reviewed on 2025-02-17T20:29:51.305Z

Trip Rating:

Many memorable moments - loved the history part of things - visiting the Countess and her home in Palermo, the farm and lunch, Mt. Etna, Taromina, Agrigento and the ruins, and loved taking the ferry to Italy and going to Southern Italy. We were disappointed in the flights back and cancelled flight by AA and to this day we still haven't received the 600 Euros promised by the EU for cancelled flights of over 4 hours...ours was delayed a day and 1/2 and we just happened to be up and see a post on an app that it was cancelled.

Nora Amato

Reviewed on 2025-01-21T21:15:29.381Z

Trip Rating:

I cant say enough about the actual sites,the tour guide and the driver!!! We were also a very large group and all were so fun and memorable! We always asked about the food and it was not so much part of the memory. The atmosphere of dining in the hotels and food was a 5 at the most. That would be my only disappointment.

Julia Fanelli

Reviewed on 2024-12-17T15:04:55.835Z

Trip Rating:

Our tour guide Christian was wonderful. He was funny, knowledgeable, and very helpful.

Elaine Brigandi

Reviewed on 2024-12-06T14:04:09.934Z

Trip Rating:

Our tour guide was amazing in guiding us on our adventures. He also had to address a madical issue in our group and handled with expert care . The information given by all the tour guides that share all the history and knowledge is what gave me the appreciation of what I was looking at . My favorite spots were Amalfi coast and Pompeii . Loved visiting a few of the local farms in the countryside. Other than admiring the beauty of Italy , it would have no meaning without the info from our tour guides .

Linda Fisher

Reviewed on 2024-12-03T04:40:03.071Z

Trip Rating:

Exceptional hotels, great stops throughout Sicily with the opportunity to get a feel for the people, good, customs, and language. Our tour guide Marney was excellent.

Virginia Leon

Reviewed on 2024-12-01T17:17:20.998Z

Trip Rating:

I had a good time, but I’ve traveled enough that I’m not looking for bucket list experiences. The crowds were horrible. How about a trip that takes you to the “road less traveled?” Also, the accommodations were lovely but way too luxurious. I would have preferred something more 3-star and closer to the city center. And too much food — way too much meat.

Reviewed on 2024-11-29T13:18:03.056Z

Reviewed on 2024-11-29T12:40:18.492Z

Reviewed on 2024-11-24T21:13:24.186Z

Trip Rating:

My wife Gay responded to your forms and we shared the same feelings. The tour was wonderful in every way and Christian was fabulous!!!! So helpful, brilliant , funny and we both feel that we’d be so happy to go on any tour that he would be guiding !!!!!!

Robert Donofrio

Reviewed on 2024-11-22T17:48:00.205Z

Trip Rating:

Valley of the Temples, in Agrigento, deserves more time than the tour planned. Thank goodness our tour manager, Christian, arranged for my spouse and myself, along with others who wanted to spend time there, avoiding a complete meltdown on my part. One of the main reasons we chose this tour was to spend time here. And the dinner "at a local restaurant and an evening view of the illuminated Valley..." is a complete fabrication; the restaurant was nowhere near the ruins and the only "panoramic spot" was on the bus as it was leaving the ruins.

Reviewed on 2024-11-22T17:34:55.211Z

Trip Rating:

Overall, I truly enjoyed the tour. It covered a lot of grounds and gave a good sample variety of Sicily and Southern Italy. I was very impressed by the farm to table experience. The hostess was extremely friendly and welcoming and made us feel like family. I truly loved Cefalu and its charms. Arigento and Valley of the Temples was a wonderful experience. Matera , Taormina and Pompeii were learning experiences as well. Exhilarated to experience Sorrento and travel the Amalfi Coast. Alberobello and trulli homes was a great learning experience.

Celestina Ishmael

Reviewed on 2024-11-22T14:33:32.007Z

Trip Rating:

This was a wonderful trip. Our tour guides were excellent. Especially memorable was the trip to Mt. Etna.

Barbara Puglia

Reviewed on 2024-11-22T12:46:25.840Z

Trip Rating:

Bus driver franco and tour guide christian fabulous! Climbing mt etna was by far the most memorable and that tour guide was incredible, knowledgeable and sensitive to the needs of those who needed help emotionally and physically.

Reviewed on 2024-11-10T16:43:13.909Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily was a total surprising discovery. Martina with her incredible energy and beautiful smile guided 40 of us in some magnificent places. Her local guides were well versed in history, culture of the regions. I never heard of the Norman architecture. The food was also a big surprise. So fresh and various. Then Sorento , Positano ,all jewels of the Southern Italy were fun to explore. Alfeo our driver had an incredible abilities to deal with some vertiginous streets and keep his cool. I will recommend this tour to anyone. I celebrated my 85 with my daughter who came from NZ . I am dreaming of the places we visited Vedere Napoli pui morire! Thank you MM

Marie Mermin

Reviewed on 2024-11-10T15:32:52.343Z

Trip Rating:

Wonderful trip but too short. Martina was the best guide we ever had. She made even the long bus trips enjoyable. I would have liked a little more time in Pompeii but what we saw was interesting and our guide was very informative. The hotels were very nice and located well. I thought Sorrento was great. Only thing i would comment on is changing the hotels every two days was a bit much even though i realized we had a lot of real estate to cover.

Betsy Allan

Reviewed on 2024-11-10T14:03:28.281Z

Trip Rating:

Matera was my favorite. Great history visits on this trip. Martina, our guide, is fantastic. Very organized, great communication, very entertaining on the bus, and very personnel. Wonderful sense of humor. I always felt in very good hands. She did above average job. Collette did a great job communicating with me, loved the Collette app. I would take another tour Martina and/or Collette. Dolores Franzen

Dolores Franzen

Reviewed on 2024-11-10T13:39:48.349Z

Reviewed on 2024-11-10T12:08:35.476Z

Trip Rating:

The hotels were all very nice but 2 of them were in very remote areas with nothing around them of interest to vacationing people. The itinerary is very good, hitting highlights. Our tour guide, Martina was fabulous and so was the bus driver. I know there was an add on of Rome, but it would have been nice to have a day in Rome included at end of tour. Thank you.

Reviewed on 2024-11-08T12:35:52.856Z

Trip Rating:

This tour is fantastic as a history lesson on Sicily and how it has struggled to maintain a self of identity while being dominated by so many different cultures. I loved the sights that we saw on the different parts of the island - the Greek, Norman, Roman architecture all blending together is stunning!! I wish I had really thought through the driving times that are listed on the itinerary. Being on a full tour bus for 3-4 hours many times as we drove from one part of the island to another, was uncomfortable. Coupled with long travel days at the beginning/ending of the trip, my back and leg muscles were very cramped up. Collette does a great job of finding EXCELLENT local experts, each person was well informed and also able to interact with large groups. Our tour manager was fun, knowledgeable, and handled all of our logistics seamlessly! Kudos to Christian !! This trip was our 2nd tour with Collette and we are planning on using their program again when we set up our next adventure!

Nancie Romano

Reviewed on 2024-11-06T16:59:32.715Z

Trip Rating:

The Tour Operator, Marny, was very irritable with the single women on the Trip. She was fine with couples, just the women without men. She said things to me that I have documented and will never recommend her to anyone taking a tour of Italy and/or Sicily. As knowledgeable as she was, she was rude, made mean remarks in front of the Group and couldn't restrain her insecurities because she was hot on our driver. It was evident with many but no one, after paying what we paid, wanted to say anything. Personally, she needs to move on and not represent Collette Tours in Italy. I might add I've been in the Travel Industry 37 years and never encountered this before. It was embarrassing and maddening. There has to be a more adaptable human that doesn't get mad at paying customers because the bus driver is showing us attention. Who needs this? Certainly not a Group on vacation.

Reviewed on 2024-11-05T02:55:57.737Z

Reviewed on 2024-11-04T02:26:52.205Z

Trip Rating:

This was an amazing tour. Marne, our tour manager couldn't have been more delightful. She was extremely knowledgeable, funny and perfect at what she does. Our driver, Guissepe, was skilled, courteous and had a great personality. It's almost impossible to pick a favorite moment. Every day was an exciting new adventure. So many beautiful sights. I would highly recommend this tour.

Jill Todoro

Reviewed on 2024-11-03T20:19:35.005Z

Reviewed on 2024-11-03T16:12:02.852Z

Trip Rating:

Loved the Sicilian adventure in Agrigento with local music also the cooking lesson of arrancini and lunch at the farm. The lunch at the Buffalo Mozzarella farm was excellent too. The towns we stopped at were beautiful: Positano, Sorrento, Taormina and Agrigento

Reviewed on 2024-11-02T10:59:07.142Z

Trip Rating:

Nice visit to Italy. We travel with the Wisconsin group often. Loved our visit to Positano. So beautiful there. Pompeii was too crowded. Visiting Italian farm and lunch there was very good. The gluten free pizza and house wines were a favorite.

Reviewed on 2024-11-02T02:31:45.595Z

Reviewed on 2024-11-01T22:34:30.819Z

Trip Rating:

Tours were very detailed but would have enjoyed a little slower pace

Reviewed on 2024-11-01T18:49:36.946Z

Trip Rating:

What a great trip! Enjoyed every day of the tour!

Kathleen Simon

Reviewed on 2024-11-01T16:12:45.799Z

Trip Rating:

did not have one

Reviewed on 2024-11-01T15:14:10.437Z

Trip Rating:

Touramino Theatre tour, sites, guide

Reviewed on 2024-11-01T12:38:53.354Z

Trip Rating:

A few of the group dinners/Agratourismo were not worth the time it took on the long crooked roads. At two of them I was unable to sit by my wife because of the seating arrangements. Very disappointing ! Would have preferred to spend more time at the ruins or doing things on our own. Food at group dinners is very average. Very limited choice of beverages. Was told wine or beer at group dinners, it was only wine and had to pay for beer or soda. Trip was just ok and if not for our fantastic tour manager would have been below average. Would not recommend as a MUST do trip.

Stuart Kultgen

Reviewed on 2024-11-01T12:22:06.379Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-30T13:07:14.352Z

Trip Rating:

Matera and Sorrento

Lynn Castellari

Reviewed on 2024-10-29T02:29:36.845Z

Trip Rating:

Collett tour guide was fantastic. Every tour guide did a great job. I will tour with them again!

Marsha Sunderman

Reviewed on 2024-10-28T14:32:18.473Z

Trip Rating:

Sub par for Collette. I’ve been on 4 other Collette tours. This was the worst.

Reviewed on 2024-10-28T13:30:55.342Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-28T11:46:58.121Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-25T13:03:44.417Z

Trip Rating:

I was very disappointed in the accodumations and the food was horrible! I was surprised that every location we went on was toured by a local and our tour guide did nothing but seemed to babysit. On our Pompeii trip it was just your time! Really don’t need three hours to eat and shop. No history given by tour guide. Was walking and saw her and our bus driver sitting and on their phones. I did not feel any engaging with information during our bus rides pointing out any interesting sites. I was also surprised that our guide left and was not engaging at our dinners, and had her son meet her at one of our dinners and left. Very disappointed and can’t say I would recommend Collette tours !

Reviewed on 2024-10-23T22:39:32.066Z

Trip Rating:

Farm luncheon

Reviewed on 2024-10-23T18:17:26.707Z

Trip Rating:

Was looking for a tour of Italy that didn't include Rome (we done that already). This tour was very good, very quick pace, we really enjoyed this tour, with so many UNESCO sites included. The tour manager Mimma was excellent and our driver Massimo was great and we felt very safe with him driving are some of the very narrow roads. All of the sites we visited were excellent and the optional were a must, specially Alberobello and Mt Etna Off road, the Flavor of Sicily was just ok. Our previous tour of Italy was done with another tour company. They used hotels that were centrally located but were not what Americans would call 4 star hotels, hotels were clean but were just ok. That said we decided to try Collette because they use better quality hotels BUT some are not centrally located. Some hotels were far from the center of town and on some nights when dinner was included with tour at hotel. Most of those dinners were not very good. I felt like they had cooks not chefs. So if you wanted to skip dinner and go on your own you needed to get a taxi to town and back. We didn't leave but some from our group did and found it hard to get a taxi back and when they did the fee was triple of what you paid to get there. Some nights we checked into hotels late and then checked out early on most mornings. Don't get me wrong the hotels were very nice, two were on the beach, another had a Spa. But not to have access to town to have a fantastic dinner but to have a better quality hotel, for us it wasn't worth it. The Sicilian farm lunch and dinner at the winery that was included were excellent, I think those two meals were the best we had in Italy. The small lunch at the Buffalo Mozzarella farm was very good too. Also we had 42 in our group, which was a very large group, thankfully everyone in our group was a pleasure. Everyone was always on time and very nice to each other. Again we had a fantastic time and these are the things that we liked and disliked.

Michele

Reviewed on 2024-10-23T15:17:43.249Z

Trip Rating:

Tour had too many people (43). Tour manager did not keep control of the group on several occasions. He seemed preoccupied with other matters. Walked way too fast for many members of the group.

Reviewed on 2024-10-23T12:38:36.867Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-23T12:03:09.959Z

Trip Rating:

I enjoyed Sicily very much. Would love to come back just for a tour of Sicily. I love the history of the country. The food was delicious. Great tour

Reviewed on 2024-10-23T11:04:05.071Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-22T21:15:53.969Z

Trip Rating:

Loved all the local farms and wineries that we visited. And the local restaurants. The tours where very informative.

Reviewed on 2024-10-22T20:52:51.902Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-04T19:17:46.093Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-04T14:40:51.720Z

Trip Rating:

The tour was well organized and so interesting! The tour manager did a good job of breaking up the bus rides so they were not too long. I especially liked the inclusion of the farmhouse meal, the stop at a winery, a buffalo mozzarella farm and the Sicilian dinner with music. I would go back to Sicily and southern Italy again and I would not hesitate to take another tour with Collette.

Reviewed on 2024-10-04T14:09:08.437Z

Trip Rating:

Loved all of Sicily and southern Italy, food, wine. The buffalo mozzarella farm was fascinating and tasting all the products added to the trip. It made me want to buy some. Also the family farm in Sicily was a great experience with delicious local food! Tour leader Davide was the right mix of information, fun, and enthusiasm about his home and our bus driver was fantastic!

Reviewed on 2024-10-04T14:05:11.244Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-04T10:32:39.450Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-04T10:32:01.116Z

Reviewed on 2024-10-02T21:02:47.848Z

Trip Rating:

Many things were memorable - would recommend keeping the farm visit, Cefalu, the countess visit, possibly add in Messina, was not as "wowed" by Matera (the hotel there was "interesting" - our outside door did not lock, the laundry wouldn't spin so was really wet, Sorrento was lovely. Upset at the end of the tour because we still have had no help with our cancelled flights and American (at the very least owes us the $600 pp EU refund) and has stated as such and we have received nothing and no help. We purchased the insurance. AA said they would reimburse the taxis, hotel stay, and airline tickets....so frustrating as it is out of our control.

Reviewed on 2024-08-30T18:49:54.157Z

Trip Rating:

Covered much of Sicily and spots on the mainland. Not enough free time in Cefalu and Montreale. We had to choose to explore, shop or eat as we had only 1 hour of free time. While we can skip eating, it would have been good to have more time to explore and shop as well. I like to pick up local artworks or handcrafted items specific to the regions.

Reviewed on 2024-08-30T11:10:43.250Z

Trip Rating:

There was almost too much to see & do just on the island of Sicily - moving accommodations every 2 days to fit it all in meant less free shopping & dining experiences in each city we visited. The leisure day @ the resort on the Mediterranean coast was appreciated though! We would have loved 1 more day in the Amalfi Coast region also. Lots of amazing history - wonderful meal experiences - our favorites: farm to table, winery, & buffalo (mozzarella) farm meals. History: Trulli home village, Valley of the Temples & Matera. Would absolutely recommend this tour.

Reviewed on 2024-07-19T18:57:28.812Z

Trip Rating:

Taormina and Positano were definitely the highlights, can't wait to go back for more time, which is the only downside of this tour. You see a lot and do a little, sort of, with too much packed into not quite enough time. 4-5 more days would have been ideal. Everything in the tour, as it was, was first rate, especially the manager, who kept everything running smoothly.

Steven Lipschutz

Reviewed on 2024-07-19T18:51:01.840Z

Trip Rating:

Excellent itinerary, especially the side trips for dining at family farm, winery, and buffalo mozzarella farm/restaurant; but too much in not enough time, could have easily been 3 or 4 days longer and would have been more enjoyable. Tour manager very energetic and upbeat, projects very well, could easily be an on-air spokesperson for Collette, made everything that much better.

Debbie Lipschutz

Reviewed on 2024-07-19T14:57:12.618Z

Trip Rating:

This tour is outstanding and very comprehensive. The hotels were top notch, especially the breakfast buffets that were included in the tour. We also enjoyed visiting places that regular tours do not visit, i.e. the lunch at a family-owned farmhouse and the visit to the buffalo mozarella farm. It provided cultural immersion. We feel that we know more about Italy, its people, its customs, etc. after this tour. Our tour manager was excellent, friendly, kind, fostered camaraderie in the group, and made sure our needs are taken care of. She was also very manageable and made the tour enjoyable, especially the long bus rides.

Reviewed on 2024-07-14T07:17:38.594Z

Trip Rating:

I totally enjoyed my tour. A very memorable experience was going up to Mt. Etna, Hiking up and seen the lava rivers was amazing. We also had a wonderful tour Director, who was knowledgeable and friendly and helpful and made the trip enjoyable, especially when we were in the bus for longer than usual rides. He was always full of interesting information.

Barbara Short

Reviewed on 2024-07-12T14:20:57.213Z

Reviewed on 2024-07-12T13:55:04.221Z

Trip Rating:

Frederico was simply the best! He was a plethora of information . Our group was always his #1 priority . Not only did he manage our group extremely well -38 different personalities- he made sure he had a personal approach to each one of us! He handled all of our hiccups, adjusted schedules accordingly and we were ALWAYS informed via email and hotel lobby board.

Sandy Kilgore

Reviewed on 2024-07-12T13:17:43.857Z

Trip Rating:

Loved it all!!

Reviewed on 2024-07-12T05:53:09.878Z

Trip Rating:

It's supposed to be a vacation, this was more like work. We seen amazing things and made alot of long term friends, but jeez on that bus doing what the group wanted to do, eating what was served to us, no choices, moving hotels everytime you turn around.we had little free time to do us. I won't do another tour we will book our own flights,own hotel ourself and do us. I need a vacation from this one. We will not do any more tours,every plane late, missed connections,lost luggage for 3 days sorry Collette but we will never travel with your company again to stressful for vacation , now we're going to Florida to relax, and we are still going to Tuscany in November but not with Collette tours.

Reviewed on 2024-07-05T08:13:27.368Z

Trip Rating:

I’ve been to Italy 8 times and hands down this was the best trip I’ve ever been on. From start to finish, everything was handled in such a professional manner. Our tour director Dario was remarkable and could not be any better. Knowledgeable, caring, and dedicated.…such an asset to the company. Each local guide had such a passion and knowledge for the area they spoke of. This tour could not be any better. Thank you Collette!

Reviewed on 2024-06-19T14:07:53.788Z

Reviewed on 2024-06-16T18:51:50.982Z

Trip Rating:

We had a great experience and learned so much history. Our tour manager was light hearted and fun. The local guides were very impressive, especially our guide in Palermo, who was quite the professional historian. We also loved meeting the countess and touring her home. We were told it was the last time this would be planned with Collette. We felt this was a special, lovely highlight and think it should remain on the tour. We also enjoyed Monreale, Taormina and Giardini Naxos. We could have stayed there another night and skipped Agrigento. Matera was incredible and beautiful, Sorrento and Positano although gorgeous, it was very crowded. We preferred our time in Sicily.

Regina Namin

Reviewed on 2024-06-16T16:37:18.747Z

Trip Rating:

We saw and experienced alot. Having to tip every local guide, tour manager and bus driver was a lot and the price for two optional excursions was a lot.

Reviewed on 2024-06-16T12:50:53.748Z

Trip Rating:

Our tour manager was AMAZING!! Our favorite memories: buffalo mozzarella farm, Cefalu, palace in Palermo ( please do NOT exclude ), three days in Palermo, Sassi, winery and great dinner, Valley of the Temples, Greek opera house, boat ride to Positano, Pompeii, Colosseum, Savaco, Vatican, Pantheon, Sorrento, Tulli houses, amazing food, free time to explore, new friends, amazing food. Too many favorites to list them all. Collette exceeded our expectations.

Gregory Hoffman

Reviewed on 2024-06-14T10:35:00.530Z

Reviewed on 2024-06-07T16:04:27.991Z

Reviewed on 2024-06-07T14:39:20.602Z

Trip Rating:

Great Trip

Jimmy Meredith

Reviewed on 2024-06-07T14:04:00.983Z

Trip Rating:

The travelers. Our guide. The variety of tours.

Reviewed on 2024-06-07T14:10:52.582Z

Reviewed on 2024-06-07T12:30:43.354Z

Trip Rating:

Dr Laura Evans is fabulous!!! She now has a cult following. Most of our fellow travelers did Art Crimes with Dr. Laura Evans in 2022 & would travel with her at every opportunity. Stephanie Reinke is an amazing travel planner. Stephanie introduced all of us to Collette Tour. It is because of Stephanie that many of us have taken other Collette Tours. Keep this winning team together!

Susan McCarley

Reviewed on 2024-06-07T12:12:11.457Z

Reviewed on 2024-06-06T09:11:03.134Z

Trip Rating:

Very organized and enjoyable visit to an amazing part of the world!

John Brown

Reviewed on 2024-06-02T10:22:32.747Z

Trip Rating:

So many but I really enjoyed Sorrento.

Reviewed on 2024-06-01T14:46:45.784Z

Trip Rating:

Everything about this trip was wonderful. Our tour guide Mauro was incredible and our driver Aurelio was extremely talented, especially on the twists and turns of the Italian roads. Local guides were also extremely interesting and knowledgeable

Jara Bender

Reviewed on 2024-06-01T13:16:44.370Z

Reviewed on 2024-06-01T11:35:14.740Z

Reviewed on 2024-06-01T11:34:37.046Z

Reviewed on 2024-05-29T20:58:25.877Z

Trip Rating:

Great experience. Enjoyed getting to know Sicily and the other amazing folks on the tour. Fantastic tour manager and driver.

Reviewed on 2024-05-29T15:59:20.600Z

Trip Rating:

The tour director was fabulous. Upbeat and positive. We love Positono and the Almalfi coast. Loved the tour to the Dutchess home, very personal. Would have liked more time to ourselves to explore the towns though.

Reviewed on 2024-05-29T12:09:41.540Z

Reviewed on 2024-05-26T19:01:38.698Z

Trip Rating:

Italy was so beautiful and so full of history. Our Tour guide was the best Franco Francesco. He was so entertaining and enthusiastic about everything we did. I loved everything about the trip except for the airport experience in Chicago and having to lose a day of our tour to get back to the airport to pick up our luggage. I realize that the airport mess was not part of Collette but I felt like we were left navigating through it all on own. Not what I expected at all. I figured that Collette would have been alittle more helpful. Franco helped us out as much as he could. All in all I missed almost 3 days of the tour . I’m hoping that the insurance that I purchased through Collette will cover some of the lost time. Holly

Reviewed on 2024-05-25T16:45:41.804Z

Trip Rating:

I don't like the walking tours. You can't stop to buy anything so why not just do a driving tour and you can walk back to areas you like most. Highpoint of Palermo was the visit to the medival palace with the countess. Learned so much about the history of the area and the countess was lovely and welcoming. Wonderful to see the behind the schenes of the palace! Taormina was my favorite city. So charming and lots of local arts. Very historic. Enjoyed the local winery and dinner in the agriturismo restaurant. Sassi di Matera was facinating. Buffalo farm was interesting and fun. The boat ride to Positano was awful, packed in like a bunch of sardines on a too small, oversold boat ride. Hard to even find a place to sit. Was less crowded on the trip back. Enjoyed the visit to Positan despite the boat ride.

Reviewed on 2024-05-24T21:42:04.514Z

Trip Rating:

Visiting the Countess at her palace in Palermo. She was delightful and it was an opportunity to see and hear how the other half lives.

Reviewed on 2024-05-24T13:16:51.144Z

Trip Rating:

So much history I loved it all after airplane issues. Guide was very good. He was fun & very knowledgeable. Trip over all was great.

Laurelyn Hensarling

Reviewed on 2024-05-24T12:53:11.314Z

Trip Rating:

Every day was filled with new adventures and experiences. Collette tours are phenomenal- they truly take such good care of their guests with respect, kindness, and compassion. Our Tour Guide was absolutely fantastic regarding expectations and details always giving us updates and so very entertaining most of the time. This was my second Collette tour and I cant wait for our next one. Thank you Collette for thinking of everything that makes a tour a successful journey!

Reviewed on 2024-05-17T12:56:45.712Z

Trip Rating:

Being left off at the airport to go home.

John Barbieri

Reviewed on 2024-05-17T11:38:56.784Z

Trip Rating:

Excellent tour manager. Beautiful country. Great food. Excellent experience.

Reviewed on 2024-05-15T02:04:46.401Z

Trip Rating:

Too many favorites! This trip was amazing and had so much variety. Farm to table, ancient sites, the food, knowledgeable guides that told us so much about what we were seeing, Mt. Etna, driving up to Savoca, Trulli houses...this was a trip of a lifetime. Our tour manager, Dario, was a gem. I just want to go back!

Christine Anderson

Reviewed on 2024-05-10T11:36:08.454Z

Trip Rating:

Loved every stop especially the contessa!! What a place!

Reviewed on 2024-05-03T15:12:40.669Z

Trip Rating:

Favorite was not even included in tour but tour guide made it happen for us. A tour of Rome at night. Fantastic and highlight of the trip.

Reviewed on 2024-05-03T13:27:02.333Z

Trip Rating:

Of all the hotels we stayed in, only one had functioning air conditioning. The farm excursions were wonderful and all the other excursions were great with excellent guides.

Reviewed on 2024-05-03T12:19:40.531Z

Reviewed on 2024-04-12T13:37:12.829Z

Trip Rating:

Both Deborah & I experienced food poisoning on March 19th. I was I'll for 2.5 days & Deborah was I'll for 4 days. The doctor we saw on March 20th in the afternoon examined Deborah & prescribed 3 types of medication for her to take for 7 days which did get rid of the stomach infection. Twelve people in our group out of 18 were taken I'll either by the food, dishes & silverware, or an unclean employee at the Baia di Ulisse, Agrigento, Italy. Our tour guide, Paola Balzo was our saving grace in this whole mess. She went into action & got to the pharmacy & brought back Imodium & anti-nausea medications for everyone to take so we could then get on the bus & travel to our next stop in Giardini Naxos, Italy. We appreciate her initiative & prompt response in relieving a bad situation. She truly is a thoughtful & dedicated employee. I don't know what we or anyone else in our group would have done without her aid & assistance! Needless to say we won't be eating Italian food for a very long time!! This was our first experience with being ill in any of our other years of travels domestically or internationally. We won't be travelling to Europe anytime too soon.

Reviewed on 2024-04-12T08:24:28.908Z

Reviewed on 2024-04-02T02:26:41.171Z

Trip Rating:

All of the tours and places we visited were excellent.

Reviewed on 2024-03-30T20:34:54.351Z

Reviewed on 2024-03-30T16:03:08.543Z

Trip Rating:

Tour manager and bus driver were excellent! I enjoyed everywhere we went on the tour. Collette exceeded my expectations in their attention to detail and even provided car service to and from the airport in my hometown--which I did not expect.

Reviewed on 2024-03-30T13:52:23.258Z

Trip Rating:

For my wife and I the Palazzo Conte Federico was the favorite ❤️! The opportunity to see the difference between the ancient drab exterior and the classic beauty of the palace interior was a great experience! To get a glimpse of how they lived centuries ago and the magnificent interior architecture was a great privilege!

Jimmy Weitkamp

Reviewed on 2024-03-30T12:40:28.476Z

Trip Rating:

The palace in Cercavu. The Contessa was charming and informative. The churches were awe inspiring. Pompeii was fabulous. The whole trip was phenomenal!!

Reviewed on 2023-12-30T12:23:30.665Z

Trip Rating:

Top notch guides, excellent hotels, and reliable transportation

James Hannum

Reviewed on 2023-12-30T12:15:54.508Z

Trip Rating:

Tour leader made the trip!

Reviewed on 2023-12-22T14:36:06.862Z

Trip Rating:

Incredible activities and accommodations with knowledgeable tour manager who had great sense of humor and tons of patience

Reviewed on 2023-12-04T19:40:14.332Z

Trip Rating:

I was happy with all that was included as well as the tour manager. I wanted the be a part of the real living- farm life over there in Italy. Going just out of season was great because less vacationer’s which meant shorter lines and less people to mill around for the tours scheduled.

Reviewed on 2023-12-04T17:29:53.115Z

Trip Rating:

Very well done and appreciated all of the sites seen. My most memorable place was my great-grandmother hometown. it was great to see where she grew up and lived before coming to the USA. The only hotel not up to par was the Hotel Michelangelo. Great location place but not the best room size for most of the group I was with (10 in my group).

Norman Brockett

Reviewed on 2023-12-03T15:22:59.369Z

Trip Rating:

The tour manager made our tour really enjoyable.

Reviewed on 2023-12-03T12:43:03.226Z

Trip Rating:

Excellent cities of choice, experiences and guide

Reviewed on 2023-12-03T11:19:33.226Z

Trip Rating:

Great accommodations, great food, and Ilearned so much about Italy.

Barbara Verhamme

Reviewed on 2023-12-03T11:16:56.571Z

Trip Rating:

Wonderful experience getting a taste of the culture meeting new people learning so much

Laura McDonough

Reviewed on 2023-12-02T21:32:49.580Z

Trip Rating:

Our trip to Sicily & Southern Italy this past October, 2023, was just AMAZING! Everyplace we visited, everything we saw & ate was absolutely wonderful & our Tour Manager, Enjo was the best! He was friendly, funny, informative & helpful in every way! My husband & I have been on other COLLETTE Tours & I can’t say enough about COLLETTE, they think of everything & we feel that you definitely get your money’s worth with COLLETTE! Thank you for a wonderful trip!

Theresa F.

Reviewed on 2023-12-01T20:47:33.860Z

Trip Rating:

I felt the tour guide we had went above and beyond to sssure that my dietary needs were meet. I truly appreciated it

Jeanne Auger

Reviewed on 2023-12-01T14:24:47.093Z

Trip Rating:

We saw so many things in such a short timeframe. Loved the interactions with the locals and learning about their culture.

Reviewed on 2023-12-01T12:31:05.027Z

Trip Rating:

need usage of the bathroom onboard bus. Tour manager was not sympathetic to that need nor was she tolerant when peope had questions about the schedule and or needed her to repeat them

Reviewed on 2023-12-01T12:29:20.099Z

Trip Rating:

a lot of traveling on the bus without the use of the bathroom. The wooden marquetry was not worthwhile nor was the bufflao ranch

Reviewed on 2023-12-01T10:28:26.831Z

Trip Rating:

Manager went above & beyond to please and inform everyone! With a group of 42 folks, no easy task and she succeeded! Fantastic with recommendations when we had free time also. Rooms were all very clean and comfortable. We were satisfied completely. The inclusions were such a grand learning experience and with such fun!! Would do them all again!!! Great items for us to choose!!!!

Jeanne Irving

Reviewed on 2023-11-13T12:33:26.431Z

Trip Rating:

GREAT TOUR. GREAT TOUR MANAGER!!!

Robert Amodeo

Reviewed on 2023-11-12T18:08:38.603Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily was a great surprise concerning its history, culture, and seeing that it was really a tropical paradise. Monreale with its mosaics, the Valley of the Temples, and the beautiful beaches were the highlights. Southern Italy was very good, but the tour of Pompeii was very crowded and rushed.

Robert Eugene Corsi Jr

Reviewed on 2023-11-12T12:13:23.179Z

Trip Rating:

It was a great tour! Great people. The tour manager was excellent, as was the bus driver. All the tour guides were very knowledgeable. We just loved it.

Carol Amodeo

Reviewed on 2023-11-11T19:27:29.302Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily was awesome very different from Italy. It was my third to Italy but my first time to Sicily. So much history Sicily has to offer I didn’t realize how much.

Reviewed on 2023-11-11T13:15:15.344Z

Trip Rating:

Excellent experience from start to finish.

Keith Faucher

Reviewed on 2023-11-11T02:13:37.788Z

Trip Rating:

The tour manager was absolutely excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and very entertaining. There were many memorable experiences but one I did not expect was courtesy of a local guide who was the owner of the Varisco sheep farm. Her enthusiastic presentation was heartfelt and inspiring.

Daniel Croak

Reviewed on 2023-11-10T13:10:49.650Z

Trip Rating:

Palermo Sicily was the best part of the thrip

Reviewed on 2023-11-10T13:09:58.894Z

Trip Rating:

Palermo Sicily Italy was the best part of the trip

Reviewed on 2023-11-01T20:29:50.719Z

Trip Rating:

The itinerary, hotels, and tour leader and bus travel was phenomenal. Air travel arrangements not so much.

Reviewed on 2023-11-01T17:30:05.899Z

Trip Rating:

Group of 46 was to large. Made it difficult to enjoy tour and limited free time, restaurant selection, and hotels were average at best. Rome hotel was 45 min to an 1.5 hr outside of city depending on traffic. Too many individuals unable to keep. Food was average and except for three meals provided were at the hotel restaurants. All the same meals.

Reviewed on 2023-11-01T17:17:49.005Z

Trip Rating:

Too big of a group to travel with 46 people is too many.

Reviewed on 2023-11-01T14:03:10.953Z

Trip Rating:

Needed more time at featured locations.

Robert Morgan

Reviewed on 2023-11-01T13:26:04.357Z

Trip Rating:

If you are over 65, don't go on this tour. Rated a level 3, More like a level 4+. Pace is extreme. Some hotels leave much to be desired. Sights and tour inclusions are excellent however.

Reviewed on 2023-10-29T09:52:59.762Z

Trip Rating:

Great tour. Loved Sicily. The food, the accommodations, the history content, the places visited were all excellent. Although a very fast paced tour, it was great. I would have made it a full two weeks so that one could have some relaxation added in in between.

Reviewed on 2023-10-27T12:57:26.522Z

Trip Rating:

Excellent Tour. Tour Manager Very Good!

Reviewed on 2023-10-06T23:51:08.197Z

Trip Rating:

Overall tour schedule was excellent, brisk but that's what you pay for! On-tour hotel food choices/options could have been a little better. Our tour manager, Martina, was amazing and made an excellent tour truly memorable. She put her heart and soul into making sure each of us was having an exceptional experience, resolving any issues, etc. Plus, she had a natural gift for bonding with people, keeping us fully entertained and "two glasses happy" as she would say! Brava, Martina!! Grazie mille!

Michael Briglia

Reviewed on 2023-09-28T11:17:46.358Z

Trip Rating:

I've already filled out this survey. Why are you asking for it again?????

Teresa Porto

Reviewed on 2023-09-14T16:48:21.923Z

Trip Rating:

top rated hotels, tour guide was excellent and bus was first class

Joseph Marasco

Reviewed on 2023-08-04T11:41:50.956Z

Trip Rating:

To much time spent on the bus. , room request when booking and while on the tour were barley meet . Redundancy in meals provided on tour Tours with local guides seem to be on time schedule so some felt rushed The tour manager I for the Rome pre trip was excellent!

David Moretto

Reviewed on 2023-07-07T14:01:01.826Z

Trip Rating:

Our tour manager, Ms. Martina Musso, made the travel experience exceptional and wonderful for me and my wife. She was totally committed and caring for all our needs. Her passion shined through on every tour making us all feel like family. She went above and beyond to get to know us and engaged with everyone. Fabulous tour manager!

Scott Mills

Reviewed on 2023-07-06T13:36:08.159Z

Trip Rating:

The tour was everything and more than I expected. I didn't want the tour to end.

Shawn Quiane

Reviewed on 2023-06-19T21:32:59.428Z

Trip Rating:

Great itinerary with a good balance of scheduled and free time. Included meals at hotels were not great.

Nancy Menne

Reviewed on 2023-06-17T11:44:00.856Z

Trip Rating:

The tour included so many highlights. It is difficult to pick one.

Reviewed on 2023-06-16T13:49:40.999Z

Trip Rating:

Our trip was excellent because of your Tour Director. She was very well organized and had a terrific personality. She was amazing how she handle over 40 people, always very happy and a pleasure to travel with. She is a valuable asset to your company and I hope you pay her well and never let her gol

Joyce Pignatelli

Reviewed on 2023-06-09T20:06:50.098Z

Trip Rating:

I already completed and submitted a review last week which explained everything about my trip. Hope you received it.

Reviewed on 2023-06-02T13:23:57.654Z

Trip Rating:

Mgr was great. three of the hotels were subpar.

Raymond Cadei

Reviewed on 2023-05-30T15:29:52.197Z

Trip Rating:

Fantastic tour group and great places to see!

Cassandra Curry

Reviewed on 2023-05-27T21:01:55.289Z

Trip Rating:

THE TOUR WAS FANTASTIC. WE HAD A GREAT COORDINATOR FROM UW OSHKOSH REPRESENTING COLLETTE.-THE TOURS, THE FOOD, THE HISTORY THAT WE EACH LEARNED FROM OUR VARIOUS GUIDES ON OUR MULTIPLE TOURS--THE SHAIRNG OF GOOD TIMES, THE FANTASTIC DRINKS, AND THE BEAURTIFUL REATURANTS. EVERYTHING WAS TOP NOTCH!! WHAT CAN BE SAID BE WOW! ADDITIONALY WE HAD A WONDEERFUL GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS VARING IN AGE FROM VARIOUS STATES THAT ALL CONGEALED INTO AN EXCITING GROUP.

CAROL

Reviewed on 2023-05-26T15:58:19.932Z

Trip Rating:

Wonderful trip! Great guides and fellow travelers

Reviewed on 2023-05-26T13:04:27.115Z

Trip Rating:

Great tour guide. Saw much of Italy. Would have liked to have seen more of Rome. The food the first night was bad. The hotel at the last place we stayed charged me 20.00 Euro for wine I did not order, and told me to prove I didn't order it.

Jennifer Bumann

Reviewed on 2023-05-26T12:35:08.600Z

Trip Rating:

I liked everything about it. Excellent tour guide and overall great tour!

Daniel Lange

Reviewed on 2023-05-26T11:58:30.689Z

Trip Rating:

Tour guide Poala was very efficient and friendly. She made sure we had a wonderful time!

Suzanne Weiss

Reviewed on 2023-05-26T11:16:20.728Z

Trip Rating:

Extrodanary across the board!! Tour guide Paola was totally exceptional and well organize and related to all ages very well. Attentive to our needs and listened to our input and addressed them.

Judith Lange

Reviewed on 2023-05-21T19:54:33.572Z

Trip Rating:

Collette had everything organized beautifully and our tour guide, Rosarrio was excellent in every way.

STACEY SWAFFORD

Reviewed on 2023-05-20T20:59:37.087Z

Trip Rating:

The farm visit we did in Sicily was outstanding

Cecelia Zelenski

Reviewed on 2023-05-20T20:58:16.191Z

Trip Rating:

Dinner at the winery was outstanding

Paul Zelenski

Reviewed on 2023-05-19T13:33:07.768Z

Trip Rating:

Enjoyable and fun. Tour was well thought out.

JAMES FERGUSON

Reviewed on 2023-05-19T12:54:34.269Z

Trip Rating:

Organized , very personable,knowledgeable really liked the farm we went to that the family ran he seemed to be very well acquainted with them taste of Sicily food was cold but entertainment was good

CECILIA YOWELL

Reviewed on 2023-05-19T11:57:52.480Z

Trip Rating:

.Rome Pompeii Siicily Mt. Etna

Reviewed on 2023-05-15T14:18:14.065Z

Trip Rating:

Really packed a lot into the time we had and saw a lot. Tour Manager and all guides were awesome and full of information. I would have liked a little more discretionary time to explore some of the area's restaurants and less hotel food. Because there were so many hotel changes, we felt a little rushed, I would probably elect fewer optional excursions next time just to be able to relax a little. That being said, I felt we really did see the best of Sicily! The farm trip and the visit to Savoca were both fantastic. Accommodations were generally very clean and comfortable with the exception of one room that only provided a full size bed for a double occupancy.

Reviewed on 2023-05-12T11:08:20.056Z

Trip Rating:

There was not enough free time

Herbert Clarkson

Reviewed on 2023-05-05T17:07:55.305Z

Trip Rating:

We moved around a lot and there was always something good to experience. I especially liked seeing the Valley of the Temples. It included a lot of places I enjoyed seeing. I liked not having to drive!

John Deredita

Reviewed on 2023-05-05T17:06:45.325Z

Trip Rating:

Hotel Garibaldi was not 4 star and probably not even 3 star. Had issues with our rattling heating unit. First night the hotel reception who we found out controls these units, turned it off at 1:30 in the morning. We woke up freezing. 2nd night we woke up at 3:30 in the morning and we were sweating. It was 30 degrees Celsius. We had no control to change the temperature either night. We called reception and complained again. We told them to lower it to 22, leave it at 22 and NOT to change it or shut it off. The lobby was in bad need of an update. I spoke to our Tour Guide and told her what we thought of this hotel and if this is how it is going to be on the trip, we are ready to pack and go home. Very bad first impression. She assured me that it wasn't and asked me to trust her. We found out we were not the only ones having issues with the heating units. Paola told us that future tours will not be staying at Hotel Garibaldi. We had an issue at another hotel with the heat and they immediately offered to change our room. We were glad we trusted our tour guide Paola and stayed with the tour. We had a wonderful time. Paola was excellent.

Reviewed on 2023-05-05T17:04:17.587Z

Trip Rating:

Hotel Garibaldi was not 4 star and probably not even 3 star. Had issues with our rattling heating unit. First night the hotel reception who we found out controls these units, turned it off at 1:30 in the morning. We woke up freezing. 2nd night we woke up at 3:30 in the morning and we were sweating. It was 30 degrees Celsius. We had no control to change the temperature either night. We called reception and complained again. We told them to lower it to 22, leave it at 22 and NOT to change it or shut it off. The lobby was in bad need of an update. My wife spoke to our Tour Guide and told her what we thought of this hotel and if this is how it is going to be on the trip, we are ready to pack and go home. Very bad first impression. She assured her that it wasn't and asked my wife to trust her. We found out we were not the only ones having issues with the heating units. Paola told us that future tours will not be staying at Hotel Garibaldi. We had an issue at another hotel with the heat and they immediately offered to change our room. We were glad we trusted our tour guide Paola. We stayed and had a wonderful time. Paola was excellent.

Reviewed on 2023-05-05T13:59:45.188Z

Trip Rating:

I especially enjoyed the trips to Mount Etna and to the Valley of the Temples. I think that you could easily spend the entire trip in Sicily and do a more in depth tour. The tour manager, the driver and the location guides were excellent and very professional.

Laurie M Deredita

Reviewed on 2023-04-21T21:00:24.949Z

Trip Rating:

Trip excellent with all the.hotels, places to see , and Bucket list locations from Greek temples to Pompei and Rome. Need better scheduling with airfare. Almost missed flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles going home. 1.5 hour too tight to get from Terminal A to Terminal Z.

Kathleen Mccord

Reviewed on 2023-04-21T15:41:16.430Z

Trip Rating:

I think the tour covered highlights quite well. Family farm visit, dinner with oompah group, Pompey visit…. and a great bus driver negotiating all the curvy roads, The only suggestion would be a smaller group…although the tour manager handled all very well.

Carolyn Mierzwik

Reviewed on 2023-04-21T13:44:16.316Z

Trip Rating:

All the tours were excellent and memorable. Our tour director, Marisa, was fun, knowledgeable, and quite helpful in many ways. We were very fortunate to have such accomplished people in charge. The only negative was that 48 people in one group was way too large. Never had that experience before and hope it’s the last time.

Reviewed on 2022-05-24T22:14:38.950Z

Trip Rating:

Pompeii was amazing. I also enjoyed the Sistine Chapel, Papal Basilica of St Peter and Vatican were all wonderful sights.

Reviewed on 2022-05-24T14:07:04.713Z

Trip Rating:

It was a well planned trip.

Joyce Kajtaniak

Reviewed on 2022-05-24T11:38:56.478Z

Trip Rating:

Great trip. Tour guide was tops, bus driver was the tops. Hotels were good. Included food was pretty bad.

Mary Schultz

Reviewed on 2022-05-24T11:18:33.417Z

Trip Rating:

We saw and did so many things!

Mildred Colonneso

Reviewed on 2022-05-24T10:49:09.795Z

Trip Rating:

Excellent tour company, timely, tour manager Federico Alvarez was absolutely fantastic!

Marianne Cohen

Reviewed on 2022-05-22T21:53:00.450Z

Trip Rating:

Wonderful experience. Great tour director and a great itinerary!

Reviewed on 2022-05-17T02:26:18.694Z

Trip Rating:

Overall, the Sicily & Southern Italy Tour was very good. Our tour manager was terrific as were the included sites, Some of the hotels lacked sufficient storage, such as sufficient drawer, shelf or closet space. The hotels were otherwise clean and staff were all pleasant.

David Schuchman

Reviewed on 2022-05-15T10:07:44.984Z

Trip Rating:

Overall experience was excellent! Our main tour guide and the local guides were knowledgeable and friendly. They gave great suggestions for local restaurants and activities to enjoy in our downtime. We had a small group of fantastic people who made our first trip even more memorable!

Reviewed on 2022-05-15T10:06:31.522Z

Trip Rating:

We had a great group of 15 fun people which made our first tour a great experience. Our tour explored locations that we had not personally considered. Mario was amazing and we had great local guides!

Reviewed on 2022-05-13T19:16:09.263Z

Trip Rating:

Excellent tour manager with Dario Panniello. We saw many interesting, history and beautiful sites in Sicily and Southern Italy. The local tour guides were generally outstanding. A very nice tour.

Ulf Lindqwister

Reviewed on 2022-05-13T16:51:16.369Z

Trip Rating:

Wonderful places visited and great food!

Scott Stevenson

Reviewed on 2019-12-24T02:58:04.675Z

Trip Rating:

Only one afternoon that was not on par with the rest of the trip

William Baylor

Reviewed on 2019-12-11T20:17:39.992Z

Trip Rating:

Francesca, the tour manager, was AWESOME! The local tour guides for the most part were very good. Diana in Sicily was a star. Roberta was also very knowledgeable about the churches she guided us through.

Reviewed on 2019-12-09T20:17:26.128Z

Trip Rating:

Poor for Rome extension and good because of Sicily, southern Italy, and our wonderful tour manager and bus driver.

Reviewed on 2019-12-09T17:21:09.684Z

Trip Rating:

Pompaii

Sandra Mountz

Reviewed on 2019-12-09T16:55:57.212Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily visits and Pompeii Antipasti and pasta.

David Bewick

Reviewed on 2019-12-08T20:27:51.707Z

Trip Rating:

Alexa was very knowledgeable and filled with historical stories of all the areas we visited.

Sally Bewick

Reviewed on 2019-12-08T16:40:22.558Z

Trip Rating:

Catania was interesting and unusual

Hamida Dharamshi

Reviewed on 2019-11-20T22:01:27.792Z

Trip Rating:

It is hard pick the most memorable, because there were several and the were distinct

John Massale

Reviewed on 2019-11-18T17:19:51.623Z

Trip Rating:

The food was a disappointment with few exceptions.

Bruce Decker

Reviewed on 2019-11-18T16:13:27.262Z

Trip Rating:

The hotel in Giardini Naxos needed a make over 10 years ago. We had 4 included dinners at hotels. The only good one was at the MH Madera Hotel. The other 3 were really bad. Too bad. I didn't come to Italy to eat bad food.

Reviewed on 2019-11-18T13:50:14.294Z

Trip Rating:

The tour manager and the driver made it wonderful.

Janet Reagan

Reviewed on 2019-11-18T13:05:58.976Z

Trip Rating:

We loved the hotel in Giardini-Naxos (the Hellenia Yachting Hotel) , though our room very disappointingly had no view of the sea.

Reviewed on 2019-11-17T22:07:38.228Z

Trip Rating:

Tour of Southern Italy & Sicily was thought provoking, enlightening, editing and beautiful in every way possible.

Reviewed on 2019-11-17T19:03:15.820Z

Trip Rating:

It’s hard to name a favorite experience because they were all memorable.

Donna Schalge

Reviewed on 2019-11-12T19:52:37.594Z

Trip Rating:

Would go again ! Enjoyed the food and the sites

Earl La Bean

Reviewed on 2019-11-12T16:05:37.877Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily is so beautiful; Taormina was my favorite. The farm we visited was a wonderful experience, great food. The evening at the restaurant with the Four Carmello's music and dancing was really great.

Renee

Reviewed on 2019-11-12T15:20:47.974Z

Trip Rating:

Definitely the Amalfi Coast!!! It was spectacular!

Jill Carto

Reviewed on 2019-11-12T12:35:51.298Z

Trip Rating:

Amalfi Coast and Pompei Beautiful costal trip.

Denise

Reviewed on 2019-11-11T16:12:29.521Z

Trip Rating:

As I said before , Marta made the itinerary come to life !! We were wowed by our Bus driver, Franco with his excellent driving skills. Robert: Loved Sa.........Savoca-. He got to sit and relax at the historic bar Vitelli's- a long time wish !! Debra: This trip included all the areas where my ancestors lived, thus everyday felt magical & filled with memories of the tales all my life. I truly can not pick a most favorite, as I loved it ALL. Swimming in the Ocean while at Taomina was great. Optional excursions were enjoyable.

Robert Howarth

Reviewed on 2019-11-04T21:15:45.080Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily was my favorite. It's truly what I think of Italy. The places we visited were not a touristy as most of the places on the mainland

Reviewed on 2019-11-04T13:15:28.691Z

Trip Rating:

The problem with Alitalia was disappointing and I missed 1 1/2 days of the tour. But that wasn't Collette's problem. I would request that the flights be direct. Flying from Rome to Detroit to Phily was exhausting and too time consuming.

Ronald Webster

Reviewed on 2019-11-04T10:10:43.833Z

Trip Rating:

Just a terrible experience from the beginning

Debra Bell

Reviewed on 2019-10-21T14:32:36.620Z

Trip Rating:

Very helpful and accommodating. I usually do our travel planning so I actually was able to relax and not stress.

Debra Meyrer

Reviewed on 2019-10-21T12:49:35.927Z

Trip Rating:

Except for Palermo, the tour was great. Love Mattia and Maximo our driver was amazing. The farm dinners we’re awesome.

Maxcine Halley

Reviewed on 2019-10-21T11:20:23.372Z

Trip Rating:

Prices are comparable to other tour groups

Kathleen Broughm

Reviewed on 2019-10-21T11:01:24.721Z

Trip Rating:

Visit to farms. Mattio excellent tour guide.

Wayne Lambert

Reviewed on 2019-10-17T21:37:22.488Z

Trip Rating:

The tour was educational and fun all the way through! We had a feast on a local farm in Sicily! It was a Fantastic evening!

Jay Loehr

Reviewed on 2019-10-16T16:50:07.688Z

Trip Rating:

All details well taken care of, Great Itinerary.

Gregory Heidrich

Reviewed on 2019-10-15T19:55:15.691Z

Trip Rating:

Agriturismo with Chinnsia was soo fun. The food was fabulous & great value. She made the whole evening !

Marilyn

Reviewed on 2019-10-15T14:54:41.639Z

Trip Rating:

Positives - Good trip with a great group of people. Tour manager and bus driver were good. Location and quality of the hotels was mixed; some were good and some were average at best. The optional stops were very good. The visit to Cefalu and local farm was excellent with a very nice family dinner and experience. A walk to Old World Sicily at Savoca was equally entertaining and beautiful. Matera and Pompeii were fantastic places to visit. Improvements Required - Two of the hotel locations were poor in that they had no local restaurants or shops to stop in. This was extremely disappointing in that one was believed to be in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. The hotels in Giardino Naxos was very dated, had small rooms, and the first room we entered was not clean. The pace of the trip was not ideal. We did not spend enough time at some of the great towns on the Amalfi coast and other places. We would stop and have to meet back in 90 minutes or so which left little time to eat, explore and shop; this occurred at Taormina, Sorento and other places. Group meals provided by Collette at the hotels we stayed was disappointing as finding the unique restaurants would have been much more fun and better.

Riffy

Reviewed on 2019-10-13T05:37:17.620Z

Trip Rating:

There were two the first what is a trip to a farm and dinner there which was more than exceptional. The second was the city of Pompeii which I found fascinating

Reviewed on 2019-10-10T18:22:14.019Z

Trip Rating:

Good trip. Organized. Would use them again

Heidi Tazza

Reviewed on 2019-10-08T04:19:06.879Z

Trip Rating:

The hotels were not up to par. Our room at the Matera Hotel smelled like body odor and had gnats flying all over the bathroom. The Hotel Degli Aranci in Rome was nice however our room was outside the main hotel on the street and looked out at the dumpster.We had bars on our windows. Terrible. Also the trips to the shops were a waste of time. They just wanted to sell us jewelry, limoncello or cameos and we wasted a lot of time there. I don't think one person bought a cameo.

Laurie Stetzer

Reviewed on 2019-10-07T21:34:05.946Z

Trip Rating:

Going to the Volcano although we needed more time to explore

Kenneth Tazza

Reviewed on 2019-10-07T13:04:56.819Z

Trip Rating:

Roma was my favorite part of the trip followed by the Amalfi Coast. I wish we could have seen more of Roma but time was limited.

Rufus Harris

Reviewed on 2019-10-06T13:34:19.623Z

Trip Rating:

Great trip to Southern Italy and Sicily!

Sandra Young

Reviewed on 2019-10-04T13:55:29.622Z

Trip Rating:

The tour gave me the chance to experience ancient sights like Matera and Pompeii with a group.

Reviewed on 2019-10-01T17:26:12.943Z

Trip Rating:

The whole trip opened up new experiences in vìsiting very different locations, sampling amazing food and wine, all coordinated by an excellent Tour Manager

Carol Harrison Dorie

Reviewed on 2019-10-01T03:18:27.106Z

Trip Rating:

Some of the accommodations were very poor, the hotels had not been updated for years. Some were off were out of the way and food was not up to par.

Andrew Andrews

Reviewed on 2019-10-01T01:42:38.960Z

Trip Rating:

Sicily has such a rich cultural heritage . My favorite places were Catania, Taormina, Matera and the Amalfi Coast.

Reviewed on 2019-09-30T18:07:02.433Z

Trip Rating:

The Amalfi Coast was beautiful but scary. Loved the town of Matera but did not really enjoy the town of Alberobello. Wished we were staying in that town. My favorite memory was the Cefalu Farm and dinner. Loved Cinzia as she made it such a fun time. Also enjoyed the winery with dinner and the Flavors of Sicily dinner.

Linda Lyon

Reviewed on 2019-09-30T05:47:46.618Z

Trip Rating:

It's a wonderful tour. Got to see a lot of areas that were included in the price. When we were in Silcily, we stayed at a hotel right on the Mediterranean ocean, sunset was spectacular, with dinner out by the pool on that Friday night. Outstanding, I won't forget it.

Reviewed on 2019-09-23T12:05:55.329Z

Trip Rating:

I did so on previous page in great detail. So refer to that review

Reviewed on 2019-09-03T11:24:11.942Z

Trip Rating:

The whole tour of Sicily and Southern Italy went way beyond our expectations. We discovered information from the Allied Landing Forces Museum regarding the British involvement during WWII and loved the whole experience of Sicily - the scenery, the way of life, and the interesting history, which we knew nothing about before our visit.

Reviewed on 2019-08-09T18:45:15.648Z

Trip Rating:

Some favorites were Mt. Etna & the views of a smoking Etna from the Greek theatre in Taormina, Giardini-Naxos, Agrigento & the Valley of the Temples & Monreale & the Norman Cathedral. We had a couple issues with hotels. 1- they had AC but for the most part it felt like it was barely working. 2- we had a gorgeous room with wonderful views in Giardini-Naxos but the shower leaked. Also, the beach is very rocky so bring swimming shoes.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-08-06T12:53:59.158Z

Trip Rating:

Amalfi coast and visit to Pompey

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-07-08T16:00:10.725Z

Trip Rating:

Tour was great. Excellent guide and excellent driver. Only problem was that the trip was too fast-paced. No time to relax, just rush, rush, rush.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-27T14:45:48.956Z

Trip Rating:

Have been to Italy before. Won't be going again

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-26T13:53:16.389Z

Trip Rating:

Well planned. Interesting locations

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-21T05:01:18.856Z

Trip Rating:

We went to family farm in Sicily for a tour & a meal. They showed us how to make rice balls the family was really adorable & the woman who was our host was so funny. We could easily see how genuine they are & how they enjoy sharing what they love doing. The food was amazing!!

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-20T13:18:27.668Z

Trip Rating:

I chose the tour for the itinerary and that was up to my expectations! However, there was at least one day that we were on the bus too long although there were stops. When we had dinners arranged, a choice would have been better than a fixed menu. A map included in our packets would have been helpful, as well as our tour guide displaying our daily trip.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-18T18:19:04.330Z

Trip Rating:

Some of the hotel locations I didn't like.

Reviewed on 2019-06-18T17:54:36.489Z

Trip Rating:

This was an outstanding tour of a very interesting and picturesque area. This was our seventh tour with Collette and while they have all been very good to great, this one stoodout because of our Tour Manager Paola Balzo. She did an outstanding job and should be commended for the way she did her job.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-16T20:50:09.289Z

Trip Rating:

Tour guide and driver were excellent. Tour provided some amazing experiences

Reviewed on 2019-06-16T14:05:33.463Z

Trip Rating:

This tour covered all the highlights (and I am already longing to return to see more of Sicily. As a tourist you do not always feel welcome if you are visiting an area that has perhaps seen too many visitors. Not so in Sicily, we felt so welcome everywhere we went. This was most evident at my favourite optional tour, the Agriturismo Case Varisco. Cinzia was a delight, and having the men on the tour helping her prepare food was a definite highlight.

Jillian Paulson

Reviewed on 2019-06-10T20:17:24.209Z

Trip Rating:

Scenery was great and Mt. Etna had a small eruption when we were there.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-10T14:50:44.417Z

Trip Rating:

1)The perfect time of the day to see the smoke coming from the mouth of Mt. Etna, amazing. 2) The sight seeing ride on the Amalfi Coast 3) the Fish Market in Catania, amazing to know that man still there shopping and waiting until the end to find “bargain” for the sale of day

Reviewed on 2019-06-07T04:06:16.543Z

Trip Rating:

The tour guides were great.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-07T02:53:34.016Z

Trip Rating:

The scenery Did not care for activities to not opt out because already checked out of hotel such as cameo factory, inlaid wood out of date

Reviewed on 2019-06-03T16:01:26.117Z

Trip Rating:

Stops at very high end places and very touristy places. Matera was very interesting but Arbolobello was terrible and it rained very hard. Also tour manager often talked for ever when we had little time to see some shops and sights. She had a hard time counting so many heads! Would have enjoyed more time in Sicily at less touristy sights.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-03T14:16:09.644Z

Trip Rating:

The Roman ruins and Sicily

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-03T12:40:58.968Z

Trip Rating:

Day at the winery. Informative and delicious food and wine

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-06-03T12:36:24.230Z

Trip Rating:

We had a lovely experience except for the group was too big. And there were two groups within that group that were each about 16 people. It didn’t make for people mixing well

Reviewed on 2019-06-03T02:15:52.854Z

Trip Rating:

All of it...trip was fabulous...winery was wonderful!! Oranges were delicious, wine was tasty, also!!

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-05-20T21:26:56.854Z

Trip Rating:

Seeing Pompei was really thrilling.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-05-20T18:02:17.972Z

Trip Rating:

Not enough time to wander around towns and shop, as previously mentioned. Our tour manager was truly great; I was impressed with the hotels but would have preferred smaller meals.

Reviewed on 2019-05-20T14:16:59.438Z

Trip Rating:

Our guide, Daniel, was very organized and knowledgeable. We especially enjoyed the Amalfi Coast and Pompie.

Linda Verzin

Reviewed on 2019-05-20T13:37:49.052Z

Trip Rating:

Detailed view of impressive sights. All things taken care of so could just relax & enjoy!

Reviewed on 2019-05-20T13:28:02.212Z

Trip Rating:

Having Daniel was the highlight of the tour; he patiently explained everything we asked about; he provided maps and other helpful handouts, and he made sure that everything ran smoothly.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-05-16T19:01:55.613Z

Trip Rating:

Taormina was our favorite overall. It was beautiful! We would have loved to have stayed longer.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-05-05T13:34:12.042Z

Trip Rating:

Southern Italy and Sicily are beautiful areas of the world. We visited several incredible places (Matera). Because we staid 2-3 days in each hotel and did not leave hotels until 8-8:30 am the tour was not very tiring. Bot my husband and I loved the tour. (My only issue was that Collette website did not let me check balance owing if I booked the tour through the third party)

Alexandra Saretzky

Reviewed on 2019-05-02T02:58:43.386Z

Trip Rating:

Amalfi coast drive was one of the highlights.

Reviewed on 2019-04-29T14:33:02.096Z

Trip Rating:

Touramina and Matera were the highlights and the drive on the Amalfi coast.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-04-29T14:22:01.793Z

Trip Rating:

Just what we expected a bus tour to be. Fast moving but we saw a lot.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-04-28T12:13:39.326Z

Trip Rating:

Great local tours especially liked Matera. Also tour manager was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. Local tour guides were all very good.

Trusted Customer

Reviewed on 2019-04-22T14:34:33.607Z

Trip Rating:

Our tour began in Sicily with 5 nights there and then across to the Toe of Italy and over to the Boothill area and finally to Pompeii and Rome. So much Beautiful country and History to enjoy. Our tour was in the Spring of the year and is the most beautiful time to see Italy. Snow on Mt. Etna while Almond trees bloomed below. The first green leaves sprouting on the grape vines and gardens being prepared by the local people. Visiting Pompeii on the last day was a truly memorable experience which was improved by a knowledgeable local guide. The tour bus driver was amazing. In Sicily I don't think that there is a mile of road that is straight and he maneuvered that bus as if it were a sedan around curves and over roads which seemed impossible. A truly enjoyable trip !

Trusted Customer

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