Theresa and Marvin K.

" Buongiorno Mr. Tommaso,I apologize for not answering your email sooner. We returned with a terrible case of jet-lag from which we have finally recovered. It is not as easy as we grow older. Also have been busy catching up with mail, laundry, etc.Where can I begin? Our trip was so wonderful. Everything was planned so perfectly. The drivers and tour guides were so helpful and professional. They went out of their way to make our trip more enjoyable. The hotels were so great and had wonderful breakfasts, clean rooms, helpful personnel, etc. Except for the hotel in Bologna. When we arrived, we were given a room that smelled so strongly of smoke. We were told that we would be put into an interim room until another room was ready. Marvin insisted that they put us into a permanent room immediately, which they did. The room was acceptable but not quite as nice as the rooms provided in all of the other hotels. Breakfast was very good there, however. The hotel is not in the most wonderful location and a rather long walk to the center of town or restaurants.It is difficult to say which place we liked the best. Possibly Portovenere and Cinque Terre. We loved Cernobbio and perhaps could have done without the free day there. Had a great tour of Lake Como and a wonderful guide who went out of her way to take us into the town of Como to get a Tim card for my telephone. Loved Lake Maggiore and Isola Bella. We had lunch at a great restaurant on Isla Pescatore.. While we were in Milan, we saw the Last Supper at Cenacolo Vinciano, visited the Duomo and also the museum at La Scala. We really enjoyed the Eurostar to Torino. Had no difficulty finding our train in Milan but the train station in Torino is very confusing. Although we did enjoy the first class cabin. Thank you for getting that for us. We had a wonderful guide that first took us to a cafe to drink bicerin. It was to die for. The following day, we took the underground to Expo. It was so hot and crowded and was at least an hour wait to get into each pavilion. We only went into one pavilion and then went to Eatily and had "fried pizza" which we had never heard of. We were told that the best time to go to Expo is after 6 p.m. They charge only 5 or 10 Euro (can't remember) and it is much less crowded. The tickets actually cost 39 Euro but we got them for a little less at the hotel. We really enjoyed Bologna. Had a great guide and tour. We enjoyed Ravenna. Such a beautiful city and wonderful guide. Especially enjoyed visiting Dante's tomb and the story of his life and death. We especially enjoyed the tours of the Parmigiano cheese and the Parma ham factories and the wonderful lunch. I never liked prosciutto before tasting it there. We also enjoyed the visit to the balsamic vinegar of Modena factory. Needless to say, we came home with a bottle of it and also a big hunk of Parmigiano cheese. As I mentioned, we loved Portovenere and Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre was on my bucket list! Thank you so much for suggesting that we stay in Portovenere. We love looking out our hotel room window at the Ligurian Sea and also at night, when the city is lit with lights. Loved the wine tasting and will send you a picture if I ever figure out how to do it. We especially loved the wines from that region and I am still kicking myself for not bringing home some of their regional pesto and olive oil. We enjoyed Lucca and also the restaurant high up on the hill over Carara. I was so happy that we added that to the trip. Our driver from Portovenere to Rome was such a gentleman and went out of his way to show us the sights along the way. He drove us through Lerice along the way. What a lovely resort. We also enjoyed Tarquinia. What a good idea to stop there. Our visit in Rome was a bit too long. Originally we had planned to stay there only two days as we have been there many times before, and then go to Campobasso, where my grandmother was born, to visit relatives there. As it turns out, they were on vacation and not available to see us this time. We did take a short trip to Ariccia. The palace was closed, so we had lunch there and headed off to find that road that is an optical illusion, but could never find it. We drove to Castelgondolfo but it was so late in the day that we decided not to visit, and head back to Rome. In retrospect, I would choose to visit Castelgondolfo first and then go to Ariccia. My distant "cousin" in Rome also has a company that takes groups on tours around Rome. We were fortunate that he was able to spend two days with us during our visit and take us to some of the places that aren't so touristy. He and his wife also took us to Tivoli gardens the day before we left. Fabulous! Had lunch at a wonderful restaurant there. Antiche Terme di Dianativolita.We also had a great five days in Germany visiting friends there. Our trip coming and going was great. Loved flying first class. I told Marvin that he would probably never get me on coach again. A word of advice to your senior travelers. Ask for wheelchair assistance while traveling in Europe. We had an horrendous time getting through Heathrow on our way to Milan. I requested wheelchair assistance on the return trip and it made things so much easier, although Marvin says that he gets to ride the wheelchair next time!We especially want to thank Giulia for looking out for us along the way. Please send our best wishes to her. All in all, our trip was perfect and we can't thank you enough for planning such a wonderful itenerary for us. I certainly will recommend your company to friends. Keep in touch.Grazie mille,Theresa "