Look into this company. They are good people running an honest business who really do everything they can to give you the experience of a lifetime.
Everything as promised. No surprises except that the hotel rooms were meant for a Queen...right on the Mediterraneant with direct view of Vesuvius. I thought we were given the wrong room! So well coordinated and easy. Perfect trip o highlight Rome and Amalfi coast.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ITALY4REAL
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US
HIGHLIGHTS
The best tour company for us would be one that specializes in small group tours that could take us into the small back alley places and introduce us to some locals.
My husband and I both in our mid-30s, work full time (40+) and we just do not have the desire or patience to plan out a trip. If it were up to me to do this stuff, my husband and I would never travel.
All I can say is that it was amazing! There were two couples on this tour along with our tour guide, Rem. (Yup...that is right...5 people total.) We traveled to Milan, Lake Maggiore, Florence, Verona, Venice, Bormio and drove up Stelvio Pass. We spent the first few days acclimating to the time change at Lake Maggiore. There we had a chance to take in the beautiful views in a quiet town. There Rem took us to a local restaurant where he obviously knew the owner. We got to have an authentic experience with people who were treating us like friends rather than just transient tourists. This was only possible because we were with Rem.
The rest of the trip was also just as wonderful, but I'd end up writing a novel if I talked about all of it.
Also...Rem is hilarious.
Rem and Italy4real helped us have the best vacation of our lifetime. He took the time to understand how much activity and what types of activity we wanted and then suggested a variety of amazing places. We had incredibly professional drivers and tour guides who were always prompt, friendly, and helpful. Rem and his team followed up consistently throughout the trip to make sure things were going smoothly! We will definitely use them again when we go back to Italy.
A LITTLE ABOUT OUR TRIP
REGRETS
This was the best vacation that both my husband and I have been on and we have traveled both locally and abroad. The individual attention to detail and experience that Rem and his team have developed was what make the trip and wonderful as it was. We have missed the group we traveled with and are already planning to go back to Italy with him in 2017. The unique locations that he knows keeps you off the "touristy" locations. We all felt that we got to see the beauty of Italy with him. As if you are traveling with an old friend who lives locally and take you out for the day, gets you settles and meets you later or lets you out on your own. The highlight of our trip was the cooking class in Rome. We have such fond memories of this that we will definitely do this again. We sat on a rooftop eating lunch with our chef and every 15 minutes heard the church bells of Rome ringing. This is what I think heaven looks like. So now when I hear bells ringing I am taken right back there to such a lovely afternoon. We were all sad to leave and loved every day rain or shine. I would totally recommend Rem and this trip. It really was Italy 4 Real.
My husband and I worked mostly with Rem, who is the owner. Rem was fantastic. He gave me more than enough information to feel prepared for my trip and was always available by phone or email. I appreciated how accessible he was because I am pretty sure I was not his only client. An example of something he did that was above and beyond, he priced out travel insurance for us although he would make no additional money for this service.
We also did not want to go on a large bus tour because we feared that some of the authenticity of an overseas trip would be lost when you are on a huge bus with 60 other people.
Wonderful accommodations everywhere we went, never having to worry about where to be and when, getting to sleep in until 9 am or later, being greeted as if we were friends of the places we went, Rem speaks Italian, getting to make a lifetime of memories in a worry-free way.
Recently returned from a trip with Italy 4 real, let me start off by saying Italy was amazing! I love the people and the culture; during my travel we met fellow travelers who will be friends for life! We took the Almafi coast tour w/ Rome included and added 4 days to start in Florence. Trip could have been amazing, but due to poor attention to detail on behalf of our Coordinator we had to take care of some things that were to be addressed prior to getting to Italy which made things Frustrating at times. Emails back and forth should have been a sign things would go wrong at some point. While I may work this company again, I will only deal with the Owners. I will address specifics with them to ensure these things are addressed and other potential traveler's aren't impacted. Safe travels!
Rem offers that above and beyond experience that you could never get if you attempted to plan this tour on your own because he knows people everywhere you go. There were also so few of us that we did not overwhelm any place we stayed.
ADVICE
When planning the trip costs can add up quickly. In Modena, we had the chance to drive on a racetrack in a Ferrari. THAT WAS COOL! when planning we got cheap and only paid for 3 laps. Now I wish more then ever I had taken Rem's advice and paid for the 4th lap. I guess we live an learn.
I cannot say enough nice things about this company and this experience. We traveled with Italy4real from Late August-Early September in 2017. We were there for 16 days, but I could have stayed there another two weeks.
They are incredibly nice people, willing to answer any of your questions and are organized.
Italy4real is a small business run by a mother and son dynamic duo.
Italy4real is a US Travel Agency based in Everett, Washington. Italy4real is located at 9915 7th Ave SE, Everett, WA 98208, USA.
Please contact with Italy4real using information above: Address, Phone number, Fax, Postal code, Website address, E-mail, Facebook. Find Italy4real opening hours and driving directions or map. Find real customer reviews and ratings or write your own review.