Mike R. and his travel party had never been to Italy, so they asked Thrill of Italy to plan the whole trip, from where to stay in each city to who would meet them at the door.
The trip in briefMike R. and his travel party, on their first trip to Italy, asked Thrill of Italy to plan everything. The trip covered Rome, Siena, Florence and Venice with private walking tours, balsamic and Parmigiano tours, a Rome night tour and pre-paid admissions. Mike wrote that Timothy / Francesco messaged every day with the next day's contact and schedule.
Trip story based on Mike R.’s Google review · Read the review on Google
| Travellers | Mike R. and his travel party, on their first trip to Italy |
|---|---|
| Places | Rome, Siena, Florence and Venice |
| Asked for | The whole trip planned, including what to see and where to stay in each city |
| Highlights | Private walking tours in all four cities, balsamic and Parmigiano tours, a night tour of Rome |
| On the ground | Door-to-door escorts and hand-offs, plus a daily message with the next day's contact and schedule |
| Planned by | Thrill of Italy; the review names Timothy / Francesco |
For Mike R. it meant handing the whole plan to Thrill of Italy: what to see and where to stay in each city. The trip combined private walking tours in Rome, Siena, Florence and Venice, food visits, a night tour of Rome, pre-paid admissions and free time to explore or rest.
Mike wrote that it was their first trip and that they “really didn’t know what all to see or where in each city would be good to stay.” So they “had Thrill of Italy plan the entire thing.” The trip took in Rome, Siena and Florence in Tuscany, and Venice, with a private walking tour in each. For more on these places, see our private Rome tours, Tuscany, home to Siena and Florence, and Venice, Verona and the Dolomites.
Alongside the guided days came “pre paid admissions to the cathedrals and museums” and a night tour of Rome. Mike also noted there was “enough free time worked in to explore on your own or rest up”, which matters on a first visit when every city is new.
For first-time visitors who do not know the cities, a private tour removes most of the logistics. On Mike R.’s trip, private rides and escorts met them at their door, handed them on to the next guide or helped them check in, so there was no worry about neighbourhoods, trains or finding a cab.
In his words: “No stress about the neighborhood or catching a train or where to go to catch a cab.” He described “escorts every step of the way meeting us at our door and handing us off to the next guide or helping get checked in.”
That is the core idea behind a first trip to Italy that is privately planned: someone who knows the country decides the order of the cities and the details of each day, and you get to enjoy them. If you are still weighing the options, our guide to private tours, group tours and doing it yourself sets out the trade-offs.
Mike R. wrote that Timothy / Francesco messaged every day with the next day’s contact, schedule and a phone number, and adapted to a few changes the travellers asked for along the way. Every Thrill of Italy trip comes with a 24/7 WhatsApp concierge while you travel; Mike’s review does not say how the daily messages reached them.
Mike put it this way: “Messaged us every day with our contact and schedule for the next day along with their number.” He added that they “Adapted to a few changes we wanted to make on the fly.”
His review praises “Timothy / Francesco” by name: “Timothy / Francesco was amazing.”
Parmigiano Reggiano is made mainly in Emilia-Romagna, and traditional balsamic vinegar comes from Modena and Reggio Emilia in the same region, which lies between Tuscany and the Veneto. On Mike R.’s trip, Thrill of Italy planned “balsamic and parmigiana tours”, which he counted among the events they “would not have thought of”.
The geography above is background rather than a detail of Mike’s trip; his review does not say where the tours took place. If the idea appeals, one of the days on our site is a full-day Parmigiano, balsamic and Ferrari experience, which you can ask your trip designer about. It is a separate day on our site, not the tour Mike describes.
Mike R., visiting Italy for the first time, left a five-star review on Google describing a trip planned from start to finish: private walking tours in four cities, balsamic and Parmigiano tours, door-to-door escorts, a night tour of Rome, a message every day with the next day’s plan and enough free time to explore or rest. Here is his review in full.
5 stars aren’t enough. Out first trip to Italy and we really didn’t know what all to see or where in each city would be good to stay. So we reached out and had Thrill of Italy plan the entire thing. They were phenomenal. Planned events we would not have thought of like balsamic and parmigiana tours, private walking tours of Rome, Siena, Florence, and Venice, pre paid admissions to the cathedrals and museums, private pick rides and escorts every step of the way meeting us at our door and handing us off to the next guide or helping get checked in. Night tour of Rome. And enough free time worked in to explore on your own or rest up. Really first class treatment from start to finish. No stress about the neighborhood or catching a train or where to go to catch a cab. Timothy / Francesco was amazing. Messaged us every day with our contact and schedule for the next day along with their number. Adapted to a few changes we wanted to make on the fly. Really can’t say enough. Especially for a first time visit. They have it all perfected!
Mike R., Google review
In reply, David and the Thrill of Italy team thanked Mike for his feedback and said they hope to welcome him back to Italy soon.
Do what Mike R. did: say that you would like the whole trip planned, then let a trip designer fill in what to see and where to stay in each city. Thrill of Italy builds each trip privately, with private drivers, local guides, selected hotels, entrance tickets and a day-by-day itinerary. Flights are not included, and each trip is quoted individually.
A few things from Mike R.’s trip are worth asking for if this is your first visit:
For a ready-made starting point, look at the Thrilling Twelve Day Tour of the Best of Italy and ask for it to be reshaped around Rome, Siena, Florence and Venice. Or start from a blank page and build your own private tour with a trip designer.
Tell us your dates and what you love. A member of the team replies personally.
Private and fully custom. Use one as it is, or as the starting point for your own trip.
12 days · Amalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, Venice
Capri by boat, Pompeii, the Vatican, a Tuscan countryside day and a private boat in the Venice lagoon.
Full day
A Full-Day Parmigiano, Balsamic & Ferrari Adventure.
8 days · Florence, Pisa, Siena
Florence Highlights Tour, Wine Tasting and Cooking Class in Tuscany, Boat Tour Of Cinque Terre.
Something else on your mind? A member of the team replies personally.
Yes. Mike wrote that the trip included “pre paid admissions to the cathedrals and museums”.
The team page lists Francesco, a trip designer and coordinator, as the main 24/7 contact while travellers are in Italy. Anna and Marina are also trip designers and coordinators on the team.
The trip designers are based in Florence, Umbria and Rome. The company, founded in 2020 by Tuscan-born David Tonazzini, has offices in Tuscany and the Chicago area.
Yes. Alongside the daytime walking tours, his review lists a “Night tour of Rome.” Thrill of Italy plans private, custom trips, so you can ask your trip designer for an evening activity too.
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Francis C. and his wife, using a travel agent for the first time, asked for wine tastings, a cooking class, a guided bike tour and time to explore alone. He singled out the daily texts and the quick changes to the next day's plan when they asked.
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Dan B. and his wife stayed in a hotel overlooking the beach of Polignano, with a guide, transport and suggestions for their off days. He called the private boat excursion of the coastal caves a highlight of the trip.
Tell us your dates and what you love. Your trip designer will reply with ideas and a first proposal.
12-Day Best of Italy