As an older tour group participant, who had not taken part in organised tours before, I was totally delighted with my Savour Italy experience in Southern Italy and Sicily. There were a couple of days that I found quite challenging but was amazed with what I could accomplish. I always felt safe and secure. The itinerary balanced more arduous days with quieter ones and the choice of accommodation was excellent. The food and wine was outstanding, and I could really see that his close personal contact with the experience providers added an extra dimension to our enjoyment.
Joan
Top Level Experience
My first trip to southern Italy was made a marvelous experience with Thrill Of Italy. We were a small group of friends. Every day was well planned using experienced drivers and local guides. After landing in Bari we spent our first night in Polignano a Mare. We were always lodged in beautiful hotels. We traveled coast of Puglia visiting Alberobello, Ostuni, Martina Franca, Locorotondo, and Lecce.
Our stay at the wine resort, Amastuloa, in Crispiano, highlighted the incredible restoration efforts of a formerly abandoned site. From there, Matera, to witness the ancient city built out of rock, once Italy's embarassment now being restored and reinhabited. Then onward to Calabria. Reaching Diamante, on the southwest coast, again with beautiful vistas along the rugged seacoast and wonderful seafood. The only disappointment in our trip was missing a boating excursion because of high surf.
Tropea was our next stop and we were able to spend a leisurely day wandering the old city and shopping. There is always a lot of walking and because these towns were built in strategic locations ages ago, streets are narrow and uneven. Weather was hot in late September and it is the high tourist season for foreignors. Comfortable shoes, casual cool dress , hats and lotion necessary. We continued to Sicily by ferry to Toarmina where we experienced a cooking class making pasta and salt baked fish.
The visit to Mt Etna also included a fabulous lunch and wine tasting at Gambino vineyard and learned about the benifits of the Mt Etna ash on the grapes. Cefalu, another amazing town built into the rock along the coast had scenes from the latest Indiana Jones filmed there. Our guide in Palermo, gave us quite a tour of the magnifient cathedral but we really loved the market tour .
The view from Monreale of the valley and Palermo to the sea is not to be missed.
A special stay at Villa Gattopardo, which ended out trip, was yet another gorgeous example of restoration of a villa and space abandoned for 50 years complete with a dancing fountain of lights and music. We were a bit hesitant to sign on with this company as we had no direct knowledge of them but I was so happy not to drive and everything was beautifully arranged and curated daily by David. I would highly recommend this group.
Jeff and Suzan
Amazing Tour Company
We just returned from an amazing trip to Italy. We were fortunate to have worked with David. He customized our vacation to fit all of my requests.
He worked diligently with me to give me the best Italy trip ever. The drivers and guides he used were knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating for any changes we made on the tour. The hotels he booked were all centrally located and close to wonderful restaurants and sites. I highly recommend Thrill Of Italy and especially David.
