5 Star Italy Tour Reviews — 181 to 210 of 342

4.7 out of 5

 


Susan J.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Just finished the Venice to Mantova about the Vita Pugna. This trip was amazing and exactly as advertised with easy cycling on flat roads. Normally I would have liked more miles but with a record breaking heat wave (topping at 44C one day) that week, the distances worked out well. The chefs Sylvia and Irene are hugely talented and every meal was a delight. I really can't praise the food enough! Fabio did an excellent job as guide and is extremely knowledgeable about the area and gave excellent advice. Eduardo the captain was also very personable and friendly, overall a super crew who obviously enjoyed working together. Our international group had a great time cycling together despite the heat. I hope to do this trip again someday.

Kenneth L.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Piedmont
Italy

We toured Barolo wine country. This is a prosperous part of Italy but the young women wore tattered blue jeans. We had great food and wine. The countryside is beautiful. There were some parts of the route that were on roads with big trucks and others on gravel or dirt (in our case muddy with rain) road. There were long uphill climbs with 16% grade, thank goodness for the excellent bicycles. It was a great experience that I recommend. We have done multiple trips with Tripsite and all have been wonderful.

Sue F.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Our fabulous 2019 vacation was aboard the Vita Pugna (very clean and comfortable) biking from Mantova to Venice. We were well taken care of by Captain Edoardo, crew/chefs Silvia and Barbara (delicious meals and afternoon snacks plus breakfast!) and our wonderful guide Fabio. I can’t say enough about each one of them, the patience of Fabio is extraordinary. He went above and beyond to make sure each guest was comfortable cycling and informed of routes/plans throughout the week. At the end of the tour he went out of his way to assure that each person knew exactly how to get to their destination when departing the barge. The biking (the bikes were in great shape!) was fun/well organized, the food was outstanding, the landscape/pubs/villages/museum/cheese factory/cappuccino stops, etc. were wonderful. We loved the night walks and the walking tours by local guides. Tripsite provided second to none customer service through our booking process. They were quick to answer any Read More

David & Patsy A.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

We loved the scenery and it was such a relaxing bike ride we decided to go on our own rather than go with the group with the guide. The green arrow stickers saved us many times. Loved all the small villages on the way and stopped at a few every day for a cappuccino which was excellent. There was a few errors on the routes however we figured them out and pointed the errors to the guides when they occurred.

Margot S.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Sicily - Mt Etna, Taormina, and the Ionian Sea
Italy

The bike route for your trip to Sicily takes us through farms of the regions. Very interesting to see how so many tomatoes and eggplants grow in green houses.

Katherine G.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

Despite the crowds and chaos in Trento on day one of our cycling (Bolzano to Trento) due to the Alpine Black Feather military reunion, it is now one of my favourite memories and stories that I share! I also really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful poppies, gardens and farmers fields.
The route guides had some errors and you could tell that they were translated by someone who’s first language is not English but we usually managed to figure things out. We preferred to cycle independently from the group as people rode too slow for us and being clustered together we were concerned about all of us crashing into each other. We loved being able to rendezvous with our guides and the rest of the group for the Carrosel Museum visit, the cheese factory etc.
The staff on the Ave Marie Barge were fabulous, they all worked together, even the Captain helped set the table. The food was excellent and the chef was a real character.
The bikes were excellent, we were provided Read More

Sue H.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

Couldn't ask for more. We absolutely loved our bike/barge tour in Italy from Bolzano to Mantova to Venice in August on the Vita Pugna. The staff were fantastic and our guide Michela was amazing. We had a lot of fun, met some great people and visited some very beautiful places. The biking was not difficult. The food on the Barge was first class and plenty of it. Would absolutely recommend this trip. Can't think of the most memorable part of the trip it was all amazing. The first three days was challenging following the instructions, but we got there in the end. Was sorry to say goodbye to everyone.

Wendy S.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The most memorable part of our Mantova to Venice trip was visiting chioggia, the carnival museum and the cheese factory.

Jack E.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Umbria
Italy

Tripsite staff are very knowledgeable , helpful and friendly. Anna found us an ebike on short notice on our Italian tour.

Marsi Q.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Best part? Riding through small towns that most tourists don’t see...like Bergantino. The small group on the barge.

Patricia T.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

I remember the day on a slightly "tricky" route into Chioggia. When we could bike into the town and rest our bikes for the first look-around -- what an enchanting place in such good company. We knew there would be another gourmet dinner that evening on the barge. Looking forward to another trip through Tripsite.

Lynn Y.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Best part? The wonderful food served everyday

Nancy B.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

Most Memorable Part? Riding our bikes back to the barge in Venice in a rainstorm. The laughter and camaraderie was priceless.

Carole H.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Ave Maria barge was so very comfortable with wonderful staff & fabulous fresh locally sourced food, beautifully presented.

Wendy D.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

My husband and I love Tripsite. We are about to embark in 2019 on our third such bike and barge holiday. We did Brussels to Bruges in 2017, Mantova to Venice this year (2018) and have already booked for 2019 to do a 6 country river boat and bike trip down the Danube. We find the combination of being on the water in a comfortable barge enjoying great food and company, coupled with daily activity a wonderful combination and experience. Biking through the various countries during the day after a hearty breakfast, packed to enjoy a wonderful packed lunch along the way is an altogether thrilling and fulfilling experience.
We highly recommend Tripsite and the wonderful holidays they offer. All the work is coordinated. All you do is get out and enjoy your vacation.
Well done Tripsite! A job well done.

Casimira R.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Our guides were amazing made sure no one was left behind. I wish there would have been transportation for us from the train station to the boat. Other than that the trip was amazing and I would highly recommend this.

Bernadette G.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

This trip was the perfect balance for experiencing Italy as well as being physically active. The most memorable part of the trip was being with a group of like-minded active and curious people!

Danna J.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The knowledge about the country that our guide, Hein, provided at sporadic times. He was very astute to stop on a hillock for a small respite when there was no “cafe” in sight. Great information.

Brent H.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Innsbruck to Bolzano
Austria, Italy

Great trip. The scenery was breathtaking and the hotels were in good locations close to the center of towns.

Sherri
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Venice to Florence - old version
Italy

Loved this trip! We went in September and it was perfect weather. So much to see along the way. Lots of small towns to ride through and such beautiful scenery. The hotels we stayed in were good and the morninbreakfasts delicious. Don’t hesitate - book it!!

Sherri
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Venice to Florence - old version
Italy

Loved this trip! We went in September and it was perfect weather. So much to see along the way. Lots of small towns to ride through and such beautiful scenery. The hotels we stayed in were good and the morninbreakfasts delicious. Don’t hesitate - book it!!

Nelson S.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

Great trip....tour guides outstanding ,more than outstanding....the food was fabulous and all staff were wonderful....first 3 days of self guided biking were well worthwhile.....stay hydrated if it is warm as cramping can occur.

Grace L.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Sundial Sicily & the Aeolian Archipelago
Italy

This was the first trip to Europe for my daughter and myself. It turned out to be a wonderful college graduation present for her, and a great way to dive into retirement for me. The company was excellent and varied. Our guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. The food and staff was excellent. I hope I will get a chance to do this again with the rest of my family.

John B.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

We started out in Bolzano, going from Hotel to hotel the first three nights, and then on the barge for seven more. The scenery of the hotel to hotel was spectacular! The Ave Maria was a fantastic boat, the crew was great and very accommodating. The only negative is- I wish we could have spent more time in each town we went past. But with only ten days, squeezing anything else like more time is impossible.

Erica W.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Venice to Florence - old version
Italy

This bike ride was scenic and full of pleasant surprises! The fields we passed were full of fragrant flowers and fruit hanging off of the trees. The towns were small enough to get around by bicycle easily with lots of options for food and activities.

We had some difficulty reading the paper maps because the English translation was not always words we would use to describe the route. (Also the mileage was in kilometers) My GPS did not work. That was probably due to our inability to make the technology work in another country ! So, we just got used to getting a little lost every day.

We are adventurous people so none of this would prevent me from doing it again! We rode the self guided route.

There was one day there was a long stretch of a gravel bumpy bike path. We opted to go another route on our own to avoid it. That was an adventure in itself!
The last day the hill was steeper than anything we had ever ridden and we did Cape Bretton in Nova Scotia with 17% grade hills. So we walked up!

Overall the trip was absolutely wonderful, people were super helpful etc. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Art W.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The food on the barge was terrific--as was our guide Fabio.
Come prepared for 5 serious days of biking as well as bringing the right/complete biking clothes.

Ivette S.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Istria to the Adriatic
Slovenia, Croatia, Italy

The perfect trip for families with young adult children. We enjoyed the different kind of roads, the food, the sights, every town we stayed at. Our guide Matic was excellent. We are looking forward to a new adventure with Tripsite.

Heather P.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

A thoroughly satisfying experience in all departments!
The staff were welcoming and friendly, instructive and knowledgeable. I felt entirely safe in their hands.
Accommodation has been well designed and thought out. I shared a cabin with a friend and it was easy to find our own space within a relatively confined space.
The food was DELICIOUS! The meals exceeded expectations and were presented beautifully; the chefs having entertained us with their 'Two Ronnies' routine at the outset of each repast. I have made a batch of refreshing lemon and ginger cordial since my return, which is perfect for a hot summer day and reminds me of a very happy holiday.
The bike was a delight to ride. I'm not a regular cyclist and I found the daily trips enjoyable and, with the regular stops, entirely within my capabilities. The one day off I had, sailing along the canal, added an extra dimension as it was so restful and enjoyable to watch the wildlife and the scenery Read More

Scott M.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Dolomites to Venice
Italy

The views on this tour were breathtaking. Northern Italy is so beautiful. For a mountainous region the pedaling was not difficult. Take your time and soak it in. Great food and drink in the region.

Ann W.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Best part: Riding through amazing scenery and picturesque villages in Northern Italy!