Italy Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 653

Beautiful scenery and villages to visit. We had a wonderful holiday. Everything was organised well and went smoothly.
We were met on the first day by Petra who made sure our ride with GPS had downloaded correctly, and who advised us about places to visit and restaurants to go to.
Paulo then came along with excellent bikes, which worked perfectly for us for the week.
Given the poor state of the roads, we would recommend gravel bikes and NOT road bikes for this trip.

Swimming in the Adriatic - twice - was a treat enjoyed by most. The first time we were on a public beach and rented an umbrella for shade during the two-hour break. The second time was on a more remote, private beach. People indulged both before and after dinner. It was a welcome relief from the record heat. TIP TO OTHERS: bring beach shoes - that sand can be quite hot on bare feet
THE MOST MEMORABLE - Standing on the top deck as we floated past the Medieval buildings and beautiful people of a city with no cars – Venice. We drank our apertifs and toasted to a splendid trip. TIP TO OTHERS - for women, wearing a casual dress in Venice is really a thing.

Biking together in the countryside of Italy along with stopping at the towns small piazzas .

The crew and tour guides were fantastic The food was great
The bike ride itself was not for all levels of bikers...lots of city biking that made many riders nervous. A large guided group made it difficult to keep everyone together, causing large gaps
The sites were sometimes great and other days just riding along a dyke with not much to see
The tour guides Hein and Marjoleine were very knowledgeable and interesting to listen to
The unfortunate plumbing issue on the boat upon embarkation wasn't ideal but they moved us upstairs to another room and others were put up in a hotel for 2 nights...they were dedicated to resolving the problem which was done on day 3.

This is our third bike, boat, and barge tour. The barge vessels create a cozy and friendly atmosphere with the crew and fellow cyclists. The Vita Pugna crew offers excellent service. The meals were delicious and freshly prepared with regional products from each area we visited. Michaela, the bike leader, was energetic, meticulous, and knowledgeable. We used e-bikes to enjoy the ride; the trail is flat and suitable for regular bikes as well. Everything was clean. The barge could use a cosmetic refresh, but overall, the vessel is great.

Thirteen years ago we took one of our favorite family vacations aboard the Ave Maria from Mantova to Venice. We decided to recreate the trip with (now adult) children and their partners. The only week that worked was in the opposite direction and on the Vita Pugna. Before we knew it, we had other friends and family sign on and we filled 9 of the 10 cabins. As the trip approached we were concerned that the reality would not meet our memories or that a different direction or boat might lessen the experience.

We were thrilled to find out that any such fears were unwarranted. From the moment we boarded the Vita Pugna in Venice until the sad day we departed in Mantova, we had an absolute blast. The boat is not opulent, but very comfortable and well appointed. The food was excellent -- the wonderful Silvia not only made delicious meals every day, but nimbly adjusted to a number of us with different dietary tastes and restrictions. Our pursor/sommelier/captain in training Michele was a joy to be around and will make an outstanding captain soon. The captain, Ricardo (Bugy), was so helpful and fun and we thoroughly enjoyed interacting with him. And Giorgio, our fearless leader and guide, was funny, informative, patient, experienced and a pure joy to be around. The entire crew spent an enormous amount of time helping us to enjoy our trip.

The trip was simply fantastic.

I loved the small family-like atmosphere of the boat. I also loved the built in guided tours.

food, the crew, the bike leaders, both. the boat was very nice. Perfect again!!

Beautiful countryside and amazing rides. The onsite tour support was above anything we could have asked for, fast responses, and help with taxis and trains.

This was the guided version. I thought, overall, it was a great trip and I would recommend it. The countryside we cycled through was interesting and we were mainly on paved, secondary lanes/roads - so very quiet, for the most part. The towns we stayed in were very picturesque and the accommodation were wonderful (with one exception in Alberobello, however, it was fine, just not up to the standards of the others). The meals were wonderful - exceptional local fare. Highlights: the meal at an Agriturismo, along with a mozzarella and burrata making demonstration; visiting a local olive oil operation, swimming in the Ionian Sea; Masseria Bosco with it's lovely pool, accommodation and Aperol Spritz. The one thing that made the trip challenging was the weather - 33 to 36 degrees. I highly recommend an e-bike and the guided version. The guide offered a great deal of information about what we were seeing and the history of the area.

Our guide, Cenzo was the most memorable part of our trip. His friendly, personable & humorous nature added to the wealth of cultural, historical, horticultural and geological information he shared with us. He was earnest and always ready to solve anything that came up.
Rocco also was a joy to be with, always taking care of any issues we had during our travels, giving advice regarding restaurants, and other sites to see.

The easy beautiful long rides through the country side and the GPS.
Didn’t actually stay in Venice, which was odd, no gondolas …
Very few water stops and very few places to find food between 12-5.

The riding was fairly easy except for the last part of the day when we had to ride up some steep hills. We definitely appreciated the hotels that had a swimming pool. The food experiences were amazing--fun and tasty! We were not aware we would have a picnic after the wine tasting so that was a necessary surprise.

I think we might have paid for an upgraded room (junior suite?) as that was all that was available. It was more of a triple with a very tiny single bed. If that was in Torgiano, then that was not worth it. That room was the something found more in a two star hotel. Not well decorated, no view or patio.

The rich and varied vegetation on the islands!! the sparkling blue water surrounding the islands! Stunning views! Food onboard was so delicious! The family that owned and worked the boat were very friendly and inviting!!

This family run adventure is the perfect way to explore the Aeolian Islands. The Sundail ship provides an intimate atmosphere to interact with the other guests during your week adventure.

Using e-bikes made it easier. We had some detours which we should have being alerted. The hotels met our expectations. Biking through the bigger towns was difficult as cars don’t stop even though we had the right away.
Next time I want to try the bike and barge.

The diversity of the islands from one to another. Each was uniquely beautiful and different. Also the sailing between the islands was wonderful and so relaxing.

This trip was fantastic. The bikes were top notch and the luggage transfer went perfectly. We enjoyed the scenery and the out of the way routes, although some of the trails could have used grass trimming.

I most appreciated the small group experience. there were only 18 on our tour and it was perfect. Our group of 6 booked a year ago so we could get a spot on the Vita Pugna and I was very happy with it. I cannot imagine have a group bigger group, perhaps 30 and I think that would have slowed down our progress on the bikes immensely. This size group I felt like we all had the opportunity to meet others, enjoy the company of different people each meal, but also got to know them a little bit. I was also very happy with the support and service of all of the staff (Capt Bugie, Silvia, Michael and Hugo)

Great staff, incredible food, comfortable boat, and a great tour with fun and memorable stops such as glass factory, cheese factory, grappa wine tasting, and a carousel tour - so much fun with a great group of people!

Great company. Excellent guide in Hugo. Very knowledgable passionate..Great food excellent staff

It would be hard to pin point the best part of the tour in general. Italy is amazing. If food is at the top of your list, you will not be disappointed. We ate our way through our tour. The food is delicious! The tour itself is lovely and the accommodations chosen for us were perfect. The Italians are a genial, hospitable people. We were also treated to an incredible cooking class at Tenuta DonnaAnna. We made lunch with pasta, desert and then dined with the family. We all agreed that this was the high point of our tour. Go for the history, the beauty, the food and local wines…..all fabulous.

The only this that we all agreed on was the difficulty level of the riding which was Easy to Moderate. We are all fit and capable riders and the days’ riding was long and a couple of the days were very hilly….long, long hills Definitely daunting for someone that is not conditioned to riding. Moderate would be more appropriate.

A viagem foi muito agradável e bem organizada. Adoramos o roteiro e também todas as degustações. Tudo planejado e bem pensado para uma experiência perfeita na Umbria.
Sugiro repensaram dois hotéis.
Primeiro em Montefalco porque o quarto era muito pequeno para 3 pessoas, apesar da excelente localização.
Segundo em Assis, a distancia do hotel da cidade não é agradável visto que é necessária uma caminhada pela estrada.
Adoramos e faremos outros roteiros!

Excellent route, amazing view. Quite a wonderful adventure in discovering beautiful parts of Italy.

Everything was amazing, the local representatives, the hotels and the staff in the hotels, the views, the bicycles, the local people that live in the area, we had the best time.
Everything was clear and we got a response for every question we had.

This is a great culinary tour where you learn how parmesan cheese, wines, and balsamic vinegar are made. The cycling was easy, but caution needed when entering busy cities. We recommend opting for the guided and really enjoyed this tour.

We had perfect weather. The chef prepared great meals. The course had a variety of biking areas even though we had a number of closed roads and even a broken lock for the boat. The staff quickly developed alternatives to the original course.

It was a wonderful trip but we didn’t travel very far and we seemed to rush through some towns for no reason and then just be on the boat for a long time docked somewhere. The whole crew was wonderful but the schedule didn’t make much sense to me.

The guides were great with their inside knowledge and fun stories. The food was outstanding.

Three of us (two rooms) had a great trip through some incredibly beautiful landscapes. The bikes worked great (no issues with the batteries or anything else) and the ebikes were very handy for the very hilly countryside. The luggage got moved perfectly and the hotels were nice. Overall had a terrific trip!