4 Star Italy Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 136

Biking from Bolzano to Trento surrounded by mountains and scenery was memorable.
The extra days in Bolzano were well worth it. Lots to do with gondola rides and hikes to wineries.
The bike app worked pretty well, although some instruction was either confusing or a bit late.
Unfortunately we were kicked off the ferry ride on Lake Garda with bikes due to transportation strikes so had to take a van. We missed some scenery, but also had a faster trip to Pescheira.
We got caught in quite a downpour one day and the next day was looking stormy also, so we took a train.
Easy getting train tickets, harder getting spots on the train for bikes. We got the last.
Venice was nice, but naturally crowded. Hotels were mostly nice accommodations. Hotel staffs were pleasant and helpful. Hotel Majestic seems to go by different names and was initially difficult to find.
We enjoyed the self-guided bike tour, even though we didn't use E-bikes.

The boat was very nice, the scenery was lovely, food great, and the group interesting with people from a variety of countries. Guides, especially Stefania, were very good.

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.

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.

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.

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 boat and crew were fantastic. The bikes were the best we have experienced so far doing these kinds of trips. Some wonderful excursions and side trips while biking . A few things could be improved upon I think. We all arrived (group of 10) in Mantova and ended up dragging our luggage through town (on sometimes very cobblestone bumpy streets) to get to the boat. Have heard this happens a lot. Taxi/uber service is kind of non-existent. For any older travelers the option of dragging luggage would not be realistic. Something need to be set up for customer pickups. Also, I know from talking to the tour guides that the amount of time we get to spend in Ferrara is an issue. It's a wonderful city and we were in and out much too quickly. Not sure there is an answer to this. Overall an amazing trip with a crew that seemed to be having as much fun as we were.

Most memorable was the stunning scenery We expected a group of English speakers and were shocked when we arrived to find it was an Austrian company with German speaking patrons and guide. So initially it was difficult but everyone was nice and we all got along even if our language skills didn’t match.

1st I have to complement Claudia for all her help! The crew of the Vita Pugna were exceptional, particularly George our guide. This was our 4th boat bike tour in Europe. I would not recommend anyone cruising on the Vita Pugna. The walls were paper thing and we got one good night's sleep. We asked the people next to us 2x to be quiet. They kept talking to late in the night and we felt we were in the room with them. The meals and chef were excellent. Captain was the hardest working one I have ever seen. I definitely would go with this crew on another boat in the future. Bikes were good. Touring/ sites were special. Some people should have rented ebikes as we had to wait up to as 1/2 hour at times for them to catch up and we were not going fast. Crew was extremely helpful both at the beginning during and at the end of our tour. Back to Claudia. she answered all of my questions. Help us get on the right transportation from the airport to the island of Quidecca, where we stayed in a hotel the night before the trip. We met 4 other couples at the hotel. Only difficulty we had was finding the boat on the date of departure. I was unable to load the map for direction. We were finally able to find the boat. I would recommend a separate email at the end with the necessary directions/ map to the boat. One more time I need to mention how much I appreciated Claudia's and the other tour specialists. You were the best I/ we ever have had! Thank you. Steve and Barbara Ferrin.

Venice back canals. Swimming in adriatic sea. Feedback bikes should have mirrors or tell people to bring them.

The cruise was interesting and extremely well organized. The tour guide, Hugo, was exceptionally good and well informed. He was a very good riding guide and for tours of the cities we visited, and he adapted to changes in weather very well.

Best event was the Wine Pairing meal at ENOTECA PROPERZIO, food was the best and wines were so tasty!
Other wine tastings also good and loved the cooking lesson with the Pasta making!
Hikes were much more difficult than posted, hardly suitable for families, trail on last day from Spoleto was not well signed but we found it! The trail near the farm with the dogs was poorly marked and much of the trail has been affected by erosion. Great value for money on this trip, all hotels were excellent!

We loved the culinary experiences..all were unique and different..the hotels were lovely and people were very helpful... we loved all 3 towns on the tour...the hiking and we did every inch of every trail was challenging and a large part of every hike was all up mountains which was a bit different from meandering the country side and doing rolling hills ...we found that some of the trails were washed out and footing was difficult ..suggesting they should be checked!

Making pasta was a fun event.
One gourmet dinner looked fantastic BUT did not taste great.
The hikes WERE DEFINITELY not as advertised!! Dangerous and unsafe in some areas. Walking through the olive groves was lovely. We are all experienced hikers and walkers but some parts too hard.
The architecture was delightful every where. Hotel in Fontebella was lovely. In ASSISI while walking became upon a visual a d musical journey of St. Francis that was unbelievably fantastic!!!
Our wine tasting at Saio was great.
Hotel in Spello was the best but we could only stay one night-disapointing!!
Best meal was Enotata Properzo.

We loved this trip, our first group trip with a guide, and our first biking trip. The guide was knowledgeable and very interactive, and the support staff person thoughtful and proactive. Our guide even shared his traditional music talents, which was an unexpected bonus. The cheese making demonstration and lunch was a highlight, as was staying at a masseria (farm). Good food and great tour stops.

A few tweaks would have made the trip five stars. Some of the bikes had power issues which weren't addressed during the week, and the hotel in Alberobello was not as nice as the others. I wish the last biking day would have had more biking--the other days were full of side trips and culinary/cultural experiences, but the final day seemed to be just a functional direct short ride to our final destination.

Puglia is fascinating, especially the areas around Alberobello. A great place to ride.

Visiting the city of Matera was a truly unique experience. The history and architecture was fascinating. Matera was a great place to begin our adventure through the Puglia region. The food was excellent throughout our tour and great effort was taken to be sure we were served locally grown tasty treats including yummy local wines.

This was the seventh bike/barge tour, in Europe, which I have taken. It was a wonderful tour. The boat, the crew and the guides were among if not the best. In particular the quality and the presentation of the food was outstanding,. I have three suggestions that in my opinion would have made the trip more comfortable. The first is quite minor but most North Americans use a facecloth in the bathrooms, I would prefer this to the two handtowels which were provided for each guest, Secondly, on each of my earlier trips better accommodations were made for guests to dry out light laundry or wet clothing. A clothesline set up on upper patio could work well for this, Finally, my experience is that cycling in a group of 31 is awkward and potentially dangerous. Our two guides worked together very well to control the traffic and allow the whole group to cross major roads safely but two smaller groups would mean shorter traffic delays.
Overall a great trip which I will gladly recommend yo others

Cycling through the smaller rural villages and on rural roads we really enjoyed. The people are really friendly and helpful. It was easy to follow the route with the GPS app supplied. The Baroque villages are fascinating . We especially loved staying in the old city of Syracuse. Well worth spending an extra day here.

We have to add that there is quite a bit of cycling on busy roads which was not that enjoyable.

On the whole though can highly recommend this trip.

The Bike company organizing this trip was amazing. Their attention to detail, interest in our ride, information given, was outstanding. The chosen accommodation was first class, as were the meals that were included. The state of Italian roads was challenging and s few sections of the ride quite uninspiring, but overall we loved the places we stayed at and the journey along the way, especially Polignano, Alberobello and Lecce. A wonderful experience of Puglia.

It was a tough ride, all of the hills was another level. Only take this ride if you are aware that most of the ride is on local roads, with some traffic, and riding up and down hills continually every day. Be careful to conserve your battery, as riding uphill with no power assist is not a good experience (Our story, 2km uphill ride Day 1 into Radda!!) Each night's accommodation was a treat as these towns was especially chosen for us experience the history of Tuscany. So rich in history.

I think Matera is unforgettable. It’s an impressive city. The experience to see how to prepare all those delicious cheese in Noci was amazing. I’d suggest an optional thing for the end of the biketour, that is a Spa Day. It would be nice to have a massage and a relaxing time after all.

This was a well conceived and executed trip; from the baggage handling to the overnight accommodations and the variety of breakfast provided we were pleasantly surprised. The bikes were well maintained and the Ride with GPS was accurate if not sometimes difficult to follow in the cities we visited. A cautionary note: The route from Faenza to Ronta is not for the casual rider! Both the long ascent and the traffic make this an "experienced" rider's ride.

We did the 8 day, Bolzano to Verona trip, with biking beginning at the Resia Pass. Our adult kids joined us for first 5 days (Bolzano to Bolzano), also beginning at the Resia Pass. We loved this trip with just a few low points. First day biking from the Resia pass was absolutely amazing. We weren’t quite prepared for the cooler micro-climate of that area on biking day 1, but the stunning scenery and fun of basically going “weeeee” all the way down the mountain for the first two days was incredible! Then on to quaint and adorable Merano and Silandro. Arriving at the top of the hill en route to the ferry at Lake Garda was breathtaking, and not to be missed! The new Ride GPS app works great!
One thing that could be improved upon is the 5 hour ferry ride. The ferry ride was only pleasing for about the first two hours, but then became incredibly tedious. Because the ferry arrived late at night in Peschiera, we could spend no time there. Chatting with others on the ferry who were doing the same trip, we salivated at some of the towns we saw on Lake Garda and would have been happy to spend time at any of them. Also, biking and staying in Trento fell flat and we’d prefer to spend two nights in Merano, Silandro, on Lake Garda, or even Bolzano and skip Trento. Hotels were varied, with some that were outstanding and some that were marginal. Condition of bikes was great, with the exception of an e-bike dying, but tour company quickly replace it;)

I the whole experience was memorable, but the most exceptional was the food. Danny was truly a chef who was interested in preparing the meals with a purpose. He also kept good eating habits in mind, offering a great variety of vegetables in each meal.

We had the most delightful Guide, Ilenia. She was just beautiful and so considerate and kind. We enjoyed only having 13 riders in the group. On 3 of the days, we were treated to authentic Italian food in little villages or out of the way places. Sadly, the choice of hotel in Lecce proved to be extremely disappointing. The other places we stayed were quite good and one, in particular, at Gallipoli was outstanding. There was quite of bit of road riding at times. The scenery in the Puglia region was average - lots of dead olive trees and in the back streets there is lots of dumped rubbish. Having said that, the trip was excellent and the group we rode with was fabulous.

My wife and I had already taken the trip from Bolzano to Venice.
This year we invited three more couples and did the upper part of the Adige River, which was fantastic!
From Bolzano to Vernona is also a spectacle and, even passing through for the second time, neither the river nor we are the same.
Pure enjoyment, even though I cycled one day with heavy rain.
I highly recommend this tour.

I loved the trip between Trieste and Portoroz.
The hotels were good anywhere. If I Can suggest I would prefer bicycles whit shock absorbers. The roads somethimes were very hard.

The view of the enviorment !! The security of the route and the group of friends were wonderful !!