5 Star Italy Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 471

We loved our time aboard the Sundial and the beauty of the Aeolian Islands. Angelo and his family offered an amazing experience for onboard living, planning for our daily excursions (a shout out to Nico here for his wonderful e-bike tours) and delicious meals embracing regional food. The scenery was stunning, especially the erupting volcano Stromboli!

Excellent trip. This is our 3rd Bike and Boat adventure with Trip Site and our favorite. The weather was a little rough - rain and rolling seas. The captain and crew made it truly enjoyable. It is a very unique tour - great adventure touring the various volcanic Islands. We loved seeing the active volcano at night and touring the vineyards in Salina.

Outstanding tour leader and overall crew. Well-planned routes (except for the gravel parts :) and interesting sights. Excellent, plentiful food. Wonderful fellow travelers. Basic but comfortable cabin. This was a very memorable experience for us, and we would enjoy another similar tour with this company.

Memorable was the first farm we stayed at with the 2000 year old trees and stories of an archeological dig. We were very grateful for the interpreter that the tour provided at that first farm stay.

The lodging was outstanding in every location. It was easy to get to restaurants and museums from our old town locations.

We did extra days in Matera before the ride and we were very glad we did.

We had a language mixup. They asked if we wanted a twin rooms or a double. And I assumed twin meant putting two twins together for us. But it actually meant two places to sleep as if Steve and I were not a couple. If they would have asked, do you sleep separately and want separatel beds I would have understood. So many of our accommodations had the couch made up or an extra bed in the room. It was a waist

We could have used a paneer. They asked us to haul the charger with us on the bikes. That, the tools, the pump, the extra tube... There wasn't much room for stashing jackets and rain gear. We both broke the strap on the top of the back bag trying to fit our jacket under it.

Our lodging locations and accommodations were awesome. We stayed one night at an Olive Farm with a few 2,000 year old trees and ancient ruins were discovered right on the property. The tour provided an interpreter for the evening so we could learn about the trees and the ruins. Fascinating.

We also very much enjoyed Matera. We booked extra days there and we were very glad we did. The cave homes and churches we incredible to see and explore. Our accomodations there were so convenient to walk less than a block to see the Sassi, enjoy restaurants and shops.

The one draw back is the reliance on GPS when we were going through the old cities with tall buildings we would constantly be struggling to find our way.

Stay away from the mud, it is very sticky clay.

Extraordinary Cycling Experience from Lucca to Florence!

Cycling from Lucca to Florence (over 200+ miles) was both a rewarding challenge and an absolutely awesome adventure! We pedaled through iconic Renaissance and Medieval gems like Lucca, Vinci, San Gimignano, and Siena, while also winding past countless smaller, charming towns. Along the way, we treated ourselves to amazing local delicacies and, of course, the region's famous red Chianti wine. Our incredible journey finally wrapped up in beautiful Florence.
What truly made this trip special was our guiding team, who were there to help with every single issue and question along the way:
• Michael (Cycling Guide): Michael brought a wonderful, deeply personal touch to the tour. Because we were a small group, he carefully tailored his advice and comments to match each of our individual cycling levels. He showed immense patience with all of us and made sure absolutely everyone felt clear and confident on the road.
• Antonio (Guide & Route Planner): Antonio is the mastermind behind the itinerary, guiding us along truly incredible trails and roads around each town. His deep knowledge of Italy's history is incredibly impressive! While his patience could run a bit short—especially when we found ourselves in a few tight spots or troubleshooting on the trail—he had a lot of different personalities to manage in our group, and he deserves a ton of credit for keeping us moving and safe.
Overall, it was an extraordinary experience that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to see Tuscany on two wheels!

What a wonderful way to experience this part of Italy! Such a variety of scenery, from endless vineyards and apple orchards to forest trails and mountain villages. Each day was unique.

The hotels were amazing – the wellness centers were always a welcome treat after a long day of walking. The app was so easy to follow and gave us shorter or less challenging route options when we wanted them.

Overall, a fantastic experience!

This was a great tour, very well organized and executed by the tour team, headed by Jordy and Kris on the bikes and Bob as captain of the ship. The ship was beautiful and clean, the bikes excellent, and the places visited, memorable. Food on board was excellent. Would go again.

This was our first bike and barge trip and it EXCEEDED all expectations!!! The Ave Maria ITALIA was a beautiful boat with a spacious cabin for storing all luggage -we were on the upper deck, having 2 large portholes-one that opened slightly for fresh air, even though that was never needed. The chefs, Danny and Michaela always served us the highest quality of dinners/meals and the self serve breakfasts were substantial and delicious. We enjoyed packing our box lunch each morning for the day’s adventures. Our 2 guides, Sylvia (lead) and Pietro were top notch!! Having a lead bike and end (sweep) kept us all safe, regardless the speed of individual riders, which most of our 30 person group chose e-bikes. The (level easy) rides were always flat with slight variations of road conditions (paved, gravel) and all bikers were happy and confident. At times when we entered the busier towns along the way, our EXCEPTIONALLY skilled and personable guides kept everyone safe, navigating us all through many turns to get us to the town centre for our scheduled stops. Many times we had ‘surprise’ stops for tourist interest spots which were highlights!! Can’t say enough about this tour, especially ending in Venice as a finale, just blew our minds. And our entire crew, all spectacular in their own right, Captain Yano, techy Samuele kept the boat in perfect condition functionally and throughout the entire navigational route —-this was a vacation that will remain HIGH in our memories and already starting to plan our NEXT bike and barge trip!! Thank you all, thank you, Tripsite!!!

The most memorable part was the camaraderie that we saw and felt with the staff. The Capt., the Chef and sous chef, the engineer and the two Tour Guide guides were absolutely amazing.

We had the absolute best time on our recent bike and barge trip aboard the Ave Maria, cycling from Venice to Mantova.
Thanks to Chef Alberto and his assistant Sylvia, the meals on board were outstanding. Captain Bughi and tech engineer Fabio ensured smooth sailing and maintained the barge. Our cycling guides, Silvia and Pietro, were phenomenal—expertly navigating us through gorgeous countryside and charming villages with high energy and smiles every day. What truly made the week special, though, was the crew's collective attitude; everyone consistently went above and beyond, pitching in across all aspects of the trip to ensure our cycling holiday was absolutely fabulous.

The most memorable part of the trip was the biking. It was a lot of fun and very challenging at times. The islands we visited were absolutely beautiful, and we loved sailing and swimming in the ocean.

The ship was nice, although the cabins were very small for two people. Having the towels changed only once during the week was also a challenge because they never seemed to fully dry.

However, the food on the ship was outstanding and absolutely delicious. The entire crew was very helpful, friendly, and fun, which made the experience even more enjoyable.

Our tour guides, Tom and Marco, were especially wonderful. They were caring, attentive, knowledgeable, and always made sure everyone was doing well. They went above and beyond to make the biking experience enjoyable and memorable.
The people we meet on the ship were fun and everyone enjoyed each other.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip filled with beautiful scenery, challenging rides, wonderful food, and great people. The biking, sailing, and time spent on the islands made it a truly memorable experience

Our first e-bike self-guided tour, and it won't be our last! We have found out new favourite way to travel. The e-bikes made touring between the Umbrian hilltop towns a breeze for us at 63 yrs and 65 yrs. The GPS tracks were off the beaten path and Bluetoothed straight into my husband's hearing aids, which was an unexpected bonus. The local operators were helpful and available, although we had no problems at all. Any questions to Tripsite had quick and efficient replies. Thanks Tripsite!

How could I ride a bicycle across this wonderful region and gain two pounds over the course of the week?

The food is a star attraction, of course -- from the lasagna Bolognese, to the fried gnocchi (with the region's famous prosciutto), to the parmigiano reggiano and true balsamic vinegars (both tasted on brilliant tours included!), and to the culatello and other delicacies of Parma. (I even took a pasta-making class in Parma with an excellent teacher in her centuries-old home.)

But the cities and the people are stars too. I'm not a super-big fan of churches, but the cathedrals in Bologna, Modena, and Parma are stunning, as are the surrounding neighborhoods -- clean, safe, good shopping. Italians are known for friendliness, but I've visited large parts of the country and I think it's fair to say the people of the Emilia region are the friendliest. Go into any place, offer a warm greeting ("Bongiorno" or "Salve"), show a little curiosity, and people will shower you with affection. I visited a pub in Modena famous for its beer selection, and other customers wouldn't let me pay.

I did the "self-guided" version of the trip, which worked out well because the GPS tracks were excellent, but my selection of dates (over which I didn't have much control) could have been better. The first week of August is always hot, and temps during my ride reached 100-104 F (39-40 C) each day. I still had a blast because I paced myself, hugged shady trees, and drank lots of water. More importantly, the design of this tour is excellent -- with two nights at each stop. That allowed "optional rides" on off-days, but for me, it offered days of rest and rehydration (and chances to try more foods).

This is a very good trip, arranged by an excellent company with good staff, good bicycles and good communications (in case of emergency). A group ride in cooler temperatures would have been good, but I still had a great time.

I really enjoyed the trip. The accomodation was good, the bike was good and the navigation app worked well although a bit quirky a couple of times.
My trip was during the heat wave so made the days challenging. The trip was more hilly than I expected. Combined with the heat I found that leaving at sunrise was the best way to survive. I missed hotel breakfast with this plan and didn’t feel like stopping along the route. I did enjoy the destination towns though. Not much exploring on route due to the heat.
A great trip and met my expectations.

All of the staff were excellent but Sylvia was a highlight! I liked how everyone pitched in during meals.

Loved the Balsamic and Parmesan tours! The rides were lovely, peaceful and scenic and the food and wines were fabulous. We loved our ride and accommodations. The Agriturismo La Razza was especially special. Not to be missed was the Ristorante La Grattugia. The fillet of beef with balsamic was to die for.

This was an outstanding trip that we completed in early June. The scenery was beautiful, the staff was outstanding, and the accommodations were great. The food was unbelievable and totally unexpected from the standpoint of local, delicious, preparation and presentation; including outstanding dishes for vegetarian and gluten free/non dairy diets. The docking proximity for easy access to Venice was amazing as were the stops along the way. Give this trip serious consideration.

The crew was fun and professional. The food was amazing. We had a couple of people in our group of 18 that had dietary restrictions, but they went to great lengths to provide options. The bar/wine system is fair and fairly priced. The bikes are top notch, and the itinerary has many little extras, better than most.

Great trip!!! We also added the self-guided bike portion starting from Bolzano! Everything went very well....RidewithGPS had no issues, hotels were good. The barge experience was awesome!! Our meals were absolutely over the top - those 2 Italian chefs know what they are doing! Guides were exceptional - they know their history and they know bikes! Would highly recommend this trip!

Excellent crew, especially the tour guides. The places they took us would have been difficult to find on our own, making it a unique experience.

Being on bike paths going through the countryside was a highlight. Tour guides were terrific, and we were very impressed with how the whole barge team worked together on all aspects of the trip.

We enjoyed learning about the culture and history of the areas we visited. Our guides were knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

We loved our time on this tour – the Umbria scenery was beautiful and all three towns have a different character that made exploring them interesting. All of our hotels were lovely and had great breakfasts. The various dinners, wine tastings and cooking class were first-class and we really enjoyed the culinary part of this trip. – the wine tasting dinner at Enoteco Properzio in Spello was a highlight. We found the walks to be as described – definitely some hills involved but the views were worth the effort. Super liked the app that provided not only all of the walking directions but also all the information for the hotels and dinners/wine tastings. Every aspect of this tour went off without a hitch – the logistics were great. Would definitely recommend this tour.

The e-bikes we had were sturdy,the batteries powerful and we never got close to fully depleting them on a day's cycle. In particular the route finding app with its spoken commands and detailed map was great. Much better than the written route description we have had on previous bike tours. Mostly on small secondary roads, gravel tracks (quite bumpy) and cycle paths, the times we were cycling on major roads was hazardous. No injuries, though I was nearly wiped out by a car on a round-about.

It should be mentioned that customers will need to purchase waterbus tickets for travel from Venice to the dock site.

Boat/biking trips are our favorite way to travel and this is our favorite trip ever! The family who crews this boat made our time aboard safe, well organized and full of adventure. The scenery on the islands is stunning! The e-bikes we used were perfect for the terrain and comfortable. Our tour guide kept us safe, informed and entertained. This trip is absolutely deserving of the 5 stars in every category!

The boat was very nice and cozy. I loved the fact it was ran by a family. The staff were nice and helpful. Nice tour guide also.
What I liked the most was there flexibility of changing our Island hopping according to the weather. We ended up having the best weather possible during our trip ❤️

I really enjoyed the people and exploring a small part of Italy. Our crew was amazing.

The trip was great. All of the itinerary was wonderful places to visit. The hotels and baggage management on the first three days was four-star.
The boat was very nice and we enjoyed it even more than the larger boat on The Danube trip. The food was amazing and Albert & Danny deserve a shout-out. Our guides Micaela and Ricardo were great guides, though Micaela could’ve slowed the pace some for us “push-bike” riders.
We loved the trip and will definitely be back. Thinking Spain/Portugal will be our next one.