Italy Tour Reviews — 241 to 270 of 668

The beautiful places we bikes. The sights. The out of the way country roads.

We were taken on some one way streets in many of the towns which was a bit confusing but added to the story.

The food was incredible and the selection of restaurants was wonderful. It made it easy each night. We just went where the planners selected for us and we did not have to ponder each day where to go. One thing though....too much food! It was wonderful but three selections for each dinner was way more food than any of us could ever eat.

I had an issue with my E bike but was told I did not know how to use it which upset me. I did know what I was doing and one of the owners saw there was a problem but there were no extra bikes on hand to swap out with me. It turned out OK. My bike functioned when I most needed it but I had to switch it on and off frequently to get it to work. I managed just fine but at the end when I was told by one of the employees at the bike shop that the bike was fine...I just didn[t know how to operate it ....I was a bit upset. When I picked up the bike the person checking me out on it told me "people do not like this bike". I did not complain. I just wanted them to know that it should be checked out because the next person might have issues too and might not be as flexible as I was.

All in all it was a wonderful trip. The cooking class at the bike owner's mother's home was so much fun.

This was a lovely bike ride. The scenery was beautiful. The tour operator was very helpful and responsive. The hotels were all very comfortable. We loaded the GPX tracts on a Garmin making it easy to stay on course. On the day we road through Foligno, the Giro d'Italia was taking place. It was fun to watch. The village of Gubbio (my favorite next to Assisi) was still decorated for the Corso dei Seri. As far as the ride, we knew that the some of the roads would not be the best quality, but the elevation was more difficult than we were expecting. We were on a road bike and a low end hybrid. The hybrid was too heavy for the elevation. Even walking the bike up some of the hills was difficult. The poor condition of some of the roads made it difficult for the road bike. We were given route options to avoid gravel roads, but there were some asphalt roads that were not the best quality. I would do this ride again, but on a different bike, possibly a gravel bike if it is available. All in all, this was a great bike ride. The Umbria region is a beautiful area, but without the crowds.

The biking on dedicated bike paths through vineyards and apple orchards with soaring mountains in the background was the most memorable part of the trip- so beautiful! My only suggestion for improvement would be to provide one handlebar bag for each person on the trip- they did come in handy!

The cataclysmic flooding event was memorable. We appreciated Javier’s support and direction when our route was blocked.
Unfortunately we were unable to remove one of our spd pedals at the end of the trip in Parma because the staff person in Bologna over tightened it. We are beginning the Mur river trip on June 4 and would appreciate your delivering it to us for that trip.

The crew on the boat was very accommodating; any issues with our cabins was readily addressed. The chef was excellent; one of the best we've experienced on the many bike tours we've been on. The menus included regional favorites and we all received a cookbook that included recipe favorites from several chefs.

Scenery was terrific and accommodation was very good. When arriving at each town or city don’t continue all the way to central point as per Ride With GPS, as you may be well past your hotel already. Switch to google maps as you enter the city and search your hotel.

The district was very interesting and there were many scenic and historic areas of interest to me

So hard to pinpoint any one moment. The crew, guides, chiefs, captain and assistant were all so fantastic and knowledgeable.

The only thing I can suggest is heated drying racks in the bathrooms and drying facilities for shoes.

The crew on the boat was fantastic. Hugo the tour guide was very knowledgeable and quite fun. Giorgia was very patient and extremely helpful. They were all great. I loved the food too. Hugo really went out of his way to make sure that we saw things and had a very full experience

The food on board was amazing! I am a vegetarian the chef made sure my meals were amazing!

The small paved farm roads lined with old stacked stone walls as we biked among the olive trees and fields of flowers. The Ride With GPS made our self-guided route easy to follow.

Despite rain every day
The guides and ship crew were upbeat and wonderful
Nothing dried on the boat so bring rain gear
I was lent waterproof pants and that was a blessing
Need waterproof, not water resistant!!!
Plenty of caffè stops and the guides were very knowledgeable

Our Bike and Barge trip from Venice to Mantova was outstanding. The most memorable and valuable asset of this adventure was our guide Hein. Brilliant mind. His knowledge of Italy’s history, local traditions and culture made his talks fascinating. With his ability to speak 7 languages, no one was left out. Best yet: his sense of humour. He kept us fully engaged and laughing all week long!
But I can’t leave it at that. The entire crew was such a good team and just as much fun. Most important: the food was over the top gourmet quality. Restaurants can’t compete!! Hats off to our chefs and the entire team!! Thank you for making this trip a once in a lifetime!!!❤️

The accommodations on board , the food, and the staff were excellent.

The dolomites were incredibly beautiful. The food aboard was the best we’ve had!

Scenery from Mantova to Venice was agricultural for the most part. A broad mix of surfaces to ride on and some detours on the self guided which could be confusing.

What a wonderful surprise! Exceeded our expectations. Itinerary and equipment was amazing. The routes were very interesting and off the main roads. Accommodation was very well located and always very clean and comfortable. Will definitely book another trip!

What a wonderful surprise! Exceeded our expectations. Itinerary and equipment was amazing. The routes were very interesting and off the main roads. Accommodation was very well located and always very clean an comfortable. Will definitely book another trip!

We went on this tour in mid-October of 2022. Stayed in Cagliari before the tour and saw a professional triathlon. We watched the women's race - have never seen anything like that. Sardinia is wonderful. We only had one sort of gripe - the company that handled the tour (Rotalis) is German and we were the. only non-Germans on the tour. Had a few uncomfortable initial moments, but it eventually became a nothing burger. I was fluent in German as a kid and saw a lot coming back. It would have been nice to know about this sooner.

The tour was beyond excellent. First, Sardinia. It's incredibly beautiful. Lots of hills and forests. Marvelous downhills. Being able to cycle through an alpine environment in shorts and short sleeves was special. Alenka, the tour guide was quite good. She dealt with the German speakers initially then translated into English - hers was quite good. Dieter, the van driver was a gem. He took care of the support van and provided gourmet lunches. We split the costs at the end - amounted to about Euro 75 for each cyclist. A great deal - the lunches were certainly gourmet.

No negatives. The eBikes were a bit tired, but were entirely serviceable. Dieter always had a few spare batteries for those who needed them. The two islands off the west coast were not as spectacular as the mountains, though they were fine. If you decide to go with a Rotalis tour try to confirm that there's a diversity of cyclists. Expect a great tour and very attentive tour guides. Ten out of ten. Great tour! Thanks Tripsite.....

This is an unforgettable trip that everyone should take! The guides, chefs, crew and captain were all knowledgeable, kind and fabulous!

The crew, guides, and food were great - Thankyou for a wonderful time. The Ave Maria is a very well appointed barge. The trip exceeded expectations and we have taken several bike and boat tours with Tripsite.

Istria to the Adriatic Tour
We are now back from our September biking trip and wanted to take this opportunity to our wonderful guide Andrej, you, and everyone else involved in planning this tour. We had the best time and for us, it was an experience of a lifetime. While we are active boomers, we are not bike ridders and didn’t have a total idea of what to expect. The tour met and went above our expectations. When Andrej asked what the highlight of our trip had been, all I could say was that everything in the tour was a favorite and special. From biking the beautiful coast and country side, to stopping at local roadside cafes for refreshment breaks, to visiting historic and quaint medieval villages and towns, it just didn’t get better than that. Our group was small and intimate and much fun. We managed on the many different terrains, some which we found to be more challenging than others. The highway rides were scary, but all part of the adventure. The food was excellent, wine and hotel rooms, all terrific.

Continued success and again many thanks!
Teri and Robert Biancardi

The food, the guide and the route and biking were all great. Excellent value for a low budget trip.

Our crew and tour guides were fantastic. Not to mention the food onboard was outstanding.

This was a trip of a lifetime for me. Hein and Marjolein were wonderful trip leaders and so knowledgeable about the cities we visited. They made the trip a delight and handled any glitches that arose seamlessly. It helped that they had lived in the area for several years and were familiar with the customs and history of the Veneto.
The food provided by Alberto and Daniele was superb and plentiful, and reflected the cuisine of northern Italy. And Jano was amazing at piloting the Ave Maria through the canals and lagoon. Francesco did a great job anticipating and fulfilling our requests throughout the trip.
The Ave Maria was a perfect vessel for our weeklong tour of the Po River valley of northern Italy. The staterooms were very comfortable and had ample room for two people and their belongings. It was very interesting to hear about the transition of a derelict barge into the sleek Ave Maria that was our home for a week.
I would love to do another trip with this group to explore a new area of Europe in the future.

The trip was awesome. Everything was 1st rate. We loved all of our staff. Each person on the staff went the extra mile to make the tour very special!

This was our second bike and barge with tripsite. It exceded our expectations. The room had plenty of storage, the staff was outstanding and the meals were all excellent. Our tripsite vacation was perfect.

Ave Maria is a beautiful comfortable well equipped boat. The staff was courteous, helpful, pleasant and efficient. The food absolutely the best! plentiful and with great variety. Our tour host Hein and Mayleine were awesome. They were well informed about the historic and local areas that we traveled thru and were humorous, kind and considerable for all the guests needs and abilities.
The tour was a well planned route thru some lovely back roads and small towns and cities. The bicycles were very good and easy to ride. It is very difficult to choose just one memorable part of the trip it was well worth the time we waited to enjoy the Boat/Barge.

Seeing venice on a sunny day from the roof of an historic building.
Biking through the countryside and villages.
Excellent food.

Arriving into Venice on the Ave Maria. In beautiful Lido we turned in our bikes and by the way they were terrific bikes. I even named mine. I hated to to see "Lisa Marie" go into storage but what came next was even more spectacular. To arrive in magical Venice by boat on a glorious fall day with brilliant sun glistening off the buildings and the water was breath-taking. The fact that the crew had arranged pizza and cocktails only added to the experience. And then that sunset! What a day!

For me, the most memorable parts of the trip were the moments our trip guide, Hein, stopped, got us off our bikes and took time to do some interpretation of the landscape, or when he brought us to little known local places. One example was a local museum for traveling entertainers and amusements. In the states we would call this a circus museum. Hein described life for us in the walled and protected castles and the city-states of Italy before there was an Italy, and the power of the family heads in the se little kingdoms. He took us on a tour of one of those castles that is not generally open to the public. I also appreciated the 90-minute guided tours by Christina in Mantova and her counterpart in Venice. Passionate about the cities that they call home, they both really brought these special places to life for me.
Not to overlook the moderate exercise we got on bikes everyday, which was helpful because the delicious food our crew served was difficult to turn down. I would have preferred longer distances, but the biking was as advertised: easy.
A couple of tips: take precautions to protect yourself from Covid. If you choose a water taxi to get you around Venice, ask the boat driver when reserving your ride, and again before you board the boat, what the fare is; the cost tends to inflate when it comes time to pay the bill. And ask your tour guide to reserve tickets in advance to see the interior of San Marco Basilica and the Doge's Palace in Venice. I didn't do this and was unwilling to wait in a long line to get in, so I missed both. But we did see a number of other unbelievable churches from the Rennaissance era all week in Verona, Mantova and Venice.