CYCLE CILENTO & AMALFI COAST Cycling the Cilento and Amalfi coast was beautiful , challenging and thoroughly enjoyable. Our guides Paolo and Giovanni did an excellent job of taking care of us in every possible way. The food was magnificent and the accommodation was great. Cycling was very difficult in parts, there was some very steep sections, but we always stopped and recovered. A great trip with a great group of people, I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves to jump on a bike.
It was a sub-par tour with a sub-par guide and hotel selection which was not 4-star The goods: ------------------ The tour coverage of all important towns in Italy and the time allotted for each destination and the pick-up and drop-off at Rome airport, the guides on the south tour were great The bads: --------------- The guide Carlos during the North tour was very non-communicative and lacked any kind of enthusiasm The uglies: ----------------- The hotels given to us with the exception of Rome were not 4-star. The hotel Uma Vittoria Florence - downright ugly, dark and like a brothel, The Smart hotel (Mestre) - was a glorified 2-star Holiday Inn like cheesy motel, the only two nice hotels were Massimo D'Azeglio and Crawford Hotel worthy of calling 4-star. The toiletries provided were lacking, somewhere only soap, somewhere shampoo and soap, nowhere conditioner or lotion. The included food at the hotels was bland and lacked flavor. The exception: restaurant right next to Crawford (only because it was a restaurant) it was great. The tours of Venice did not include St. Marks church and Doge palace which was advertised. And there was no formal dinner as per the advertisement. I carried the formal jacket for nothing.
CORSICAN MOUNTAINS & VILLAGES Apart from the heavy rain on the first day the weather was hot. The scenery has expected spectacular. The walking was more mentally demanding due to narrow trials and loose stones. Corsica is rather laid back so expect the trains to be late and full. Food is not as good as mainland France but plenty of it.