We enjoyed this part of our journey. Varied scenery and accomodation. Some long days - but forgotten about after the first red wine and shoes off. Lots of friends made!
As a first-time solo traveller, I was nervous and did not know what to expect...but the tour operator exceeded my expectations! Not only was the tour well-organised and great value for money, but my fellow travellers became like my 2nd family! I made many new friends and will always treasure my memories from this trip. Special mention most certainly needs to be made of the tour leader, Antonio Veiga! Apart from being highly knowledgeable of the area, he took exceptional care of our group, often adding in little extras, that was not part of the itinerary...like taking us on the funicular which climbs to Montecatini Alto village, for dinner and to enjoy the sweeping views, showing us how to use public transport (which can be overwhelming for first-timers) the best places to draw money etc. I, unfortunately, lost my handbag (with my credit cards, passport, cellphone and all my Euros) on my 3rd day...Antonio went above and beyond the call of duty in trying to help me to recover it, assisting me with filing a police report (a master translator with the intimidating Italian police), letting me use his email address and phone to make calls to my family in SA and to cancel my bank cards; and in lending me money, until my family was able to transfer funds. The impact of this stressful situation was greatly reduced by the patient support and assistance I received from Antonio (this while simultaneously looking after the 47 other travellers in our group) and I was able to still enjoy my tour despite this initial setback. A great experience! I will definitely be back!
This trip is jam packed and a whole lot of fun. Not for the faint hearted. An extra day or two in some of the locations and it would have been perfect.