We had a great time on our tour. It was quite a long day, but we’re happy we got to see both Pisa and 3 of the 5 famous towns in Cinque Terre. In Pisa, we also opted to get 10 am tickets to climb the tower, and that was definitely worth it for us. The view was spectacular, and it was such a unique experience to climb a building like that. Unfortunately the weather stopped cooperating one we got to Cinque Terre (steady light rain with off and on periods of heavier rain). It was also the slow season, so quite a few place were closed. But neither of those things were our guide’s fault. Kristine was fantastic and made sure everyone in the group knew exactly how much time we had, where to meet, and what trains to get on. Our only disappointment (other than the weather) was that a lot of the tour felt a bit rushed. It might’ve been nicer to go to a single Cinque Terre town so we had longer to spend there, but at the same time, we knew what we were signing up for with a trip that encompassed so much!

My family and I loved the Pisa and wine tour. We were able to have the van to ourselves so we were comfortable enough to just enjoy the scenery & get a glimpse of life outside the tourist pictures. We booked this tour through our travel agent in which we asked that are vacation be more of an adventure. This tour definitely filled that request. 😁 I loved that our guide was knowledgeable about not only the tower but also the Plaza it was in and the historical relevance. I loved the fact that he was willing to wait for us to get to meet-up point because as Americans we had no knowledge of getting around Florence and needed all the help we could get, lol. 😆 I highly recommend this tour and enjoy the wine which was magnificent.

Our guide and driver Domenico was wonderful. Even on a rainy and a bit cold day, we had a great time in San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Siena and our wine pairing at Tenuta Torciano was delightful, made even more so by our host Luca. We recommend it!

Views were great, our tour guide was amazing. But the company felt like they were trying to make more money off of us using the Vespas. As if the cost of the adventure wasn’t enough to cover wear and tear of Vespa’s, they analyzed every minor rock chip or grip wear and tear to see if they could charge us more. This added a lot of unnecessary stress to our trip.

Great tour , great cities and a wonderful guide. Especially enjoyed authentic trip to Tuscan farm house and wine tasting. Small group was the way to go.

This was my first time visiting Italy, and it was a wonderful experience. The Italy on a Budget team worked with us to create a wonderful itinerary, the tour guides were absolutely amazing, in particular, Giovanni and Jane, they were very knowledgeable and accommodating and went above and beyond to ensure that we were having a safe, engaging and enjoyable experience, they helped to create lasting memories for my cousins and me.

My friend and I got a crazy idea on our recent trip to Italy that we should check out the Amalfi coast and Pompeii - in a day. Italy on a Budget was one of very few providers that offered this trip at a price we could afford. When our excursion did not meet the minimum “people” requirement, they scrambled to still make this trip happen for us. AND at the price they quoted. Pretty magical. I am super impressed at the lengths they went to: their communication was responsive and language - we speak English only - was no problem. Please consider this group when looking at tours. They are very customer-service driven. Definitely would use them again.

It was a beautiful tour. I’m used to driving on the other side of the road (from Northern Ireland) and the tour guide, Alessandro, was amazing! He made us feel so comfortable on the roads! The wine tasting was exquisite. The different wines paired perfectly with the food provided. The views were without question, some of the best I’ve ever seen. I’ve decided I’m going to have my wedding there (Just need to find the future husband!)

We have used Italy on a Budget before, and they always delivered, but our trip to the winery and Tuscan countryside was beyond excellent. Dom was our guide, and he did a fantastic job of hosting our group and explaining everything we would see and experience. Every step of our excursion was handled with professionalism and excellent service. Good communication with the office; wonderful pickup experience, and very professional guidance throughout our time. I highly recommend this company whenever you are in the Tuscan region and want a well-informed experience.

Our tour was excellent and our guide was awesome (Lorenzo) he was very knowledgeable and informative and let us know where to go eat and explore. It rained that day and we made the best of it. Pisa was awesome and Cinque Terre was beautiful. We were 4 couples in our sixties and never felt that we couldn't keep up with the youngsters. He moved at a great pace and we got to see everything we wanted to. The train ride back to Florence was 2 1/2 hours, but went faster than it seemed.

We went to Florence from Rome on 9/30 in a high speed train and arrived on time to meet our first tour guide Anna. She was very pleasant and we boarded a bus with other tourists. She gave us a brief history of the area and gave us some fun facts. They dropped me and my friend off at a different location as we were doing a private birthday Tuk Tuk tour. Her bit was on 10/1. We were met by our Tuk Tuk driver and guide Alessandro who made our day even more special. The Tuk Tuk was decorated with balloons and had a blanket in case either of us got cold. He drove us around the showing us the olive trees and grape vines. The landscapes were amazing. He made several stops to allow us to take pictures and he also told us about the area. We drove to the winery where we were greeted with wine. We were then taken to a beautiful area where we would sample 6 more wines and have a light lunch. Alessandro and the servers brought out a delicious Pistachio cheesecake with a happy bite sign. After we were done we were taken to the Medieval town of San Gimignano which was breathtaking to say the least. This is where parted ways with Alessandro and met up with Anna and the rest of the people on the bus to head back to Florence. All in all an amazing day worth every penny!

This is an ‘ambitious’ tour with a fair amount of train travel time required. We departed Firenze Main Station before 8:00 AM but did not get back until after 8:30 PM so it was a fairly exhausting day. Be prepared for a lot of ‘train time’. The time spent in Pisa was limited and it was not really sufficient to fully explore the Baptistry, the Duomo and to go up the Bell Tower (Leaning Tower of Pisa). If you want to visit all three, buy your tickets early (not included in the price of the tour) as access to the bell tower is limited and controlled by the time on your ticket. Cinque Terre is beautiful but very crowded with your fellow tourists. Our tour ambitiously had us visiting three stops so our time in each location was limited to less than one hour. Not really enough time to engage in any activities other than walking down to the ocean, taking a few quick pictures then grabbing a snack (seafood or gelato etc.). The regional trains that transit you between locations are very hot and crowded full of sweaty disgruntled fellow tourists! Be prepared to fight your way on as space is limited during peak times (a few people in our group actually could not get on and were separated from the group) - definitely not good if you are travelling with young children as the crowds are huge. (Unpleasant experience actually!) It seems we spent more time on, or waiting for, trains than actual sight seeing. As the three stops we visited are quite similar, it might be better to just pick one if you are interested in a longer stay. The trip back to Firenze from La Spezia took almost three hours as the train used by the tour company was a ‘local’ train (particularly between La Spezia and Pisa) so be prepared for the ‘milk run’. Not sure why an express train between La Spezia/Pisa and Firenze could not have been used; maybe there isn’t one! Our guide was very pleasant and helpful although she did not formally introduce herself until we were on the train back to Firenze! She acted more as a ‘travel coordinator’ than a guide and did not provide any real background/history of the places we visited. As an aside I would recommend that where possible, use an “Art History Major” for your tour guide as I have found they have more insight (interest?) in anything historical you are visiting. I would recommend that tour guides provide their contact information (perhaps a business card) in the event you get separated from the group. I would not take this tour again as it felt very rushed and I did not really get to enjoy any of the locations visited fully. Combining Pisa with Cinque Terre is, as I mentioned earlier, quite ambitious. I would recommend that if you want to visit Pisa and Cinque Terre, that you not try to do this as a day trip out of Firenze unless you plan to only visit one of the two areas in a day. (i.e., visit Pisa or Cinque Terre but not both in one day).

Great experience from start to finish. Alessandro was an experienced and knowledgeable guide and the staff at the office were fantastic.

This trip was incredible. We met at 8am in Florence and spent all day visiting Cortona, Montepulciano, Siena and the sweetest farm. It was a small group of 7 in a comfortable passenger van. Antonello was a fantastic guide and even surprised us in Montepulciano with a wine cellar tour and tasting. I highly recommend this tour if you want to see the highlights of Tuscany in a day. Thank you Antonella for the fun memories that my mom, aunt and I will always cherish. Grazie!

Excellent itinerary and day well spent. I’m so happy I got see several destinations throughout Tuscany. Our group was enjoyable to be with and Antonello is a wonderful host and guide. I would definitely recommend to do this tour if you’re staying in Florence.