Florence Connection
Florence Connection
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Florence Connection offers Private Guided Tours for Families, adults and people with limited mobility: we can pick you up from anywhere in Tuscany, like Livorno and La Spezia Port, your hotel or Holiday home. We offer as well wine tastings, cooking class, walking Tours in Florence, Shopping and we will CUSTOMIZE the tour to your needs.
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Florence Connection
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
399 reviews
Excellent
396
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
ARobinson
5 contributions
Dec 2021
My husband and I have taken 2 very special trips to Italy (one with our children ages 18 and 20 at the time, and the other with our mothers). Both trips were highlighted by Heliana and Sergio’s amazingly educational and entertaining tours of Florence and the surrounding region of Tuscany. This year we decided to purchase a “memory” from one of those tours when Heliana took us to Scarpelli Mosaici, a studio gallery where one can observe the process of creating beautifully intricate mosaic “paintings” with a technique that dates to the Renaissance. Heliana graciously offered to assist in the long distance process by making several visits to the workshop, sending photos and measurements of the artwork, and communicating directly with the artists. We are thrilled with our purchase and with the comfort and confidence having Heliana as our liaison.
Written December 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael D
1 contribution
Apr 2024 • Friends
Having traveled to Europe many times and having had numerous private guides , Heliana Vogli is as good as it gets . She blends the perfect combination of historical knowledge , Italian charm, expertise in Italian wines , and even knows the best places for Gelato. She even introduced us to an Italian craftsman specializing in inlaid marble . Heliana has an engaging personality , absolutely loves what she does and it resonates in her tours . We are returning to Italy with family and friends in 2025 and look forward to discovering more of the best of Italy with our friend Heliana
Michael Davis
New Orleans
Michael Davis
New Orleans
Written June 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
princessminniemouse
San Francisco, CA61 contributions
Jun 2013 • Family
We had 4 adults and 3 children (ages 8-10) in our party and arrived on the Disney Magic. We booked our private tour through Rome Connection along with our Rome shore excursion. Our tour guide was Heliana and she was such a wonderful tour guide and great with the kids, as she is a mom herself too.
We booked this private shore excursion instead of through DCL because we were able to accomplish so much more than what was offered on the ship tours. I normally book all of my shore excursions through the cruise ship, but after studying the tour offerings, it appeared that we would only get to see the outside of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and only get to see the replica of the statue of David! It would be a huge disappointment to travel all the way to Florence and not to see the real David.
On this tour, we were able to do both: Climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa and see the real Statue of David (both bucket list items for me!).
I was shocked when Marco Tavola, the owner of Rome Connection, asked me if we wanted to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and if so, he would help us purchase the tickets! REALLY??? Also, if wanted to visit the real statue of David at the Accademia or go to the Uffizi Gallery to see the Renaissance paintings we could do that as well too.
I was skeptical and asked if there was enough time for that to get us back to the ship in time. He said very confidently, "Of course, everywhere you get to skip the lines!".
We were actually late getting off of the ship to meet Heliana, and therefore late for our timed entry tickets for climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We did not allow enough time for the the tendering process to get off of the ship. Thankfully, I was able to notify them through email that we were running late. However, the great thing about having a licensed local tour guide was that she was able to talk to the ticket office and we were able to still climb at a later time slot.
Heliana, then drove us very quickly to Florence, in a very clean Mercedes van with Wi-Fi! She shared with us about the Florentine history and culture, the importance of olive oil and made it interesting for the kids as well.
She took us to the major sites, Ponte Vecchio and historical plazas and churches and then to lunch. The kids wanted pizza and pasta, so she pre-ordered our food to save time and took us to a wonderful place where local business people eat and there appeared to be no other tourists in the restaurant. The food was great and much cheaper than in the tourist trap places.
As promised, we skipped the very long lines outside of the Accademia, and she took us inside to view and learn about the Statue of David. Heliana is an art historian and she really brought to life the art work by telling us the background on the pieces.
Heliana was very cognizant of the time and accounted for the distance and traffic to get back to port so that we didn't miss our ship departure. She also gave us a lovely Florence for Kids book as a souvenir of our wonderful visit to her beautiful city.
We booked this private shore excursion instead of through DCL because we were able to accomplish so much more than what was offered on the ship tours. I normally book all of my shore excursions through the cruise ship, but after studying the tour offerings, it appeared that we would only get to see the outside of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and only get to see the replica of the statue of David! It would be a huge disappointment to travel all the way to Florence and not to see the real David.
On this tour, we were able to do both: Climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa and see the real Statue of David (both bucket list items for me!).
I was shocked when Marco Tavola, the owner of Rome Connection, asked me if we wanted to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and if so, he would help us purchase the tickets! REALLY??? Also, if wanted to visit the real statue of David at the Accademia or go to the Uffizi Gallery to see the Renaissance paintings we could do that as well too.
I was skeptical and asked if there was enough time for that to get us back to the ship in time. He said very confidently, "Of course, everywhere you get to skip the lines!".
We were actually late getting off of the ship to meet Heliana, and therefore late for our timed entry tickets for climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We did not allow enough time for the the tendering process to get off of the ship. Thankfully, I was able to notify them through email that we were running late. However, the great thing about having a licensed local tour guide was that she was able to talk to the ticket office and we were able to still climb at a later time slot.
Heliana, then drove us very quickly to Florence, in a very clean Mercedes van with Wi-Fi! She shared with us about the Florentine history and culture, the importance of olive oil and made it interesting for the kids as well.
She took us to the major sites, Ponte Vecchio and historical plazas and churches and then to lunch. The kids wanted pizza and pasta, so she pre-ordered our food to save time and took us to a wonderful place where local business people eat and there appeared to be no other tourists in the restaurant. The food was great and much cheaper than in the tourist trap places.
As promised, we skipped the very long lines outside of the Accademia, and she took us inside to view and learn about the Statue of David. Heliana is an art historian and she really brought to life the art work by telling us the background on the pieces.
Heliana was very cognizant of the time and accounted for the distance and traffic to get back to port so that we didn't miss our ship departure. She also gave us a lovely Florence for Kids book as a souvenir of our wonderful visit to her beautiful city.
Written July 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good Tuesday,
In 2013 you were in Tuscany ...belatedly thanks a lot for your long review and we look forward to tour with you again in Italy soon.
If any of your friends, family or colleagues are coming to Italy, we would be happy to prepare for them some SPECIAL & CUSTOMIZED private tours.
Enjoy the end of your summer
Heliana & Sergio
Florence Connection
Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough.
GEORGE BARNARD SHAW
Written September 4, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cdwdnw
4 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
Heliana was such a wonderful guide! Her English was perfect and so easy with our teens. She showed us things we never would have thought to look for. Thanks for a great day in Florence!
Written June 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great that you enjoyed your PRIVATE & WALKING TOUR of Florence. We always try to make our PRIVATE TOUR informative and interesting and at the same time fun & relax. Look forward to guide you again during again your next visit.
Written November 5, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Quip78
Athens, OH7 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
Our first trip to Florence was made extra special due to our tour with Heliana. She is knowledgeable, friendly, and above all a true professional. She accommodated our requests on the tour and is great with children. Her connections helped us to expedite our David viewing at the Academmie and her recommendation and reservation at the Mercato Centrale was an excellent out of the way find. Would absolutely recommend her to anyone touring Florence.
Written January 10, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you, our FAMILY Private Walkng Tours are focusing on the "family trip" so that parents and children can enjoy the visit of Florence.
These type of relax, fun and informative tours are customized to keep everyone in the family happy.
For your next family trip to italy, let us know.
Sergio
Written March 20, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brandon B
Seal Beach, CA7 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
Heliana is like traveling with an old friend, she has all the knowledge of a travel guide, but she is so easy going that you can't help but consider her a friend after 5 minutes. Whatever you want to know about Tuscany, food, history...etc. she has the knowledge and personality to make your time spent with her feel like you are traveling with a friend who happens to live in Italy...My GF Connie and I had the best time on a real truffle hunt and then spent the afternoon in Montepulciano eating food and drinking wine...thank you Heliana for another wonderful day in your beautiful country.
Written December 10, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our special Driver/Guide PRIVATE TOUR with Truffles Hunting and wine tasting/food is becoming popular and we are very pleased that you had so much fun.
Great that you appreciated our friendly style and please let us know when you come back as we can offer you other SPECIAL Tours.
Sergio
Written March 20, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
stevenhoward2
Redwood City, CA42 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
Can't say enough nice things about Heliana and our experience with her. We have taken the tour to Florence promoted by the cruise line and it is a long bus ride and a large group trying to hear the guide. This was a much nicer experience. Heliana met the 6 of us at the pier and drove us in a comfortable van to Florence giving us a history lesson along the way. She led us on a lovely walking tour of some of the major and minor sites of Florence, picked out a great spot for lunch, and eventually drove us back to the ship. I think most of us slept on the way back. If you are arriving by cruise ship and want to see the countryside this is the way to go.
Written August 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good Saturday Steve,
A few months ago you did a PERSONALIZED SHORE excursion around in Tuscany ...belatedly thanks a lot for your review and for appreciating our flexible tour.
If any of your friends, family or colleagues are coming to Italy, we would be happy to prepare for them some CUSTOMIZED private tours.
Enjoy the end of your summer
Heliana & Sergio
Florence Connection
Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough.
GEORGE BARNARD SHAW
Written September 8, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kimmieap22
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ4 contributions
Sep 2016 • Couples
One day in Florence is definitely not enough, but we made the best of the time we had – mainly due to FlorenceConnection who were easy and a pleasure to deal with. In particular our tour guide - Heliana Vogli. She is a native of Florence and her knowledge and passion for Florence, its history and culture helped make our experience unforgettable. She filled the two hour drive to Florence with lots of information on the areas we were passing through and shared some info about herself, family and lifestyle – which was great to get a taste of what it is like to live there. She is a wealth of knowledge on the history and art and shared as much as we wanted to know.
Since we had limited time we chose to go to the Accademia and see the statue of David Heliana's knowledge made this museum experience so meaningful. We were also interested in the local culture and cuisine – so she took us to a local food market – where we at an unforgettable meal! We had Biscotti – just made, afternoon cappuccino, purchased beautiful leather handmade bags from a local vendor, and had freshly made Gelato like no other.
There are so many restaurants and vendors it is difficult to decipher where the good spots are (where the locals would eat as opposed to tourists spot) and Heliana knew the right spots to go. She geared our tour towards what interested us. When we got back to La Spezia, our port, she took us to a local food store and showed us the best products to buy, and we actually tailgated in the parking lot!! What an amazing time!
Unless you know Florence, how to get around and the history of what you are looking at, I would highly recommend a tour – and a private tour with FlorenceConnection is the way to go! You just can’t get the one on one conversations and personalization with a large group headphone tour. It was worth every penny and we can’t wait to back to spend more time there!
THANK YOU FLORENCECONNECTION AND HELIANA FOR HELPING MAKE UNFORGETTABLE LIFETIME MEMORIES!
Since we had limited time we chose to go to the Accademia and see the statue of David Heliana's knowledge made this museum experience so meaningful. We were also interested in the local culture and cuisine – so she took us to a local food market – where we at an unforgettable meal! We had Biscotti – just made, afternoon cappuccino, purchased beautiful leather handmade bags from a local vendor, and had freshly made Gelato like no other.
There are so many restaurants and vendors it is difficult to decipher where the good spots are (where the locals would eat as opposed to tourists spot) and Heliana knew the right spots to go. She geared our tour towards what interested us. When we got back to La Spezia, our port, she took us to a local food store and showed us the best products to buy, and we actually tailgated in the parking lot!! What an amazing time!
Unless you know Florence, how to get around and the history of what you are looking at, I would highly recommend a tour – and a private tour with FlorenceConnection is the way to go! You just can’t get the one on one conversations and personalization with a large group headphone tour. It was worth every penny and we can’t wait to back to spend more time there!
THANK YOU FLORENCECONNECTION AND HELIANA FOR HELPING MAKE UNFORGETTABLE LIFETIME MEMORIES!
Written September 25, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Long and complete review ... Thanks a lot for describing so well our stress free PRIVATE Shore excursion.
Looking forward to tour with you again
Written August 20, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AllysonNYC
New York City, New York6 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
We spent five days in Florence, accompanied at various points by Heliana, Sergio and at times, their lovely teen-age daughter (who immediately befriended our teenage kids). Not only were they fabulous, knowledgable tour guides, but they went above and beyond their duties in so many ways. From taking our kids biking along the walls of Sienna so that my husband and I could spend a few minutes alone, to driving us to the leaning tower of Pisa at 7am on our way to the airport just so we could capture that ever-important photo! Heliana inspired us all with her knowledge of history, art and culture and Sergio puts the Energizer bunny to shame with his constant energy! Traveling with them is truly like having relatives in Florence. They will make you feel at home, take care of any needs you have and stay in touch afterwards.
Written January 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our Private Tour are planned so that the different generations can all enjoyed it.
These type of relax, fun and informative family tours are customized to keep everyone in the family happy.
Look forward to help you again during your next family trip to Italy.
Written February 23, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kara W
Jersey City, NJ3 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
We had an amazing time in Florence with Heliana! She is incredibly knowledgeable but manages not to overwhelm you with too much information at any one time. She took us on a walking tour of Florence and guided us through lunch like a typical Italian. (At a market. With amazing but fairly light food. To. Die. For.) We had a second day with her touring San Gimignano, Sienna, and a Tuscan winery. It was all lovely! While my husband took pictures from every angle he could find, I chatted with Heliana about history, got restaurant recommendations, learned how to order Italian coffee, tried unusual gelato flavors, and got her recipe for papa al pomodoro. So needless to say, my husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! She was also able to customize our tour for us to suit our needs that day. For example, we had a lovely spring day, so we toured the Boboli Gardens instead of a museum. I'm sure we missed amazing art, but the gardens were amazing and just what we wanted that day! If we travel to Florence again-- and we're planning to!-- we'll definitely be working with Heliana, and we highly recommend that you do, too!
Written May 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your review of your Driver/Guide MULTIPLE DAYS PRIVATE TOUR experience in Florence and Tuscany. The 2 days tour package is very flexible and it is a relaxing way to discover more on the food, history, wine and scenery of Tuscany. Looking forward to your next visit.
Written November 5, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We’re a family of 3 adults arriving at la spezia on July 4, 2018. We want to visit Pisa and Florence or Florence and a winery. Only requirement is that we have some time to see the ufizzi museum. What do have available for that day?
Written July 1, 2018
Hello, Just a quick note to apologize for not picking up your request.
maybe next time
Written August 31, 2018
We’re a family of 3 adults arriving at la spezia on July 4, 2018. We want to visit Pisa and Florence or Florence and a winery. Only requirement is that we have some time to see the ufizzi museum. What do have available for that day?
Written July 1, 2018
Ciao, can you please contact us thru our website on florenceconnection
Thank you very much
Written July 2, 2018
mikechap1
Maryland
Are you available on July 2nd (Monday) to lead a private walking tour of Florence for 3 english speakers? We are fit and looking for 2-4 hours, maybe more Thank you. Mike C
Written June 28, 2018
Hello, Just a quick note to apologize for not picking up your request.
maybe next time
Written August 31, 2018
How can I contact you for a quote? cant seem to find your website
Written June 22, 2018
You can contact us in any moment at our web site
We will be glad to assist you!
Written June 22, 2018
Hi. We are family of 12 including 5 children reaching la spezia on 27/06/2018 on a cruise. Would love to do Florence and Pisa. How much would it cost to customise for about 6 hours. Climb pisa and see statue of David.
Written March 31, 2018
Sergio L
Rome, Italy
Thank you very much for your request but unfortunately we are already fully booked on 27th June.
Sergio
Florence Connection
Written April 2, 2018
joan h
Rochester, New York
a group 6 of us will be in Florence on Oct 24, 2015. how much is the private tour of Tuscany tour? we will only be there one day - from about 7:30am to about 6:30 pm.
thank you
Written September 8, 2015
is the pool outdoor or indoor? and is there a hot tub?
Written March 9, 2015
Hello, i'm sorry but ourself is a tour Company with Drivers and Tour Guide. Let us know if you have and question about Tours in Florence and Tuscany, we will be vero Happy to Help you.
Written March 17, 2015
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