Ghibellina Tours
Ghibellina Tours
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Ghibellina Tours is a family run business based in Certaldo. We specialize in private organic food and wine and cultural tours. Giacomo, Giovanni and Enrico are three young yet knowledgeable driving guides fluent in English and Spanish. We can arrange pick up at almost any location in Tuscany.
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5.0
61 reviews
Excellent
59
Very good
1
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
JerseyGirl09
Jersey Shore, NJ36 contributions
Sep 2013 • Couples
We took a tour last year, arranged by our travel agent, with Ghibellina Tours and Giacomo. We were staying in Florence and wanted to spend a day in Tuscany. Giacomo arrived on time in his late model Mercedes van. I quickly noticed that Giacomo was a very polite gentleman. We had chosen a wine tour to Montepulciano. We visited two wineries, and stopped in the small town of Pienza. Giacomo was great fun to be with. We had lunch with him and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We had free time in Pienza and at the wineries. While riding in the car Giacomo weaves interesting historical tidbits into the tour. Giacomo’s English is excellent and he shares his knowledge and love of Tuscany and Italy. He is an interesting and intelligent young man- be sure to ask him about his winter travels and where he learned to speak English.
This year we booked Giacomo directly for 3 days: Day 1 to pick us up in Florence, do a tour and then drop us off at our hotel in Tuscany, Day 2- do a full day tour, and on Day 3 a ride to the train station. We went back and forth in a number of emails during which Giacomo gave us options and suggestions for our itinerary, and even helped me select the town to stay at in the Chianti region. We decided on a tour of an olive mill (it was fascinating), San Gimignano, Montereggioni, and Sienna. Giacomo chose amazing restaurants for our lunches- some of the best on our trip. He is very flexible and will give you options during your day as he looks to make you happy on your tour. For instance, he gave us a choice of a leisurely lunch on our own, or a quick Panini lunch and then a stop at an unplanned winery to find some wine I was asking about. You cannot go wrong planning a day or more with Giacomo. I cannot wait for my next visit to Florence and Tuscany!!
This year we booked Giacomo directly for 3 days: Day 1 to pick us up in Florence, do a tour and then drop us off at our hotel in Tuscany, Day 2- do a full day tour, and on Day 3 a ride to the train station. We went back and forth in a number of emails during which Giacomo gave us options and suggestions for our itinerary, and even helped me select the town to stay at in the Chianti region. We decided on a tour of an olive mill (it was fascinating), San Gimignano, Montereggioni, and Sienna. Giacomo chose amazing restaurants for our lunches- some of the best on our trip. He is very flexible and will give you options during your day as he looks to make you happy on your tour. For instance, he gave us a choice of a leisurely lunch on our own, or a quick Panini lunch and then a stop at an unplanned winery to find some wine I was asking about. You cannot go wrong planning a day or more with Giacomo. I cannot wait for my next visit to Florence and Tuscany!!
Written October 2, 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.
Fran4715
Rutland, MA53 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
Giacomo is a great guide throughout the greater Chianti region. He was born in Certaldo and has many personal stories about the Italian culture, it's foods and especially the traditions behind making Chianti wines. He'll create a tour to your interests and will also include lunch at a wonderful agriturismo where the food is local and homecooked just for your visit. He knows the winemakers personally and only takes you to the best winerys in the area that you choose to visit. The wines at Monte Bernadi were my favorites. Claudia was our guide through the vineyard and aging cellars. She was awsome. Filled with information and stories about the traditions in Chianti. Would highly recommend Giacomo for anyone visiting the greater Tuscany area.
Written June 29, 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.
Ann W
Shanghai, China256 contributions
Jul 2012 • Couples
Wanting to learn more about Tuscan food and agriculture, I sought Giacomo's assistance. I had previously been impressed by his knowledge and enthusiasm for organic and local foods, and he more than fulfilled my expectations. He designed a tour especially for me that included a visit to a goat farm and chance to assist in production, followed by the opportunity to taste 9 cheeses and discuss the process for making each with the master cheese maker. The rest of the day was equally good. We visited and talked with owners of a fine organic winery, dined on some of the best homemade pasta (think truffles and zucchini blossoms for starters) in a beautiful setting, and still managed a lovely stop at a farm producing flavored olive oils in their own mill. What made this tour great was that I learned so much about the production of delicious food from people who clearly care about achieving the highest quality. I highly recommend this trip with Giacomo. Not only does he have great connections, he enhanced our experience with his own wealth of knowledge.
In addition, he speaks English fluently and is a skillful, careful driver. Whatever your interest, I feel confident he will make your day enjoyable.
In addition, he speaks English fluently and is a skillful, careful driver. Whatever your interest, I feel confident he will make your day enjoyable.
Written July 11, 2012
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.
rrutherf
1 contribution
We (2 adults 3 children between 7 and 12) took two day trips with Giacomo, Pisa and Siena/San Gimignano. Giacomo provided us with an engaging experience, adding value with both his personality as well as his helpful knowledge of the local culture - both on site and enroute. Add in some excellent dining recommendations off the tourist path and we were thrilled with both trips. To top it off the kids all loved him. First class.
Written June 4, 2012
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.
DiscerningTravelor66
Fort Worth, TX2 contributions
Jun 2011 • Friends
We met Jacamo at the meeting point in Florence for our trip to various wines in the Chianti Region. He as waiting for us at the determined spot. He asked us if we would like to stop for coffee. He explained the traditions and culture of Tuscany well. We also stopped at a cute little village to look around as it was early. We went to our first winery which was wonderul. Jacamo had a stop at a famous butcher shop in some cute little Tuscan town. He also stopped at the American Cemetary and explained Italian gardens. He spoke perfect English and his Mercedes van was very clean and comfortable. We went to a great restaurant for lunch which was included in our tour. We enjoyed the day so much that we booked him to tour us around to Sienna, Lucca and have lunch at an awesome organic restaruant that he knew about. We could enjoy the scenery, taste some wine, and leave the driving to Jacamo. He can pick you up almost anywhere in the Tuscan region. The second day he came directly to our villa we were renting.
Written March 1, 2012
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.
Kizzie_McWizz
Edinburgh, UK55 contributions
Jul 2016 • Family
Our small party consisted of an elderly lady (nana), me (mum) and son (who is autistic). Quite a difficult bunch to cater for! However Giacomo managed it beautifully. We went to the goat farm and had a cheese tasting session and then on to lunch at the vineyard, cooked by the owner. What a privilege it was to experience a glimpse of the real Italy with Giacomo. Even the drive from place to place was unhurried and very informative thanks to the talk given by Giacomo as we went along the narrow winding roads. We saw the lovely Tuscan countryside and stopped at Greve in Chianti for coffee and a look round. The pace suited everyone in the party and made the day very enjoyable. I thoroughly recommend Giacomo and his sensitive, bespoke tour.
Written August 12, 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.
Stacy J
London, UK20 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
We had a wonderful tour of the Chianti region with our tour guide. He made many fun stops in places we never would have known about and gave us information about Italian customs and culture. We enjoyed the tour so much that we hired Jacamo again for a second day of touring in his comfortable Mercedes van. Highly recommend this company!
Written June 22, 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.
newmodus
London, UK4 contributions
Apr 2015 • Friends
I emailed Giacomo thanks to great ratings on TripAdvisor. I wanted to organise a Saturday tour of Chianti with him for a group of 14 adults. Unfortunately, he'd already been booked for that day (no surprise, he's clearly brilliant & quite rightly in high demand). The huge majority of tour companies would have left it at that - or not replied at all - but Giacomo is different.
After my initial enquiry, Giacomo happily traded numerous emails with me suggesting tours we could do ourselves in our hire cars; both in the Greve region and around Castellina. He recommended wineries, cheese producers, goat farms, pork producers, olive mills....the list goes on. He obviously has an amazing knowledge of the region including lots of the smaller places which you may not find on your own.
Not only was he happy to help me plan, he also offered to make bookings for us. We were a large group so he felt he could secure better prices for tastings, lunch etc. What a gem.
It's a real shame that we weren't able to tour with Giacomo. Hopefully we can book him for when we're next in Tuscany. In the mean time, don't hesitate to tour with him - you'll clearly enjoy an experience with a very generous, friendly and knowledgeable guide.
After my initial enquiry, Giacomo happily traded numerous emails with me suggesting tours we could do ourselves in our hire cars; both in the Greve region and around Castellina. He recommended wineries, cheese producers, goat farms, pork producers, olive mills....the list goes on. He obviously has an amazing knowledge of the region including lots of the smaller places which you may not find on your own.
Not only was he happy to help me plan, he also offered to make bookings for us. We were a large group so he felt he could secure better prices for tastings, lunch etc. What a gem.
It's a real shame that we weren't able to tour with Giacomo. Hopefully we can book him for when we're next in Tuscany. In the mean time, don't hesitate to tour with him - you'll clearly enjoy an experience with a very generous, friendly and knowledgeable guide.
Written April 18, 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.
Haenaboy
Shangrala4 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
May 2014 - We spent a week in Tuscany at a villa near Panzano. Everyday, Giacomo took us to different towns in Tuscany. His English is excellent. Giacomo has an amazing knowledge of the history of this region. I learned more about Siena from Giacomo than from walking through the city. Day after day, the team from Ghibellina arrived at our villa on time. We thought about renting a car, but that would have been a mistake. These guys know this area inside out. They know all the out of the way spots most people would miss. Giacomo is charming and very informative. I never give 5 star ratings, but in this case it was warranted.
Written June 2, 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.
Scotchick2
Glasgow, UK308 contributions
Sep 2013 • Friends
We were in Florence for a few days and decided we wanted to see some of the beautiful Tuscan countryside so had researched our options prior to our trip. After many emails back and forth with Giacomo we had our day planned and what a day it was. Giacomo picked us up at our hotel and from the minute we meet he was friendly and informative and it is obvious that he is passionate about this region. He is so knowledgeable and made the day a fantastic experience. We visited two small picturesque towns, a winery and olive oil farm and a had a superb lunch at a farmhouse.
Written September 15, 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.
What are his prices and how do I contact him ? Thank you !
We will be there the first week in December .
Written October 11, 2016
Hi,
could you send me an email please?
Here I have limited space.
Many thanks,
Giacomo
Written October 12, 2016
HI, what's the best way to contact this company as their website is down. Also, how long in advance do you need to book for a one day Chianti tour? Thanks!
Written August 3, 2016
Hi Cynthia,
we're so sorry for this inconvenience. We're updating our websites and it's taking more than expected.
Anyway the company is working full time, don't worry for that.
You can contact us through our new website called Tuscan Organic Tours (you can google it). We'll be very happy to accomodate good and customized services for you.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
Giacomo
Written August 4, 2016
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