Mario was there to greet us right on time. As wine enthusiasts, we were excited and even more to find out he is a Sommelier! On the drive out to the Valpolicella region, we learned so much more about wine, Italy and his life. He is not only knowledgeable, but friendly and easy to be around. In addition to visiting two different vineyards, we enjoyed a beautiful lunch at a local restaurant with him. Would highly recommend this trip! We enjoyed it so much, we are hoping to do virtual tastings with him via Zoom when we are back in the States!
A fantastic private day tour of Padua’s Christian and Jewish history with tours of the Basilica of St. Anthony, The Scrovengi Chapel and a tour of the Jewish Ghetto. Breathtaking significant art works of Giotto at the Scrovengi Chapel. Fantastic local pasta of regional wild game for lunch snd a few stops for fantastic coffee and immersion into the wonderful tradition of the spritz culture. Rachel’s knowledge of art, history and the culture of Padua was beyond expectation.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day trip to the Valpolicella region with Mario, and would highly recommend this experience! Rachel was always very timely and helpful in answering our questions before the tour, and assisted us greatly with instructions on how and where to meet Mario the day of. We visited 2 family-owned wineries that created Amorone wines, and each experience/visit was unique. We enjoyed learning about each family's production process and seeing their vineyards. Mario was very educated about all aspects of the wines, and the wine-making and wine tasting processes. He was also very friendly and kind, and we felt like we were well cared for while with him throughout the day. The company was very attentive to my gluten allergy, and made sure I was able to get a yummy gluten-free lunch at the restaurant we went to for lunch. We enjoyed the whole experience and felt it was money well spent. We would highly recommended using this company for this tour, and any others they provide. Thank you, Mario and Rachel, for a delightful experience!
We “met” Rachel through virtual wine tastings and tours during the SIP. When we were finally able to come to Venice, I contacted Venice Day Trips and created a customized schedule that included some of their regular offerings and created others
to take advantage of Rachel and Mario’s talents as sommeliers and certified foodies. They exceeded expectations in everything!
The day trip to Padova was customized to our tastes, visiting a local spot for coffee, the historic Cafe Pedrocchi for an aperitivo and a historic local restaurant for lunch. In between we squeezed in the local market and central historic
sights. (No Scrovigni Chapel as I had seen it before). Relaxing, easy, informational and fun day. Rachel met our train and even emailed a
reminder beforehand with the train details.
Another evening we went on the Aperitivo tour of the Castello. They met us at the Arsenale
vaporetto stop and did a brief walking tour
stopping at one place for an Aperitivo and another restaurant for a delicious dinner. Rachel and Mario shared their vast knowledge of the foods
and wines of the Venato. Their professionalism is only matched by the ease of being together with them!
They also made arrangements for our departure from Venice via water taxi and met us at Piazzele Roma where we hopped in their car for a visit to Valpolicella wine producer, Corte Fornaledo.
Giacomo’s wines were as delicious as he is fun and gracious. Back in the car for lunch at a tiny, very local, restaurant in the hills…delicious but very rich food and very generous portions.
Back in the car to Turin for several days. Venice Day Trips arranged a dinner in Bra at Boccondivino, the birthplace of the slow food movement. Perfect.
The next day we went to Barolo, a winery visit at Ettore Germano and then lunch, delicious again, at a restaurant almost next door.
Mario was a saint as our designated driver and his skills were put to the test that day as the weather turned very bad with heavy rains and
very limited visibility. It was a nail-biter for me in the backseat but Mario as driver with Rachel navigating were a superb pair.
The willingness to customize to exactly what we wanted plus the scrupulous attention to detail, including handling food preferences beforehand and all trip details set the stage for a perfect visit
During the drive time they answered all of our wine questions which showed their passion for the area and its wine and foods.
And they are genuinely nice people who are a lot of fun to spend time with!
Forgot to mention that they also offered to coordinate our wine shipments to arrive home at the same time. Incredible thoughtfulness and attention to details.
Truly wonderful experiences!
My husband and I had enjoyed our in-person tours with Rachel and Mario in the Veneto and Friuli so much that we decided to organize a cheese and wine tasting with our friends here in New York City. We selected wines, they recommended excellent cheese matches and we all had a wonderful time. Although the zoom session with them was delightful, we particularly recommend their in-person tours in the Veneto. The photo attached of an in-person tour in Padua.
