“Max and Massimo from Private Tour of Italy/Lost & Found Viaggi are the best kept secret of Italy!!!!”
Back in January of 2011, I started to plan a trip to Italy for my husband and I, my two girls ages 10 and 12, and our two mothers who are both 80. This of course needed to be a trip of a lifetime!!! My mother-in-law is Italian and was never able to go with her deceased husband. My father was stationed in Italy in WWII and always wanted to take my mother. My mother had a stroke, and was not able to do the typical bus tour because she walks slower. I did a web search of private tours of Italy. Out of about 6 companies, this one was by far the most responsive, attentive and flexible and reasonable. Max was my tour operator and I think we emailed each other every day. He planned our 14 day trip including these cities and sites: Rome, Venice, Lake Como, Switzerland, Milan, Pisa, Chianti, Florence, Pompeii, Sorrento, & Capri from June 29th to July 12th. He planned a trip that would accommodate the two mothers especially. I cannot tell you how many times I had to change my itinerary and Max always was supportive and gave me an answer within 24 hours. Fourteen days in another country is a task to plan. He made it so easy. I literally talked with him over a six month period. I only talked with him on the telephone one time. Going with an Italy based tour seemed to be the best way to go. I cannot thank Max enough for all of his time and support he gave me. He coordinated all of the tours and guides in each city. THERE WAS NOT ONE FLAW IN THE SCHEDULE!!! We never had to guess what was going to happen next. It was all planned flawlessly from the momemt we arrived in Rome airport and was greeted by our guide and driver, Massimo. All of the guides in each city were so knowledgeable and flexible. With my mom being in a wheelchair, it did take some time. I would like to mention tour guide in Rome, Fabio, was awesome. He treated us like family. Tour guide in Milan, Fabrizio, was knowledgeable and flexible. Tour guides also had special ways to cut those lines and take us right in. No waits!!! What else can I say about Max!!! You are an awesome person and coordinator. I know I was not the only tour you were coordinating but I felt like I was your only one.
Now about our driver and guide, MASSIMO!!!! Massimo is the most energetic and pleasant driver and guide you will ever meet. He greeted us with a sign at the airport and I know he had been waiting for us for some time. We had a large Mercedes Benz mini van that fit us all very comfortably with air conditioning and very clean. We had Massimo for 10 days and there were a few days where we drove 4 - 6 hours to reach our destination. He always explained the schedule and was very knowledgeable about all of Italy that we were seeing along the way. He made the trip fun for our girls. My girls talk about him all the time. We all do. We all do. He was so special. How fortunate and blessed we were to have him.
He gave us tips and ideas. He took us off the path to a town called Orvieto on our way to Venice. How beautiful that was! He had a boat waiting for us in Venice as soon as we got there to take us to our hotel. He was flexible with morning time pickup and stayed with us each day until our itinerary was met. He was from Florence, so he would stay in our destination if he needed to. He always wanted my evaluation of the tour guides and was in contact with Max. He treated us like family. He took care of the two mothers especially. He was especially patient with the wheelchair in and out of the van, and helping the mothers in and out of the van. It was some planning to get us to St.Moritz, Switzerland, via the Bernina Express. He was amazing!!! We had to leave him when we took the train to Sorrento. We had two different drivers and some other tour guides for a brief period. They were all very good.
My two favorite memories from the trip were the trip to the Monterinaldi Winery in Chianti and the trip to Capri via a private yacht. We arrived with Massimo late in the afternoon to the Monterinaldi Winery and was met by Fabrizio, one of the owners. He gave us a fantastic tour and wine tasting experience. I felt like we knew him all of our lives. He was patient with us and answered all of our questions. We were never rushed. He explained the Chianti Rooster to us. I must say we tasted the best wine and olive oil ever!! Yes all of us adults had a shipment home. What a great way to keep our trip alive....we feel like we are still there. There is no wine or oil in the States to compare. We have one bottle left...it is time to order more!!!! Thank you Fabrizio!!!
We had a lady tour guide for our tour of Capri (I apologize I did not write her name down). We had a private yacht for about 200 Euro. There is no better way. One of our mothers' requests was to see the Blue Grotto. It was so planned so that we would not have to wait in line. When it was our turn, our captain was notified by cell phone. We had to get our mothers into a small rowboat and they had to sit down on the bottom of the boat. I still to this day do not know how that went so smoothly. They were just so satisfied. My husband and girls got to swim in the Mediterranean Sea while on the boat. What more can I say???
We had the trip of a lifetime. Our mothers were so pleased and happy. They have tears of joy everytime they look at the album. Thank you to all of you. Sincerely, Karen, Andy, Rachel, Gina, Lucille and Helen
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
