My family and I (6 of us) just returned from a Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity Edge. We used Italy Tours and I am so grateful to them for making our visits to Rome, Florence and Pisa memorable ones and truly headache free. On the morning of July 7 we landed in Rome and the driver was there waiting for us right at the exit door. He grabbed the women's luggage and took us to an air conditioned Mercedes Benz mini van and drove us to our hotel the Marriott Gran Flora. Great hotel with a beautiful rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. Our ship was departing the evening of July 8, so we had only two half days in Rome. So at 1:00 pm that afternoon Italy Tours picked us up at the hotel and took us to the Vatican where we met an expert guide (Paolo) who then took us through the Vatican Museum and through St. Peter's Basilica. The guide was very knowledgeable and very witty and kept the conversation entertaining throughout. The following morning we checked out of the hotel by 9:00 AM and our driver Salvatore was there to take all our luggage and us for a 4 hour tour of Rome and then one hour plus drive to Civitavecchia to meet the ship. That morning we reserved tickets to the Colosseum but before and after that we visited the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Circus Maximus, Piazza Navona, The monument to Victor Emmanuelle, The balcony where Mussolini gave his historic speeches, Napolean's Mother house, Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps, and Via Condotti the street with all the designer shops. we covered all this and still made it to our ship by 3:00 PM. Salvatore was very informative, he stopped and spoke about each location. He gave us time to get out and take pictures at each location, and he was quite funny and kept the conversation going the entire time.
Three days later we arrived in La Spezia and we had arranged for an all day tour of Florence and Pisa with Italy Tours. Again, our driver Francesca met us at the tender dock exit and took us on a full day trip to Florence (2 hour + drive each way) where she handed us off to an expert guide who walked us through the streets of Florence to see the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio bridge, Piazza della Signoria, the location of the film A Room with a View (1985) and more. Then a drive to Pisa to see the leaning tower and then back to the ship by 5:00 PM.
Going to a strange country can be a little nerve racking not knowing what to suspect and if everything will go as planned. Italy Tours was just outstanding in every aspect. On time, professional and very caring about doing a good job for their guests.