Alessandro Cammilli - Florence

[kare8ear]

Hi!

 

I was wondering if anyone has used Alessandro for a tour in Florence and Pisa (I know many have used him to tour Tuscany).

 

I am wondering how much commentary/insight he offers because during our correspondence he has reiterated that he is not a guide. I understand that he is not a licensed guide, but is he purely a driver that simply points out major sites to you? Does he include some history, etc?

 

TIA!

[Alice1203]

Allesandro is not a licensed guide but he does walk with you through Florence and point out the pertinent sights and does give historical information. We used him and were very satisfied.

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

Allesandro is not a licensed guide but he does walk with you through Florence and point out the pertinent sights and does give historical information. We used him and were very satisfied.

 

I have a dumb question :)

 

How is Allesandro's English ? - Our italian is limited to Ciao ! (and I don't even think we pronounce it correctly! - and my DH has trouble understanding someone if the accent is very strong ...

 

THANKS !!

[Petoonya]

Alessandro speaks perfect English. Very nice guy- easy going. He will happily help you with your Italian too! :)

[bigmjh]

We used Pier Guido Sarzani ... EXCELLENT decision ... he is a 6th generation Florence native. He speaks very good English ... is very knowledgeable about the area and narates all kinds of information ... he cannot go into the museums as a guide ... but will give you a lot of information before you enter the buildings. And ... the BEST part ... he has "special" resident sticker that allows him to drive and park where others can't. He drove us right through plazas crowded with pedestrians ... right to the door of museums and cathedrals. He has friends at the Uffizi and Accademia that allowed us to by-pass long lines ... he drove us right into a small, private courtyard within the church of Santa Croce (entrance was only a couple inches wider than our van!). He will take you wherever YOU want ... but will make suggestions that actually provided us with a BETTER experience. I cannot over-emphasize how great Guido is!

 

BTW - We had originally booked with Alessandro Cammilli ... but he emailed us shortly afterwards and appologized for having to cancel "due to circumstances beyond his control".

[Petoonya]

Alessandro is a carabinieri and can whisk you thru traffic, toll booths, crowds FAST! We were amazed at how quickly we passed thru lines of people with just a wave of his hand. He knows the right people to make things happen. Felt a little "Godfather"-ish!

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

Alessandro is a carabinieri and can whisk you thru traffic, toll booths, crowds FAST! We were amazed at how quickly we passed thru lines of people with just a wave of his hand. He knows the right people to make things happen. Felt a little "Godfather"-ish!

 

Thanks for response - I am going to e-mail him today - I have no idea how much I should tell him what we want (hard to put into words, I guess) - should I just tell him we want to be met at pier - taken to the "tower" - shown the "highlights" and then ?? (let him figure out an itinerary) - or do we need to be a little more specific ?

 

THANKS !!

 

Carol and Alan

 

NCL Skyward - Caribbean -November 1979

Windjammer Fantome - Caribbean – June 1988

(The Fantome was lost at sea - Hurricane Mitch - October 1998)

Ocean Princess - Caribbean - October 1991

Dawn Princess - Mexican Riviera - September 1996

Carnival Holiday - Baja - June 1998

Blue Lagoon - Mystic Princess - South Pacific - May 2000

Dawn Princess - Tahiti/Hawaii - October 2002

Dawn Princess - Caribbean -January 2004

RCI Monarch of the Seas - Baja - November 2004

Island Princess - Hawaii - January 2005

Carnival Spirit - Mexican Riviera - February 2006

Carnival Liberty - Mediterranean - October 2006

[dsawyer]

Just book him! Tell him you will decide definitely on the itinerary later. Ask him for recommendations. Don't worry about an exact agenda yet, just be sure you get on his calendar. :)

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

Just book him! Tell him you will decide definitely on the itinerary later. Ask him for recommendations. Don't worry about an exact agenda yet, just be sure you get on his calendar. :)

 

OK - HE JUST RESPONDED TO MY E-MAIL - AND HE'S GOT THE DATE BOOKED FOR US !!

 

I TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS RECOMMEND TO US BY A "CRUISE PASSENGER FROM VIRGINIA"

 

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP !! :) I WILL BE SURE TO POST A REVIEW WHEN WE RETURN

 

(WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT THE WONDERFUL HELP OF THESE CC BOARDS !!)

 

Alan and Carol

[Petoonya]

We let him design an Tuscany trip for us this last May- it was amazing...we saw SO much in ten hours. Very personal too...visited small castles and vineyards and farmhouses. (I sort of have a little crush on him- he was gentlemanly and kind!) His price was so reasonable that we didn't know quite what to expect, but it was phenomenal day- one of our best. Be glad you have him booked- you are in for a treat!

[petersonwith3]

and how many people could go in his van?

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

and how many people could go in his van?

 

Just booked with him for October 2006 - He quoted

"240 Euro for 2 people, 300 Euro for 4 people. "

 

(Don't know how big the van is - I just asked for a price for the 2 of us)

[Petoonya]

About the size of his van...it's small. At least the one he had this spring 2005. It sat 4 people comfortably but unless he has a larger vehicle now, thats the max. It was a Renault Kangoo- here's a picture.

http://www.renault.com/gb/produits/kangoo.htm

 

If you have more people ask him if he can accommodate you- could be that he has access to a different vehicle.

[bigmjh]

Most drivers rent or lease the vehicles for the day ... they will accomodate whatever you have booked ... anything from smaller Mercedes sedans to large mini-buses that will accomodate 15. Warning ... anything larger than a 7 passenger mini-van may not be able to drive into some of the areas. Check it out first with Alessandro.

[darrenclarke]

Hi, I think 240 € for 2 people or 300 for 4 is quite a good price but a Renault Kangoo is not very usual kind of vehicle for drivers. Try to ask the price to this other company in Tuscany just ask... info@tuscany-trips.com

[dsawyer]

His car was great for 2 couples and we were quite comfortable! If you want to accomodate more people, his price will go up accordingly so that he can rent a larger vehicle.