It's 5:18 pm and the bus has stopped services for the day, this location! WHAT!!! We were about to…read morejump on to head back to our apartment. It was about $130.00 a person and they have stopped serving for the day, this bus. The woman just informed us another bus "that wants to work" will be back around in 30 minutes. BAD SERVICE! That's how we were treated! DON'T pick Omnia bus service while you are in Rome! We arrived on Monday evening and did not activate our passes for the until today, Wednesday! NO MORE SERVING FOR THE BUS WE JUST WANTED TO USE @ Rome, Termini! Pick the Big Red Bus, we used that bus service in Paris, France about 4 days ago and the service was AWESOME!

Tour dragged out a little but it was definitely great that we didn't wait in line. The guy seemed…read morevery knowledgable. This is the only way to do it since otherwise you would be waiting a long time. I would suggest ordering the tickets in advance to save some money.

We had never travelled to Europe before and were looking for a special way to celebrate 30 years of…read moremarriage. When we found the Wine & Cooking in the Heart of Chianti and Florence, Tuscany trip on the CDV website, it seemed like everything we were looking for. Now that we are home, we look back fondly on a perfect vacation, and know we can't wait another 30 years to do it again. From the initial planning, CDV was super responsive and helpful in answering all our questions, and they sent detailed information about what to expect. When we departed for our trip, we felt comfortable that we were in good hands. Then, from the moment we arrived at the Florence airport, our host Lorenzo took over led us on the trip of a lifetime. The entire week was very well planned and organized, and we went to so many fabulous places, but whenever we discuss our trip, the thing that stands out most is the people we got to meet and spend time with: Lorenzo is an amazing host - fun, passionate, patient and knowledgeable. He did a great job transforming our group from strangers to close friends by dinner on the first day. He is a great person and we feel so fortunate to have met him. We still keep in touch with Lorenzo on WhatsApp. Gianfranco was not just our bus driver. He is part of our CDV family. Yes he got us safely from point A to points B, C and D comfortably and safely every day, but he also cooked with us, dined with us, and had fun with us. Unfortunately for Gianfranco, his job did not allow him to drink wine with us. Simonetta - our amazing chef and cooking teacher. We had two cooking classes with Simonetta and she prepared two of our dinners. I could talk about Simonetta for hours, but for this review I will just say that we love her. The cooking classes were so much fun and she is very special. CDV has close relationships with all the people we visited, and we especially enjoyed our time with Mourizio at Piombia; Enrico at De Rici - what a fun guy he is; Patrizia our cooking teacher in the Cortona countryside; Piero at Poggerino; and especially Simone and Chris at Castellinuzza e Piuca - I don't remember having a more fun evening than our time with Simone and Chris. There are too many others to list them all here, but every host was gracious and engaging. Grazie Mille CDV for a trip we will never forget!

VACATION OF A LIFETIME - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING…read more My lifelong dream has always been to go to Tuscany. After considering all options, I chose the Culture Discovery "Wine and Cooking Under the Tuscan and Umbrian Sun" vacation. I wanted to see the countryside, the small towns, the history and how the people really live. CDV gave me exactly what I was hoping for, and so much more. Italy was everything I had ever imagined it would be - the people; the food; the ancient, interesting small, hill towns; the spectacular scenery. I cannot say enough about how friendly, warm and welcoming every single person was. They truly made us feel like we were one of the family - family I would love to visit often. The other guests on the tour were a wide range of ages and from all walks of life. They were interesting and fun and everyone came together to have and make the best possible experience they possibly could. The small group size also contributed to that feeling of family. Our accommodation was absolutely gorgeous and CDV had thought of every possible comfort and welcoming kindness. The sightseeing trips were wonderfully selected, the cooking classes were more interesting and fun than one could hope for and the food and drink were just plain amazing. I would never consider traveling with another company after the incredible time I had with CDV.

We had a great tour guide in Ali! Very helpful, great pace, and gave us interesting history…read more I would have never thought seeing Rome by bicycle would have been fun - but it really was! Nothing like biking up to the Colosseum! Would definitely recommend! 10/10!

Zach was tremendously helpful in getting our family on bikes with what seemed like a significant…read morehandicap: our adult son had a cast on his dominant hand. Zach suggested a tandem, which we had not considered, and we took advantage and had our best day in Rome. The day prior, I went on the four hour Appian Way tour with Anna and she gave a great tour, and I had what may have been my favorite gelato stop. Their electric assist bikes are really powerful and the tandem bikes, while not electric, were fine for two so-so fit persons. Don't pass up the opportunity to bike Rome!

Our best meal during the three weeks traveling Italy? The pappardelle, gnocchi, Chianina, and…read moretiramisu (secret family recipe that Giacomo and Cristiana share) that we prepared in our Le Caggiole cooking class. I had so much fun, I swapped travel mates and participated in the Le Caggiole cooking class eight months later. Le Caggiole cooking classes are the real deal: a family affair who grow, inspect, and acquire the food supplies. Of course, the class is taught and served by the family also, whose Tuscan roots extend more than seven generations. Giacomo cares about quality ingredients, and it tastes like it! He believes simple, quality ingredients make the best food, and prepares a meal plan that allows one to spend time enjoying guests, and not sweating in the kitchen. The classes are small enough that Giacomo and Cristiana can demonstrate techniques and guide you, so you have the confidence to make your own perfect five-course authentic Italian meal. Two trips to Montepulciano, and Le Caggiole's cooking class has been my favorite activity, hands down! Grazie, Giacomo and Cristiana!

This place was absolutely gorgeous, about three minute drive from the most gorgeous old town…read moreMontepulciano (yes, Twilight fans, this really is the place!). The grounds are wonderful, with many different rooms spread out of the property so you never feel like anyone is too close or too loud. The other guests were very friendly, we enjoyed a group dinner which we helped prepare with a cooking class on site, we made pasta from scratch and tiramisu in the kitchen with the owners and was definitely the highlight of our stay here. The wine country is amazing, and I was so our place came with a little kitchenette if you want to cook for yourself. The breakfast spot is outside in the most beautiful rolling quiet hills of Tuscany, truly a special place. We spent about two or three hours in the quiet bench overlooking the hills and it was a lovely respite from busy travel. One tip- it was it was very hard to find, and the owner gave us the exact latitude and longitude coordinates as a helpful guide, but unfortunately our GPS did not let us enter them all in, so we ended up quite far away in the dark :-). The only other small ding was the breakfast consisted of excellent cake in the morning...but not much else.

We had a great experience with these guys. Did an Appian Way tour to the aqueducts and a picnic…read morelunch. The market was mostly closed so we didn't get to shop, but Glenn prepared a terrific picnic lunch. Richard was our guide, knowledgeable and safe. We had the E bikes, so you can either pedal or get a pretty significant pedal assist. It's a pretty low-key ride either way a couple of downhill spots where you might want to walk if you're not comfortable bike handling. But this is very accessible ride. And just a lot of fun and interesting.

We had a Sunday morning bicycle tour with Paul (2 adults & 2 teens) in August. We met at their…read morebike shop near the Roman Colosseum. The tour was great. You do NOT need to be in athletic shape. There are many public water fountains in Rome & the water's safe. We covered all the major tourist areas. I would definitely recommend this to a friend. I think the concept of a bicycle tour is better than the hop on/hop off bus.

We did a private tour which was expensive but a comprehensive tour of Rome. If you don't have a lot…read moreof time in the city it really is the perfect way to see everything in a day while appreciating it because you have a personal historian explaining everything. There were so many little details and small stories our historian knew that helped us appreciate all the art and architecture even more. We met our tour guide at 9AM and visited the coliseum and Roman Forman and then walked to the Pantheon. We broke for lunch and then headed to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica where we spent another four hours with her. I would recommend doing this tour only if you have a short time in Rome. It is very pricey and a group tour would be a much thriftier if you have the luxury of time.

Cook with us in Rome was an absolutely fabulous experience. We easily made our reservation by…read moresimply emailing them at cookwithusinrome@gmail.com. This was our favorite activity we did in Rome! The class was very interactive, educational, and entertaining. Gianni was our teacher and he was so much fun. It was all hands on deck so everyone got to practice and make our own servings. Everytime I come to Rome I will do this class again as well as tell anyone I know visiting to make sure to get their reservation at Cook with Us in Rome before they plan anything else! Oh and by the way the food at the end was so delicious!!!

It was so much fun cooking pasta with chef. He was funny and really good at explaining things he…read moretook us to a farmers market and bought stuff and also explained every ingredient I would go back again.

The 5 star reviews of this place are correct. The owner was friendly, welcoming and made sure were…read morecomfortable and secure. He offered us a ride up the hill (but we drove--big mistake in the rain & not use to stick shift). Anyways, the room was pretty, nice accents and paintings. We got a balcony with a nice view. The room was clean, comfy, lots of windows and big bathroom. We got lots of towels, slippers and bath supplies. He also put dry chairs out for us since it rained for our breakfast on the patio. His partner brought us cappuccinos to our room. Well worth the stay and the best customer service we've experienced so far. Plus he was nice to our puppy!

I had been traveling in Tuscany and Umbria for about 3 weeks before I landed here for 3 nights. It…read morecould not have been a better choice for us! Located just outside one of the entry ways into Orvieto with stunning views over the valley, this newer B&B is an incredible value for what you get. We we had a room that would have been perfect for a family but there were only two of us. There was one room with two double beds connected to another room with a huge king bed. Simple decor but elegant at the same time. Nice big bathroom, refrigerator in the room and a really nice balcony off one of the bedrooms. The outside area is where this place really shines! The view from the very large patio with tables and some nice wicker furnishings called to us at the end of a long day exploring. We would open up a bottle of wine and just gaze at the view. A very nice breakfast including eggs, cake, sereal, cake, fruit, cake, juice, cake and coffee and an assortment of teas. And did I mention cake? Seriously, they had about 6 different cakes/pies/pastries each morning! The proprietors live here as well and they aim to please. We didn't want to leave this place and would stay here again in a heartbeat!

My wife and I have been talking about Simone and for the last nine years so there was no way we…read moreweren't going to Rome and not book another tour with him. Simone has incredible insight in all things Rome. Want to hear about Mussolini and WW II, the Caesers, Jewish Ghetto or perhaps the Appian Way? This is the bike tour you need to go on. The price is fair and he's generous with his time.

Simone customized our bike tour of Rome to see the things we wanted. We wanted to see (1) catacombs…read more(2) via appia antica (3) the aqueduct. We saw this - but more and better. Turns out there's more catacombs in Rome and the one we went to was fantastic. There's also more ancient roads than just one. While we did ride on "the one" we also saw two others that were better preserved! I had no idea there were multiple aqueducts. We saw two! Plus got to see inside one. We had done a larger commercial tour before. We will go with Simone if we go back to Rome. He also was very good with our 10 year old girls. He spent time to find a bike that fit them just right (they're super tall and skinny so it wasn't easy). When they needed a break, we went to a cafe to have a local Roman lunch. It was fantastic. While I don't like riding on roads with cars, it's impossible to avoid in Rome. He always made sure we were safe in riding and crossing roads. We did have one problem with one of the bikes. He had a tool kit with him and was able to easily adjust the bike. This is by far my favorite Rome activity of the trip.

Our family of four joined another six people on the Testaccio 15-year anniversary tour and lucked…read moreout with Edma as our guide - not shown on their web site, so don't know how we got her. She was instantly personable, funny, thoughtful, and energetic without being nutty. We had a great first stop that ended up being a restaurant (Masto) we were delighted to return to later in the week and the owner happened to be there and we had a wonderful time with her again, and enjoyed the dinner just as we had the tasting. The stops were great, the walking easy, the food good, and Edma was a fountain of local geography and food culture information. We all felt like we got great value and were happy with the experience!

Took the twilight food walking tour through the Jewish"Ghetto" with Fabio. He was knowledgeable,…read morefriendly, funny and all around great! We visited about 6 different places and tried so many foods - I did not expect to be THIS FULL!! Personal faves included the pork stew, the SUPPLI, and the fried artichoke. Loved the tour, the history, and the experience. Will definitely check out an Eating Europe tour again in the future!