♥ The Beauty of Being Here…includes my love of this place and sharing it with friends, followers, and my Italy Trip Design clients!
After hundreds and hundreds of emails and communications and many months of planning, more of my 2023 clients arrived this fall and lived their dolce vita dream! And, once again I had the pleasure of greeting, meeting, and spending time with many of them when they were in Florence…
♥ This is the ultimate reward of my work! ♥
In Their Own Words…
♦ Barbara and Michael
Michael and Barbara decided to plan their first trip to Italy around their nephew’s wedding in fall 2023.
Planning ahead, Michael reached out to my friends and fellow ex-pats Ilene and Gary in early spring, who then referred him to me.Michael had done his “homework” and they had a very long “wish list” (as is often the case!). Once we agreed to work together, they were very open to my suggestions and recommendations! And I’m thrilled to share their impressions…
“Our visit to Tuscany and Umbria was a trip of a lifetime! We made memories that will be with us forever. Victoria’s attention to detail in planning our itinerary was perfecto! The quality of the tours, food and people we met were truly remarkable.
Victoria has thoroughly vetted her vendors and it shows! They are all 5-star professionals! We both fell in love with Italy in large part due to Victoria and her local partners.
Victoria’s is very passionate about trip designing and it is very evident. Her services were an excellent value. I highly recommend! Victoria is truly ‘your boots on the ground’ in Italy!”
Thank you, Victoria!
-Michael & Barbara
♦ Melinda and Norv
As with so many others, COVID spoiled their plans to visit Sicily and Puglia and, then, when the time was right, their lifelong friends, Kathy and Neil, sent them my way! We started planning their custom itinerary back in early July, 2022!
After many many communications, their incredible journey was finalized.I didn’t get to personally meet Melinda and Norv but I was “traveling with them virtually” every day – along with my incredible travel partners, we made it all happen and it was so gratifying to read about their experiences and see their “all smiles” photos!
“A Trip of a Lifetime!”
“That is how we feel about our trip to Sicily and Puglia, all arranged by Victoria! We never could have put together such a perfect itinerary by ourselves. We visited many beautiful towns – each colorful and very special because of its history, the people who settled it and what they left behind, as well as the vibrant communities they are today.
We had time to explore and be guided by friendly experts in each city, as well as time to relax and just hang out in our gorgeous hotels. When one of us encountered sudden mobility issues, Victoria was able to work with the local tour agencies to accommodate these limitations without sacrificing the richness and variety of destinations already scheduled. Instead of walking tours, we rode in Tuktuks guided by knowledgeable locals a
Besides being amazed by centuries of history and incredible buildings, mosaics, medieval villages, and beautiful art, we also really enjoyed a cooking class, a winery tour and a cheese factory visit. We ate at restaurants where the locals eat, wandered along streets where every turn presented another picturesque view, another place to explore.
We loved the combination of planned excursions, being driven by friendly and very competent drivers, and having plenty of time to wander on our own, stumbling on our own adventures. We will never forget each and every day, every delicious meal, every extraordinary museum, cathedral, ancient temple, and colorful street scene.”
“Thank you so much, Victoria, for all your hard work putting this dream trip together for us!”
– Melinda and Norv
♦ Barbara and Don
Barbara and Don were referred by Deb, a mutual long time friend. They reached out in March of this year (2023) and were ready to plan their fall vacation.We got right to work and, after sharing their priorities, etc., they were wonderfully open to my recommendations and suggestions. And I’m delighted to share that it did turn out to be a “trip of a lifetime” for them!
“When my husband Don and I decided to visit Italy, we wanted a trip that we could ‘customize’. We were referred to Victoria by a mutual friend, and she jumped right in, fulfilling all our desires.
Victoria provided us with an itinerary for the trip, based on the input we provided early on. What is impressive is the network of accommodations, guides, and local tour operators she has built. Everyone we dealt with was friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. We ended our time with each of them feeling we had spent the day with new friends.
One of the highlights of our time was having dinner with Victoria herself. Her love of helping others discover Italy shone through. We are very grateful to her for making us feel like guests there, not just tourists.“
Grazie mille, Barb
♦ Lorie and Kerry
When my lovely, long time friends from Santa Barbara expressed interest in returning to Italy, I was very much looking forward to their next visit.
And then, after seeing my blog post about my Umbria visit with Lucia and her team at Il Fontanaro, dates and an itinerary became a reality! Not only did they visit Il Fontanaro, but I was invited to hang out with them for a few days! What fun!
They then met other friends on the Amalfi but finished their visit in Florence where we, once again, spent time together!
“Italy never disappoints and neither does Victoria! In planning what is our 5/6th trip to Italy we always start with Victoria. Our trip began in Umbria at Il Fontanaro which was fantastic. A perfect setting to unwind, relax and get into the Italian rhythm of life. A cooking class and visit with proprietor Lucia were fantastic! It is on our list of places to return to.
This is a gem we would never have discovered without our Italian Trip Designer!
With stops along the way in Cortona and the Amalfi Coast we ended our trip in Florence. The perfect apartment awaited us there and Victoria’s Incredible knowledge and love of this city was an unexpected treat.
Thank you, Victoria. We love our Italian travels with you!”
– Lorie and Kerry
♦ Mindy and Bob (and Friends!)
From back in my Santa Barbara days, Mindy had attended my yoga classes and stayed in touch virtually. When she and hubby, Bob, were ready to plan their ideal Italy vacation, she reached out and that was back in July 2022!
The original plan was to travel in spring 2023 but they had to postpone and actually arrived in early October and were joined by longtime friends, Judy and Melissa! Thy had a marvelous time and Mindy shared her thoughts and impressions after returning home…
“…now that we’re home, we’ve had a lot of time to reflect on our wonderful trip. And we can’t thank you enough for all the great suggestions you made that really put everything over the top.
The LIV Tours were both fantastic. We had amazing tour guides and, in both cases, they kept our group to just the four of us. You gave us such great advice on using them to see the sights that were key to visit in Florence.We also enjoyed the food tour. ..the guide, Alessandro, did an excellent job of making it all work out. Too much food! But all delicious. And the wine was wonderful too.
But we really did enjoy everything and were so glad we did it. The hotels you recommended were all wonderful. We had already told you how much we were enjoying Palazzo Belfiore…
We had SO MANY amazing meals, many of them at restaurants on the list you gave us. -Mindy & Bob
♦ ♥ ♦
We Make the Plans…YOU Make the Memories!
It’s been a very rewarding year…seeing the smiling faces and reading their stories and testimonials is the most gratifying way to end 2023! But, I didn’t do all of this “solo”!
A mega grazie and a few words about teamwork! I work with exceptional and passionate locals, my Friends of Victoria, including: professional guides, tour operators and destination management companies – here in Florence and Tuscany, Roma/Lazio, Umbria, Sicily, Liguria, the Veneto, Puglia!
Together we create, plan strategize, and work very hard to make your time in Italia truly your “trip of a lifetime“!
Ti aspettimo in 2024!
♦ If you’re thinking about 2024 in Italy, it’s time to take the first step! Let’s do it together! ♦
(Italy Trip Design will be responding to inquiries after January 1, 2024.)
