Testimonials | Your Own Italy

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My 20 year old daughter and her boyfriend travelled to Rome, Venice and Florence in January 2018 with Carmen’s help. She advised and booked all of their apartments, trains, and tours! Her team and her went above and beyond when their international airline (that the couple had booked themselves) lost some of their luggage. They helped track it down and made sure it was delivered to them on their travels! As a parent of young adults travelling overseas for the first time on their own, I can’t express how relieved I felt knowing that Carmen and her company were there and so helpful and attentive to every detail! Thank you! Jan 25, 2017

I've traveled to Italy before but this time was very special with the help of Carmen and YourOwnItaly. I'm a devoted gardener and I asked Carmen to arrange tours of three sites in Italy: Hadrian's Villa, Villa d'Este and the Vatican Gardens. All three were absolutely perfect but the tour of the Vatican Gardens was extra special because we were apart from the bus tour and on a very personalized walk-around the Vatican's backyard. A memory never to be forgotten. Thank you, Carmen!! Oct 3, 2017

My husband and I were planning our trip to Italy, and left it up to Carmen to give us the experience of a lifetime! She did not disappoint and our trip was simply amazing!! My biggest fear was the stress in getting from place to place given the language barrier, and Carmen made it simple and easy and it could not have gone smoother!! We traveled from city to city with ease and eliminated all of the worry I had, so I could relax and enjoy my travels! Carmen set up our private tours with knowledgeable and interesting guides that gave us a far greater and in depth look at the things that interested us, and we got the most out of everything we wanted to see and do!! We plan on going back soon and see other regions in Italy, and Carmen will be my first contact person!! We highly recommend ‘Our Own Italy’! Nov 5, 2017

giorno magnifico in firenze! Grazie to Lisa! for the walking tour. She was very knowledgeable of the history of Florence . Grazie to Marco! He was able to get us to all the highlights and he was very much able to teach us to appreciate the art we were viewing. His perspective of all that we seen taught me to appreciate the gift of each piece. The whole experience makes me want to return so I can enjoy more of what Florence has to offer.��two thumbs up! Oct 5, 2017

Absolutely amazing people and will do anything to see you satisfied. We heard of your Own Italy through a friend and decided to try it out. We gave her a list of things we wanted to do and she scheduled them and planned them all out for us. We started our planning looking on Tripadvisor for places to stay and then Carmen sent us a few places and highly recommended them for their location and it couldn't have been better, everything was at most a 10 min walk away from the things we wanted to do. All of the staff is truly amazing and nice as well. My suitcase was delayed and they tried their hardest to call them and even find a place where it can be delivered since we were not at out apartment the whole day. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. I couldn't have been happier with what we were provided!!! The whole staff was diligent in making our experience as best as possible. We have already recommended them to two of our friends who are planning to go next year! Jan 14, 2017

Without a doubt, this is the best way to explore Italy. My wife and I travelled to different regions during our 15 day stay in Italy and every step of the way, Carmen was always checking up on us to see how we were doing and always told us if we needed anything to let her know. We had some snags in our trip involving the airline (which was completely the airlines fault), and Carmen was right there to help us. She went above and beyond the call of customer care. I've travelled before through various travel agencies and never received this type of exceptional service. Her tour guides were professional and knowledgeable. They took their time through our guided tours, answered any questions we had and recommended local restaurants that served authentic cuisine. This is service you will never receive from those big group travel tours. So if you planning a trip to Italy, definitely give Carmen a call and let her make it your own. Aug 15, 2017

My sister and I had an awesome time in Italy and it was all thanks to Carmen. We told her what we wanted to do, and how much we wanted to spend and she planned everything so perfectly it bordered on the fantastic. We asked to stay in apartments in both Rome and Florence, rather than hotels and in each case the apartment was located near sites and shops and restaurants making it simplicity itself to find what we needed. We were even treated to a symphony concert at dusk on the square where our apartment was located in Florence. Our tour guides were amazing, bringing the history of the art and architecture to life and answering our questions whether we asked about an architect or for a recommendation for a restaurant that was off the tourist track. We really appreciated how Carmen planned the tours; with plenty of free time to explore and shop on our own. The day trip to the Cinque Terre had to be one of the trip's highlights with our guide ensuring that we covered as much or as little of the four towns we visited as we wanted - with plenty of opportunities to stop and take pictures. Another highlight was the cooking class. Laura first took us to the market and showed us what to look for when purchasing produce. Then back to her kitchen with hands on lessons that resulted in surprisingly delicious food (surprising because we'd made it). Carmen's exceptional talents made this a vacation of a lifetime and we will definitely use her services when it comes time for us to visit southern Italy. Sep 17, 2017

Our vacation to Italy was a total family event and the help we received from Carmen made it absolutely fabulous. My wife, her sisters, husband arrived in Rome and we were met and taken to our apartment (not a hotel - this was a family trip). Same for Venice and Florence (all were great and held the 7 of us easily). Over the next two days our daughters came for a total of 7 adults to guide. Travel between cities was via train which Carmen and her team had arranged and worked great. Each morning we were met by our guide and we visited the museums and other sites, learning about each, the history and the key things to see. The guides were great and having the tickets already purchased, to avoid lines gave us more time to see and do things. Afternoons generally were free for us to wander around - which we did. Some nights we ate in the apartment and others we went to restaurants (Florentine Steak is fabulous). One night we did a pairing (wine with food) and Carmen joined us (Rome) which was a pleasure and a super evening. Our daughters said that was one of the best parts of the trip. After our daughters left us in Florence to return to the US to go back to work, the rest of us went to Tuscany for a week in a villa. Carmen worked with us to help arrange a driver to help us get to and from the villa. At each turn we knew we had "Your Own Italy" ready to help us if needed and the service she provided was just outstanding. For someone looking to plan a family trip and is looking for help to make it easy, enjoyable and a lot of fun, I highly recommend they contract Carmen and bring her onto their team. It really makes a positive difference. Our highest recommendations for the services provided and the great trip our entire family had. Oct. 2, 2017

My husband and I had the most amazing trip to Italy and it was all because of Carmen's expertise and planning! Carmen took special note of our budget / traveling desires and coordinated every little detail of our trip so we could enjoy ourselves without worrying about where to go or how to get there. All of the private drivers, tour guides, cooking classes, boat trips and train rides were coordinated and in collaboration with one-another so that one segment to the next was seamless. If there was ever a question, we would text her and she would have an answer within minutes. Most of the time it was Carmen sending a note to us ahead of time to let us know of any delays / changes (such as rain in Capri!). For example, we were planning to go to Capri but due to rough seas Carmen sent us a note the night before and arranged a cooking class at the most beautiful family-owned farmhouse in Sorrento. It ended up being a key highlight to our trip! Simply amazing! It was the trip of a lifetime and we cannot wait to work with Carmen and Your Own Italy again! Oct 5, 2017

We had an amazing experience on our recent trip to Italy booked entirely through Your Own Italy! Carmen was so easy to work with and anticipated our needs and wishes. Our accommodations, located in the perfect location in each city, exceeded our expectations. Loved our guide in Florence, loved our villa in Chianti, loved it all!! Can't wait to go back - and wouldn't do it without Your Own Italy. A true partner.

Is there something higher than 5? Carmen was our trip planner. She was nothing short of amazing! I had my wedding in Italy and had several guests planning trips in and around Italy. Carmen was able to keep track of all my guests and their trips with ease at the same time she was coordinating our 2 week stent without a single glitch. We love packing our trips with activities and usually get in trouble booking things too close to each other or too much time between activities and become bored, not with Carmen everything was so evenly spaced out to make it from one place to the other without feeling either rushed or bored. I had 40 guests at our wedding and over half of them used Carmen foe their trip planning. Before and after our wedding, our guests raved about Carmen! We loved hearing how she was able to make the impossible possible or how she was able to track down lost cell phones on trains or lost passports left in hotel rooms, or fix things in a moments notice. I dont know how she did it. Simply phenomenal! I was so impressed with her response time, her professionalism and most of all for her incredible sense of organization. She is not just an amazing trip planner who made my and my husband's trip so special but also an amazing person to top it all. We loved talking to her and always felt like she had our backs everywhere we went. We felt like her family or best friends even though we had never met. Every hotel, train ride, every restaurant we went to was so over the top beautiful with the nicest service and people that knew Carmen personally. We felt like we were traveling with a best friend that knew everyone and was introducing us to Italy one place/person at a time. We loved taking her suggestions and developed a sense of trust with her knowing that if we just listened to what she said, we knew it would be great. We had the time of our lives and without her I could not have imagined trying to plan my entire trip so perfectly. International travel can be daunting especially for novice travelers. She made us feel like Italian pros. We had a 2 week long trip in Italy, and had the time of our lives. We would have not enjoyed our time near as much without her. If you are going to Italy, Carmen is just as essential to your trip as the euro. Even if you are an experienced traveler you should let her plan for you. You may see Italy a whole new way. Our memories could have been great but because of her they were incredible. Sounds cliche but the only way I can describe it is TRIP OF A LIFETIME! Will never go to Italy without her again. Carmen you are worth your weight in gold! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are forever indebted to you. We look forward to our next trip to Italy! June 28, 2017

Carmen was invaluable in helping plan our honeymoon to Italy across Florence, the Tuscan countryside, and Rome. The Uffizi tour in Florence and Vatican evening museum tour in Rome were amazing experiences. The friendly and knowledgeable guides she selected helped us get the most out of our visit in navigating and learning about such rich and dense environments. Most importantly, Carmen's help and feedback was based on our specific needs and goals which in our case varied depending on place and time, a huge advantage over other "one-size-fits-all" sources. She helped us find a perfect balance and variety from day-to-day while still maximizing our sight-seeing goals, and even helped with advice on different neighborhoods/towns and booking accommodations. Overall, I highly recommend reaching out to Carmen and taking advantage of her services for personalized assistance to help maximize whatever kind of trip you are planning. July 17, 2017

So we met Carmen at the Santa Clara Travel Show in 2017. We went ahead and booked a few tours with her. AMAZING!!! The guides that she booked for us were so knowledgeable and fun. She planned everything down to the last detail. She even met us at our hotel in Rome to walk us to where we were to meet our private bus driver. I have been to Italy 7 times and was so impressed that she she could still bring tears to my eyes with another amazing experience!! On behalf of the Taylor and Lee Family we will book and future trips with Carmen. She makes you realize why you love Italy �. It truly is the people that make the trip!! �Carmen!! June 24, 2017

Just returned from an incredible family trip to Italy with wife, children aged 22 and 19. Each of us had different expectations, different wishes of things to see and do. Carmen put it all together without a single glitch. From checking out flats, sorting out hotels, dinner reservations, tours, etc. Constant communication throughout the trip to ensure satisfaction, flexibility and adaptability along the way. Could not possibly be happier. Stress free travel. Can't wait to return! Highly, highly recommended!' June 6, 2017

Can’t say enough about Your Own Italy! On short notice, they created an outstanding personalized tour of Rome, Florence and Venice with custom-made stop overs in Tuscany, Assisi, and Padua. As a return traveler to Italy, Your Own Italy tailored our trip with great tour guides to take us on specialized tours focused on our preferences. Your Own Italy planned and executed a tremendous vacation experience for our family of eight with beautiful apartments and taking care of every minute detail from the moment we arrived.

From a personalized tour of St. Peter’s (where we saw the Pope speak) and the catacombs in Rome, to an enjoyable tour of Tuscany wine country and seeing the finest art in Florence, to riding on the romantic gondolas in Venice and seeing the islands of Murano and Burano, we did it all in one week! This impossible task was only made possible by the detailed planning and expertise of the Your Own Italy team with excellent chauffeurs and tour guides who created a wonderful experience where everyone had a great time.

The fantastic lunch and dinner plans including dinner with Carmen provided the perfect touch all for a reasonable price compared to other package tour offerings. They get our highest recommendation to make your dream vacation come true!