Carmen and her team helped us to create a one-of-a-kind tour/pilgrimage to Rome! They were all very helpful and informative every step of the way and the ease and peace of mind of having all of the logistical details taken care of were well worth it! The tour guides were informative, professional, friendly, and helped to tailor our visits to personal interests. We learned things we didn't know from previous visits to Rome! Melissa (our in-country concierge) made sure that we always knew what to expect, checked in with us daily with information about the that day and the next, and ensured seamless communication with drivers and guides. She helped us to navigate the Italian farmacia to find medicine for a cold, facilitated changes to our dinner plans, and was always friendly, patient, and professional with responses to our many questions. We chose this over an organized group pilgrimage tour, and this is the first time we've used a boutique tour company. We are so pleased we chose Your Own Italy! You can't wrong when choosing Carmen and her team!
Given our wishlist to tour Florence, Bologna, and the Tuscan countryside, we were provided with a wonderful itinerary. Everything went very smoothly, all of the drivers and guides were so friendly and informative, and all of the recommended restaurants and hotels were superb!
Wow, were we soooo impressed with Your Own Italy! Carmen has really perfected her craft at organizing an incredible trip to Italy. We found Your Own Italy simply by her Trip Advisor reviews and decided to go for it. As a family of 4 visiting Italy for the first time, we asked her to create us a 10 day itinerary for the 4 cities we wanted to visit- Rome, Sorrento, Florence, and Milan. The itinerary was very detailed with our private drivers, tour guides, sights, tickets, transportation, food & wine tasting, etc. Every day was flawless and we truly had a fantastic time. Her knowledge, experience, and dedicated employees reflects how she has been in business many years, and has great reviews. We highly recommend Your Own Italy!
Carmen thank you for organizing an awesome itinerary. We enjoyed every minute of it! The tours were outstanding and the guides you chose were awesome - especially Marco for the Trastevere Food & Wine tour who taught us so much, and Gaby on Capri who went above and beyond to ensure that we had the best possible experience. We very much appreciate your thoughtfulness and consideration regarding my mobility issues when arranging our transport. The vans were so comfortable, and it was a pleasure to be with drivers who were helpful, kind and fun such as Alberto who gave us an in-depth knowledgeable tour of Amalfi and Raffaele who managed to keep a smile on his face and good humor while maneuvering his van through the mob in Rome on the same night of a championship soccer game, the eve of a marathon race, and the millions of pilgrims from all over the world there for the Holy Doors Jubilee. The fact that you and your team kept tabs on us throughout our time in Italy to make certain all was well is just one more reason why we could relax and enjoy every minute! We look forward to the day when you will schedule another holiday for us in Italy!! With sincere thanks, The Taylors Beverly, Lorraine & Kathryn
We thoroughly enjoyed our travels to Venice and Rome that bookended our cruise on the Adriatic Sea. All of our tour guides- Antonella in Venice, Maria Rosaria and Yev in Rome and Alicia in Tivoli were always prompt, courteous, interesting and extremely knowledgeable about the particular historic, architectural and artistic features of the basilicas, museums, ancient villas, galleries and Unesco sights that we toured. They were all open and receptive to our questions and curiosities too, which made the tours come alive in many ways for us. The Palazzo Canova Hotel in Venice was such a premium hotel. The staff was so welcoming and helpful too. Dave and I looked forward to the delicious Italian breakfast served every morning. The service made us feel like special guests. The location of the hotel was ideal for traversing the city of Venice and all of its historic sights. The Inn at the Spanish Steps in Rome was also a lovely and spacious hotel suite. The central location allowed us to explore the highlights of the city on foot. We enjoyed the sit down breakfast every morning. The staff was also conversant and pleasant too. We especially enjoyed our lunch at Sibolla in Tivoli and our day exploring the Testaccio Market in Rome to purchase food for our cooking class. The traditional Italian foods prepared by Liz and Jo were amazing. It was such a special touch to enjoy lunch in your beautiful apartment in Rome, which added to the authentic experience. All our drivers were professional, prompt and friendly and we arrived at our destinations on time and in a relaxed manner. We also were delighted to have Marco (our driver in Rome from our previous trip) as our driver to Tivoli!
My wife and I finished a trip to Italy booked through Your Own Italy. We stayed 3 nights in Cinque Terre and 3 nights in Tuscany. The trip and itinerary exceeded our expectations! We took a private boat ride along the Cinque Terre cost, rode e-bikes through the Tuscany wine and olive hills, ate at some great romantic restaurants (all reservations were made by MOI). All of the communication, transfers, logistics went so smoothly. It was an amazing experience. I highly recommend My Own Italy, especially if you want to go but not sure what to do in Italy. Great job by Carmen and her team.
We decided to use a travel agent to help us plan a trip to Italy and the best choice we ever made was using Your Own Italy! Carmen was helpful from the first time I contacted her, and we had access to a concierge service for the whole 3 weeks in Italy. We were able to be part of the planning and even with several changes on our part, Carmen and her crew were accommodating and helped us to make the changes. We had a private tour guide for several of our events and it was wonderful to be able to "cut the line" with our guides. There were some times where we had questions about an event or a driver and Melissa, our concierge on the ground was always available and responded very quickly to answer our questions. All in all, we highly recommend "Your Own Italy" for a dream vacation to the beautiful country of Italy!
My husband and I used Your Own Italy to plan our 2-week trip to Italy (Rome, Amalfi Coast, Florence, Tuscany, and Venice) and it was so worth the experience. From start to finish, they were amazing and ensured everything was taken care of.
We visit Italy frequently and prefer to make our own plans when travelling. This year, however, was a special one, marked by the Jubilee, and I was the matron of honor at my best friend's wedding, who is from Verona. We wanted our trip to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Verona to be extra special. We decided to use the services of Your Own Italy, and it turned out to be one of the best travel decisions we've ever made. Their a la carte planning service was perfect for our interests and lifestyle. The itinerary was thoughtfully tailored to fit our interests, pace, and travel style. Your Own Italy's deep understanding of Italy and the professionalism of its team are what set them apart. Vittoria, our excellent and warm concierge assistant, was not only on top of every single detail but also added a personal touch to our trip, making us feel genuinely cared for. Melissa, their office manager, was also superb, and the drivers were knowledgeable and personable, making us feel special at every step of our journey. We are grateful for all the thoughtfulness that went into our trip, and we highly recommend Your Own Italy for anyone who wishes to experience Italy not just as a tourist but as a true traveler.
YourOwnItaly gave us a fantastic experience on our Italy trip. They took care of everything! Highly recommend them for your Italy trip.
We had a wonderful experience with Your Own Italy planning our vacation to Italy. I just got home and it far exceeded my expectations. I am the one who usually plans all our vacations. This is the first time I have ever used a service like this. It was awesome to be able to just relax and let someone else do the work. Everything was arranged from drivers to tour guides to dinner reservations and everything went incredibly smooth. The communication from my concierge assistant was frequent and helpful and she was always responsive to questions that came up along the way. The guides for our excursions were all local people who were knowledgable, friendly and willing to tailor the experience to our family. Being able to skip lines, have tickets already purchased and get an in depth experience from a knowledgeable guide is so worth it. Everywhere you looked you would see 25 people trying to follow a guide holding some stick up in the air listening to their guide through headphones. It looked awful. Our family of 3 having our own personal guides talking to just us was definitely a way better experience. Had I planned the trip myself, I probably would have been in one of those groups. If you are planning a trip to Italy, this is the way to do it. I will highly recommend Your Own Italy to any friends or family that are planning to travel to Italy.
We've used Your Own Italy twice now to create custom itineraries-first when we were just dating, and again for our honeymoon-and both experiences were absolutely unforgettable. Carmen and her team take all the stress out of planning. From the moment you get in touch, everything is tailored, thoughtful, and incredibly well-organized. You never have to worry about what to do, where to go, or how to get there. Every detail is covered, without it ever feeling rigid or overly scheduled. While we were abroad, Vittoria was our daily point of contact, and she made everything effortless. Whether it was confirming transfers, adjusting plans, or just making sure we knew what was next, she was always just a message away. We never once had to wonder what was going on-she kept everything running smoothly so we could just enjoy the trip. Your Own Italy blends personal care with expert guidance, and they've helped us make some of our favorite memories. We can't recommend them enough.
What an amazing trip! This was our first trip traveling internationally and admittedly I was nervous to plan the trip because I wanted it to be perfect. Little did I know that I had chosen the best travel team ever! Teresa helped me with all the planning and was so attentive to my requests and added just the right amount of advice when I really "didn't know, what I didn't know". Many of her suggestions and tips became the best part of our trip and allowed us to feel confident in what we were doing. Everyone from our drivers to our tour guides were excellent. The drivers were always on time or early to pick us up with only one exception due to an accident out of their control. All of our drivers were friendly and happy to answer all our questions and provide wonderful knowledge of the area we were traveling to. The hotels selected for our family were also great! In Rome we stayed at Tree Charme and in Sorento we stayed at Tasso Suites. All the staff and their food service was on point! The included breakfasts in Italy are nothing like our continental type breakfasts in the US. They all had several egg dishes, fruit, a large selection of meats, pastries, juices and of course the most wonderful coffee ever. This was huge because we could easily eat enough at breakfast to just grab something small for a midday meal and then have a nice dinner. The hotels are much smaller than what we're used to in the US but well equipped with everything needed and since we spent very little time in our rooms it was fine. Tours: We enjoyed all of them and we saw a lot in 8 days but the trip was planned perfectly to have time for us to explore on our own as well. Our favorite was probably Vatican City but honestly there was not one place we didn't thoroughly enjoy. A few places we toured were, the Pantheon, the ruins in Pompei, Amalfi coast, Capri boat tour, Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. We also had a couple food and wine tours and I highly recommend those as well. The lunch and wine tasting at Bosco de Medici was amazing! Fabulous wine and food and even better customer service. Highly recommend! The best thing about Your Own Italy was how easy they made navigating to and from each place we wanted to go. Believe me, we needed the "Italy for dummies" treatment. We always knew where to meet our driver as well as the driver's contact information, the proper clothing to wear for specific days, the best restaurant suggestions, how & when to tip and Carmen even checked in a couple times to make sure we were enjoying our trip. Vittoria was our concierge and she was in contact daily with our plan for the day and any additional details we may need. The perfect planning done by Carmen and her team allowed us to see everything we wanted to see with plenty of time to enjoy each activity without the stress and waiting in long lines. It's the only way to go in my books and if we're ever fortunate enough to return, my first call will be to Your Own Italy.
this was the most beautiful trip that i have ever had. me and my college girlfriends decided to do this for graduation and it was absolutely beautiful. everything they planned for us was perfect. we visited capri, sorrento, and a bunch of other places! they planned hikes, tours, lots of restaurants food and wine. absolutely breath taking. they did incredible job and will definitely be using Your Own Italy again !
We decide to plan a family of 5 trip to Italy & I didn't even know where to start! A friend of mine introduced me to Your Own Italy & it far exceed our expectations! Carmen helped us chose 4 cities for our 12 day trip. We had her plan everything & it was seamless. We visited Rome, Florence, Sorrento and Venice. I wasn't sure what to expect, but we knew this company had an excellent reputation! Every detail for 11 nights and 12 days was orchestrated like a perfectly made Tiramisu (which we made in our Florence culinary class). Where to start?? Drivers from airports, to and from train stations, to and from tours, tickets to everything and guides (Vatican, golf cart tour of Rome, Collesium, Pantheon, Bosco De Medici Winery Tour, Pompeii, Boat Tour of Capri with the amazing Gabby Gabby, Coastal city and Amalfi driving tour, Tuscany day at San Gimignano & winery, we had a contact Melissa for the entire trip, she checking in daily with tour and driver information. Way too much perfection to list everything. The best part is that you have a person that knows & loves the country. This company works together and all guides had nothing but kind words for Carmen and Your Own Italy. I think the best part of our trip was Venice! I never appreciate someone so much at the end of our trip, she knew that a water hotel lobby was a MUST! Next time we're packing lighter, but this trip we had 5 large suitcases and I could not have imagined dragging them through the streets of Venice and over bridges. Our guide and Venice water taxi picked us up at the train station and brought us directly to our hotel lobby! To wrap it up all of our hotels had AC which was amazing, you have a personal contact for questions and recommendations, train tickets, tours, hotels, transfers, and all dinner reservations were made (for dinners you have a personalized FaceTime call with the contact in Rome). The trip of a lifetime!
We had the most amazing 18 day trip that was organized by the team at Your Own Italy. I usually like to plan my own trips, but I am forever changed! We had an initial meeting to discuss what kind of trip we wanted (via email or video chat), and then (at least for us) we were provided a draft itinerary and then started fine tuning it. We knew we didn't want many guided tours (so they provided timed/skip the line tickets for us) and we knew we wanted personal space in the hotels (traveling with 2 teenage boys = we did not want to be sharing one room for the entire trip!) ... other than that we were pretty open to anything (within the budget!). We just returned from the trip and we can't stop talking about it. Our teenage boys (who don't agree on anything) both loved it, including our youngest who didn't even want to go on the trip to begin with. We were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and to take a trip like this with no worries and no stress was priceless. The hotels were 5 star but the main draw is the personalized service. At every stop there was someone there for us - every transfer was arranged and getting from point A to B was effortless. Even though the team is "Your Own Italy," they planned our trip that also included Greece so they handled hotels, tours (or tickets when we opted out of the tour), and transportation for Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Florence, and Venice. Everywhere we went we were personally greeted by a fun, personal, and professional English speaking greeter/driver/boat captain/guide. In addition to creating the trip, they provide a detailed itinerary accessible by printing and/or using a phone app. Tickets for flights, trains, ferries, museums/landmarks, etc. are all part of the itinerary (you just click on the day to access the details for the trip). They provided a concierge service where you are given a local point person to ask questions, confirm information, help in case of an emergency, etc. and each day this person reaches out to confirm the activities, timing, updates, and the names and contact information of the drivers/guides. I don't know how (or why) anyone would do a trip like this without a service like Your Own Italy. I don't let go of the reins often with trip planning (because I enjoy the process of planning), but now I have witnessed how a true professional does it ... and damn. Absolute perfection.
Your Own Italy- I love love love Italy and now that I know the people from Your Own Italy I will never go to Italy without them. I have used many travel services over the years. There is never a better experience(s) with any travel company than I have had with this company. They are always prepared and in a moments notice they can be there to help you. They are truly amazing. This last trip I took my mom and I was worried she would have trouble and she did amazing but in no small part due to the expertise and help of Your Own Italy. They helped when we couldn't find our driver, or didn't speak the language and the suggestions they had were spot on for her ability level. Amazing I can't thank them enough. Forever grateful
Your Own Italy, Carmen and her staff went above and beyond for our Honeymoon! My wife & I were blown away with how easy and organized this trip was. For our first time going to Italy, this was the most stress-free and easiest vacation we have ever been apart of. The minute we landed in Rome, Florence and Sorrento, we were greeted with our personal driver. This carried on throughout our entire trip with planned excursions, winery's, dinners, etc. We can not thank Your Own Italy enough for the hard work and thoughts that went into this trip to make it the best honeymoon EVER! We have already spread the word about Carmen and Your Own Italy to numerous friends and family. Thank you SO much for everything!! If you have a chance to visit Italy, please consider reaching out to Carmen, you will not regret it! Sincerely, The Russo's
We went to Greece and had an amazing trip. Guides, drivers, reservations were all excellent! The best worry free way to travel!
This was the second time I've leveraged Your Own Italy, this time for a family trip. We visited Rome, Positano/Amalfi/Capri, Pompeii, and Lake Como. All arrangements were meticulously planned and delivered, and my family's expectations were exceeded. Our concierge, Melissa, was phenomenal and checked on us every day, and Carmen periodically checked in as well. If you are looking for a first-class experience, I strongly encourage you to consider Your Own Italy.
