Matt and Elizabeth's 2011 Trip from Lake Como to Lucca

Thanks again for checking in with us.  I'm sorry it took me so long to get in touch...Please do not think my lack of response was an indication of our trip.  Our Italy vacation was amazing! Your hotel recommendations were spot on. We really liked the locations of all of the hotels.  The staff at most of the hotels went above and beyond.  We were particularly impressed in Lake Como, Florence, Lucca and Rome.  Actually, we fell in love with Villa Vitoria in Como - loved that hotel...the location, the hotel, the grounds and staff were AMAZING.  It was very hard to leave there. Our hotel in Monterosso was in a great location but it was a basic room and the staff was not as helpful as the other places.  We were totally go with the flow since we booked last minute and we were just so happy to have a room in Cinque Terre. Perk: It was a corner room with a great view of the sea and the other towns.

The train reservations were very helpful!  We really enjoyed the train, it was relaxing and convenient.  We had some trouble with our car rental first in Milan and upon its return.  We walked to the car rental agency in Milan and found a note on the door stating the agency location was closed.  It directed us to another location. We were disappointed that they had not contacted us or you directly to let us know.  However, once we got to the other location they gave us a free upgrade to a Mercedes Benz. It was a very nice surprise. When Matt returned the car they charged us another fee for a second driver.  We had not expected the extra charge since we prebooked/paid for the rental. Not to mention I did not drive at all while we were there.

 We really appreciated your restaurant suggestions and tips.  We are both foodies and used your recommendations coupled with the hotel staff and online sites.  The food in Italy is superb. It was hard to find a restaurant with anything but delicious food. We loved Cantinetta Antorini and a new restaurant, Oliviero, in Florence.  The service at Oliviero was the best in Italy and the food was incredible. We loved the wine at Cantinetta Antorini so much we bought a few bottles in duty free to share with friends back home.  Miki in Monterosso was also fabulous. We also had amazing meals in Milan, Rome, Como and Venice...I'll have to ask Matt the names of the restaurants.

I hope you got our card, we really do appreciate all you did to plan our vacation.  Without you it would not have been possible. We will absolutely recommend you to our friends and use you again in the future!

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Thank you again.  Your recommendations and planning help made this a trip we will remember for a lifetime.