Apr 24, 2023
It's Better to Go Private! - Massimo was the guide for our newlywed son and his wife back in November 2021. They loved him for his passion for his country and for wine and for his knowledge of the area so we requested him for our tour. Our private tour was amazing. Massimo picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel. We highly recommend going private because you can customize and spend as much time as you want at a place. Tuscany is dreamlike. Along the way at our request he stopped at the Florence American Cemetary and Memorial. Very emotional. Then off to San Gimignano - a town like no other. The best gelato in Italy is there - the Gelateria Dondoli. Then on to our first winery - Tenuto Torciano - and our "light lunch" which actually was a platter of meats, cheeses and bread; then ribolitto, or Tuscan bread soup; then a hunk of lasagna. We needed a nap after all that. Then was the tastings. Let's just say their sample pours are "robust" lol. Then on to our second winery - Fattoria DiPancole - which we were delighted to learn is also a B&B at only 130 euro a night even in season. This place is at the top of a hill and they even have an in-ground pool overlooking the countryside. Gorgeous. More healthy pours, more food, more laughing - even their dog greeted us - adorable! We bought wine to ship home and it arrived in no time. Massimo was proud of his Italy, was very knowledgeable about wine and he follows American basketball! What a guy. What a day! Our deepest thanks to Massimo and to Bella Italia Tours for a truly memorable experience.
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Sep 3, 2021
Wine lovers adventure - This private tour was incredible. Private van and a beautiful drive to the Chianti Classico region and then a visit to 2 smaller boutique wineries. This is the way to visit if you love wine and walking vineyards. One had a light lunch, Italian style abundant lunch was more like it! Our driver and sommelier Massimo was outstanding. VERY knowledgeable about wine and American sports!!!! I’m so happy we had him as our guide!
Overall a perfect day!
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Sep 24, 2019
Superb! - Picked up from hotel in Lucca by Mattia-fantastic driver with lots of information as we drove the countryside. Three wineries Montecchio with guide Francesca; Casa Sola with guide Maria, and third winery. Very enjoyable day. Casa Sola was our favorite with extensive tour and lunch. Not only did we learn about wine but learned about olive oil and balsamic vinegar. That balsamic is amazing. Lunch of bread, meats, cheeses and lasagne.
At third winery, due to Mattia, learned about and tried grappa - made from grapes after the wine. Without Mattia’s input, would not have had the opportunity. Thanks, Mattia, for making our Chianti Classico Tuscany tour extra enjoyable.
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Aug 13, 2019
Amazing experience! - We had the privilege of having Mossimo as our guide for the day! He was very kind and great to converse with to get a real understanding of the Tuscan culture! He was very professional and kind making it a great experience as this was our first trip to Italy. The Chianti Winery was by far the highlight of the tour though, the winery is breath taking and even shipped bottles back to the US for us! This was by far the favorite tour we took during our three weeks in Europe, in part thanks to Mossimo! We will definitely be recommending to any friends or family that are planning to visit Florence.
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Jul 13, 2019
Exceptional! Shattered our expectations! - We booked a private tour of Pisa, which was followed by a visit to two wineries through BellaItalia. Our tour guide and driver Mateo was fantastic! He lives in Pisa, and gave us the first hand experience of the town (far beyond just the leaning tower). We then drove to La Spinetta winery, which I don't even have words to describe how wonderful the experience was. We spent more than 3 hours there conversing with staff, tasting wines, and eating pasta (they even had gluten free for me!). The wine and olive oil they produce tantalizes the tastebuds in ways I have never experienced. They give VERY large pours, and let you sample 8 varietals. We loved them so much that we shipped two cases home! We left La Spinetta and went to Tenuta Podernovo and received a very brief tour and sampled 3 wines with much smaller pours. Our experience overall was amazing and we are already planning a trip back.
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Jun 25, 2019
Amazing tour and guide! - This was an AMAZING tour! There were 6 of us in our group (there is no option below for adult family) that went on this trip. Our guide, Mattia, met us in front of our hotel lobby in an air conditioned van (it was HOT out, even at 9:15 am). We had an hour drive through the hills of Tuscany, during which Mattia gave us a very informative and interesting summary of the area, the wine area we were going to visit and about the local customs.
We arrived at our first tasting and were hosted by a very knowledgeable employee who explained about the 5 different types of wine we sampled from the Chianti region. We then went on a tour of the winery and grounds to learn about the wine making process.
On to our second winery tour and tasting, where we were able to sample 4 different types of Chianti wines and a dessert wine. Here we also had an AMAZING Tuscan style lunch.
We were then driven back to our hotel (good thing because none of us would have been able to drive), and dropped off right at our starting point.
On a side note, Mattia was exceptional at helping us get close to the entrances since we had a member of our party who had difficulty with vision and mobility.
Thank you Bellaitalia Tours for an EXCEPTIONAL first tour in Italy! I HIGHLY recommend this outing and company!
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May 13, 2019
Wonderful Day, Fantastic Wineries - We were picked up at our villa and whisked away to the Chiani region. Matio was a wonderful driver and did not rush us as we enjoyed all the wineries and San Giamarino had to offer. The two wineries were both suburb and the Tuscan lunch we had at the second winery was just the right touch to accompany the wines we were tasting. We bought cases that were easy and inexpensive to ship home. Cannot wait to return and will definately do the BellaItalia tour again.
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