Reviews

Palermo: We loved Palermo. The apartment was wonderful! The section of town was perfect, a little more quiet, yet still in the heart of historic Palermo. It gave us the chance to see daily life as well as more tourist activities. We highly recommend the Palazzo Butera. We spent the better part of the day there, enjoying the art, seeing the restoration with some of the process opened up, and enjoying quiet drinks on the terrace with time to sketch and read.

A restaurant right across from the apartment, L’Ottava Nota was fantastic. A little restaurant, MadoniEAT right down the block was a great place for breakfast or lunch. The new shops and restaurants on the harbor / marina were really fun.

The Palermo guide was wonderful. He gave us a “lay of the land”, described its key elements well, and gave us some great tips. His guided tour of Palazzo Abatellis was terrific. He clearly understands its art well as well as Scarpa’s vision for the Villa / Museum. Knowing Scarpa’s work, this was especially meaningful to me and it was wonderful to experience a museum that was intentionally not a blank canvas but a well curated experience.

Villa Flora Relais, San Cataldo: Wonderful hotel with its own great restaurant. We enjoyed drinks in the afternoon / evening on their terrace after our trips during the day. The staff was great. It was a wonderful contrast to the city of Palermo to get the chance to drive through the center of the island and see the rural countryside. We arrived on a Sunday and the restaurant was closed. As it is in more of the countryside, options were few, but they directed us to a place nearby that really gave us a picture of local life. Experiencing her ancestral town was deeply moving for Sarah.

Piazza Armerina was amazing to see and learn about. Our guide was great. Obviously there was a hiccup at Valley of theTemples. I had only brought the summary with me for the whole trip, so I didn’t have his number with me. But, honestly, we did fine, and I think even better unguided. There is so much information at the site. And, it probably helped that I am an architect.

On our way to Siracusa, we stopped in Ragusa. We had lunch at a great spot, Luigi’s Trattoria. The city is beautiful and great for shopping. But, they take siesta very seriously and everything shut down at 2:00 so our timing was a bit off.

Siracusa: Fantastic hotel! We loved the room, looking out over the sea on the second floor. There is a great terrace on the second floor for drinks that is also a restaurant. We sometimes took a break there to sketch and relax when it was not open for drinks but seating still there.

The tour was fascinating. We especially enjoyed seeing the tunnels beneath the city and hearing about Sicily’s and the city’s history from the perspective of our guide.

Taormina: The hotel was beautiful and the views from our room spectacular. Driving in the city is a bit crazy. Also, a big heads up that the hotel apparently knows… Google and Apple Maps takes you to the back of the hotel and it is a pretty harrowing drive up a very winding and steep drive. I managed to scratch up the car trying to navigate around a wall. I wound up parking the car, trying to get in the hotel (which I couldn’t from behind, and then calling the hotel when they told me about the problem with maps. I highly recommend letting their service park the car and retrieving it after. There is no need for the car otherwise.

The boat tour of the Aeolian Islands was not great because the seas were very rough and at least 1/3 of the passengers were really seasick. (Thankfully we were fine). Although we enjoyed a very nice lunch on Panarea, there wasn’t much to do or see, even as the island itself was beautiful. We avoided doing a tour and just explored, which I think was a good move. Stromboli really didn’t offer much either. In the end, it was a very long day, one that would have been better going to the beach at Taormina.

Taormina was also the most “touristy”. While lovely, it felt like a high-end shopping mall had invaded what, must have been a simply beautiful town in the past.

I really can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed this trip and how much we were inspired. We got to experience deep history, wonderful architecture, breathtaking landscapes, and beautiful people who guided us, served us so graciously, and lived ordinary lives for us to witness in its diversity and energy.

Your work made that all possible and we are deeply grateful for it. All the best.

Ed and Sarah, New Jersey, USA

We have engaged Passion for Italy Travel for two vacations previously in Italy. In May and June this year 2023 Gemma delivered an exciting itinerary for Northern Italy involving places we hadn’t visited previously.

It was online, detailed, nuanced and introduced us to such fabulous places as Venice,  Malcesine, Lake Garda, Asti in the Piedmonte winegrowing area, beautiful Ravenna, Turin and Milan.

We recommend PFI Travel because of their sophisticated approach to travel in ITALY. Touring in Italy seemed easy because of PFI Travel’s organisation of hotel bookings, transport, special events and the knowledge and love they have for Italy and all things Italian. Our gratitude to you for our fabulous itinerary hasn’t waned.

Hi Gemma!!
The trip was absolutely AMAZING! Thank you so much for everything you did to make our trip fun, convenient, safe, and unforgettable. The itinerary was really great. Also, your recommendations for restaurants and various locations were fantastic, and we’re very grateful to have had them. Sincerely, Joanie.

Gemma, the trip was so wonderful!! We enjoyed every moment. Thank you so much for all your help!
The apartments were wonderfully located! And all the restaurant recommendations were absolutely incredible – we wished there were more!
The biggest difficulty was regarding money – you might know this, but almost no one there takes Discover. Thankfully a few of us had Visa cards as well. I think in the end, I wish we would’ve had more cash on hand. I didn’t realize how many Italians expect cash and give a hard time when paying with a credit card. America has definitely reached a point of being almost completely cashless, so it was just unexpected. Sincerely Emily.

We have just completed a one month trip around central Italy. Our travels were organised by Sabrina Barro of Passion for Italy. Sabrina is so talented and caring. She organised simply stunning accommodation and ground transport. Her support to us before travel and while we were in Italy was wonderful.
It seemed that any time of the day or night, if we had a concern, or needed to clarify pick up or meet points, Sabrina would respond so promptly. Everything just worked. My wife and I commend you to engage with Passion for Italy and in particular Sabrina. Having such a talented expert operating in the same time zone, just makes everything work so well.
Thanks so much Sabrina.

Good morning Sabrina, We had a brilliant time in Italy, and many thanks for the excellent work you did in organising all the travel, tours and accommodation for us.
The accommodation in Venice, Florence and Rome was well located, the small group tours were on time with good access to sites and very knowledgeable guides, and all train tickets and transfers worked well.

We had hard copies of all vouchers and forms, however the online access through Sync was an added help. I have attached a photo – the night time shot of St Peters Basilica was taken from the balcony of the accommodation you arranged – well done!

We are thinking about another trip to Italy perhaps next year – once we sort out destinations and timing, we will get back to you. Once again, we had a great time in Italy, thanks to your great work.

Regards, Greg Jones

Hey Lindsay,

Now that Ben and I have gotten back to reality from our Italy travels, I just wanted to reach out and thank you for helping us plan a fabulous trip. We had such a good time and loved everything about Italy. For the most part the trip went very smoothly (just a couple hiccups) and was everything we could have hoped for.
I appreciate all your knowledge, advice and recommendations. In particular, the private tour guides we had were fantastic and worth every penny. I only wish we had stuck with your original suggestion of having the private tour in Rome instead of going cheaper and picking the Night Tour (which was probably our least favorite tour and not a great experience).

In hindsight there were a couple things I would have changed, like taking an extra day in Matera, but for the most part we loved the choices we made. Every city was beautiful and special in its own way and interestingly very unique from one another. Its amazing how each place we visited had a completely different vibe and we loved each place for different reasons.

I can’t say enough good things about our trip and am already planning our next trip in my mind. Thanks again for everything, it definitely was a trip of a lifetime and will forever be in our memories.

I just wanted to share with all of you the great work that Allison Spiegel, at PFI travel, did for our family in Italy. She planned every detail for us, from a private car in Tuscany, train travel from Venice to Florence, personal tours that interested all three of my girls, private cooking class and more. She is beyond knowledgeable and organized and I can’t say enough about her services.

Allison – We had the best honeymoon ever thanks to you! You made everything so easy for us, especially the transportation. Everything was absolutely perfect, and we really appreciate all of the hard work you put into our Honeymoon! All of our tour guides were so personable, amazing, and very easy to talk too and really knew their stuff. There wasn’t one tour we didn’t like.

The hotels were outstanding also. Our favorite parts of the honeymoon were the Five star hotel you organised in Sorrento (we felt like movie stars), the cooking class by far in Positano, and the boat ride to Capri, which we were able to do the blue grotto! All of your recommendations were outstanding and right on.

The guidance you gave us with trains, where to meet our tour guides or boats, and shopping helped tremendously. Thank you again Allison.

Hi Lindsay, We wanted to send a quick note to thank you again for helping us with our Italy trip. Saying it was amazing doesn’t even encompass how great our experience was! You did such a great job of helping us organize and plan one of the best vacations we’ve taken.

We were also so thankful that you could help the groom’s family (Lisa’s aunt and uncle) with their last minute tour in Rome. They were very appreciative, as well.

Lisa and I will certainly be recommending you to our friends and family going forward. We’ll be in touch when we start planning our next trip to Italy, maybe Sicily! ” Mindy Cleaveland

We highly recommend Allison Spiegel at PFI Travel. She planned our memorable vacation to Rome/Amalfi Coast and managed everything from soup to nuts – hotels, tours, transfers and restaurant recommendations. Allison is a travel agent who only books Italy so she knows the in’s and out’s. Thank you for helping us plan such a special trip.

Buongiorno Sabrina, We arrived home yesterday after a wonderful month away. I just wanted to say thank you again for your expert advice and assistance with the southern Italy part our trip, particularly as we were booking so late as well. We loved all the recommendations and the transfers were all reliable and went very smoothly.

I know that you were a bit worried about the Positano hotel but we actually loved it too and found the family that ran it charming and helpful. The Puglia Masseria was a fabulous experience which we all enjoyed, we did one of the cooking classes there which was fun. The Capri boat trip was another highlight.
Thanks again for your efficiency. Kind regards, Lucy

I just wanted to say, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. We had a fantastic time in Italy. A whirlwind. It wouldn’t have been as enriching or enjoyable without your help! (You can quote me on that). The experiences made the difference. The cooking class and wine tasting in Florence were great. We may be making homemade pasta tomorrow with the recipe they taught us.

The boat tour around Capri was amazing. We probably went for 8.5 hours rather than the 7 (and we tipped our captain high for that). Pompei and Rome tours were excellent, especially our tour guide in Rome (such experience). If there was anything maybe that I was neutral on it was the lunch and wine tasting in Pompei (I think we got spoiled in Tuscany with the first one). Thank you again Lindsay. Trip of a lifetime.”Rick Sullivan

We can wholeheartedly recommend Lindsay and PFI for any Italian trip. On our recent trip Lindsay’s experience ensured that we got the most out of every day. She listened to all our preferences and made perfect accommodation bookings, tour arrangements and amazing recommendations which there is no way we would have found on our own.

It saved us so much time and her amazing attention to detail meant we didn’t have to worry and could just look forward to our holiday. The next time we are lucky enough to be heading to Italy we will definitely be using PFI’s services. We are so lucky that Lindsay was a part of our trip.

Lindsey, Thank you so much for your hard work. It really paid off. We had an amazing trip that we will talk about for many years to come. It is just what we needed. It’s been a rough year for me. We all needed lots of beauty, good food and good wine as well as time with the friendliest people in the world to put a smile back on our faces.

You were so helpful even when we were traveling. It really made a difference. Thanks for all your help and support while we were there and before we went. I have answered your questions below in italics.

You are the best, it’s been great just getting to know you. When is our trip to Sardinia?

I first contacted Lindsay Sinko at Passion for Italy Travel in November of 2018, discussing our possible trip to Italy in May of 2019.
Right from the start, Lindsay was informative, knowledgeable, and easy to work with as we discussed a potential itinerary. Lindsay’s experience with travel situations, and her knowledge of all things Italian, allowed me to rely on her expertise as we solidified our plans and turned our ideas into an actual itinerary.

Our trip was possibly different from others who travel to Italy, as we import Italian foods and products and we were building our itinerary around seeing various producers in several cities throughout Italy. Lindsay secured transportation from and to the Milan airport, booked all of our train travel, made our hotel arrangements, and provided us with wonderful information on sites to see, restaurants, and even churches where we could attend mass.

The hotels chosen were well-placed and staffed with great people. We even stayed at a hotel that was formerly a Monastery in Siena. Quite beautiful!

I feel that Lindsay truly showed her commitment to PFI Travel and to our family as I had to reach out to her in the middle of the night (her time) because we had accidentally got off at the wrong train station during one of our first stops. It was comforting to know that she was only a text/call away and that we had someone who was able to assist us no matter what circumstance we encountered.

I highly recommend both PFI Travel and Lindsay Sinko if you are considering utilizing not just a “travel agent”, but a partner in your trip to Italy, helping to make it an experience of a lifetime!

Geno Capone