CICERONI Travel Traveller Reviews

Exceeded most optimistic expectations - exceptional hotel, treasure trove of visits, entertaining and enlightening commentary, in company of warm and humourous people. And the weather was glorious! A brilliant programme executed with flair - and perhaps some luck?

Good brochure, unusual offerings, attentive in office arrangements, organisation in Venice efficient, thoughtful re individuals, allowing a good balance between direction and freedom, and overall creating a very enjoyable group spirit. We found no difficulty fitting in as newcomers to majoity of 'old hands'. We learned a lot and enjoyed even more

5 days of seeing Venice hidden from the casual visitor with an excellent lecturer and tour director, and staying in a good, convenient hotel.

Excellent

Art and architecture of Rome

Entire tour well organised . Excellent guides throughout.

A wonderful combination of a programme full of visits to the best of Renaissance and Baroque Rome, with knowledgeable and expert academic guides, with a hotel in an ideal location by the Pantheon and meals at traditional restaurants.

Totally professional and able to make ach participant feel special.

Rome Behind Closed Doors was an exceptional and privileged visit with two guides of the very highest calibre and knowledge. The hotel was in a marvelous location and was very comfortable. Our daily visits were of the greatest interest and the brilliance of Renaissance and Baroque Rome could not have been better demonstrated and brought to life. Much of what wee saw was spell-binding.

Absolutely first class

A guided tour to Rome with Tom and James gained access to private places as well as the more usual artistic highlights of Rome. Impeccably done.

Perfectly organised and managed

Everything ran like cloclwork, from being picked up at the airport, arriving at the hotel which was lovely , our rooms were very comfortable and the bathtub a dream. The sights were truly amazing not just the size of the palaces but their contents which were a bit overwhelming. There were such wonderful collections of paintings, artifacts, treasures, furniture and chandeliers. After a busy day at the galleries it was a dream to come back to the hotel and relax with an Italian style hot chocolate. One abiding memory for me will be how Tom had even organised the weather. After the first couple of sunny days the weather was dull but the streets were covered in residual snow and slush. On our last day we went out to Pavlosk which was a more "homely " size and as we came out of the palace, horse drawn Troikas replete with roly poly Russian lady drivers were waiting for us. As I got into the sledge it started snowing, we were then wrapped up in blankets and rode around the palace grounds with the horse's bells ringing, what a scene, we all started singing Lara's theme from Dr Zhivago. That is what I call organization, snow to order and what a wonderful scene. From there we went to a restaurant much favoured by Mr Putin. It was a large log cabin, toasty warm inside and decorated with Russian Folk Art, accordian man was playing and one of the singers had a very deep baritone like the voices you hear in Orthodox chuches and can only be Russian. As we were eating our stuffed cabbage leaves and drinking vodka, I looked out through the floral curtains at the window and it was snowing hard still. Such a difference from the grandeur of the palaces with all their gold decoration but a very memorable moment.

Everything was well organised,even the snow . Tom has a wonderful way of talking about Art History and History together and joining up all the dots so that things have real context. He was very easy to listen to and concentrated on the most important works. That also included the visits with local guides, they did not attempt to talk about everything but highlighted the star pieces, Hotel had a lovely breakfast buffet and a good bar, huge bathtub in our bathroom which is great when you are 6ft 4inches, brilliant service everywhere which was a nice suprise as we have lived for several years in the former Soviet Union where service was almost unheard of. The inclusive lunches and dinners were well chosen togetger with Elena the local tour guide who was utterly delightful. A wonderful trip.

Everything excellent except Excelsior Hotel which was last minute change due to original hotel out of service.

Good balance of organized and free time. Excellent local guide. Festival events well chosen.

Another great holiday with Ciceroni

Thoorganisedughtfully

For and interested but uniformed novice a good combination of pre tour lectures on the artist's work and life followed by relevant site visits in London and Rome. The whole punctuated by neat visits to galleries, palazzos and architecture of interest.

London arrangements excellent. Rome logistics and accommodation excellent. Only wish we didn't travel with BA but this is early the fault of Ciceroni.