CICERONI Travel Traveller Reviews

Visit to gardens and Glyndebourne.

Ciceroni tour led by Tom Duncan

Fifty Shads of Green was a tour of Irish Gardens around Dublin with Tom Duncan and Ciceroni. There was a good variety of gardens, a very keen plantsman in Jim Blake to inform us and talk about the gardens. His garden we also saw and that of his sister, June,which made for splendid contrasts. Came home feeling richer for the experience but frustrated that we could not do better on our patch. Maybe room for improvement now we have had the inspiration.!

Very helpful.

A five day visit to Sussex, viewing magnificent gardens, visiting privately owned houses, and taking in two performances at Glyndebourne (including excellent dinners).

Ciceroni runs arts/culture tours and Tom Duncan is a superlative communicator, with a vast amount of knowledge. He also enjoys and appreciates good food and wine, and dining experiences are always excellent. The 'back office' is extremely efficient, friendly and helpful. This was my 15th tour with the Company in ten years - which comment speaks for itself!

As above

Excellent in all respects

The holiday was very well organised from start to finish. I am a widow and Tom Duncan always make use you have somebody to eat with on the free evenings. Jimi Blake had a wonderful garden which we visited first. He was one of our guides during the holiday to various gardens, all very different. A very knowledgable younger gardener who has travelled the world to find plants.

Ciceroni is an excellent tour company which I have used four times. They give an really good itinary with good notes. Always small groups. Having a dinner to welcome the group together and a final dinner at the end of the holiday. They stay in high rated hotels.

visiting some wonderful gardens in and around Dublin

they know the right people and hence can gain entry to some places which are not normally open to the general public

We attended 3 superb operas in Munich, and during the day went to some very interesting Mini Stately Homes outside of Munich, and had some superb group lunches as well. We also visited the 3 important art galleries in Munich which were outstanding.

Ciceroni plan their trips to make them very interesting for their clients, and as they have a large client base they have a few new tours each year to keep their clients happy and interested.

Each morning we set out from our comfortably luxurious hotel to drive through small Sussex villages to visit splendid houses and gardens. Our guides in each location - whether chatelaines or gardeners - shared with us their enthusiasm for the history of each, leaving us assured of the future progress of our shared cultural heritage. The operas we saw at Glyndebourne had both received rave reviews:see The Times review of The Cunning Little Vixen and The Week's review of The Marriage of Figaro. Relaxing in one of the theatre restaurants during the intervals we added our acclaim of the operatic experience to our appreciation of the good food and wine set before us.

Having travelled with Ciceroni Tours since 2008, I would not consider joining any other group. After 8 years I now look forward to greeting again others whose company I have previously enjoyed elsewhere. Dr Tom Duncan's combination of academic expertise, care for his clients and an engaging sense of humour - supported by sheer hard work behind the scenes - makes him more than a mere "tour guide" - a valuable friend.

Buses were always on time and manned by courteous and helpful bus drivers The gardens our party visited were fascinating and we had good guides to inform us Our visit to Glyndebourne was made more exciting by a champagne reception

Witty, well informed and prepared to increase our knowledge and enjoyment

Since 2008,the more Ciceroni Tours I've taken, the more friends I've made and it's a pleasure to encounter them again. Seated beside each other on the plane and near each other in the splendid, comfortable Munich Opera House, we enjoyed each others' company. Enthusiastic opera-goers, we discussed our impressions in the intervals and, later, in the hotel, only a few minutes' walk away. TOSCA, with Jonas Kaufmann and Bryn Terfel, was the most moving damatic experience I've had in over 70 years. LOHENGRIN's futuristic presentation made me more appreciative of Wagner. LA BOHEME was just right. Our visits to art galleries, followed by daily group lunches enhanced our fellowship and friendship.

Caring perfection is par for the Ciceroni course. Dr Tom Duncan is an academically trained expert in both art and music, who takes a personal interest in and care of those he leads with eloquence and wit.