Peter Sommer Travels Traveller Reviews

Met at the Catonia Fontanarossa Airport by our host Marcello Baglioni, with a big grin and open arms, my wife and I began a true gastronomic adventure up close and personal with the people and food of Southwestern Sicily. We experienced sites, sights and carefully chosen venues not readily available to a normal tourist. We met the Sicilians who actually produce and provide the artisanal and indigenous wines, olive oils, pastas, fish and even homemade chocolate. Supplemented with introductions and visits with local historian and artists, the tour was all the more enhanced. The selection of hotels, a villa, and lodgings included two nights in a vineyard on the slopes of Mt. Aetna were all really first rate and meaningful to the locale, the experience of the product and place. Even sent home two cases of lava minerally laced "prosecco" from the terroir of Mt. Aetna (arrived in pristine condition) so the memory of the visit can be celebrated afterwards. In all, it was an experience to be treasured and even repeated. Peter Sommer and his team are superb.

Belatedly but with no diminution of enthusiasm let me salute Peter Sommer and his team for a perfectly well organized and well executed Gastronomical Tour of Sicily last October. Key to the tour's extraordinary quality was Sommer's provision of guide/hosts, Marcello Baglioni and Lucia Iacono. Not only did Marcello meticulously organize every detail of the logistics but he also provided personable and knowledgeable, cultural and historic background to make the tour intimate and infinitely educational. His personal relationships with the local gastronomical world truly immersed us in a full panoply of gustatory pleasures. He is simply a marvelous treasure as host and friend. Additionally, the days spent with Lucia Iacono were an informational extravaganza. She is also a marvelously many faceted host who brings, with erudition, introduction to Sicily's historical culture, art and architecture, making every minute of her time with us filled with educational and delightful insights. Of course, her charming manner made it all the more pleasurable. A particular highlight of the trip was Marcello's engagement of a volcanologist who took us into the most fascinating parts of Mt. Aetna's preserve. His lectures and demonstrations of the volcano's chemistry and power were stunningly up close and in depth. In all, the tour was of such quality that is exceeded, in every aspect, our most critical expectations. Can't wait for the next trip. Peter Sommer is the best.

I went from knowing next to nothing about Sicily to falling in love with all that it had to offer. I learned about the contribution on Sicilian life by all of the ancient civilisations and the rich history they left behind. The tour also gave me an opportunity to experience the wide diversity of Sicilian culture and cuisine. I could never have discovered all of this richness on my own.

Peter Sommer Travels ensured that we had excellent accommodation and food in every city, town and farm we stayed in. Our two expert guides Tony Spawforth and Lucia Iacono were terrific - knowledgeable, helpful and lots of fun, They also created a cohesive and friendly group and I have no doubt helped us to experience a holiday of a lifetime.

Have just returned from "Exploring Sicily 2018' I can thoroughly recomnend this tour. Sicily exceeded my expectations and was a wonderful archaeological and cultural learning experience on this beautiful island. Our expert guides Tony and Lucia, as well as being enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their subject matter, were attentive to the needs of their guests throughout ensuring a comfortable tour. The accommodation and selected restaurants were top class. Loved it!!

Although I live on the opposite side of the world to the tour operator Peter Sommers Travels, this made no difference to making arrangements for the tour. The contact at head office responded immediately to queries and instructions were clear and concise.

Our two-week historical and archeological tour around Sicily was absolutely marvellous. It not only informed us but also introduced us to much broader aspects of Sicily - its culture, its lifestyles and especially its wonderful and varied food and wine. We visited all of the significant sites, towns and cities and gained a really comprehensive understanding of ancient and modern Sicily. Our expectations before the tour were already high but everything we experienced exceeded them entirely. An absolutely fabulous tour.

We are thrilled to recommend Peter Sommer Travels for this Exploring Sicily tour. The accommodation was of a very high standard, all of the beautiful hotels and ’agriturismo’ chosen perfectly, and the meals and food were consistently excellent, also chosen with great thought for detail and local experience. The group of only 12 people was a perfect size, allowing everyone to interact easily and have fun together. Above all, our two guides, Prof Tony Spawforth and Lucia Iacono were superb, their passion and enthusiasm not only informing us comprehensively, but also creating a wonderful sense of group harmony.

This our third tour with Peter Sommer Travels. Based on the two prior tours we expected the Cruise to the Cyclades to be a superb experience. We were NOT disappointed. If we were in the group of Americans favored by the Republican Congressional majority and the Trumpster we would spend our gains, in part, by cruising with Peter Sommer three or four times a year. The huge variety of available tours; something to satisfy almost any interested traveler, is a major part of the attraction. The small groups of people is far superior to the experience we have had with other cruising companies whose boats held 100 or more people. The details of what is visited and what the guest is shown are obviously carefully planned. Until one experiences a trip with Peter Sommer one doesn't realize the wonder experience you have with two guides continually available to teach, describe, and help the guest. The Turkish gulets are a superb choice as a mode of travel. We regret the worsening geopolitical situation may sharply reduce the availability of this mode of travel. I would advise someone who thinks that they know a lot about travel accommodations offered by cruises of any size to hold back on a review of such accommodations until they have lived on a gulet for 10-14 days. And, in addition, no raving about other cruise cuisine until they eat on a gulet staffed with a cook measuring up to the Peter Sommer Travel standards. We look forward to land travel with the company in the future as we have no reason to suspect that there will be any diminution in the cuisine to we will be given. North American residents should understand or realize that dealing with Peter Sommer Travel in the Midlands of England is as convenient and as personalized as dealing with a travel company or agents within a few miles of their home. Peter and his staff have gone out of their way on multiple occasions to make our trips more enjoyable. Working out the details of booking and payment has been much more tolerable with the Company than almost any of the other companies with which we have dealt. It's time to stop. Obviously, we would rank Peter Sommer Travel as our number one choice for any additional tours we might take in the future that involve the lands and seas upon which they offer tours. If only the pound would drop to parity with the dollar!! Thanks for this opportunity to offer our opinions. Del B. Coolidge, M.D.

I think I covered that in my long-winded diatribe.

I very much enjoyed my cruise in the Cyclades. Our guides Heinrich and Maria knew the archaeology and geography of the islands very well and were gifted story tellers, dramatizing each location. The ship’s crew were great, professional and friendly, and the cook quite amazing. Days began gently with a wonderful breakfast on board, and frequently ended with long evenings on deck again, eating local specialties (sweets and liqueurs), trading stories, myths and lamentable jokes. I loved passing small islands just visible on the horizon and then the slow approach to harbour, each island interesting in a different way. We visited tiny unique local museums, and also learned a lot about island industries: pumice and marble quarries, winemaking, and sponge fishing. The expected highlights were the sacred peace of Delos and the wonders of Akrotiri and the caldera of Santorini with whitewashed villages spread high along the cliff-tops like snow. The surprises for me were climbing down into the volcanic crater at Nisyros, walking inside a restored Roman Villa at Kos, the hospitality in small monasteries of aged nuns and priests, on Naxos seeing the sunset through the never-finished temple and finally the crossing to Bodrum Museum in Turkey, to see there the Uluburun, a salvaged 14th century BC boat. Maria and Heinrich were wonderful guides, magnificent in the couple of medical emergencies we had, and great at creating a cohesive group of happy tourists. Thank you.

Peter SommerTravels, highly professional, well organised: small group travel.

Our two weeks aboard the Aegean Clipper made this Greek island vacation one of the best times we ever had. There is interest and beauty in every direction on these islands and at sea. Each meal was a delight and a wonder. Our guides narration was great throughout, at turns thoughtful and funny. Both guides were approachable, well organized, and plainly concerned that we get the most from our experience. So many events stand out, hiking in the hills on Naxos, the ancient cathedrals, swimming in the blue water, museums full of the most ancient works. We loved it.

Peter Sommer Travels was our choice due to the serious archeology chops of the company and its guides. What a delight then to find the guides as adept at booking a gourmet meal and arranging for us to make it there as to discussing the finer points of spolia. The tour operator was generous, covering many admissions fees and other expenses that we had expected to pay ourselves. While not inexpensive, they provide wonderful value for the money in every way. We are happy and recommend them.

We booked a bespoke tour of Greece based on the graduations of two of our children, one studying ancient medicine. We asked Peter Sommers Travel to create an itinerary that would help us see and learn about some of the sights and ancient culture our children studied in college. We were not disappointed. It was a well thought out tour - beginning to end. Specifically, we toured Athens, then we boarded a gulet and toured the Dodecanese Islands, with the last leg of the tour in the Peloponnesus region of Greece with our last evening returning and completing our tour in Athens. We were treated to local cuisine and culture. We experienced a trip that is not the typical tour of Greece and we loved it! It was exactly as billed and more. We love to get involved with the local culture and not the tourist culture per se. It was lovely, relaxed and informative. Our guides happily handled all our questions with knowledge and patience. It was truly a wonderful family trip and we highly recommend Peter Sommers Travel to everyone. We told just about everyone we came in contact with during our trip home!

Peter Sommers Travel was attentive, communicative, knowledgeable and prompt with requests for information and questions regarding specific details of travel and the itinerary. We were well cared for and every need we voiced or did not voice was met. Our guides were professional, courteous, well versed in their field of study, and happily entertained us with their knowledge and stories.

Wonderful second trip to Lycia! A joy to sail again on the lovely gulet Sunworld IX, to savour the creations of Birdal our ingenious cook, to swim in the translucent waters of intimate creeks. All these reward the amateur archeologist who seeks to touch the remote traces of once-thriving ancient settlements, the remains of daring hydraulic engineering or sophisticated urban planning. Pinara and its honeycomb of rock-hewn tombs, Delikkemer and its cyclopean syphon, the sunken city of Dolichiste and many more: names, images, a treasure of memories never to be forgotten.

To appreciate this ancient Lycian civilization, one needs expert guidance. We had the best. Peter Sommer is not only a very efficient tour operator, he is an archeologist who explored and combed the Lycian territory for over two decades and still today approaches its history as a passion. Besides his erudition, Peter is also an excellent guide in the full sense of the term, prudent, attentive to the safety of his charges yet encouraging and inspiring. So much so that, at the end of the trip, one cannot but start plotting the next adventure in his company.

It was fantastic. The historical expert was extremely knowledgeable and the driver and guide arranged everything perfectly. After beautiful, informative walks through the countryside and/or through historical sites, we would stop for a delicious meal at a carefully-selected nearby inn. My questions were quickly answered, the pace was just right for the experience to be both relaxing and stimulating, and there were no delays or disappointments. It was exactly the experience that I had been hoping for. I left with a very positive impression of the whole area, as well as with a far deeper understanding and appreciation of the history of the area than I could possibly have gotten from traveling on my own. In addition to giving me an appreciation for the Roman period, the tour gave me an understanding and appreciation for the architecture and history of the dark ages, and of the border wars. I would very much like to go to the region again, and I would certainly be interested in travel again using Peter Sommer Travels.

Everything was arranged beautifully. It was wonderful to know that the arrangements were in good hands, and I could relax and focus on enjoying the beautiful countryside. Every stage of the trip was planned, so that there was always food and rest right when it was wanted, and we were ushered past every line and barrier without hassle or delay. Also, everyone was extremely courteous and pleasant. They did a wonderful job, and they made it look quite easy and fun, although I am sure it must have been a lot of work making everything go so smoothly.