Peter Sommer Travels Traveller Reviews

This outstanding tour gave us an extensive insight into Sicily's ancient world, brought to life for us by our two excellent guides. We were also delighted to see so much of the island's beautiful countryside, with Spring meadows full of wild flowers being an unlooked for bonus. Our accommodation was of a consistent, very high, standard and we enjoyed gourmet eating throughout. This has been our best tour experience to date.

Peter Sommer Travels far exceeded our, already high, expectations. The carefully thought-out programme was very well organised, with great attention to detail and, particularly, to the comfort both of the group as a whole and each traveller as a individual.

Peter Sommer's "Exploring the Peloponnese" tour was a fantastic introduction to an area richer in history and culture than a (typically) mainland focused view of Greece might suggest. It conveyed a real sense of the depth of history here, of the high cultures that were attained, and often lost, and of the conflicts which swept this area. Beyond that, it was beautiful, often even stunning, and far more varied than one might imagine, from the sun bleached Mani Peninsula to foggy Arcadia. The people were uniformly friendly, welcoming and gracious, and always helpful.

The guides were excellent. Disentangling the very often complicated history and evolution of some of the sites---Mycenaean right up through the Ottoman era---required an in depth knowledge; importantly, when archaeology or history have failed to provide a clear understanding of "events" the guides did not try to paper over that fact. They are clearly passionate about their work both as guides and scientists. As guests of Peter Sommers we were virtually care free. The quality of the food, the accommodations, and the transportation all exceeded our expectations. I have never been on such a tour before, but will certainly be looking to joining another in the future.

A wonderful first visit to Crete, guided by experts as part of a small group (10 guests) to visit key sites throughout the island. Superb accommodation, meals and company. No reservations in recommending this holiday.

Peter Sommer Travels arranges the most interesting and attractive tours. Clients are treated like family members and no effort is spared to make everything as good as it can possibly be.

The 'Exploring Sicily' tour took in all the significant archaeological sites in way that was well organised, hassle free, and provided value for money. It was truly the tour of a lifetime.

The operator and staff were extremely professional and provided a wonderful experience.

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I found Crete to be very interesting enhanced by the two guides. I especially enjoyed the culinary aspects. Our guides were interesting, engaging, and fun!

Peter Sommer offers terrific value for the money. Easy planning. Some of the best guides. True professionals in every way.

It would be hard to imagine a better combination of fascinating insights into the ancient world of Sicily, excellent guides, luxurious accommodation and gourmet dining. This has been our best tour experience to date.

Peter Sommer Travels far exceeded our expectations in both the content and organisation of our tour.

We spent 12 lovely days exploring Crete, the Minoan civilization, it’s rich Roman, Venetian, Turkish, and Greek history. We enjoyed the beauty of the island and the food was fantastic.

This was our first tour with Peter Sommer but we hope it is not our last. We were a group of 10 with two fantastic guides, two of the best we have ever experienced.

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.