” Carlo did an outstanding job for us, all details were worked out well
before we left USA.

We were in Italy and the hotel had lost our reservations. We called
Carlo and problem was solved !!

Accommodations were as described and all people dealing with Carlo were
very friendly and helpful.

Carlo’s tips on where to go, what to see, best times of day to look,
what foods were safe and even instructions on where not to drive were
100% correct. We will use Carlo again!! ”

Charles M. Deschamps
Missoula, MT
Customized trip to Italy June, 2003

” We had been referred to Carlo by a friend, who told us not to go to Italy without taking advantage of his excellent services. We were not disappointed. Having lived most of his life in Italy, Carlo has many wonderful connections and knows of hotels and restaurants that you will not find in guide books. All of our accommodations were clean, quiet and well located. We were especially fond of our personal tour guides in Florence and Rome. Both were very knowledgeable, personable and spoke perfect English. We can’t wait to go back and will, of course, call on Carlo to assist us with our travel plans.”

Bridget Fuglei
Missoula, MT
Customized trip to Italy March, 2003

” I was referred to Carlo through a mutual acquaintance. My wife and I
wanted to honeymoon in Tuscany and so badly wanted to avoid the tourist
traps. We’re both seasoned travelers and internet savvy, but this
needed to be the trip of trips, within our budget, of course. We
sought the kind of Italian vacation experience that could best be
provided by, well, an Italian who listened closely enough to is to
understand what we were looking for, and who knew Italy well enough to
be able to find it for us. Carlo discussed with us our transportation
preferences, travel dislikes, things we really wanted to see, budget,
trip length, options we wanted to have, and many other expectations and
areas of confidence and lack thereof. We commissioned him with slight
trepidation because were completely unfamiliar with his work, and we
were not personally developing (i.e. controlling) our honeymoon
planning. We pretty much didn’t trust any one to honor our interests.
Carlo’s listening skills really came through for us; our trip was
indeed customized for us.

We could not have been more pleased with Carlo’s work. Taking into
account our probable condition after crossing 9 time zones, he planned
for us to drive not too far to the PERFECT first night honeymoon
experience. Wow. Camogli is barely mentioned in the tour guides, and
the place we stayed in was somewhat difficult to find, but we woke up
on the first morning of our honeymoon with the Mediterranean Sea
greeting us. It was pricey, but Carlo knew that on our first night we
wanted special and romantic, not necessarily inexpensive. It was still
a good value, we thought.

The rest of the trip was spent lazily exploring Tuscan hill towns, from
a very special base. Carlo arranged for us to stay in an elegant,
rustic, comfortable agriturismo B&B, which was on a real olive orchard,
with a hilltop view that allowed Pienza and Sienna, an Again, spot on
with our needs.

Could we have planned our own Tuscan honeymoon? Sure, and we might have
even felt in control our trip planning in an unfamiliar country where
we don’t speak the language. But our trip was better than I could have
thought possible, and the memories of our little of-the-beaten-path
vacation will warm us for a lifetime. Isn’t that really the reason you
go on vacation? ”

Preston Davis
Portland, Oregon
Customized trip to Italy September, 2002

” Hi, Carlo,

I just wanted you to know how much our family enjoyed our trip to Italy! It would definitely not have been the same without your help, time, and advice.

As we discussed, our family did not want to have a standard bus tour of Italy. We wanted to experience the country, the people, the great restaurants, and the sights, and we wanted the flexibility to do it at our own pace. Your help with our itinerary, as well as your recommended places to stay and visit made our trip a great success, and a most special memory.

We particularly enjoyed staying at the Castle you recommended in Tuscany, as well as visiting the adjacent lake and countryside. Your helpful suggestions with the rest of our trip, from driving to language, from Florence to Rome, were incredibly helpful and useful! It makes such a difference to have someone familiar with the country acting as your guide, providing knowledgeable information. Good information is often what makes the difference in having a pleasant trip or experience.

Thanks again for all your assistance! ”

Paul Eichwald
Missoula, MT
Customized trip to Italy July, 2002

With our children both being married and neither having their own children, my wife and I decided to have a family trip to Italy, as we had enjoyed our visits there so much.  We utilized the services of Carlo at Ecoitalia because we had heard that he had great ideas about and connections in Italy.  We had a two week family vacation that was terrific.

Carlo found us great hotels within our price range.  They were centrally located in the major cities and all were to our liking. He also opened up Umbria to us and arranged for us to stay in a renovated nunnery that had a delightful rural setting.  Carlo also arranged train trips and tours of museums.  Without the help of Carlo, our seeing the Uffizi Museum and the statute of David in Florence would not have been possible because of the crowds.  His suggestions for restaurants were always good.

We would utilize Carlo’ s services again if we were to return to Italy — and we hope that we will be able to do so.

Tom and Ann Boone
Missoula, MT
Customized trip to Italy May, 2001

” Dear Carlo,

I am writing to thank you for the great vacation you implemented for us while we were in Italy. I
knew that using the services of Eco-Italia, our family had a guarantee that our time in Italy would
be well spent since you, as a native of the land of the Etruscans and Romans, were our guide.
The actual experience exceeded all of our expectations. The selections of hotels were superb,
which achieved a balance between great places and value. An example, amongst others, was the
Hotel in Bagno Vignoni with its Etruscan hot springs, and the great breakfasts
[yes, I still remember the delicious morning coffee, yogurt & plums, and tasty pastries].

The excellence of your service was over and above the call of duty and I am grateful that you
organized –in a very timely manner I may add- all of the Internet connections that I had
requested of you so my “connectivity” was never lost, even in the more remote locations such as
Cinque Terra. Your involvement as a native of Italy added a friendly dimension simply not
possible under the environment of an impersonal larger tour, and it gave us the knowledge of the
important details that we would have missed, had we made the tour by ourselves alone.
Our daughter’s 16th birthday in Siena will be well remembered by all of us as we celebrated and
received the special hospitality thanks to your presence at the restaurant; finally, the theatre
evening & 7 course dinner for my wife and I at the Enoteca was indeed a superb experience.

Without hesitation, I recommend the use of your services to anyone who is considering a
vacation in Italy; not only will they get a native to guide them through this beautiful and
interesting land, but in addition, they will be well cared for since your attention to detail will give
them the extra value that converts a mere vacation in Italy into a “Living an Italian Experience”.
The sad part was the realization that our “Italian Experience” had to come to an end.

Customized trip to Italy March, 2001
Custom travel and tour planning to Italy by Eco Italia

Ciao Carlo!

I first met Carlo on the streets of Roma in 1999. Actually our small group escorted trip had been prearranged and impeccably planned for months ahead of our arrival, but I had personally never met Carlo until I arrived in Bella Roma. Several of us arrived ahead of the tour to take in a few extra days in Milano & Firenze before meeting up with the rest of the group in Roma. Carlo graciously arranged our separate hotel accommodations and gave us information and help in museum/gallery bookings, as well as arranging our rail transport to Roma. It was so nice to not have to worry about anything! Carlo adds his personal touch as a native Italian and is conscientious about your “travel happiness”. He even changed our hotel in Roma just before we arrived as he felt the original selection wasn’t quite up to his standards. I was truly impressed by his service.

Carlo is knowledgeable on all areas of Italia and let us be flexible and customized our small group tour to fit our desires. Our trip covered Roma, the Apulia (Puglia) region and the Amalfi Coast/Pompeii. Every part of the trip had a different flavor, and because we were a small group we were able to explore Italia more like natives instead of tourists. Carlo was a marvelous guide and we had a wonderful experience, making new friends and sharing memories we all treasured.

I can whole-heartedly recommend using Eco-Italia to plan all your trips to Italia, because once you go you’ll long to go back again as I did! For my second trip (in October 2001) I traveled with just my Mom on an independent tour. The two of us felt completely safe and once more our trip arrangements and accommodations set up by Carlo worked out great. For this trip I opted to take in an encore and savor the Eternal City and then go north to also take in Assisi, Orvieto, Lucca & Pisa. Our trip ended much too soon along the beautiful Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera towns. It was absolutely fabulous! Another trip I won’t forget. Thanks, Carlo, for all your help in making my Italian dreams come true!
Customized trip to Italia September 1999 & October 2001
Custom travel and tour planning to Italy by Eco Italia