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What People Say About Us:
We have travelled with Italian Journeys each year since 2001. These trips have given us the most wonderful travel experience of our lives. The groups are small so it is like travelling with a group of friends; we never fail to meet interesting people on each trip. Nancy and Libby have a remarkable knack of including both famous sights and not-so-famous sights on their trips, and often the latter are as interesting as or more interesting than the former. Finally, Nancy's extraordinary knowledge of Italy's history and culture gives their trips a dimension that we have particularly appreciated. It simply doesn't get better than Italian Journeys! Traveling with Libby and Nancy is like traveling with family, in the best sense. More than once on our recent trip to Venice, Libby lead us on impromptu excursions to places she wanted us to see: San Marco early in the morning before the crowds arrived, the Pescheria fish market, and a favorite silk shop with scarves so beautiful they quickly became addictive. If Libby’s goal is to make you love Italy as much as she does, Nancy’s is to help you understand it. I've been on plenty of tours where eyes gloss over and people begin to wobble. Not the case with Nancy! Listening to her talk about the Bellini altarpiece in the church of the Frari was an experience I shall never forget. No crowds with microphones. No flags. No “follow me's.” Just writing this makes me want to go again! The sine qua non of Italian Journeys is Nancy de Conciliis. As an ambassador friend of mine once said, Nancy is a national treasure. Intelligent, accomplished, and lots of fun, she is, as Erma Rombauer says, “of which there is none better.” From the moment we arrive in Italy until the sad day we depart, we feel like very privileged guests of Nancy and Libby. Ann and I have traveled almost the entire world avoiding “group tours,” but being with Libby and Nancy is like “coming home.” Their trips are comfortable and well paced, with interesting sights, excellent accommodations, and memorable meals. Just being with Libby and Nancy is fun enough. Throw in Italy, and how can anyone go wrong? Carefully selected destinations and points of interest, tasty food and, last but not least, an always fascinating group of traveling companions. What's not to like? Nancy's knowledge about all things Italian is encyclopedic. I would go anywhere with her. We have made two trips with Nancy and Libby. On both occasions, our fellow travelers were a joy to be around, and, as knowledgeable guides, Nancy and Libby were simply off the chart. We look forward to traveling with them again. Nancy and Libby's enthusiasm and knowledge for all things Italian make their Journeys delicious fun! It is a joy to travel with Nancy and Libby. I have been on three trips and they were all splendid: the mosaics in Ravenna, the Greek bronzes in Reggio Calabria, Mantegna’s Camera degli Sposi in Mantua’s Ducal Palace, and ALL of Piero della Francesca’s frescos. I honestly cannot pick a favorite. Truly fun, from beginning to end. I am looking forward to my next trip. Since 1999, I have made five trips with Italian Journeys, returning time and again, not because of the charming, often picturesque, always comfortable hotels, the marvelous restaurants, or the congenial fellow travelers, although such amenities are to be expected on Italian Journeys tours. It is, in fact, all the unexpected things that keep me returning. I was particularly intrigued to discover the remnants of the ancient world, including a Mithraic temple, hidden beneath the streets of modern Rome. Equally interesting were all the caves we visited, among them the cave of the Archangel Michael in Puglia, the Blue Grotto on Capri, and the cave of the Cumean Sibyl on the Bay of Naples. Then there was the unforgettable evening we spent in the Vatican Galleries, culminating in an hour to explore the Sistine Chapel, with no other visitors. I loved how the staff greeted us at our beautiful hotel in Asolo. "Oh Leebbee! Oh, Nanceee!" It was as if dear friends had come to visit. Libby and Nancy’s tours are like spaghetti al dente — never overdone.
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