Tuscany

Notes from the Road ... The Palio in Siena

Watching the Palio in Style...

Twice a year Tuscany's biggest event, the Palio, comes to Siena.

The Palio is a year-long strategic battle culminating in a crazy horse race, where jockeys ride bareback and sprint around the Piazza del Campo on dirt laid to create a track. If the Derby is the most exciting two minutes in sports, this is the most exciting 90 seconds in travel.

Where were our travellers? Ensconced in front row seats on the balcony of a private palazzo overlooking the famous piazza, the ultimate flies on the wall!

Dinner was 50m away with a table al fresco, where the adults could recount the race over Chianti, while the kids ran across the cobblestones.

from Our Travel Journals

What They Said…

 
What They Said

"We have arrived! Omg Florence is beautiful, and the hotel is amazing! ... When we arrived at the hotel, they gave us a late breakfast and just brought us some bubbly. So they are looking after us here!

 ... The cheese farm was excellent and so was lunch, beef, beef, beef beef, BEEF.... I just want to say, every restaurant you recommended was absolutely amazing. We definitly left heavier!

... Just wanted to say thanks for all your help..... I absolutely loved it there, and will certainly find time again to go and spend more time there."

" Everything went very well...great job! We liked Crowbush Cove the best of the PEI golf courses followed by Dundarave and Green Gables....

.... All the tee time reservations worked well...they knew we were coming....

... Your booklet was great...keep doing it!"

"Thank you for a great and memorable trip, it was so nice to have everything planned out for you with such organization and attention to detail.  

We also appreciated that you worked so hard to find us the right tour operations and excursions so we didn't mind the back and forth in the planning at all.

We will definitely be using Travel Impresarios in the future. It's been a pleasure!"

“I just wanted to drop you a note to say we are home (sadly) but we had a GREAT time! All of the tours and tour guides were fantastic - my favourite was Stonehenge… loved the battlefields day (it was spectacular with a lovely day spent driving through the French countryside), and …  the Louvre tour.

... Again, thank you for everything, especially the wonderfully precise directions on how to get from place to place which saved us a huge amount of precious time.

We'll be in touch for future trips and will pass on your info to others!”

“On a scale of 1-10 this vacation was an 11.5 - seriously, we had an absolutely fabulous time.

… Ranguana is paradise. snorkeling is crazy good, the beach is divine, the water literally teeming with life (e.g. in our first five minutes on the island, wading through the crystal waters a nurse shark cruised by us. eg. bird-life included frigate birds, osprey, boobies, ducks, a kestrel or merlin and one very confused barn swallow)….

… Did I mention it was paradise? We've been to some incredible places before, but none more amazing than this.

… Thanks again, we feel incredibly fortunate to have had this experience.”

"The vacation was amazing! ....

... The highlight of Venice for me was the boat tour. Our guides went above and beyond. They truly made the day.

... The Parmesan Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar producers were interesting to visit. I actually heard my son talking to his friend about it on the phone today! Gelato making was lots of fun, a definite recommendation."

 

"We truly appreciate your efficiency and attention to detail in planning all our trips. It allows us to give our full attention to experiencing each new place and while the guides you arrange for us are always excellent we especially loved our guide in Poland....

...... We were happy to return to the hotel Ca Sagredo in Venice. They opened the door to our bedroom and I burst out laughing. It is approximately the size of our main floor. I felt like I should pack a lunch to walk to the bathroom. We had not known last time we were there that Galileo spent much time and probably invented the telescope there....

......Thank you for enabling our continued attempts at enriching our lives and becoming better human beings"

“Thank you for organizing such a wonderful tour and making sense of our original wish list which was literally all over the map.

Couldn't have picked better places to visit and stay. All accommodations inside and out of Dublin were lovely! Glad we had a chance to stay at the Fitzwilliam Hotel, loved the decor and staff.

I'm amazed at the ground we covered and all we saw from major attractions to little out of the way places. And learned so much as well as being entertained and catered to!

It was a great success.”

Find out more about their trip »

“House is stunning! Weather great ... Hiked the north shore trail today and swam in a waterfall pool ... Doesn’t get much better!!”

— A family of five escaping to Maui and Kauai for hiking, snorkeling, biking, surfing and lots of other adventurous things ending in "ing"