France, Italy, & Greece Tours

I really cannot say enough good things about Zicasso’s travel company. They were absolutely amazing through the whole process. They were super-easy to work with and made our dream honeymoon to Rome, Paris, and Athens the most enjoyable and relaxing time of our lives because we did not have to worry about a thing. Thank you to our agent and her team for always being on top of our itinerary and setting everything up for us. I would 100,000% recommend our travel company and will be using them for our future trips.

I received white-glove service from the initial inquiry to the conclusion of the trip.

Zicasso's travel partner helped me plan my dream trip. I have wanted to go to Greece and Rome since my freshman year in high school after reading about Greek mythology and taking world history and civilization. Many, many years later I was able to go; not only go, but take my daughter and give her this experience.

Our itinerary was customized to our interests and backed with fun. We received detailed instructions. When you are traveling abroad, you have so much to be anxious about. Our agents made it all easy. I really appreciated their emails checking in while we traveled and providing updates.

I highly recommend them and look forward to my next trip with them.

I have so much to say. We had an amazing trip! All the tours Zicasso’s travel agent arranged for us were wonderful and the travel went off seamlessly. I would also like to highlight a few of the people/guides who were exceptional and truly stood out above the crowd.

First, the chef in Venice was absolutely amazing. He knew about every fish at the market and went above and beyond to make sure we were able to prepare the fish in multiple ways to get a feel for the food true Venetians eat. He also took us through the vegetable stands and gave us the opportunity to choose the items we would like to complement our seafood. I expected to have the opportunity to cook two dishes, but we cooked at least six. He was so excited that we chose sardines (one of three seafoods we were allowed to choose) that he helped us to prepare them in two ways so we could experience multiple traditional cooking methods for this seafood. When we walked out of his apartment, my husband looked at me and said, "That was the most amazing experience I've ever had". That may not seem like much, but I promise you it is. My husband is not a man to hand out compliments.

Second, our tour guide with a PhD for two days in Rome. He was there to guide us through the history of the monuments, which he did so eloquently, but did so much more than that. I learned more about history, tapestries, sculptures, paintings, mosaics, stone, tile, architecture, and art/artists in general from him than I did in both of my college degrees combined. He made the monuments, artwork, and architecture come to life in a way I never imagined. I walked away from Rome with not only a new appreciation for its history, but feeling like I had been accepted by the city as one of its own.

Third, our guide in Santorini – she touched my heart. She first took us for a wine tasting in a small village. We had a tour of the facility, including the history of the area, the architectural style, a walk through the fields, and a tutorial on how the grape vines are trained to withstand the wind. She also explained the wine-making process (showing us the caves where the grapes were once smashed by walking on them, etc) and so much more. But the best was yet to come. Next, we went to a tomato farm/factory and saw how they sun-dry the tomatoes. Then we cooked with our guide and the son of the gentleman who owned the farm. This was one of the most memorable experiences. Our agent even made a special trip back into town the next day to send us off with some goodies (some of the products they produce). I learned about her two boys and how she's torn between encouraging them to continue the family heritage or move on to other things to ensure they have successful careers. It is exactly the same for me as a mother, the only difference being that her heritage is artisanal agriculture and mine is commercial fishing. Both vocations require extremely hard work and long days dedicated to industries that are slowly disappearing. However, it's the heritage that has been handed down from generation to generation that creates the strongest bonds to family and the earth, so much so that it can fulfill a life in ways money never will. I met a kindred spirit and gained a friend for life. I hope she will continue to give her tour and touch others the way she did us because for every person who is able to gain an understanding and appreciation for what it means to work the land or the sea with their own hands, the world becomes a better place.

Fourth, our commercial fishing trip in Santorini. This was breathtaking. We were able to glimpse the tradition of plying the seas in this part of the world with a true commercial fisherman and his crew. The boat, with its beautiful lines, bright colors, and earthy wood, was a work of art. The captain and crew were truly salt of the earth and so open to letting us be a part of every step of the process. They explained the type of commercial fishing they engaged in that day and all the other fishing they operate in. Even the name of the boat was memorable as it was named after the captain's daughter, who I saw pictures of. The captain even gave me one of the otoliths (the earbone of the fish, which is extremely important scientifically as it is used to determine the age of a fish) he collects. The crew went through all the different species of fish we caught, then cooked an amazing meal of fresh seafood (prepared in multiple ways), salads, and veggies on board the boat. For those not into net fishing, we also used fishing poles to trawl and did some handline fishing. I would recommend this type of fishing trip to anyone wanting to experience the true art of heritage fishing.

The trip was a dream come true and the company was an absolute pleasure to work with. They made everything so simple and much less stressful for us right from the planning stage, to prepping us for the trip and then support DURING the trip. This was a dream trip for us to take our kids on and Nancy and Diana and their team made it all come together so beautifully !!

Trip was nearly perfect, and I felt extremely comfortable both before and during the trip due to the very timely responses to make sure everything went smoothly. 

The trip was excellent. Mary listened to our needs and planned accordingly. The hotels she selected were conveniently located walking distance from the key attractions.