I am taking the above tour and I am wondering if anyone has been on it and can let me know what optionals they were offered. I have gone on the Globus Journeys site to see what MAY be offered.. .. .. . For example did the Tivoli and dinner one get offered? The Mozzarella Party in Sorrento? If the Burano tour was offered in Sicily was it a lunch tour or dinner? Did anyone take the Venice boat cruise and dinner optional excursion? I have taken Globus tours before and know I will have a great time and I am just wondering about the options for this tour. Also the 5 extra days in Sorrento is it totally independent or are there any group activities?
tks
LF

The Burano optional is from Venice not Sicily.
We will be leaving on the "Leisurely Italy" tour in 2 weeks but as of now the only optionals we are planning on doing is the Tuscan Dinner and maybe the Rome catacombs if we don't have time to get to it in the 2 days we are there pretour. I have read excellent reviews of the Tuscan dinner.The Leisurely Italy tour goes to Rome,Tuscany and Venice only. I have been to Venice with Globus in the past and I did the Gondola ride and the optional dinner there.Both were good but the gondola is not just you and your honey but is for 6 people.I will not do the Burano excursion this trip as we will probably just go to Burano on our own using the vaporetto and skip the meal there.This time as it is our second trip to Venice we plan on doing most everthing on our own.
I think General Max has done your specific tour and I am sure he will be along to answer your questions.

Tks for the feedback . .. .. . yes, you are right of course Burano is from Venice - it'd be quite a hike from Sicily! I am thinking I am not going to do much in Venice or Florence in the way of optional excursions as those are the two places I would really like to shop., but I'd still like to know what is offered and if others have any feedback. I arrive in Rome a couple of days early as well and I am doing 2 or 3 CIT tours and one includes the catacombs . .. .. . really looking forward to that. I can book and pay before I leave which is nice. I was hoping to take in a cooking class in Sorrento as they have a school there.. .. . Oh well will have to see, I guess
LF

Hi Lynda,
I have heard great things about the cooking school from either the Fodors or tripadvisor forum,not sure which.

Hi
Tks for feedback on Sorrento Cooking School. Will wait to see if Gen Max has any comments on the tour. I am counting the weeks . .. .. . 17 left to go, as I am leaving early for Rome, can't wait. The other trips I have taken are the Alpine Tour and The Scandinavian and I loved both (would actually take the Alpine one again, there was so much to see). .

Would like to hear if anyone else is on this tour same dates as I am.

This site is truly a great way to get info on the tours and excursions and I have advised my travel agent so she can advise others taking a tour. I have learned a lot from browsing this site.

Can't wait to spend a week in Sorrento at the Hilton Palace hotel!!
LF

Hi,
I was on the "Italy at Leisure" tour in March and the Tivoli trip and dinner was offered then. Beautiful gardens and the dinner was in a great location. Unfortunately, the food was not very good.
I hope this helps.

Tks for info on Tivoli Dinner - think I will opt for the afternoon tour to Tivoli which includes seeing more of the area without the dinner. I have been reading a lot of the replies on other posts and seems like the food on the optionals is quite often disappointing, too bad.

I agree with Letsgo about browsing on my own but I have been cautioned by many people that Italy is a place to be more than a bit cautious, especially being a woman travelling alone - and this by people who are from Italy not just tourists. Have travelled by myself in many areas of europe and in Japan but am trying to be smart in Italy. I also want to see as much as possible as I am not sure when/if I will get back!!

One more question . .. .. . anyone who has been on this tour who can advise if the welcome dinner is usually at the hotel where we are staying or elsewhere, based on your experience. Hve read the meeting time is usually 5 pm but I may not be able to make that if I am doing a tour on the Sunday. I have been on two other tours and once we dined at the hotel we were staying at (so if you arrived 45 mins late not really a problem) and once we went out.. .. .. .. . any feedback appreciated. I plan on seeing as much as possible before the tour since we do no spend much time in Rome and if I have to miss the welcome dinner so be it . .. .. .. .. .
tks
Lynda

Which hotel are you staying at?

We are leaving next week for the Leisurely Italy tour and will be at the Starhotel Metropole. I'll be able to answer your question after that however Globus uses several hotels in Rome.On our documents it says our meeting time is 6 P.M.

Hey, lucky you wish I could go sooner. The hotel they have indicated (subject to change of course) is the Abitart. Enjoy your trip, travel safe!
Lynda

Our welcome dinner with Globus was not at the Cicerone Hotel by at a nice resturant nearby. I remember it as a fine meal and we did have one couple who were in Rome on their own early who came a little late to this dinner. So I would say you could arrive late but it is not a good idea since the Tour Director used this time before dinner as orientation time for the tour.

Glad to hear the Welcome dinner in Rome was good as it has been my experience that many times included dinners are not great.Guess I'll find out next week.We leave for the Leisurely Italy tour on Friday. We have extra days planned in Rome.

Rome. But it was free. And I like free food and wine. Who doesn't? I did not hear anyone complain. Mainly it was for the Tour Director to give us quite a bit of information and and a nice way to meet those you will be traveling with.
Be sure and go to the top of Castel San Angelo in Rome. Great views from the top and there is a fine cafe up there also.
We did this on our own since it is near the Cicerone Hotel. It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours before the Welcome Dinner. I had been there in 1964 and wanted to show it to my wife. She loved it. She told me that in the opera Tosca someone is thrown off the roof of that place.

Have an enjoyable trip, Letsgo. When we were on the Globus "Best of Italy" tour in October, 2005, we stayed at the Visconti Palace which was an outstanding hotel. I am not sure if Globus still uses it.

Thank you Max!

Hey Letsgo
Looking forward to your feedback upon your return of what you did with your extra days in rome. like I said earlier i am a single woman travelling so I have to be careful but pls let us know either by reply to this post or by separate one of your own what you did and recommend!!
enjoy
Lynda

Hi Lynda.
Yes, I will write a trip report when I get home.We don't normally do many of the optionals though.Been checking the weather and it looks nice in the low to mid 70's. Some clouds but not a lot of rain.We are going to try the hop on hop off bus for orientation when we first get to Rome.Have not yet decided if we will do the 1 day or 2 day ticket.The hotel we have booked for the 2 early days is between The Pantheon and Piazza Navona so sounds like a great location.We leave tomorrow evening for Evansville where we catch our plane on Friday AM to Atlanta and than on to Rome.I have done lots of research,have my Chow Venice book and Rick Steves tour books and I'm ready!!! I have arranged transportation thru Romecabs for 45 euro.Talk to ya'll when I get back on the 22nd.

Chao

We took this trip late last September. We took many optionals and really enjoyed them all. We did the dinner cruise in Venice and had a wonderful time with our group. I think everyone on the tour went. We didn't do the extension in Sorrento but stayed in Rome 2 more days at the end. In Sicily we thoroughly enjoyed the optional farm dinner in Taormina. This is a wonderful tour and I envy you having it in front of you.

Hi
tks for the feedback. question how much time for shopping did you have in Florence and Venice? It is the two places that I really wuld like to do some browsing around for leather and gold (and of course masks in Venice as well) I am really looking forward to it and 15 weeks from today I'll be en route!! I do hope they offer the dinner cruise in Venice as I think that would be fabulous.

tks again
LF

We had about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to shop in Florence after the tour. Luca (our TD) took us to a leather shop for a presentation and the stuff was beautiful but expensive. They also have vendors set up all along the square and down side streets selling leather belts, purses, etc. In Venice we had about the same amount of time. The tour ends in St. Mark's Square and there are many little shops to choose from. We bought masks for each of our granddaughters. You will also go to the Murano glass factory and of course the opportunity to shop there but we ended up finding pieces in Venice that were more affordable than at the factory. One of our most interesting shopping stops was when we got back from Sicily and outside of Naples we stopped at a cameo factory. Beautiful things!! Many on our tour came back with little packages from there!

We went to the glass factory in Murano as a part of the Globus tour. It was definitely a tourist trap. We did not buy anything there but there rest rooms were very clean.

Hi - thanks to both of you
I'm not a shopaholic but I think in Florence I may forgo the group [dinner to do a bit more shopping, want also to experience the ponto Vecchio shops. Also, think I will try to get out of the Murano Glass thing as my aunt did this on a cruise and she agrees with G max - and clean washrooms are not enough to draw me.

I do hope that they offer the dinner cruise in Venice as that seems to be great.

Sorrento I plan to spend at least two afternoons just relaxing by that pool with the wonderful view of Mt Vesuvius. Also plant to visit both Positano and Amalfi by boat but would welcome any comments by others as to whether the boat or bus is the way to go to these two places.

It's 15 weeks til I leave and I know I'm wishing my life away but I cannot wait until I go!! Letsgo is there now and cannot wait for her trip report.

LF

Hi - thanks to both of you
I'm not a shopaholic but I think in Florence I may forgo the group [dinner to do a bit more shopping, want also to experience the ponto Vecchio shops. Also, think I will try to get out of the Murano Glass thing as my aunt did this on a cruise and she agrees with G max - and clean washrooms are not enough to draw me.

I do hope that they offer the dinner cruise in Venice as that seems to be great.

Sorrento I plan to spend at least two afternoons just relaxing by that pool with the wonderful view of Mt Vesuvius. Also plant to visit both Positano and Amalfi by boat but would welcome any comments by others as to whether the boat or bus is the way to go to these two places.

It's 15 weeks til I leave and I know I'm wishing my life away but I cannot wait until I go!! Letsgo is there now and cannot wait for her trip report.

LF

Hi - thanks to both of you
I'm not a shopaholic but I think in Florence I may forgo the group [dinner to do a bit more shopping, want also to experience the ponto Vecchio shops. Also, think I will try to get out of the Murano Glass thing as my aunt did this on a cruise and she agrees with G max - and clean washrooms are not enough to draw me.

I do hope that they offer the dinner cruise in Venice as that seems to be great.

Sorrento I plan to spend at least two afternoons just relaxing by that pool with the wonderful view of Mt Vesuvius. Also plant to visit both Positano and Amalfi by boat but would welcome any comments by others as to whether the boat or bus is the way to go to these two places.

It's 15 weeks til I leave and I know I'm wishing my life away but I cannot wait until I go!! Letsgo is there now and cannot wait for her trip report.

LF