This June our family went to RS Heart of Italy tour and had a blast. My teenager son wrote this trip review below to share.
The Rick Steves Heart of Italy tour was my first ever tour to Italy, and Europe in general. And it was a fantastic introduction to all Italy has to offer, the food, the people, the atmosphere was all so incredible. And the tour does an awesome job of making sure we get the full experience in enjoying them.
The tours around the museum were a great introduction to the artwork and architecture of Italy. Each street and building had a story of how it was made and what great impact, and it was great for us to have guides to explain the backstory of each great pieces. Our one in Florence, Paul was the best. He gave such great explanations of the history behind each painting and sculpture, but also asked us questions to us like he was a professor asking a class. It was startling at first for him to ask such deep questions and it felt a lot like a school class, but it quickly started to engage us and help us understand the thinking behind each art piece and teach us about the rich history behind them. The Rome guide was probably my least favorite one. She was not very engaging and so the information she was telling was lost to us sometimes because it was hard to pay attention to her. The guide in Volterra was more relaxed and did a better job of holding our attention throughout the tour and did not go on some huge rant. She gave great engaging stories of Volterra’s rich history from the past years. Overall, each tour was a good introduction to each city to learn about the rich history. (Cinque Terre had no tour guide by the way but there is plenty of great towns for you to explore on your own.)
The restaurants were authentic with a rich history, some that had been open for over five decades, with some of the best recipes. It really does not matter the tours takes you to eat, I guarantee the food you have here will be top quality. The ingredients are fresh and local, always of top quality, the bright and fresh tomatoes and vegetables, the delicious and tender grilled meats, and crisp bread was like Italy in two slices of bread. These ingredients just help elevate the dish whether it be a pasta, pizza, Florentine steak or just a simple cantaloupe for dessert (Which are insanely good!). Even the deep-fried food like calamari did not feel oily or heavy, but felt so light that you could just eat plates after plate of it. Overall, each meal had lots of time and effort which helps you appreciate all the love and care with each bite. I finished every single plate at any meal because it was so good that I was motivated to enjoy it all and not let any go to waste. As for allergies, the restaurants do a good job to make sure they won’t ruin your meal. In the restaurants we went to for group dinners, they helpfully provide alternate dishes for any dietary restrictions like allergies or if you are vegan/vegetarian. Others restaurants had numbers next to each dish that mean a different allergy, like 1 for ‘has dairy’, 2 for ‘has tree nuts’, etc. With the hospitality and energetic friendliness that each restaurant and service have, the dining experience here is really something special that you do not want to miss. So, I highly suggest going to any nearby restaurant to enjoy a fantastic plate of local Italian food.