Italy Beyond the Obvious -

Naisan Modjarrad

Madeline and Claudia, I want to express my family’s deep gratitude for all the time and effort your team invested into making this adventure truly magical. You have absolutely spoiled us and set a new bar for future trips. Every city(Rome, Praiano, Florence and Venice), day, and hour was meticulously accounted for, including guides, tours, transportation, restaurant reservations, and even planned “down time,” which my family greatly appreciated. While you can’t compare a “traditional cooking class” to the art, history and historical sites - my family might argue it was one of the absolute highlights of the trip - wont mention who the class was with here. If you are considering a cooking class during your trip, Madeline and Claudia know exactly who to book this class with if you are in Praiano! Having access to the itinerary also made it easy to follow the plan, and keep everyone on schedule! Claudia’s on ground support also came in hand several times for minor adjustments. Again, thank you for the attention to detail in planning a trip of lifetime.

Bea Nadelin

We had a perfect vacation. My husband and I took our daughter and grand-daughter for a two week trip to Italy. Rome, Montepulciano, Florence and Sestri Levante. A night in Milan when our flight was cancelled. When there were hiccups, our driver didn't show up at the airport, our flight was cancelled, we had instant support and help. Details were well organized and we were able to enjoy our trip without stress. It was wonderful to have someone else handle the details. Our grand-daughter wants to know when we are going back. I'm with her on that!

Dustin Platter

Rebecca and Madeline at Italy Beyond the Obvious were amazing to work with.
They spent weeks helping us put together a 2-week trip that spanned from southern Italy to the Northwest. They were great at working within our budget and keeping our needs/desires in mind. They assisted with travel arrangement, accommodations, food recommendations, and tours.
The best part was having consistent access to Rebecca while in Italy to help when problems arose. Whether it was missing a train (by minutes) to shifting dinner reservations, she was always available and helped resolve anything that came up.
Thanks to their work we have amazing memories of some spectacular hotels, delicious restaurants, and unforgettable tours. This trip would not have been possible (or as pleasant) without their help.

Rhonda Bleck

Madeline and Claudia were so amazing to work with and helped us plan a dream trip! Every step of our planning was so smooth and efficient. Their insight and knowledge of Italy was so helpful as we had never been before. We also really appreciated the access to their help while on our trip and communicating with them was always easy. Thank you both so much!!❤️

Deb Martin

We chose to work with Madeline, owner of "Italy Beyond the Obvious" to plan our Italian vacation last summer. She did an outstanding job planning a flawless trip for our family and went out of her way to assure that we had a magical time. She helped us to plan a 3 week trip that started in the Amalfi Coast and ended in Venice. Along the way, we stayed in wonderful accommodations that were centrally located and were treated to the best tours given by top notch guides. Madeline also directed us to many unique sites and made sure that the logistics were seamless when getting from place to place. Since Madeline lived and worked in Italy, she really knows what she is doing and will only make recommendations that she trusts will deliver a quality experience for her clients. She is very organized and sensitive to your budget. You are guaranteed to have a great Italy trip if you choose to work with Madeline

Nicki Seidl

My husband and I are so grateful we partnered with Madeline and Claudia to plan the perfect “anniversario rubino” trip to northern Italy. We had a memorable experience that we will treasure always. We had peace of mind because Claudia was in contact with us every step of the way: transportation, logistics, accommodations, dining, and activities—no particular was left unchecked, giving us the freedom to enjoy every moment. Each of our hotels had personality yet was renovated and modernized. Our itinerary, minutely detailed and easily accessible in a dynamic app, was the ideal balance of planned activity and serendipitous exploration.

Our guides, Beatrice in Venice and Rita in the Cinque Terre, were the best part of our trip. They shared not only facts about the locations we visited, but their personal histories and lifestyles. We could get a sense of what it is like to be a citizen of that place. Their mastery of English was impeccable. How admirable that these two strong women developed careers from a love of the beauty and history of their country, paired with an enviable ability to communicate with strangers with warmth, humor, and grace in a language not their own!

Thank you, Madeline, Claudia, and everyone working with Italy Beyond the Obvious for allowing us to experience the some of the authenticity of the areas we chose to explore, with a safety net. We felt a bit more integrated into the culture of this beautiful and diverse country, and basked in the warmth of its sunshine and its citizenry. We have recommended your services to others and will not hesitate to partner with you again on a return trip to Italy!

Giuseppe Cascio

Hi Madeline ,
We are home from a trip that we will never forget. The trip was great and very organized. Rebecca was outstanding.She was in constant communication and had great recommendations. All of the restaurants were great , top 3 La pace de Palato, Terrazza Borromini and Adamo Ed Eva. Car services were very accommodating and on time, a big kudos to Michele(Napoli)and Lorenzo(Sorrento). Marco our boat in Venice was accommodating and at our disposal was great. Tours were all great and the guides knowledgeable and personable. Beatrice and Stuart were tops.I will keep referring you to anyone that will travel to Italy.
Thank you again,
Hopefully we can redo a similar trip soon.
Giuseppe

Sue

Madeline and Amanda planned an amazing "Father-Daughter Adventure" for my 87-year-old dad and me! We visited Rome, Florence, and Venice. Our trip was planned with such attention to details.The planning process was 100% personalized, and I never felt any pressure to add or subtract anything from our trip.

Our hotels included elevators, natural light in the room, largest square footage possible, and a central location. In Rome, Hotel Damaso was beautiful and comfortable. Hotel staff were friendly, and spoke English.

Our guide in Rome, Sara, was well informed and articulate. She had a fun, engaging personality, and touring around with her was like having a personal historian giving commentary. Her narrative went beyond facts and included personal stories about previous generations of her family in Rome. She took us through her neighborhood, and as she greeted her friends, we felt less like tourists and more like locals! As I watched big groups of tourists with earbuds following a guide holding a flag, I felt especially appreciative of the personalized experience we were having with Sara. Our first day in Rome there was a taxi strike, and while Amanda immediately called private drivers to get us to our planned destination, Sara waved a private driver over and convinced him to take us to the Vatican. The driver told us that he was not a taxi, nor was he able to be "hailed" from the street, so he had to call his boss to get permission to drive us, but he did it!

The food was wonderful and abundant! Da Emma for pizza - we went twice! A food tour through Local Aromas was fun and delicious. Our guide was Benedetta, who we talked and laughed with throughout the evening.

High speed train to Florence. A bit confusing in the train station, as our platform was displayed less than 10 minutes before departure time, so we had to rush to find our specific coach. IBTO had pre-purchased our reserved tickets, so it was easy to find our seats.

Our guide in Florence, Paolo, had 30 years of experience, was energetic, and told interesting factual and personal stories. He took us to see David at the Accademia Gallery, as part of a 3-hour walking tour.

In Venice, Palazzina Fortuny was an exceptional hotel, with a large room. The concierge at this hotel was so caring and attentive. Twice, he left the desk, locked the hotel (guests had a code on our phones to get in the building) to walk us to our destination! IBTO arranged for us to have lunch with a local person (Barbara), at her home in Venice. She made a delicious meal, and we had the delightful experience of sitting at her kitchen table, dining with her and her partner.

The level of service provided by Madeline planning the trip and Amanda during the trip, was exceptional! IBTO is well worth the cost, as it was their attention to everything that made our trip go so smoothly. We contacted Amanda several times during our trip, with situations such as my dad having a problem with his hearing aids (she found an audiologist, called him and arranged for a car to take us to his office), to broken sunglasses (she found an optometrist nearby), to having trouble finding our water taxi in Venice (she sent us photos of the train station and the area where the taxi was waiting). She responded quickly, always had a solution, and went the extra mile to make calls for us to explain our situations in Italian. Knowing that we had Amanda to contact made our trip absolutely worry-free!

Neither my dad nor I had ever used a travel advisor like IBTO, and I can't say enough positive things about our experience!! They took care of all the arrangements that could be made in advance, made sure that we had our complete itinerary on the app, included walking maps, and information about taxis, trains, tipping, money exchange, and even a list of the best gelato shops in each city! I highly recommend IBTO-they were detail oriented, and focused on our preferences in food, accomodations and activities. And, Madeline and Amanda are kind, patient, and their genunine love for Italy is so evident!