Ciao Amici Discover Italy | Travel Consultant - Cranford, New Jersey

Stuart G.

Two couples decided we wanted to visit Sicily. We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to see. We didn't want to take a group tour, though, and instead sought some expert help working out an itinerary, arranging internal transportation, recommending hotels, and finding local guides. Enter Filomina and her team. After a couple of conversations about our interests and some back and forth on an itinerary, Filomina put together a trip for us that included a driver, guides, and hotels. She helped with restaurant recommendations and reservations, and gave us some great 'pro tips.' And the trip was fantastic. I cannot say enough about the quality of the guides and our wonderful driver. We saw the marketplaces, backstreets, and cultural sites in Palermo and Monreale through the eyes of a local (who of course also made sure we fully experienced the cuisine!); our two archaeologist guides introduced us to the ancient Greeks and Romans; with local experts we learned about cheese making, visited the last workshop where Sicilian carts are made, and enjoyed chocolate in Modica; and our guide on Mt. Etna figured out the perfect hiking adventure for us on a very windy day before an elegant wine tasting and meal. Filomina gets the highest marks for her expertise, attention to detail, and ability to take our ideas for our trip and turn them into reality. Sicily is a very special place, and Filomina provided us with the opportunity to make the most of our time there. Highly recommended!

Linda B.

We just got back from the most amazing two-week Italian vacation planned for us by Ciao Amici. It was a pleasure working with Filomena and Kelly. I can’t even begin to explain how wonderful this trip was for our family. We traveled by plane, trains and transfers from Milan, Florence, Lecce, Matera all the way down to the Puglia region without any issues. Each location we visited was more beautiful than the other. The hotels we stayed at were exceptional and the staff made us feel right at home, like we were family. We loved the private tours and had the best knowledgeable guides, Marco, Sara, Fabio, and Flo to name a few. Our drivers for the transfers were exceptional especially Aleandro that drove us the most. Some of our highlights were Matera, Sara gave the best tour, dinner and wine tasting at Ill Palazzotto of course the San Pietro Hotel. I think everyone’s favorite was the Cooking Experience with Maya and Marco in Lecce, we learned to cook and authentic Italian meal that we got to enjoy afterwards. Spending the last five days of our trip at the Borgo Bianco Resort was perfect. It was refreshing to have a pool to relax at after morning tours. We took some great day trips from there to the beach in Monopoli, toured Ostuni and Alberobello. If you go to Alberobello a must to go to Terra Madre to dine under grapevines in their beautiful farm to table gardens. I would highly recommend Ciao Amici for Travel to Italy and cannot wait to go back.

Adrienne G.

Filomena at Ciao Amici did an amazing job planning a flawless twelve day trip to Sicily. She is a true professional and demonstrated committment to detail and to honoring our interests. Philomena helped us fine-tune our itinerary and arranged for special experiences such as a food tour, a cooking class, a visit to Mt. Etna and a winery, and a cheese tasting. She recommended nice 4* hotels that were well-located, clean, and suited our needs. Filomena appointed a superb team of guides to help make our trip enjoyable, educational, and seamless. All of our guides spoke excellent English, were extremely knowledgeable about history and culture, and were really nice people. Our driver, Gaspare, was prompt, a good driver, pointed out sites along the way, and was a great guy to spend almost two weeks with. I highly recommend Filomena and Ciao Amici. Our trip was perfect!

Melissa M.

I can’t say enough about the experience our family had in Italy thanks to Ciao Amici. As a nervous passenger, the drivers had me feeling at ease and safe. The tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable and we learned so much from them. Our hotel rooms were perfect for our family, and we felt like VIP’s everywhere we went! We didn’t feel like tourists because we had a local guide with us for our most important visits. Ancient Rome, Pompeii, Capri, cooking classes on the
Amalfi coast with an incredible chef.
If you’re planning a trip to Italy and don’t want to think when you get there, contact Ciao
Amici. We had the best vacation ever!

K. M.

Ciao Amici planned the most wonderful trip for my mother, sister and I to Italy! After the amazing job they did planning our 2019 trip to Italy, there was no doubt we would be returning to the experts to plan our 2024 adventures! All of our accommodations, tours, and transportation during our stay exceeded our expectations. This trip we got to explore some remarkable new cities, Matera being our favorite! However, our time in Tuscany and the farmhouse we stayed at was unforgettable. The communication from Filomena and Kelly during our travels was outstanding! When one of our boat tours got canceled due to weather, Filomena quickly arranged for another tour in the area, which we really enjoyed!
We look forward to Ciao Amici planning our next trip to Italy ❤️ 🇮🇹

Charles D. J.

There are no words to express our gratitude to Filomena and her staff for planning our itinerary from start to finish in Italy. Each day of our nine day journey from Venice to Florence to Rome was perfect! Filomena's expertise was so valuable to us as we began to consider our first trip abroad and felt very overwhelmed trying to plan all the details.

Her team of professionals in Italy were such experts in their travel knowledge, but most importantly made us feel like we were "family" as they navigated through every aspect of our visit.
Our transfer person, car service, drivers and tour guides were top-notch professionals as they immersed us in the Italian culture. We enjoyed the train travel through the Italian countryside, as well as the amazing accommodations in each city.

Suffice it to say that we are already talking about planning another visit very soon!

Maggie P.

Our family just returned from an amazing trip to Italy planned with Ciao Amici. They took care of all of the details and made sure everything was perfect! We can’t wait to plan another adventure and will definitely be working with Ciao Amici again!

Donna R.

Thanks to Filomena and Kelly of Ciao Amici for planning every detail of our wonderful vacation to Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast! It was spectacular!! The tour guides and drivers were so warm and treated us like family! Chef Cristina taught us how to cook risotto, risotto balls and a delicious dessert made with figs. Marco gave us a private tour of Florence! Giuseppe gave us amazing private tours of Rome! We had a great time learning how to make Limoncello and tasting the fabulous dinner Chef Fiore prepared for us in Amalfi. The Hotels were amazing. Of course the food was amazing! If you are planning a trip to Italy, do not hesitate to contact Filomena of Ciao Amici! You will not be disappointed!
Arrivederci, Italia!