Enjoyed Grand Circle tour of Italy & France

My husband and I, along with another couple, enjoyed a wonderful 3-week trip to Italy. Prior to starting a tour, we spent five nights in Bologna, Italy, at the Palazzo Trevi B&B (Via Frassinago 31; www.palazzotrevi.it), arranged on our own through Booking.com, which worked very well. Our stay cost the two of us a total of $735.

This was a lovely B&B with wonderful owners who helped us with bus and train travel and with getting a car for our trip to Florence. We highly recommend the Trevi, with its bountiful breakfasts, outdoor patio and comfortable rooms.

Do not miss the BEST gelato at Gelateria delle Moline (13/B, Via Moline, Bologna; www.gelateria dellemoline.com). Try the fig gelato if they have it, but everything is delicious. We went back a second time.

In Florence, we began our tour, “The Rivieras: Italy, France & the Isles,” with Grand Circle Cruise Line (Boston, MA; 800/221-2610, www.gct.com). The price of our tour and river cruise, May 2-16, 2017, was $5,500 without air, and we upgraded to the top deck for $800. Daily breakfasts and several lunches and dinners were included on land plus all meals on the ship.

The trip started with four days at a hotel in Florence and then a drive to Livorno, on the west coast, to board the ship.

We enjoyed our time in Florence on our own, although Grand Circle did offer optional trips to wine country and Vinci. We had been to Florence before, so we picked places to revisit, like the Medici Chapel, and places to see for the first time, like the town of Fiesole near Florence. We also went on a tour of the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s “David” — always spectacular.

I can’t say enough about our ship, the M/V Arethusa, and its entire staff. Everyone was so accommodating, and the seven days were filled with great sights, sounds and delicious food. Places visited included Bastia on the isle of Corsica, Porto Venere, Vernazza in the Cinque Terre and Santa Margherita Ligure in Genoa. All were wonderful, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous!

Our program director, Danieli, was the best person and leader we could have had — bright, energetic, caring and informative.

On the island of Elba we had a home-hosted lunch and, lucky us, we visited the home of Virginia Campidoglio. She, her husband and their daughter prepared a bountiful meal for us. It was a beautiful day and we ate outside, watching the dogs and ducks and learning about life on Elba.

We ended our trip at a hotel in Cannes right before the film festival started. It was fun perusing Cannes, Nice and Antibes.

IRIS BING
Pennington, NJ