Reviews of Italy4Real (Travel Agency)

John L

We used them this past fall for our trip of a lifetime and unfortunately they let us down. We had 6 people traveling to Italy for 2 weeks and we were told that they know all the hotels personally and it makes a difference when the hotel knows that the room is for a "Italy4Real client". Well it didn't. The lodging that was booked for our trip was small and very average at best. Only one of the 4 different locations was nice but at the prices we paid they all should have been exceptional. The tours were OK but again for the price we were charged I don't think the trip was worth anything close to what we paid. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone!

Joel Schleppi

The perfect vacation! Rem and Italy4Real took care of all the planning. All we had to do was show up and enjoy our vacation through Italy. They took us to the major sites, but also some off-the-beaten-path places we never would have found on our own. He introduced us to local shop owners, and we even met an old craftsman who's been working metal since he was 17! Throughout the trip, Rem made sure our vacation was all we expected, and customized things as we travelled to suit our desires. We're already planning our next Italy vacation with Rem and Italy4Real!

Linda Mazzella

This was the best vacation that both my husband and I have been on and we have traveled both locally and abroad. The individual attention to detail and experience that Rem and his team have developed was what make the trip and wonderful as it was. We have missed the group we traveled with and are already planning to go back to Italy with him in 2017. The unique locations that he knows keeps you off the "touristy" locations. We all felt that we got to see the beauty of Italy with him. As if you are traveling with an old friend who lives locally and take you out for the day, gets you settles and meets you later or lets you out on your own. The highlight of our trip was the cooking class in Rome. We have such fond memories of this that we will definitely do this again. We sat on a rooftop eating lunch with our chef and every 15 minutes heard the church bells of Rome ringing. This is what I think heaven looks like. So now when I hear bells ringing I am taken right back there to such a lovely afternoon. We were all sad to leave and loved every day rain or shine. I would totally recommend Rem and this trip. It really was Italy 4 Real.

Christine Muenz

I worked with Deborah De Maio. She was fantastic! She created an itinerary that was absolutely perfect for our Italy trip. She really listened to me about what was important to us. The tour guides she booked for us were phenomenal, and we had fantastic meals in all of her recommended restaurants. I would recommend Italy 4 Real to anyone!

Lorilee Schleppi

This was the best vacation ever! Italy4Real created my dream vacation. They planned the right amount of tours and personal time that matched our wants. Our personal tour guide throughout the vacation was a perfect match for our small group. It's been one year since our trip and I still talk about it. I have recommended Italy4Real to several people and I'm hoping to work with them again to go back and vacation there again.

marlene Dunham

We wanted to create our own itinerary rather than a group tour. Deborah at Italy4Real was invaluable. Being two "60-something" women it was important to us to at least be met at airports and train stations to get us to our hotels. Everything was done for us from transportation to hotel reservations to private tour guides in the places we desired to have a tour. There was not one time in our 18 day trip that a driver was late or that a tour guide did not show up. This service was priceless. It gave us both the freedom we wanted and the security we wanted also. Thank you Deborah for everything. We certainly will be back,

Linda Wenzinger

We just returned from the trip of a life time, which was planned by Italy4real. The first part of our trip was to London with just my husband and I, then we met 3 other couples we didn't know along with Rem Malloy one of the owners of the agency in Milan for a 2 1/2 week tour of Italy, then we took off for another 5 days on our own again. Having a small group makes it much easier to navigate moving around and touring with guides. The people were we were with were really great and we enjoyed their company. Even though we were on guided tours for some of the time, we had plenty of free time to do what we wanted as well. From the start of the trip to the end it was amazing. The private guides and drivers that this company uses are tremendous, friendly and knowledgable. The hotels we stayed in were top knotch and the places we visited were amazing. Breakfast was included everywhere we went as well as several dinners. We went to London, Cotswolds, Lake Maggorie, San Marino, Verona, Venice, Florence, Sienna, San Giamango, Rome, Sorrento, Cava De Terrini and Vetri Sul Mare. Everyone thought we were crazy going for 25 days, but because of the excellent planning done by Deborah and Rem, the trip flew by. I would not hesitate to recommend Italy4real for your trip planning! I have included just a few of the thousands of pictures we took during our amazing adventure! Just writing this review makes me want to do it all over again. Thank you Deborah and Rem for everything. We will never forget the memories we made thanks to you!

Donna Rubino

Our trip was fabulous. Thanks to Carole and Italy4Real. A couple of snafu's which were quickly resolved by your team!!! Wonderful. You laid everything out perfectly for us in a sweet booklet :-) …For that I am so thankful. I cannot wait to go back. Venice was our favorite, and Lido was perfect for a down day!! the beaches were beautiful and the "town" was great! It is definitely on my list for our next trip. We loved Cinque Terre also, as well as the tours you planned in Venice, Florence and Rome… .Thank you again

luca renzini

What a great experience with Italy 4 Real! Their staff was able to put together the perfect trip of Italy for us showing great knowledge of the country and recommending the perfect visits and activities during our stay. I will recommend Italy 4 Real to all my fiends who plan to visit Italy.

Tyler Long

Book here if you’re ok with giving money to a company who uses unpaid interns that they then discard completely (in my expirence) after the internship is completed. I was desperate for an internship at the time, so I agreed to an unpaid internship only because I figured hey atleast I'd make an industry connection and learn some things along the way, well I was wrong about making an industry connection, as I worked on my bachelor's degree I needed some insight on an assignment, I email the owner and of course never heard back, I gave these people 100 hours of free labor and they can’t even be bothered to answer an email? **I'm tired of businesses using free labor under the guise of an unpaid internship, these people wouldn't give me the time of day after I was done. So please if you're considering interning for free, just don't and especially not here** -Again this review is nothing more than a reflection of MY OWN time with ITALY4REAL.

Julie Hollberg

Rem and Italy4real helped us have the best vacation of our lifetime. He took the time to understand how much activity and what types of activity we wanted and then suggested a variety of amazing places. We had incredibly professional drivers and tour guides who were always prompt, friendly, and helpful. Rem and his team followed up consistently throughout the trip to make sure things were going smoothly! We will definitely use them again when we go back to Italy.

Veronica Romney

I love Italy4Real! Great great great Italian family who know Italy and know exactly what to recommend for their clients traveling abroad. Thank you Deborah and Rem for several years of a great friendship and partnership!

Ellen Heaton

Outstanding service. Well planned trip. We'll use this company again.

Roy Williams

they make sure your trip is as "hassle free" as possible!.....so much knowledge & attention to detail....makes u feel u are in good hands.....bravissimo!

ginine ledbetter

I recently returned from a two week tour of Italy with my Mom, my husband and our three kids (13, 8 & 6). Carole and Italy4Real had our trip planned so well. A mixture of private tours, restaurant recommendations, water transfer for Venice, rail tickets for other areas and private transportation as well. All we had to do was look thru our full color, detailed itinerary and we were ready for the day. I know Carole put countless hours of work and preparation into our unforgettable vacation and we are beyond grateful. Our trip was seamless and stress-free. Our accommodations were spacious, clean and honestly better than we expected. We stayed both in hotels and private apartments. I highly recommend Carole's expertise. There is NO WAY I could have enjoyed such a massive trip if all the pressure of planning and organizing was on me; especially taking into account traveling with 3 children. Thank you, Carole!

David Dawson

We just returned from a two week trip to Italy, Austria and Germany. Rem Malloy and his associates did an amazing job of organizing our trip. We had very specific requests and they accomplished each of them. Rem organized private tour guides in Rome, Florence and Venice that enabled us to get into Cathedrals and museums ahead of everyone. We were able to see things others may miss in a large group. In Salzburg for the Sound of Music tour and in Munich for the Castle tour Rem recommended small group bus tours which were perfect for those locations. Our Drivers and escorts were professional and made each transition easier. Each of the hotels he arranged were in the perfect location for our visit. We would highly recommend Rem Malloy and Travel4Real to anyone planning a trip large or small.

Yvonne Hoffman

I have taken 2 trips with Rem and both were awesome. He is very easy to work with and goes out of his way to make the trip perfect. All the hotel's were in perfect locations and very comfortable. He is my go to guy for travel.

Michelle Hawkins

Recently returned from a trip with Italy 4 real, let me start off by saying Italy was amazing! I love the people and the culture; during my travel we met fellow travelers who will be friends for life! We took the Almafi coast tour w/ Rome included and added 4 days to start in Florence. Trip could have been amazing, but due to poor attention to detail on behalf of our Coordinator we had to take care of some things that were to be addressed prior to getting to Italy which made things Frustrating at times. Emails back and forth should have been a sign things would go wrong at some point. While I may work this company again, I will only deal with the Owners. I will address specifics with them to ensure these things are addressed and other potential traveler's aren't impacted. Safe travels!

Lisa Sulock

This past June (2015) was our 4th time using Italy4Real and it was fantastic as always. Everything was perfect from the guides, locations, hotels, restaurants and transportation. This time we went to Sicily and found it to be totally different, but extremely charming and beautiful. I can't really say which trip was our favorite so far as each has its own special memories, but can't wait until our next trip in 2017 with Italy4Real to Pugilia!! I would not think about traveling without using them because we get such great service, the special attention with our customization, wonderful ideas for off the beaten path places and have great local relationships that can assist if you have a last minute request. They really care about their customers and provide top quality service. Highly recommend!!

Andrea Schafer

I cannot say enough nice things about this company and this experience. We traveled with Italy4real from Late August-Early September in 2017. We were there for 16 days, but I could have stayed there another two weeks. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US My husband and I both in our mid-30s, work full time (40+) and we just do not have the desire or patience to plan out a trip. If it were up to me to do this stuff, my husband and I would never travel. We also did not want to go on a large bus tour because we feared that some of the authenticity of an overseas trip would be lost when you are on a huge bus with 60 other people. The best tour company for us would be one that specializes in small group tours that could take us into the small back alley places and introduce us to some locals. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ITALY4REAL Italy4real is a small business run by a mother and son dynamic duo. They are incredibly nice people, willing to answer any of your questions and are organized. My husband and I worked mostly with Rem, who is the owner. Rem was fantastic. He gave me more than enough information to feel prepared for my trip and was always available by phone or email. I appreciated how accessible he was because I am pretty sure I was not his only client. An example of something he did that was above and beyond, he priced out travel insurance for us although he would make no additional money for this service. A LITTLE ABOUT OUR TRIP All I can say is that it was amazing! There were two couples on this tour along with our tour guide, Rem. (Yup...that is right...5 people total.) We traveled to Milan, Lake Maggiore, Florence, Verona, Venice, Bormio and drove up Stelvio Pass. We spent the first few days acclimating to the time change at Lake Maggiore. There we had a chance to take in the beautiful views in a quiet town. There Rem took us to a local restaurant where he obviously knew the owner. We got to have an authentic experience with people who were treating us like friends rather than just transient tourists. This was only possible because we were with Rem. Rem offers that above and beyond experience that you could never get if you attempted to plan this tour on your own because he knows people everywhere you go. There were also so few of us that we did not overwhelm any place we stayed. The rest of the trip was also just as wonderful, but I'd end up writing a novel if I talked about all of it. HIGHLIGHTS Wonderful accommodations everywhere we went, never having to worry about where to be and when, getting to sleep in until 9 am or later, being greeted as if we were friends of the places we went, Rem speaks Italian, getting to make a lifetime of memories in a worry-free way. Also...Rem is hilarious. REGRETS When planning the trip costs can add up quickly. In Modena, we had the chance to drive on a racetrack in a Ferrari. THAT WAS COOL! when planning we got cheap and only paid for 3 laps. Now I wish more then ever I had taken Rem's advice and paid for the 4th lap. I guess we live an learn. ADVICE Look into this company. They are good people running an honest business who really do everything they can to give you the experience of a lifetime.

Lisa Peterson

I just returned from a two week trip to Italy with my daughter that was planned by Italy4Real. This trip was a college graduation gift for my daughter and it exceeded our expectations. We travelled to Venice, Florence, Sorrento, and Rome. Our trip was perfectly planned by Deborah. We had great accommodations in each city, wonderful guides, and sightseeing excursions that were tailored to our interests. The Vespa tour through Tuscany was one of the highlights! Although we never needed it, it was a comfort knowing we had local, English speaking people in Italy we could contact if we had a problem. I will definitely use Italy4Real for my next trip!

James Christman

We recently arrived home from our 13-day vacation in Italy. Having traveled to Europe in large group tours and independently, Italy4Real offered us an alternative by providing a small group (8 people) experience. The attraction was being escorted through Italy by an experienced guide, traveling at a personal pace, greater options by having a small group, and benefiting from the experience of a company with over 20 years of experience in Italy. From day one when we were met by our affable tour guide (and owner) Rem Malloy we were off on a magical tour that included Lake Maggiore, Stressa, Baveno, Venice, Rimini, San Gimignano, and Rome. The advantage our nine passenger van provided was using Rimini and San Gimignano as a base and taking day trips to San Marino, Cortona, Siena, and Florence. Our tour turned out to be wonderful. The food, the scenery, the history, the art and most of all the conversations and laughs were infectious. Thanks Italy4Real we look forward to coming back.

Brian Schafer

We went on a guided driving tour of Italy, and it was amazing! If you are a car enthusiast, ask about that your. The highlights were driving a Ferrari F430 on a racetrack and driving Stelvio Pass. The other Italian must see sights were included as well as introductions to locals and off the beaten path restaurants. If you are traveling to Europe, it should start here. (We are going through them to plan a WW2 trip next fall)