Pisa & Florence Shore Trip

I booked our tour several months ahead of our trip. Paola responded immediately and was very patient with the changes in things like tender times off the cruise ship etc. Giuseppe was very knowledgeable not only of Florence and Pisa but also of provinces and towns in between making the two hour drive very tolerable. He was also aware of the grandsons, 9 and 7, and their needs for a break for pizza and gelato. Excellent service!

Paola picked us up from our cruise ship and did an amazing job of exposing us to Pisa and Florence highlights. We had a lot to pack in, so it was face-paced. With the limited time, she curated what she thought were the highlights of each area based on our interests. Certainly we would have liked to spend more time in certain places (like Accademia) but she skillfully gave us an introduction to so many things that we are excited to go back one day and do a land portion to explore deeper. She was wonderful about keeping us out of the blazing sun as much as possible, and driving us to the different sites with door to door service in her air conditioned van (it was close to 100 degrees and I don't know how the tourists walking long distances in the tour bus groups did it!). I think trying to do this excursion on our own or even with a large tour group would have made for a difficult day, but thanks to Paola we had a most wonderful day and are very thankful to her for offering us her expertise!!

Our guide, Giuseppe, was wonderful. His enthusiasm for Florence and Pisa was apparent during every phase of our tour. We learned so much about Florence and its cultural and artistic history. We had purchased tickets for the tour of the museum and he was careful to get us there on time and then gave us a very knowledgeable tour there. With his help we saw things in the paintings that we would never have seen and learned about the evolution of the styles of art and architecture. That held true of the buildings and the landmarks. At lunchtime he led us to a very authentic restaurant on a little back alley/street where we had a delicious lunch. So many people speak only of the David statue and the bridge used by the Medicis when they talk about Florence but he showed us that and so much more. Likewise he was very knowledgeable about Pisa the city as well as the Leaning Tower complex. We were 100% pleased with Giuseppe and our tour and would recommend him highly. We are grateful he was assigned to us for our tour.

On the back of so many positive reviews, decided to book with Paolo for a Pisa / Florence shore excursion from Livorno (private tour with 8 people). First off, the van was clean and comfortable. Unfortunately, Paola wasn't our guide. Instead, it was Giuseppe. He was on time meeting us but really started off on the wrong foot but trying to present a history lesson while we were still in the parking lot of the cruise terminal. So we sat there for 5-7 minutes right from the start and immediately hit traffic leaving the port which totally killed the mood from the beginning. We all woke up early and were looking forward to a quick start. Giuseppe could've easily spent the time driving to give us some commentary. He said he's been a tour guide for 30 years and it shows as he very clearly wanted to do things his way rather than asking the group what kind of tour we wanted. Giuseppe stated that he wants his guests to fully understand what they're seeing and for him, that means detailed history and repetition (literally repeated certain facts 5-10 times). Our group wanted to maximize our time and see / experience more rather than stay in one place and listen to long commentary but Giuseppe didn't want that. After the Pisa stop (which was nice - Giuseppe dropped us off right at the entrance and was there waiting for us when we finished), I literally had to tell him how we wanted the rest of the tour to go. At one point, we had to pretend to sleep so that he would stop talking incessantly. Because we really didn't have the same outlook, we completely forewent the planned walking tour of Florence and had him drop us off for free time. I don't necessarily think Giuseppe is a bad guide, but I think his greatest weakness is not asking / caring what his guests want, preferring to do things his way only. I emailed the above feedback to Paolo to which she responded: "Buongiorno everybody This is the 1st complain I am receiving from him from years. You booked a tour with a licensed guide, it’s quite normal that is trying to introduce the city and talk, it would be have beed strange the opposite Of course we the guide we need to be flexible and understand the clients needs. He has a lot of patience usually and this is all be surprise what you wrote to me About the Mayor, you asked why we need to pay 1 euros to go to the bathroom, we don’t have any control on this, this the mayor decision James thank you to say is not a bad guide, as he is not, but thank you for your feedback. He is very upset of course of what your wrote down, but in the this busy season as this one is, is possible not to please everybody" *** To clarify: No one asked why bathrooms cost 1 euro. It's a private bathroom and they can charge whatever they want. The issue was that many in the group needed to use the restroom. We passed a McDonald's where we told Giuseppe we would be happy to stop and he did not. That was the issue. Just one of many examples where Giuseppe simply did not read the group's wishes. We took numerous tours during our month in Europe. All the other guides knew when to talk and when not to talk, even in join-in tours. This was a private tour and Paola's guide made no effort to ask/ascertain what our group wanted from the tour. On a related note, I just found another TA thread where Paola revealed that Giuseppe is actually her partner/husband... which explains a lot. So, YMMV but you might want to confirm which guide you're actually getting on the day...

Paola is a great guide! She is responsive to questions, fluent in English, knowledge, and helps tailor the excursion to your interests. She remembers what is important to you.

Paola did an amazing job! She guided us quickly and efficiently and has an exstensive knowledge of the history and arts of the city and sites. She told us many insites of the people and interesting history of the town. She has a great personality and made the dayso much fun! We highly recommed Paola and we would enjoy having another tour by her! Pete & Gaye Shields - Birmingham, AL

Thanks for showing us around Florence and taking us for a wine tasting. This is our second experience with Paola in Florence. Thank you again...