Loraine Escoffery and Julia O'Keefe
Josephine,
We were so completely happy with our tour and we wanted to let you know that everything worked out well for us.  We returned safely to the US on Thursday.  Your enthusiasm and pride in Sicily and its many treasures were an important part of our enjoyment.  It was great to have the chance to see the antiquities and take time to enjoy them rather than rushing through - we appreciated your ability to adapt to our pace!  And you certainly chose some wonderful restaurants for us too!  We're not great photographers, but we thought you might enjoy a few photos.  Most of our pictures are of the sites, but we picked out a few with all of us in them.
Thank you again for making our tour so special.  If we are lucky enough to return to Sicily, it would be great to plan a custom tour with you as our guide.
Sincerely, Loraine and Julia

James Bokor
Dear Vincenzio,

On behalf of my friends and I, we wish to thank you for all the time and effort you put into our trip (Sicily's Historic and Cultural Tour and the Aeolian Islands of Lipari, Vulcano and Stromboli) from September 6th through the 24th. This was one of our first tour trips (I'm usually playing tour director) and it was outstanding. All or the guides really knew their stuff.  It was more than we expected. All our accommodations were excellent. Transportation was very comfortable.  We normally drive ourselves, and to not have to drive on those roads in Sicily and the islands was GREAT. All our connections getting to the Aeolian Islands, around the islands and back to Taormina and  the airport were right on time and welcoming after some of the boat rides.

All of your staff seemed to go out of their way to accommodate our needs. We would highly recommend your agency for anyone who is interested in seeing Sicily. An finally last but not least, Giuseppe, our tour guide, whom we had for the week of Sicily's Historic and Cultural Tour -  he was outstanding. We missed him on the weeks that followed when we were on our own.  Give that man a raise!  Once again THANK YOU for everything.

James

David Keith
Dear Valeria,

We made it home safely. Thank you for your help during our wonderful trip to Sicily. We got our bag back. Then we arranged to meet and talk with

Josephina on Tuesday evening. It was a very enjoyable conversation. The trip was everything we expected it to be--a mixture of interesting and

adventurous.

Best wishes, David

Laure Dardour | Tour Operator

Thank you Valeria. I spoke to Mrs Solomon  and they came back with very pleased  they loved the tours they did and will recommend us. 

Kind regards, Laure

Paul Russotto
Lesley and Valeria:

Please extend our thanks to all at Best of Sicily for a wonderful tour of Malta and Eastern Sicily.
Flora - our guide in Malta was very knowledgeable and accomodating.  Our drivers Raymond and Wayne were professional and handled the congested roads easily.

Our tour of Siracusa and Catania, on which we joined another of your tours with Giuseppe as the guide was likewise informative and comfortable.

The jeep ride at Mount Etna was fun but not very informative.  The guide had to make a detour into another town, which was out of our way, to pick-up another couple.  Also, the jeep tour ended much farther down the mountain than we has all expected,

The hotel in Malta was very nice but the room left much to be desired. It overlooked the steep driveway to the waterfront area - no view. However, the Hotel Lido Caporena in Toramina was excellent. It is too bad that we did not have any time to enjoy the beach, pool or spa.

Again, thanks for all of your assistance.  I will gladly give your firm the highest reference if you desire such a thing.

Jack Ventimiglia
I am writing you this letter to let you know what a wonderful service your company provides.  My family and I recently visited Sicily for the first time and we utilized your services during our stay in Palermo.  We should have made all the tour arrangements through Around-Sicily.com because the tour guides and drivers were very informative, helpful, friendly and most of all made us feel welcome.  They all genuinely provided top-notch service.  This was better than we had even hoped for or anticipated.
I also want to point out that Lesley Pace (tour guide) and Salva (driver) went beyond the call of duty.  Lesley was an excellent and patient translator as well as an informative guide and Salva was a careful and friendly driver.  When our time came to depart I was almost in tears as I felt I was saying goodbye to two very dear friends.
If you ever need a recommendation for your company please do not hesitate to use this letter or even call me.   

Sincerely,

Petrone Family
Dear Lesley,
A perfect vacation for all of us.  I have been fortunate to have traveled the world, and Sicily will be one of my fondest memories for it's beauty aind most of all it's people. I and my family thank you for all your help and also for putting together a great tour.  We will miss Sicily, I hope someday to return.  Please tell Simone we wish the best.  He was fantastic.  All of you were great.
Thank you again.
Smile......Be Happy

Dave & Muriel Choate - Hollywood, Florida
Caro Vincenzo, 

My wife and I want to echo the comments of our fellow travelers & friends and tell you that the trip you put together for us was absolutely "outstanding".  We have never ever been on a tour that went as flawlessly as this one.  Everything went exactly as scheduled and planned -- we couldn't have wished for more.  The staff and guides were outstanding -- professional, knowledgeable, and personable.  And the hotels, meals and accommodations were also excellent.  All in all, we enjoyed everything about the trip and will not hesitate to enthusiastically recommend your fine organization to one and all. 

And finally, a personal note of thanks to our "faithful guide and true friend" Giuseppe Brunetti.  He is the "Best" -- il ottimo!  He was so helpful and so accommodating to our every wish --even giving up his room one night to one of our party when their air conditioning wasn't working.  He was always friendly, personable and had great communication skills in imparting his vast knowledge of Sicily's people, culture and history.  As James said, we missed him on the rest of our fantastic journey through the Aeolian Islands and back in Taormina.  He is a true "treasure" to your tourist agency and we cannot thank him enough.  

Sincerely,     

Michelle Rokavec

Hi Valentina,

I am sitting in the VIP lounge at MXP, waiting for our flight home... Very sad, because the trip has been wonderful!!

This is the first time I could write because we've been so busy. First, the Hotel Isabella in Taormina was perfect (great location, lovely room with a terrace, nice people at the reception and restaurant, and the best breakfast; eggs, bacon, croissants, breads, jams, fruits, meats, cheese- everything). We enjoyed our free day on my mother's 70th, too.

Then, believe it or not, the Etna tour was the BEST! Our guide, Francesco, picked us up in a 'real' jeep. He apologized,saying it wad the car they

used- not usually for guests. But, it was perfect- very real and authentic!

The whole trip was mad so fun by our guide. First, he is a younger student and guide, too- GREAT personality!!! He explained all about Etna, the area (he is from Linguaglossa?) And the natural beauty. We took all the back roads and barley- there roads up the lava rock and down paths. He helped my mom up and down the mountain when it was steep, so we could see more. He was really good and accommodating and spoke great English. Nice sense of humor, too. Lunch was wonderful!

I just wanted to THANK YOU so much for all you did to make this trip an absolutely incredible experience. It was first class all the way!

Thank you again, Valentina!!!

Michelle

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Hyman Rabinovitch
Hi Lesley

We are back home.

Your driver, David and guide Lucia were excellent. The hotel was very enjoyable and everyone there was very nice to us. Thank-you for putting together a terrific experience.

Hy

Christine and Warren
Dear Vincenzo,
I just wanted to tell you how lovely our holiday was in Sicily. Our guide, Josephine, was really excellent, and she went out of her way to accomodate our every wish. The hotels were great choices - we especially liked the Plaza Opera in Palermo. The hotel in Taormina was beautiful, but the beds are quite hard and the pillows thin - we did not sleep very well. I am not complaining, I just thought you might want to know for future reference.
Thank you again for a wonderful time, and please, give our best to Josephine.
Best regards,

William and Elita Agee
Vincenzo
Thanks for making it such a good trip- Giusy was terrific--

we will recommend you to anyone going to Sicily--!!

all best wishes

Diana M. Hechler
Dear Vincenzo:

I just received an e-mail from Bonnie Mager and they were just delighted with their tour of Sicily. She noted that their guide (Vincenzo  -- a different Vincenzo?  You?) was absolutely wonderful, the tours were great, the hotels superb. They had a wonderful experience.

You obviously did a great job and I will be delighted to work with you again in the future for other clients. I would be happy to recommend you to anyone.

Thanks for helping arrange this great trip at the last moment for my clients.  You made me look like a star!  I appreciate it.

Best, Diana

Mr. S. Safa, Cosmics S.A
Dear Lesley,
It was nice seeing you in Palermo. I would like to thank you for everything. We had a wonderful time. The best part of the trip was our guide, Guisy, who very easily integrated with us and did a fantastic job. She is a very good driver and a marvelous company.
Thanks and hope to come back soon.
Best Regards
S. Safa
 

Maria T. Fernandez, PMP
Buongiorno, Lesley
Our group just got back from our 19 day visit to Italy and the day we spent at Sicily was a big highlight to our trip thanks to our driver Miguel and our wonderful guide: Nunzio Consentino.  We truly had a wonderful time and it was fun to have a guide that was knowledgeable and fun.  We will definitely refer you to future customers and hope to come back to Sicily sometime soon.
Thank you again!!!!!
Ciao, Maritere
 
Dave & Muriel Choate
Caro Vincenzo, My wife and I want to echo the comments of our fellow travelers & friends and tell you that the trip you put together for us was absolutely "outstanding".  We have never ever been on a tour that went as flawlessly as this one.  Everything went exactly as scheduled and planned -- we couldn't have wished for more.  The staff and guides were outstanding -- professional, knowledgeable, and personable.  And the hotels, meals and accommodations were also excellent.  All in all, we enjoyed everything about the trip and will not hesitate to enthusiastically recommend your fine organization to one and all....And finally, a personal note of thanks to our "faithful guide and true friend" Giuseppe Brunetti.  He is the "Best" -- il ottimo!  He was so helpful and so accommodating to our every wish --even giving up his room one night to one of our party when their air conditioning wasn't working.  He was always friendly, personable and had great communication skills in imparting his vast knowledge of Sicily's people, culture and history.......Sincerely,     

Dave & Muriel Choate
Hollywood, Florida

Donna and Bob Burrell

Dear Vincenzo, We just wanted to let you know that we enjoyed our Sicilian Heritage tour very much.  The hotels were all first class and the meals that were provided were delicious....We would recommend this tour to anyone interested in going to Sicily...... 

SNO Yachts Monte-Carlo Charter

Dear Vincenzo, with regards to the services you provided to our clients on board of the Yacht TOURIBBILLON, 21-28 August, as Incoming Tour Operator, I would like to thank you for the success the itinerary had for our Clients ......please if you need any more reference for your work, do not hesitate to give my contact details to any other broker or clients. Best regards Agata Grillo

Isabel Foley | Photo Editor | The New York Times Syndicate
Hello. I hope this finds you well. I am writing from the New York Times Syndicate where we are currently preparing to syndicate an article published in Diversions entitled "Circling Sicily" by Tom Passavant who, in May signed up for your 9-day Wine and Gastronomy tour. His article features highlights of his trip that were made particularly special by one of your tour guides, Giuseppe Brunetti.
We are thrilled to be including the article in our news feed and to enhance our readers' understanding we would like to include any photographs or illustrations that you have available in our syndication package. It would be wonderful if you have any pictures from towns that were included in that trip or any other cultural aspect of Sicily that you would like to share. Could I trouble you for some high resolution, (at least 300 DPI at 5x7 in), handout images to accompany the article?  Please include any caption information you think might be helpful as well as the credit as you would like it to appear with the photo.  
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions and thank you in advance for your time and help with this.
Sincerely,  Isabel

Mrs Lisa Stephens

Ciao Lesley!

I hope this e-mail finds you enjoying your summer and having plenty of time to do the things you love!   I have been remiss in not writing you sooner to thank you for EVERYTHING for our wonderful day in Palermo and Isnello.   It was such a wonderful day meeting you and our family and spending that time together.... You and Vincenzo were amazing and so gracious to spend that much time with us and make communication possible.  We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts! ....Have a wonderful day!

Private School Group Tour of Sicily - March 2008 - Ms Heather

Mr Agrusa was an excellent tour guide. He was extremely kind, helpful, and cheerful throughout the entire trip. He spoke a very good English and went out of his way to make sure that each of us was comfortable and accommodated. He is, without a doubt, the best tour guide that I have ever had.......overall, I was blown away with this trip and would most certainly consider taking another trip with this agency and recommending it to my friends.