Italy Tour: Craig and Pat Catanzariti

Jerry, as you have probably surmised from the lack of calls crying for help, everything went well on our trip. We are very pleased with Umfulana, you and your excellent service and with the properties on our itinerary. We met wonderful people, ate great food, saw wondrous things, stayed in above average accommodations and were treated warmly throughout our travels. We will use your service again if available.

Roma: Great Hotel with a warm and helpful staff. Even though we were in the center of Rome, it was very secure and homey. The staff was very knowledgeable and lots of fun. They took care of all the little details that, if missed, can spoil a trip for a visitor. Would definitely stay again.

Positano: Charming hotel with wonderful, old world, feel but with all the modern conveniences. The view alone was worth the trip. The food was very good and the staff was helpful. The owner was very nice and a pleasure to be around. High on the list of hotels to come back to.
Negative; No hotel parking and we were charged € 20 per day. I should have known about this in advance, especially since I asked specifically about parking.

Matera: Apparently the owner of the hotel made a change and we were moved to a different accommodation. I found the original hotel with the help of the Cabinarie (who let me drive down a pedestrian only lane). Picture this if you will: Two very helpful Italians try to explain that our reservation is changed and want to take our luggage to a different place. They promptly lifted our bags and speed off up hills, around corners and are quickly out of sight. This is not looking good at all! All ends well, the new hotel was perfect, the staff warm and friendly and we all had a good chuckle once the panic subsided. Excellent room, great near-by restaurants and a great area. I knew about the parking and they charged less then you thought. We loved the hotel and became friends with the porter who showed us the entire property, even the closed parts. Great experience. We highly recommend this hotel.

Otranto: Otranto and the coast to the south were some of the prettiest places we experienced. We had some great picnic lunches out on the rocks, spent a lot of time enjoying the sea and met some fascinating people. Unfortunately none of these things involved the hotel itself. I have a list of issues but none are of your doing so they shall go unstated. I do feel that this property does not fit with the others we enjoyed and that you may want to review it in the context of fit with your overall caliber of quality. We would love to see Otranto again but would not stay at that hotel regardless of price.

Montegrosso: Gem of the trip, I cannot say enough good things about this farm. The owner was a pleasure to be around, the Masseria is more of a retreat then a hotel, the food, oh the food (and at a great price too!)! Pat and I would truly love to go back just to relax there for a week and enjoy the peace and beauty of the entire experience. Everyone we met there, the staff and other guests, just added a little more to make it a great stay, wish it were longer. A must stay.

Peschici: Another property I cannot say enough good things about. The Room, the food (very reasonable!), the staff were all great. The Gargano is very beautiful and a must see. The statement "The beach is only a
short walk away" is open to interpretation but forgivable considering the wonderful stay (estimate a 1.5 K, 25 min. fast walk). We will specify this resort next trip to the area.

Back to Roma and home.

This was a wonderful trip and vacation. Emboldened by the careful planning and the fact the Umfulana takes care of the details, we plan to do a similar trip next year!