“We cannot applaud ICNOS ADVENTURES and Anna and Marcello enough for the perfectly choreographed “Jewels of Amalfi Coast” self guided tour that we enjoyed in mid May 2015. They could not control the perfect weather, but their attention to every detail did guarantee we would have a stress-free adventure. Having so many specific bus and train schedules to choose from, options on the hiking itineraries, great restaurant recommendations and wonderful, well located hotels all contributed to a vacation we will always remember with incredible memories. Although there are other tour companies to choose from for these types of trips, we selected them because they are locals and know their region better than outsiders. We indeed made the right choice! Anna helped us so much with preplanning suggestions for the 2nd half our Italy holidays as well – in the Umbria region. The maps, daily directions and other valuable literature were great resources as well. Bravo and grazie mille for such extraordinary service.
Dottie is a former travel agent with over 20 years of experience, so she can be hard to please.
This was a trip of a life time and mapped to perfection.
Grazie Mille!!
Dottie & Jack”
“The Jewels of the Amalfi Coast – May 2015”
Now that several days have past since our return from Italy, I want to thank you for what was a amazing vacation. The itinerary was fund and varied, the hotels were beautiful, and the walks were spectacular. We particularly appreciated the fact that you made it so easy for us! We loved being able to rely on the information packet when we needed it — and to mix it up when we were feeling adventurous.
Thanks again fro everything! You will definitely be hearing from us the next time we plan a trip to Italy.
All the best,
We are safely back home after a very special holiday
We would like to thank you very much for the super organisation of our Amalfi hiking trip
Everything went absolutely as planned and as you informed us
The walks are so well described and we enjoyed the extra day that we walked through Maiori to Ravello
We had a super snack plus a glass of champagne at Pasticceria Sal De Riso – on you recommendation
The varieties in the walks with the Valley of the ancient Mills being much more nature orientated was also just great
Your directions for Pompeii on bus and train worked very well and Leonie being a Latin scholar really could relive it all
Positano was stunning – lovely hotel enjoyed the breakfast served on your own veranda
The last walk we did in reverse – The Pathway of the Gods
That was the only day that the weather did not play with -it was quite cloudy
Fortunately we did the first bit on our way down to Praiano with clear views!!
We also had a lovely day going on a boat excursion to Capri
We are both senior citizens as you might know and we managed without any accidents to walk it all!!!
Maybe we were not quite prepared for the amount of steep steps that there is but we survived
The books that you included in our arrival package were also just great to have
All and all we really enjoyed the experience very much and would like to thank you again for a really fantastic time
Your personal contact to find out how we are doing was really very much appreciated
We will definitely recommend you to anyone who wants to do a hiking trip in the Amalfi coast
Thank you very much again
Arrivederci
“Marcello & Anna,
I recently arrived back home from my Jewels of the Amalfi Coast self guided hiking trip and wanted to send you a note while everything is still fresh in my mind.
I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time I had exploring the Amalfi Coast and how impressed I was with Icnos Adventures.
The hotels were all charming, well located, and had EXCEPTIONAL service. The package I received upon my arrival in Amalfi was above anything I could have anticipated. The daily hiking and transportation instructions were extremely detailed- I never felt misguided or lost.
Once again thank you for putting together such a wonderful holiday.
Sincerely,
Shannon Martin”
“The Jewels of the Amalfi Coast” self-guided walking tour – Sept 2015
“We had an absolutely wonderful time in Italy, made perfect by your excellent planning for us. We will be getting a raving review onto your web page. In the meantime, we have told all our friends, especially our hiking friends, what a wonderful trip we had.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Pat”
“The Jewels of the Amalfi Coast” self-guided walking tour – Oct 2014
“Ciao Anna and Marcello,
We have been back home for almost a week now, and I have been going through my pictures (~2000!), reliving a wonderful trip. I am again struck not only by your very good directions, but also the overall itinerary, which very nicely combined food, scenery and walking. All were excellent, and we will add a very positive review to Trip Advisor and wish you another busy season next year! […] We had many wonderful meals, and really enjoyed the small restaurants where the chefs take great pride in their cooking. Otherwise, everything was excellent: the transfers all worked well…. The accommodations were all very pleasant. That was another special experience.
Best regards and thanks again to both of you, Tom”
“Highlights & backroads of the Amalfi Coast” – self-guided walking & gourmet tour – Sept 2014
“Ciao Anna and Marcello,
We are a group of 5 couples (10 people), all in our 60’s, who spent 2 full days and 3 nights hiking and enjoying Cinque Terre. We stayed at the Hotel Carla in Levanto, which was very comfortable and fit our needs perfectly. On our first day of hiking we were guided by Guglielmo (William), who walked with us from Manarola to Corniglia to Vernazza, a total of about 11 miles up and down the hills, moderately strenuous. We then caught the train to Monterosso for wine tasting, and then back to Levanto. Guglielmo was a good judge of our fitness and capabilities, and we were tired, but not too tired by the end of the day. On the second day of hiking we were guided by Andreas (Andrew), first going by train to La Spezia, by bus to Portovenere, and ferry to the Island of Palmera. We hiked up and down Palmera, a total of about 8 miles, moderately strenuous. We then caught a ferry back to Levanto, affording us a spectacular view of all the villages of Cinque Terre. The hiking between villages on the first day, and the ferry trip on the second day were the highlights.
I have to mention that ICNOS arranged dinner reservations for us all 3 nights at different restaurants, and all were wonderful. The only “problem” we encountered was too much food for us to eat at one of the restaurants! It was all delicious. I am convinced that Italian food is the best in the world.
In summary, ICNOS anticipated our needs and made all the appropriate arrangements so that our brief trip to Cinque Terre was an enjoyable and memorable experience.
I highly recommend you to anyone else considering a similar trip!
Peter”
“Walking the Cinque Terre” privately guided walking tour – Sept 2014
“Anna, thanks!
we did receive the packet of support materials in Amalfi–thanks, it was all very detailed and thorough.
and thanks for all your assistance with hotel reservations, in Amalfi as well as Florence, Siena, and Rome. everything worked out very well.
We would use your services again, and will recommend you to our friends! Susan”
“The Jewels of the Amalfi Coast” self-guided walking tour – Sept 2014
“Hi Marcello and Anna
We are back in N.Z after our overseas trip to Europe. We had a wonderful time and the highlight was our Amalfi walking tour. We thank you for looking after us in putting together a well thought out itinerary, excellent walking notes, great accommodation and dining/ restaurant recommendations. Everything went very smoothly, was fun and exceeded our expectations. This is a result of your excellent local knowledge and planning.
We will come back to Italy again in 2016 and will do another walking tour with you. Sandy is determined to go to Lake Como so if you decide to branch out further into that area then please let us know.
Regards, Jeremy Coates”
“Amalfi Coast & Sorrento Peninsula ” – tailor made self-guided walking tour – August 2014
“Ciao Anna and Marcello
First of all, may I thank you for organising a wonderful walking holiday for me. Every part of your detailed information was useful and ‘worked’, all the way to Rome… I have not been able to email you before, as I was then in Rome for a week on an academic conference, a very different experience indeed! I am now back in London, and have just looked at the 290 photos I took of my trip to the Amalfi Coast – unfortunately, as my camera is just a cheap digital one for snapshots, they don’t do it any sort of justice, but they did remind me of some of the outstanding sights I saw.
All of the travel advice and timetables were absolutely right, and the only difficulty I had was finding the bus in Salerno – because it was right in front of me! I was too impatient and went on to other bus stops before returning to the obvious one. The drive to Amalfi, sitting on the left hand side, was amazing.
The hotels were each very different: In Amalfi, big room, friendly, old-fashioned (which I liked); Praiano, rather small room, but very friendly staff, great breakfast, great view; Positano, amazing room! though it was a little more impersonal as Positano is ‘something else’ altogether! and the Hotel in Sorrento was a very good ‘solution’ for my brief stay in Sorrento.
As for the walking: I followed all your advice about clothing and walking sticks and you proved to be absolutely right. I was worried about the heat, but with the hottest day at 31 it was OK and I didn’t get burnt or exhausted. Each one of the walks had something interesting, different and special about them, and I enjoyed each day. On day 2 the gardens of the Villa Cimbroni were very restful and, as a great reader of D. H. Lawrence, all this was very interesting to me. I think probably just for walking, day 3, the Valle delle Ferriere with the waterfalls, was my favourite. And perhaps my favourite place was the little church and square at Minuta – just a pity the church was not open.
One of the highlights of the holiday was definitely climbing Monte Tre Calli, because that was the first point from which I saw the amazing view all the way down the coast to Capri. While I was up there it came on to rain quite hard, so I returned to Bomerano rather than going all the way round because I was on my own, and thought it would be a bit irresponsible to be scrambling over the wet rock.
The whole walk on the next day was great. I loved the Monastery of San Domenico, where there is a fresco dating from about 1400, and also a man selling refreshing lemonade, figs and olives. And the path of the Gods was lovely with all the views down the coast and to Positano. Great view from the Santa Croce! And then you hit Positano – something of a culture shock!! Get out the smart clothes. The visit to Capri was memorable. Huge crowds, but as soon as I started to walk to the Villa Jovis, very few people indeed. Coming rpound to the Faraglioni rocks was remarkable, another highlight. However, on a Sunday the Villa Jovis and Certosa di San Giacomo both close at 1 pm, so you have to make a choice between them. Perhaps go quickly to San Giacomo first? By the time I got there it was closed, which was my only disappointment in the whole trip.
I decided not to go to Pompeii as I had been there 40 years ago, but if I had had another day I would have liked to go to Herculaneum. I am very grateful for all the information you provided, and the reading on history and art. It was a wonderful six days, full of variety, interesting places large and small, and great vertical! views everywhere – quite ‘do-able’ for a reasonably fit but 65 year-old red-haired Englishman in the height of summer. I strongly recommended you to friends in Rome who were thinking about the same sort of experience, and I will certainly recommend you to any friends in London who are looking to go walking in Italy in future. It could not have been better, and your helpfulness in the instructions and on email from both of you was truly outstanding – so grazie mille!
Ciao belli, Hugh”
“The Jewels of the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento ” – tailor made self-guided walking tour – July 2013