Most Inspirational Moment
Local walk followed by lovely local wine tasting
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent. Friendly , professional, knowledgeable and a very good driver.
Advice for Potential Travellers
No
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Excellent and interesting trip
A good all round trip with a good balance between low key leisurely walking, wine tasting and exploring old medieval towns and cities.
Great trip
Lovely wine and hill walking with excellent town/city tours. All very well organised.
Most Inspirational Moment
Lovely Florence.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Superb. Such a lovely person and so helpful.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Good walking shoes/boots are essential and poles are useful.
Super relaxing walking and wine in Chianti with brilliant tour leader
Brilliant tour leader, lovely group of travellers, excellent hotel, and varied mix of activities.
Most Inspirational Moment
Relaxed dining with a lovely group of fellow travellers.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Roseanna was fantastic. She had a great personality and made sure everyone in the group feel relaxed. Nothing was too much trouble. She deserves 'Guide of the year' trophy if you award one.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure you get Roseanna as your guide. I believe she will be running this trip next year and I might well book it again.
Fantastico!
Wow! Exodus … thank you …we had a fantastic week. The trip was truly amazing. It was a great combination of leisurely (but hot!) walking in the Tuscan countryside, cultural days in Siena and Florence and superb wine tastings. We were fortunate to share our experience with a wonderful group of people and enjoy a few evenings (and bottles!) dining on the lovely terrace of Hotel Le Renaie. The weather was superb and scenery absolutely spectacular.
Most Inspirational Moment
It was all memorable. Each day was different!
Thoughts on Group Leader
A big shout out to Ale Moreiras! Ale was a fantastic group leader. He was so knowledgeable, enthusiastic and good humoured (even when some of the group missed the train in Siena!) Ale made sure we all had a great time and looked after us! Thank you Ale!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do this trip if you enjoy leisurely walking, some good wines and a little culture thrown in! Sadly, there were some negative reviews because the previous accommodation/meals were not so good. This has now been rectified and we loved Hotel Le Renaie and the chilled vibe. A great find Exodus!
Wine not....hehe
This was my first solo trip, exodus came highly recommended and so I thought I’d try it! The agent Barry rang me at times I was free and was so so helpful, booking and organising different flight was made far easier with his help. Landed in pisa and was greeted by Rosanna- our tour guide for the holiday. Honestly, I was a tad nervous and she was just lovely, very calming, like sunshine in human form!! Rosanna was very helpful, chatty, bubbly, informative and amusing throughout the whole trip. It was such a happy time!! I’m still laughing at some of the moments we had one week on !
Most Inspirational Moment
Apart from the hills, steps, steps and hills - because there were a few!! And i loved them....I'd say it's making the friends I did and the trust I found in them and the laughs we shared.....
Thoughts on Group Leader
LOVE Rosanna, the trip wouldn't of been what it was without her!! She is amazing, made sure we were all happy, fixed the glitches straight away- there's always one or two, kept smiling, tried so hard to give us information and treats!! She kept us up to date with times , trips, things to do on days off so we werent lost, rosanna put so much into making it the best -I just think she is brilliant, don't think there's anyone who could top her!!! Lovely soul!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Just book it and go do it!! Italy is amazing , the wine is so delicious and if you are lucky enough to have Rosanna you will have the best time ever!!
Fantastic trip - even more appreciated in these times of COVID restrictions!
I travelled solo on this trip departing on 12 Sept 2020, having booked it quite late as Italy was one of the few venues Brits could travel to without any COVID-related quarantine requirements either end. I was not disappointed. It is a perfect blend of walking (3 days – with fantastic views) and city tours (2 days with a guided tour of each available). Villa Casalta is a quality hotel with rooms with a view and a fabulous terrace overlooking the vineyards and skyline where all meals are eaten. The pool is also very relaxing.
Most Inspirational Moment
The walk to San Gimignano on the last day; the guided walking tours of Siena and Florence; and the session at the Tuscan Wine School in Siena. I also loved my pre-breakfast swims in the pool and the sense of peace at Villa Casalta.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Teresa did a great job and was very personable.
Advice for Potential Travellers
There is a kettle in the room - and teabags - but bring some instant coffee if you are a coffee drinker!
Lovely group
I had a wonderful holiday with a fun group of people. Our leader Teresa & Mike the driver ( who also walked with us) organised everything brilliantly and were very patient walking at the perfect pace.
The Tuscan countryside is breathtaking, as are the beautiful hilltop villages and towns.
The only downside was the food at our accommodation, which was poor.
On the plus side the food in the local restaurants chosen by Exodus was delicious.
The wine tasting was great and very informative.
Most Inspirational Moment
The last day walking through the beautiful undulating hills and vineyards to San Gimignano.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Teresa was excellent and came up with very good suggestions for restaurants & where to get the best gelatos!
It promised so much ...
Unfortunately Exodus dropped the ball on this particular tour. A combination of a new inexperienced tour leader, dirty poorly maintained accommodation (Agriturismo is not an excuse for dirty or poorly maintained accommodation!) and inedible food. My expectation of the actual tour itself was different from the reality. No transport to and from town on days off.
Most Inspirational Moment
There was nothing inspirational about this trip.
Thoughts on Group Leader
It was our group leader's second tour in the area. He was inexperienced and lacked local knowledge, at times he seemed overwhelmed.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't go! There are far better tours on offer than this one.
Fabulous
A fabulous combination of walking the Tuscan countryside, combined with wine tastings and city visits. Alejandro was a brilliant leader. Villa Castalta is a perfectly adequate base for a walking holiday. The meals at the Villa are basic but wholesome. The restaurant used in the village were all different and very good. The best being Il Re Gallo. The 3 main walks are all interesting, each finishing in an interesting town for lunch and gelato! Despite the high temperatures during our week (highs of upper 30s) all the walks were at a a relaxed pace with plenty of stops along the route.
Most Inspirational Moment
The trip to Siena was excellent, with a very good guide in Sara. It was great to find out about the history of the city and the different districts. During our visit, they were preparing for the Palio, which added to our interest. The visit to the Tuscan Wine School in the afternoon was very informative. This did not take anything away from the other city visit to Florence, where we had another excellent , but different type of guide, Elizabetta, who told us about the history of Florence with great charm and wit.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Alejandro was fantastic. The walks were well paced and we had sensible early starts, considering the heat. He was very informative about the flowers and trees along the route. And feed us cherries and white mulberries. His choice of restaurants in Castellina was excellent.
Advice for Potential Travellers
As others have remarked, good walking boots or shoes are advised for the hill walks. Plus you will need long trousers on the first part of the walk to Radda. (Read the trip notes!) A torch is useful for walking back from Castellina at night.
One of the best...
For me, there are three criteria that make a great Exodus trip: the members of the group, the leader, and the location/activities. The members of the group on this trip were wonderful: great company, entertaining, and considerate. Mark was the perfect leader (see below). The location was stunning with beautiful Tuscan villages, towns and cities. How can the combination of wine and walking be beaten? (OK, maybe cycling and wine at a push…)
Most Inspirational Moment
So many: approaches to archetypal Tuscan villages; stunning views of Florence, San Gimignano and Siena. Hearing scops owls and nightingales (why are both so difficult to spot?!). Wonderful food and wine.
Thoughts on Group Leader
The perfect guide: helpful, knowledgeable, considerate, funny, flexible and an exemplary driver (reversing with trailer into a space at Pisa airport, first time and in front of an audience!).
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a bigger case to accommodate the chianti, cheese, olive oil you'll want to bring back. I didn't buy dresses or handbags but some did!