Welcome! We are Jeff, Lisa, Elizabeth, and Rebecca from California. This was our family's first trip to Europe ever, and what better place to start exploring than beautiful Italy. We always make it a habit to travel every year, but this was by far the biggest trip we've ever had to plan. Initially, we were going to try and do it all ourselves, but we happily decided on taking the Rick Steves' Heart of Italy in 9 Days Tour in October 2016. The main selling point for us was convenience. From transportation between towns, lodging, and having a tour guide lead the way, it was a no brainer to book this tour rather than attempt to navigate a foreign country all on our own. Now that we have had this amazing tour experience and gained a wealth of knowledge from our guide and fellow travel buddies, traveling to other European countries for the first time (hopefully in the near future!) will be a breeze. The Heart of Italy tour that we took part in started out in Rome and ended in Florence. To see the journey we took, you can either skip from town to town with the links at the top of the webpage, or simply click on the link titled "Andiamo" for a linear timeline. For more info on the Heart of Italy in 9 Days Tour, see the link at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!