Tours
This was our second tour with Hills and Roads, Luca Garrapa's company. Our first time was May, 2015. We were based in Siena and toured Chianti area. We... read more lunched with a lovely woman (Stefania) and met fantastic Chianti winemakers - small production, but amazing wines. it was all day and we still talk about it. The second tour was in October, 2016. We were based in Montisi. Luca picked us up and we toured Val d'Orcia. During our all day tour, we met two amazing winemakers, lunched at a tiny place in Montalcino, among other things. Prior to the tour, Luca worked with us to come up with an itinerary. He responded to our numerous inquiries and came up with a memorable tour. Luca is passionate about Italy and is easy to get to know and be with. The people you meet are handpicked and you feel fortunate to have met them. We frequently visit Italy, so we are fussy about what we want from a tour. Hills and Roads fit the bill. We strongly recommend them - you will not be disappointed. Grazie mille Luca! We hope to see you soon.
14 November 2016
Transfers
Years ago I arranged two separate one week trips from Portland, OR to Tuscany. Now that I am back in Tuscany, it dawned on me that I don't think... read more I spent the time to write a review! I am embarrassed that it has taken me so long to write a review but better late than never! I
1 December 2018
- doke
I was emailing off and on with the owner, Luca, for months, and even cancelled some of the specific day trips from time to time, but he was patient and... read more simply changed what I asked.
My wife and I used Hills and Roads for two straight days, and both days we were driven by the very personable and handsome Cristiano (easy ladies, he's married). On the first day he took us to where we wanted to go, which was San Gimignano and Siena. He pointed things out to us along the way, then dropped us off at the front gate of San Gimignano. Even though I did research ahead of time and knew what I wanted to do, Cristiano was very helpful in telling us where to go and what to do to have the best experience. We set a time with him to meet him back at the front gate and when we got there he was waiting for us.
On the way to Siena he made a quick stop off at an old walled city that he thought we'd like. He first took us across the road for a great photo opportunity in a field, before dropping us off at the front of town. It was a very small town and wouldn't take long to explore so Cristiano told us he'd just wait down the hill and look for us to come out. Sure enough, as soon as we got to the road he drove up to get us.
He then took us to Siena and walked with us down to il Campo to explain the layout of everything. He told us to walk down a street he pointed out, when we were done exploring, and he's be waiting there. And once again there he was to open the van door for us.
The next day we needed him to take us to Cinque Terre from Florence and he was a few minutes early again, loaded our bags, and then off we went. We stopped at Pisa on the way, where he explained about the town and the tower before dropping us off in front of where the tower is. About 45 minutes or so we came out and there he was again waiting for us. When we got over the insane up and down hills in Cinque Terre he dropped us off right at the front of our hotel, we settled the bill (he was very intent on making sure we agreed on how many hours we used him), and then dropped our bags at the front door.
He answered a lot of questions about not only history, but what it's like to live in Italy, and anything else you can think of. I even asked him about a certain type of tree I kept seeing and he knew all about that.
Bottom line, there's no way I'm personally driving around Italy, and some places like Siena and San Gimignano can't be reached easily by train. For about 350 euros or so you get someone to take all of the stress away, and it is so worth it. And don't forget to tip him when it's over. For two days we gave him 50 euros total.
2 November 2016buzzy730
This is my third tour with Luca 2016, 2019, and May 2022. Each has been perfect and memorable. Luca takes you to interesting places that you would never find... read more on your own or with other tour companies. I consider Luca part of the family. We were a group of 9 and Luca used 2 vans. Christiano drove the second van and he was great too. Don’t look any further. Book Luca today !!!
1 May 2022
We were flying into Rome Fiumicino airport on July 19th and needed to get to Siena by early evening. I priced trains and buses, but didn't want to spend another... read more 4 or 5 hours moving luggage after an 8.5 hour flight from Toronto, especially as...More
josephmeschino
2 August 2018Jdavis418
My friends and I used Hills and Roads for trips to villages in Tuscany. Luca was very helpful in planning our itinerary and making recommendations. We had debated... read more about renting a car in Florence and exploring on our own. We are so glad we used Hills and Roads instead! The drivers knew how to get us to the villages with no time wasted so we got the most out of our day. The family owned vineyards that we visited for lunches and tastings were a highlight!
9 November 2016 - Maria D
Luca was wonderful during our 2 day tour of Tuscany. He took us to the Leaning Tower of Pisa (our favorite spot) and some of the towns in Cinque... read more Terra the first day and a winery with lunch, some other small villages, the hills of Tuscany and Siena. He was so patient and kind
1 September 2019Katmandu21
Couldn't have been happier. Luca and his partner are great. Private wine tour of Saint Appiano was perfect. Lunch in San Danoto along with tour of Greve... read more and others was perfect. Highly recommend them.
11 July 2011BEN A
Incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and awesome. They can plan as much or as little for you as you need. They are amazing.
11 February 2020Tamara K
Years ago I arranged two separate one week trips from Portland, OR to Tuscany. Now that I am back in Tuscany, it dawned on me that I don't think... read more I spent the time to write a review! I am embarrassed that it has taken me so long to write a review but better late than never! I
1 December 2018 - BEN A
We heard about Lucca through friends and family. Christiano and Lucca drove us all over Tuscany over 4 days. It was amazing. Having a personal driver/tour guide who can take... read more you to wineries, restaurants, hill towns, vistas, and points of interest was amazing. They can...More
22 September 2019podsk
I think I came across Lucas company from travel and leisure, and I’m greatly i did. It was somewhat last minute and between Christmas and New Years so I... read more appreciate the planning Luca provided. He picked us up on time from the hotel and arranged an itinerary of two wineries in Chianti, both of which were excellent. We also walked with him through a medieval town and he provided excellent knowledge of the area. Early communication was a little delayed but around the holidays I was t surprised. I felt his pricing was reasonable and I would not hesitate to recommend him or use Hilo’s and roads again!
1 January 1970DottiG
We toured with Luca for 2 full days in May and couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide. He is prompt, interesting, speaks excellent English and an... read more all around nice guy. After several emails back and forth (our fault as we kept changing our plans), he fashioned two wonderful days touring Tuscany as it should be without busloads of tourists. He knew just where to take us (lovely hilltop towns I had never heard of before) and along scenic backroads by olive groves and vineyards. He arranged a wine tasting and olive oil tasting as we requested and we were delighted with all of his choices. I highly recommend choosing Luca for your personal guide – we were extremely impressed with him.
3 June 2011Backwoodtraveler
We used Luca 10 years ago when we visited for our 20 th with kids in tow with another couple. Amazing way to transfer between cities with a transfer tour!... read more Private wine tasting on our way from Florence to Venice was amazing and we still talk about it today! We are planning on going back once it’s safe to travel and happy to see them still in business and will use them again! It made going from city to city more comfortable and fun.
1 September 2020 -
We just spent a day with Carlo from Hills and Roads. What an enjoyable day it was with him. They designed a day for us to enjoy parts of Tuscany... read more that is a bit off the normal towns. I am glad we followed their advice...More
Beerbloke
14 April 2019KWRmom
We spent two days with Luca on our recent trip to Italy and we all agree that they were the highlight of our trip. We were travelling as a... read more family of five (mom, dad and children ages 18, 15 and 12). I had emailed Luca and he planned two days in Tuscany for us. While he offered to change anything that we wanted to do differently, we decided that he knew the area better than we did and we went with his suggestions. On both days, it was an excellent mix of small towns (interesting and medeival, not at all touristy), wineries, and seeing the countryside. We ended the second day with a great tour of Siena. Luca picked us up promptly at our hotel in Florence both mornings and had full days planned. He is knowledgable on many subjects and did an excellent job of covering a wide range of topics. He knows a great deal about the history, culture and agriculture of the area. Luca has worked hard to build his business and find opportunities that allow his clients to get a very real sense of Italy. On both days, we had lunch in private homes. The first day was an excellent meal with Francesca and her husband. We felt as if we had found an Italian grandmother and been invited into her home for a very welcoming meal. The second day, we had lunch at the farmhouse of Stefania. Her warmth and enthusiasm was catching and we will always remember the afternoon that we spent in her home. The food was excellent and we felt as if we had chanced on a hidden gem in the Italian countryside. These are days that we will always remember and when anyone asks what we liked best about our recent trip every one of us talks about touring with Luca.
13 April 2011
I contacted Luca months before our trip to Italy. He responded immediately and extremely accommodating with my requests, which included a picked up at Peretola Airport in Florence and a... read more 2.5 hours drive to Rapallo. Unfortunately because of weather we missed our connecting flight to...More
Joyce H
26 June 2018Joseph R
What an extraordinary delight to be introduced to the Tuscany and Chianti countryside by such personable and knowledgeable tour guides at such a reasonable price. we had one day... read more with Christiano, two days with Angela, and one day with Carolina as we toured so many beautiful medieval hill towns starting with a pick up in Bologna and for an incredible tour proceeding through the hills of Chianti to Certaldo with Christiano. Angela then spent two days touring the hills and charming walled hill towns, featuring an exploration of romantic Siena, topped by a visits to Querceto di Castellina vineyard where we had a delicious lunch ( Mama's lasagna was unlike an other ; so delicate and flavorful) and fantastic wines on a brilliantly sunny afternoon in such a picturesque setting surrounded by rolling hills of acres of grapevines. And our hostess, Mary, was so enthusiastic and personable. it was, perhaps, the high light of our trip and why should it not have been as all the ingredients were present to create a lasting memory.
As we were finishing our last tour with Angela, and after we learned that she sang in a band and were obnoxious enough to request a song as she skillfully navigated the narrow roads and oncoming dusk, she sang a beautiful Italian romantic song that just seemed perfect for our 50th wedding anniversary trip. What a delight!
Our final day was with Carolina, equally skilled in driving and a font of historical and political knowledge as she safely continued the tour to its conclusion with a tour of Orvieto, our departure point back to Rome.
And finally there is Luca, who we never met, but who was incredible in the pre trip planning and arrangements. In the end, we placed ourselves in his hands and had no regrets for doing so. Luca was responsive and knowledgeable and the price for everything was very reasonable. Already we have recommended Hills and Roads to several other travelers we met on the cruise back to the States.
4 November 2016





