I will be making my first trip to Italy next month, and need some suggestions for a guided day trip out of Florence. We would prefer a private tour, as we would like to go to Siena or San Gimigano as well as a wine or olive oil tour (although bus tour would be OK if highly recommended). I have used many of the fodor's postings for planning the rest of our trip, and have appreciated all the comments.

Thank you!

Several weeks ago now, we hired Luca Garapa for a one and a half day tour of Tuscany/Umbria. He lives near Siena and is both a driver and a knowledgeable tour guide. For up to 2 people, I believe he charges 25E an hour which, if you check around, is very reasonable. Highly recommend him. You can contact him thru his website at www.hillsandroads.com For more info about him, you can check out my trip report by clicking on my initials above.

Dave

Buy a good guide book or 2 and rent a car. This is a much more enjoyable way to discover the best of Italy.
Rich.
Photos and videos of our travels around Italy.
Http://www.franceinfocus.net

Thank you both for you suggestions.

I second the recommendation for Luca Garapa at Hillsandroads.com. We used him for several trips that included wine tastings last August. He is delightful and those tours were a highlight of our trip to Italy.

Thank you for the recommendations for Luca at Hills and Roads! I have contacted him and have our tour scheduled. Is it customary to tip him above and beyond the fee? Did you pay for his lunch?

Thank you for your assistance.

I never had the impression tipping was customary or expected. But I could be wrong. We tipped Luca the first day (a real long one) and bought his lunch both days. Please tell him Dave and Joyce say hello! You'll have a great time.

Dave

We also tipped Luca and paid for his lunch, simply because we so enjoyed his company! He was most gracious after being tipped, so I don't think he expected it at all. Please say "hello" from Wendy and Ken in NYC, when you see him. I hope you enjoy your trips with him as much as we did last August!