Lucia,

I just wanted to tell you how wonderful Stephen was. He was the best tour guide that we had on the whole cruise. It was a shame we couldn't have had him in all of our cities. If you ever want us to write a testimonial, we could give it 100%. He made us comfortable and everything he could to make our trip to Sicily, though short, very meaningful. And the restaurant he took us to was fabulous, our best meal. . . . Thank you both from the bottom of our hearts. You made our trip meaningful.

Maria & Bret Avra, & Mary Gladys Wheeler
MARIAAVRA@aol.com

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Hi everybody!

All of us want to thank you tremendously for your wonderful tour and commentary. We have recommended you to every person we know going to Sicily and will more publicly recommend you on Frommers as soon as I can grab some time. It is rare to meet people who have the integrity to deliver everything they promised before our tour. we always felt that we were in good hands and that you drove as safely as you had promised while also providing such excellent commentary. We hope you are all well.

sincerely,
Linda, Alissa, Jill and Mary
ProfLSSmith@aol.com

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Dear Douglas and Steven,

I would like to thank you for a great tour of your Island, the information was absolutely great and the history was AWESOME. I know you went to great lengths to accommodate us and we did appreciated it, thanks for everything and for the great tour, as I have just said it was AWESOME. I will highly recommend you to any one that goes to your part of the world. . . Thanks again for everything.

Rod Hoffmann

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Thank you so much for your tireless efforts with our group last week. Your talents and above all your patience with the group, is appreciated. Also, thank you again for the dinner and ride to the airport--that was above and beyond for sure. Looking forward to working with you again and seeing you this Fall. Best regards and a warm hug

Sue
TO GRANDMOTHERS HOUSE WE GO COOKING TOURS
WWW.TOGRANDMOTHERSHOUSEWEGO.COM
718-768-4662 or 212-645-5170 ext 111

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Dear Amex Platinum Concierge,

My husband and I have just returned from a trip to Sicily and I wanted to thank you for putting me in contact with Sicily Tour (www.sicily-tour.com). Stephen Davies, who is one of the owners of Sicily Tour, picked up my husband and me at the Palermo airport and provided us with 3 days of the best sightseeing we have ever experienced. It was so great that we asked him to take us and another family on a tour of Syracuse. We had a great time and even the kids loved it.

After having lived in Sicily for the past 20 years, Stephen knows all about the history, culture, shopping, great places to eat, EVERYTHING! He also helped my husband find relatives in Marsala and documentation of his grandfather's birth at the town hall. We would never have been able to see or experience so much with out his guidance and positive attitude. We loved it. Stephen's wife, Lucia, is also wonderful and very helpful in planning our trip. We highly recommend Sicily Tour and would definitely use them again. I would also recommend that anyone who is going to Sicily should have Sicily Tour drive them around instead of renting a car. They will enjoy the experience so much more.

Again, thank you for providing the contact.

Regards,

Nina McEachern
zmac@mindspring.com

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Dear Lucia,
 
We have been back home for a week now and have such wonderful memories of our trip to Sicily.  I want to thank you for making all the arrangements for us everything was perfect.  We enjoyed our days in Taoromina, Villa Fiorita was nice and our room on the top floor had a beautiful view. We did have one day of rain but that didn't stop us.  Taoromina is very touristy and the prices reflect that. . . .  It reminded me of Capri and now that we have seen it we don't need to go back.

     [Interjection by Douglas: We never push Taormina to our clients;
     we assume people come to see the real Sicily, not other tourists and Gucci shops
      . . . . OK, it is pretty; but a day or two stay would do it justice.]
 
Please thank Douglas for being a great host and guide, he is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Sicily and has a wealth of information and stories to tell which we enjoyed very much!   A big thanks for driving us safely everywhere and taking us on those long walks and climbs.
 
We really liked the B&B in Agrigento and Lucia and her husband (I can't remember his name) were so hospitable and made us feel welcome.  You can tell them that the bottle of olive oil they gave us arrived safely in our suitcase and we are enjoying it now.  Ortigia [Siracusa] was one of the highlights of our trip and Approdo delle Sirene couldn't have been better, Federico was the perfect host always friendly and hospitable, the roof top garden was great and the breakfast outstanding.
 
We will recommend your agency and services to anyone planning a trip to Sicily.

Elizabeth & Rudy Archer
larcher@ct.metrocast.net

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Lucia,

We always remember our trip; it was one of the best. The tiles from the factory are in our kitchen. I just gave another raving review about your services.

Mary Jane & Nick Ihasz
nlihasz@yahoo.com

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Hi Lucia,

I wanted to thank you and especially Stephen for our wonderful trip.  You all thought of everything and we certainly felt well taken care of.  Your choices of hotels were perfect for us and the food was also terrific.  Stephen gave us a very comprehensive and well-thought-out tour of Sicily.

I never would have had such a memorable visit to my family’s home town. That too is thanks to you.

Michele LaMarca
michele@galison.com

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We all want you to know that we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Italy and especially to your lovely Sicily. You made our trip there most interesting and we'll always be grateful to you for all the extra effort to make us feel good and admire your way of life. Over-all, we gained a new respect not only for your great Country, but for your people. We loved your scenery, your rich history, and last, but not least your great attitude and optimism for the future. We also, thank you for inviting us to meet your wife, Lucia, and for the visit to your store. Best wishes to you and your family for the coming holiday season.

John & Jackie Brewton, Dallas, Texas
j.brewton@sbcglobal.net

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Other References:

Folks who have taken our tours and can tell you about them.

a.  Tony & Kathleen Giardina, with whom we had an incredible day in a remote village in central Sicily, running into long lost distant relations ("Yeah! Sure!  It's him!  He came ta see us from Buffalo.  1949 wasn't it?  Wait, I gotta photo. . . ").  ggiartn@aol.com

b.  Linda Hall and half the population of El Dorado, Arkansas: (halls5@cox.net)

c.  Kathleen and Darrell Tornow (tornkthy@comcast.net)

d.  Susan and Frank Kaspar, USA (kasparf@telus.net)

e.  Janice Sibayan leader of overseas school groups: (Janice.Sibayan@eu.dodea.edu)

f.  Ian Goodall and family from England and Scotland: (ig@goodall.net)

g.  Madeleine and Ann from San Francisco: (mad13ann13@yahoo.com)

h.  check out Katy & Rod's "Trip to Italy" blog, w/ great photos.  We meet up with them on page 20. http://www.scribd.com/doc/12866933/Italy2003

i. The Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences is an overseas study institute in Sicily for American university students (see www.StudyAbroad-Sicily.com). Douglas (until he started Sicily Tour) was their official guide for student groups to all the places we are going.