Testimonials
With his extensive knowledge of the history, culture, and contemporary life of Sicily and Southern Italy, Tommaso is the quintessential tour guide. Always the charming and amusing host, he possesses a gift for turning strangers into his guests and friends. Bravo, Tommaso!
Tommaso is a treasure, every bit as interesting as the sights on the agenda for this trip (often times more so). To say that he is a magnificent guide is to underrate him. It is hard to imagine the success of this trip without him. Too bad there isn’t a way to preserve him for future generations to appreciate, as the Sicilians are doing for their historical edifices and artifacts.
This trip was so incredible, I want EVERYONE to go to Sicily at least once. I know I want to return. With only 24 hours in a day, I really wanted some time to savor various visits (like the Roman Villa…aka Bikini Girl land). Loved, loved, loved that Tommaso was so knowledgeable about native (and nonnative) plants. Every place we ate (whether with the group or not) was terrific. I loved every place we went. Each day was “wow…this is my new favorite place!
Tommaso Pantè has an earned reputation as the #1 tour guide in Sicily based on his vast cultural knowledge, exceptional personality, and extensive network of VIP resources affording him the ability to get anything done.
Tommaso is an outstanding guide with a passion for Sicily. I am so glad we had a Sicilian for our guide on this tour! He shared a lot of information with us on the bus & told us humorous anecdotes about Sicilian family life. His selection of hotels & restaurants could not be improved upon. When we had free time, he always listed several options that people might want to consider doing. The tour ran smoothly throughout, due in large part to Tommaso’s organizational skills. For example, many people had early flights after the tour ended, and Tommaso had arranged a large final meal together in the afternoon, rather than the evening, which we really appreciated.
Tommaso was really an outstanding guide. This was our ninth RS tour so we had high expectations, and Tommaso was fabulous. Of course his knowledge of history / art / plants / modern issues was excellent, but what made him stand out was the passion he had for his country. He wanted to impart to us his passion and he did everything possible to make it happen. There a couple of times where things didn’t go according to plan, like the door of the bus malfunctioning, bus he made our experience seamless as he dealt with issues behind the scenes. After the tour, we were on our own in the Aeolian Islands and had a question so we called Tommaso, and he helped us with our problem like we were still on the tour with him…very professional.
Tommaso was outstanding in every way. His kindness, professionalism, and genuine concern that all was going well were always apparent. We felt we were in ‘good hands’ and trusted his opinion and references. He could not have done more to insure that our trip was enjoyable. He is a very likeable and sincere person so perfectly suited as a tour leader.
His extensive knowledge of Sicilian history, culture, geography and flora was impressive but was not pedantic. It was delivered as over a glass of wine in a restaurant. And sprinkled in with Greek and Norman history were tips on the best gelato, wines, and pasta.
Tommaso was an incredible guide. His knowledge is encyclopaedic, and he has a friendly, engaging personality. I would welcome an opportunity to travel with him again, and will recommend him to others. His experience made our tour seamless, if there were any problems, we didn’t know about them, other than the bus door, which was more an adventure than a problem.
Tommaso is the best tour leader for Sicily anyone could have. His personality quickly bonded our group of 23 and we had a wonderful time on the bus in addition to visiting the historical tour sites. He answered all questions with easy to understand information. He provided us with his special knowledge of the local people and past civilizations, cultural, historical and agricultural insights as we entered new areas of Sicily. A wonderful warm and open person who quickly made us fans of his mamma, too.