Review: Bella Italia Tours (Private Tour: Florence, Pisa, and Chianti Wine Tour)

This is a review of an excursion I booked through Bella Italia Tours during my family’s Mediterranean cruise. You can read the entire report, starting HERE.

Website Description

Exclusive One-Day Tour to discover Florence, Pisa and Chianti Wine

With our Florence, Pisa and Chianti Wine in Villa – Private Tour from Livorno, you will visit the two historical towns of Pisa and Florence in Tuscany. They both belong to UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Moreover, you will enjoy a unique wine tasting in a beautiful Villa located in the Chianti Region.

Our interactive English speaking driver will wait for you outside your cruise ship with our comfortable minivan. Then you will start your Florence, Pisa and Chianti Wine in Villa – Private Tour from Livorno. We will drive to the academic city of Pisa. There, we will stop shortly by the Field of Miracles with its famous Leaning Tower. In the same square you can admire also the Cathedral, the Baptistry and the Graveyard. This place belongs to UNESCO since 1987. The Leaning Tower is part of the Cathedral as its indipendent bell tower, originally built in a perfectly vertical position. Today, after many restoration works, it leans to 13,5 feet. Then we will pass through Piazza Dei Cavalieri, with the stunning facade designed by Giorgio Vasari. Afterwards, you will see the picturesque Lungarno, the river street full of palaces and shops along the Arno.

After our time in Pisa, we will leave the city and drive towards Florence, the capital city of Tuscany. To reach the historical centre, we will drive in front of the old city gate, Porta Romana. We will see Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace), former residence of the powerful Florentine Medici family. Today, the building hosts some art galleries. Behind the Pitti Palace, there is the magnificent park, the Boboli Gardens.

You will learn about the rich cultural history of Florence during our sightseeing-tour. We will get to Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Duomo. There, you find the Marble Duomo with its striped facade, and the Baptistery, famous for its bronze doors. The famous artist Michelangelo used to call them the Gates of Paradise. You will love the magnificence of Santa Maria del Fiore with Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Basilica of Santa Croce.

During our visit in Florence, we will bring you to Piazzale Michelangelo, the perfect place from where you can take unique pictures. In this big square up on a hill with a big panoramic terrace, which allows you to admire the whole city in one shot. The view from here is like a postcard.

You will have the chance to spend some free time in Florence and be free to do what you like the most. You can go shopping in the nice boutique shops on Ponte Vecchio. Otherwise, you can go for a delicious pasta in one of the many trattorias in the old town. Our staff will be pleased to suggest you the best places where to go.

In order to end this tour in a perfect way, we will join a wine tasting in an elegant Villa located in the Chianti Region. As you probably know, this is one of the most beautiful wine districts in the world. An expert will welcome you and share his/her passion for wine with you. You will learn more about winemaking in Italy and discover all the secrets of Chianti wine. You will enjoy a glass of good Chianti wine and also taste some local Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Process/Booking

The website has a “Request Info” form that I filled out. I gave the requested information and received an email back within a couple days. We were able to go back and forth to confirm the itinerary for the day, specific to our time limits. I then put down a small deposit and paid the rest in person.

A few planning notes:

I took the entire price of the excursion in Euros (both the quoted rate and the additional cost for the winery) and added the appropriate gratuities. Then, I used my bank’s currency exchange calculator to determine how much that would be in USD. I divided each by how many would be taking part in each tour/transfer. I had everyone pay me upfront and got the tips in Euros ahead of time.
I also added a bit, because the exchange rate does change.
WhatsApp is majorly used in Europe, so I had that downloaded. As soon as we got into port, I checked it for messages from the tour operators. This was the form of communication for all of our transfers/excursions/tours.
Unless you’re REALLY interested in Pisa, I would make it clear that you want that stop to be the most limited time.

Excursion Recap

Note: Most of this portion is the same as my trip report. If you’ve already read that, you can skip along to my overall thoughts below!

Our driver and tour guide, Massimo, texted where to find him and it was no problem to reach him. We quickly got on our way to our first stop – Pisa. Massimo was really great about pointing out things on the way, giving us history of the area, and sharing information regarding the current way of life. He suggested that we only spend about 30 minutes in Pisa and gave us advice on the best spots to take photos, etc.

Honestly, it was all way more beautiful than I was expecting. The Cathedral Square hosts amazing architecture. Obviously, the tower is the most famous. However, the Cathedral and Baptistry are stunning.

We took our photos, found our souvenirs, rescued Jeff from the “free” roses and bracelets, and got on our way. Again, Massimo did an excellent job of engaging us with information about the area. We made our way to Florence. Massimo took us to a square at that was overlooking the city. We took about 15 minutes to take photos, use the restroom, and get a drink.

We then headed down to the city, itself. Massimo gave a tutorial of our sightseeing options and giving advice of what to see before setting us free. We were going to have about 2 1/2 hours to explore before meeting him at the Duomo. Mom and Jeff decided to take one of his suggested routes, while Emily, Megan, and I decided to go a different way. We honestly just walked around, soaking in the atmosphere and letting the roads decide what we saw.

Our quick breakfast had long worn off by this point, so we found a place to eat lunch. It was a mainly outdoor restaurant that had great views of the city around us. We decided to split a pizza, a salad, and a charcuterie. It was delicious!

After lunch, we kept wandering with the end goal of making it to the Duomo.

We met back up with Mom and Jeff and, shortly after, Massimo picked us up. We left Florence to head to our next adventure – a winery in Tuscany! The drive alone was a dream come true. We arrived at our destination – a 500 year old private winery that has only had three owners. We were given a tour and history of the winery, along with a trip to the cellars.

After our tour, it was time for our private tasting. I *did* enjoy it, but I also starting feeling bad. The experience wasn’t as relaxing and fun as it was for the others.

We departed the winery (after making some wine purchases to be shipped back to us!). We rode back to the port and said our goodbyes to our WONDERFUL guide.

Overall Thoughts

This was the review that I left on Bella Italia Tour website…

We used Bella Italia for our day in port in September 2023. Our driver/guide was Massimo and he was phenomenal. He made our day perfect. We really enjoyed the entire day and loved that we got to see so much.

It truly was a perfect day! There were no other options through the cruise line or anywhere else that allowed us to see so much.

The company was extremely organized and Massimo was the most incredible guide. He kept pointing out in the distance where his family lived. He kept saying, “Next time you come, I’ll take you to my town and have my Mama make you pasta!” I actually believe he’d do it, too!

In August 2023, we paid $135 each for 6 of us. That included the tour, the winery, and Massimo’s tip. As of June 2025, the website states that it starts at 80 euros per person and that the winery entry is 30 euros per person. I did some quick calculations and that seems pretty close to what we paid, maybe a little higher. I think the winery was 25 euros when we did it. This is all dependent on how many are in your party, etc. Regardless, I highly recommend this tour and this company.

If I were to back to Livorno, here’s what I might do:

I would 100% use Bella Italia again. Whether I was doing this exact excursion or a different one, I would use them.
If I were with a group where everyone had been to Pisa before, I’d skip it to be able to spend more time in Florence. However, if someone hadn’t been to Pisa, I’d do it again. It’s iconic and the picture is a must.
If I decided to go ahead with the guided tour, I’d bring a UV umbrella and tour the Ancient Theatre. It was pretty toasty and sunny, so we just sort of looked at it for a few minutes.
Cinque Terre is another area that I’d like to visit and Bella Italia has tours from there.

Italy/Greece 2023 Trip Report (September 1 – 15, 2023)
– The Beginning (Vivi Alla Giornata!)
– The Planning Process (Rome)
– The Planning Process (Greece Ports)
– The Planning Process (Italy Ports)
– Flight Confusion
– Day 0: Leave for Rome (September 1, 2023)
– Day 1: Rome Arrival and City Tour (September 2, 2023)
– Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)
– Day 3: Sea Day (September 4, 2023)
– Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)
– Day 5: Athens (Piraeus), Greece (September 6, 2023)
– Day 6: Mykonos, Greece (September 7, 2023)
– Day 7: Olympia (Katakolon), Greece (September 8, 2023)
– Day 8: Valletta, Malta (September 9, 2023)
– Day 9: Messina (Sicily), Italy (September 10, 2023)
– Day 10: Naples, Italy (September 11, 2023)
– Day 11: Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy (September 12, 2023)
– Day 12: Disembark and Vatican City (September 13, 2023)
– Day 13: Rome (September 14, 2023)
– Day 14: Leaving Rome (September 15, 2023) and Some Final Thoughts