Reviews

Excellent service. The Vita Calabra Tour experience ( from planning to the tour) far exceeded my expectations. Brilliant Thank you Danilo (Vita Calabra Tours) for an excellent experience. From my first email to the brilliant tour experience your professionalism and passion for creating beautiful connections to Calabria was outstanding. I am so grateful for all that you did to ensure my journey to see my father’s homeland (Calabria) was as special and memorable as it could be. I look forward to using Vita Calabra Tours again when I return to see more of Calabria😄.Heartfelt thanks.

Guided tours of Calabria, including a “My Roots” tour Danilo was able to turn a dream into a magical experience. At every turn, I was impressed by his diligence and his willingness to go the one step beyond expectation.

To find my heritage We were both just saying how wonderful our experience was with you and we also truly enjoyed all the stories that you had for all the other trips that you planned for others who on the road to finding their heritage too, they were very enjoyable. I want to also thank you again For helping in finding the home where my father was from and where they would go to visit and enjoy in the summers. Your knowledge and enthusiasm was so much appreciated by us Your expert driving, cleanliness of your cars and also your friendly ways made our days with you so enjoyable. I highly recommend and give you a five star review.

Amazing Trip of a Lifetime! From the beginning of our engagement with Vita Calabria Tours, Danilo was wonderful to work with as my sister and I planned our days in southern Italy. A tailored itinerary that met our wishes and budget was built over the course of a few months and included our ideas and his unique recommendations based on his experiences from living in the region. The final itinerary was a day to day summary of everything we needed and was 100% accurate, leaving very little for us to worry about! My sister and loved our time with our local guides, Enza and Ilaria, who ensured our safety and on time arrival anywhere we needed to be. Their deep knowledge in the history and choice locals to visit made for an amazing experience.So many highlights on this trip...almost too much to include in a brief review, but the ones that topped our list: wine and regional foods tasting experience, stroll through the Giant trees in the Sila Forest, genealogy investigation of our grandfather in San Giovanni in Fiori, cooking dinner with a local family. We were welcomed by so many big-hearted and kind people in Italy which added so much to our experience. You cannot go wrong in choosing Vita Calabria Tours!! Now to plan our return visit...

Calabrian Tour Extraordinaire! Danilo from Vita Calabria Tours was our driver for 8 days in Calabria and Sicily. He was wonderful! Speaks excellent English, was kind, helpful, flexible, good sense of hunger, and punctual! He was indispensable help as we met our Calabrian cousins for the first time. Our trip was beyond expectations due to Danilo. He was the best!

A fantastic experience with Danilo Our day with Danilo from Vita Calabria Tours was unforgettable. From the start, his communication was quick, clear, and kind, and it was evident he cared deeply about making our experience meaningful.He arrived promptly in a comfortable, air-conditioned minivan and served as our guide, driver, and translator. Danilo arranged meetings with the mayor and parish priest of my ancestors hometown, helped me locate my birth records, and guided us through the church and museum. The people of Verzino were incredibly warm and welcoming, making the day even more special.It was the highlight of our southern Italy trip — a day we’ll cherish forever. We can’t wait to return and explore more of Calabria with Danilo and Vita Calabria Tours.

Exploring our family’s heritage in Acri Calabria. Danilo created an unforgettable day for us! Not only was he extremely professional and accessible during the planning process, but he took great care to ensure that our experience during our excursion met or exceeded expectations. And it did. We ate dishes prepared for us that brought to life flavors from our grandmother's kitchen that we have tried to recreate for years but could never quite replicate. He and Marianna tracked down the birth records of our grandparents and created a personalized visit to Acri. We were warmly welcomed by the locals and treated to a folkloric music and dance performance. We felt like we received the proverbial “keys to the city”. I would rate 10 stars if I could. Grazie, Danilo. for planning a true highlight of our trip to Italia.

Tracing your family roots in Oppido Mameritna Calabria Italy A Dream Come True – Genealogy Tour in Oppido Mamertina, Calabria with Danilo Vita Calabria Tours⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)Visiting Oppido Mamertina, Calabria, to trace my family’s roots had been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. On my 50th birthday, I knew I had to make it happen — if I didn’t go now, it might never happen. So, I took a leap of faith and brought my 15-year-old daughter along to explore the place where our family originated.I’ll admit, my family had their doubts. They didn’t believe I would find anyone, let alone trace our heritage. But with the expert guidance of Danilo from Vita Calabria Tours, I proved them wrong in the most touching and beautiful way possible!One of the most magical moments of the trip was when Danilo arranged a surprise meeting with Pia and Pino, who live in a neighbouring village. They had heard about our search and, without hesitation, offered to help me uncover more about our ancestors. Their warmth and generosity made the experience even more special. It felt like meeting long-lost family members.The surprises didn’t stop there. Enzo Scordo, our local guide, went above and beyond by organizing a heartfelt tribute to my great-grandparents. He arranged for beautiful flowers from a local florist to be placed on their graves in Oppido Mamertina. Standing there, in front of their resting place with the flowers, was a deeply emotional moment — one I will never forget.To share this moment with my dad in Australia, I Face Timed him, and when he saw the flowers and heard about everything I had uncovered, he was in tears. He couldn’t believe I had found family — and even reconnected with the oldest family friends of my grandparents. It felt like I was bringing a part of our family’s history back to life.This wasn’t just a genealogy tour; it was an emotional journey into the heart of our family’s past, brought to life by the wonderful people of Oppido Mamertina. Thanks to Danilo from Vita Calabria Tours, I was able to trace my roots in the most personal, respectful, and unforgettable way.If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring your family’s origins in Calabria, this is the tour for you. I will be forever grateful for this experience — one that will stay with me and my daughter for the rest of our lives.Janelle Giampaolo

The best tour guide in Altomonte Danilo was truly a great tour guide -caring and personable-who created wonderful events and experiences for our family to share together. We highly recommend Vita Calabra Tours to all! Thank you Danilo!

Life changing trip to Calabria We had an incredible experience with Vita Calabra. Whether looking to reconnect with your Italian heritage, or enjoy all the beauty, food and hospitality Southern Italy has to offer, look no further than Danilo and his team! We had an extended family of 7 in our group ages 27 to 77, interested in visiting our great grandparents’ (and grandparents’) hometown, Altomonte, and Danilo curated an exceptional experience for our first to Calabria. Lucky for us, Altomonte is one of the most beautiful and convenient villages of the region. Nestled in picturesque hillside with striking views of its sprawling countryside, it has quaint and safe streets with great hotels and restaurants, and is a short drive to each seaside coast and other popular destinations in Calabria. We’ve learned the region is just as incredible, accessible and safe as more well-known areas in Italy, but is so much more affordable! Everywhere we went, we could also find someone who spoke English and often found connections back to our cities in the US because so many had emigrated there. From spacious transport, to accommodations, to learning about our family, to endless activities, we were truly spoiled to no end by Danilo and his team. They were so thoughtful and generous with their time, I’m personally forever grateful. Our lives were transformed in the best way with how we view our heritage, and connect with each other. I had to hold back tears so many times because I was so moved by it all! Grazie mille, Vita Calabra. Hope to be back to Altomonte again soon ❤️

INCREDIBLE, MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE! Danilo is truly a one of a kind host & gentleman! You’d be lucky to book his time, and experience his generosity. He worked day and night to help our group create life-long experiences that we will never forget. Our group of family ranged in ages from young to old, with different needs, languages, etc… and yet he managed everyone’s pace & challenges with true grace. We were on an ancestry trek, which he did extensive research for to guide our questions and curiosities. All the while, maintaining a relaxing vacation, with great advice and authentic experiences weaved into every moment. Truly an unforgettable experience. I cannot thank this man enough. We will be back. Danilo & his team will always be the first we contact for our future visits to Italy!

Memories of a lifetime! A trip to Italy for the wedding of a grandson lead us to research the genealogy of my sweetheart's family in Calabria. We extended our trip specifically to include a visit there. We were met by Enza, a perfect delight! She spoke beautiful English and Italian . We spent the entire day with her exploring the area. Our expectations were more than met and went far beyond what we expected to discover. Enza walked us through the streets where the family was last rumored to be living. She spoke to residents in the streets to see if anyone knew of the family name and much to our surprise located someone from the US who had met a family member when she was 8 years old, remembered him and took us around the corner to the house he lived in! She also commented on the family resemblance! We proceeded to the local church and to the cemetery where we located the family crypt. It was a moving experience from beginning to end. Without Enza none of this would have been possible. We are eternally grateful for an experience of a live time!

A M A Z I N G it will be hard to make this short, but WOOOOOOOOW what an incredible experience and hospitality with Vita Calabra Tours!! From the moment I reached out to Danilo to him booking our driver for the week, Enza, everything was perfect! They went above and beyond with our time in Calabria! Danilo was easy to reach and very reliable with responding quickly! Enza was not only our driver but she was an impromptu tour guide and translator!!! She did not have to go above and beyond like that, but she did and it made our trip that much better! I cannot thank Danilo and Enza enough for the week we had and I'm still just on cloud 9 with the service!! I feel like we are all family now LOL thank you for EVERYTHING!!! BOOK THEM!!

Cosenza heritage towns I was able to visit two towns where my great-great-grandparents lived before leaving Italy after the unification. My guide, Ernestina, was wonderful and Danilo was very warm and easy to communicate with to coordinate the trip. Many of these towns in Calabria are very small and I was worried that if I went alone I wouldn't be able to navigate or have any conversations: Ernestina transported me to and from the towns and helped to ease communication. I really enjoyed seeing some of the churches and roads my ancestors experienced and to visit the city hall of one of the towns to see one of the birth certificates in person. Compared to other agencies, Vita Calabra was the most affordable option for me as a solo traveler and I would highly recommend them!

Calabria is beautiful with so much to explore, certainly much more beyond Tropea. If you are one who likes to go off the beaten path, whether to explore new places or seek your roots, then you are best served working with a local firm like VitaCalabra. VitaCalabra based in Altomonte, created and delivered a wonderful tour this summer. Danilo Verta is the founder of the firm and also served as our main contact and guide. I provided a list of what I wanted to do and see, and Danilo made it happen, everything from drivers to special guides for the villages and historic sites. He was very flexible and went above and beyond to accommodate our needs and wants. Particularly delightful were the small local restaurants he knew with authentic food and ambiance, as in Bivongi and Scilla. Where are these places? Reach out to Danilo and he will help you learn all about Calabria! Looking forward to a return trip! Grazie, Danilo!