My first motivation to sign up was for the opportunity to sing with Pepper Choplin. From the first rehearsal, the 40-voice choir of four-part voices was a solid ensemble. The tour leader, Flavio, and bus driver Pietro, were both excellent, patient, helpful and exceedingly courteous. The venues were most remarkable and I would never have imagined having such an opportunity. The choir members all very personable, friendly and interested in where we were and performing well. While much of the trip was memorable, there were some facts that will also be memorable for the wrong reasons. Hotels were too far removed from the center of the city so their locations were not convenient for people who came early or stayed late. Rooms were actually better sized than expected. However, the Columbia Spa Hotel in Montecatinni was substandard to what I expected. Yes we were warned of small European rooms, but if you can't walk between the wall and bed without moving sideways, that's a problem. Montecatini - who decided which participants would get the better hotel and which the more inferior product? We all paid the same. While we were advised of bus transportation, more information should have been provided about the duration of the rides between cities. Yes, we had appropriate rest stop breaks, but more advance information about the hours one will be confined to a bus would be appreciated. Milan Hotel, like Rome and Florence, was situated way too far from the city center. There was access to taxis and public transportation, but the time spent on moving from the hotels to points of interest was much too long and expensive. Walking - I estimate that more than half the participants in Italy II were over 60 - perhaps more. Another suggestion is to prepare people for the amount of walking that will be required. My Fitbit recorded 4-6 miles per day. If this is average, then guests should know in advance what will be required. My hat's off to several persons with bad backs, knees and hips that managed to keep up. Suggestions for concerts: A little more forethought and organization for the choir coming into the performance area and positioning. Europeans, especially Italians, experience the highest quality choirs, soloists (ours were all excellent) and demeanor. Our choir felt a little "sloppy." This is a suggestion to Mr. Choplin. I attended Friday's Group I concert in Rome. There, Krista Montgomery introduced him, explained his broad experience writing and conducting music. When she was not with Group II, someone should have been the Emcee and introduced him, his background and given the fact that we'd only come together days before. In "his" introductions of the songs, he'd say, "I wrote this.... I wrote this.... I wrote this.... Better to let someone else say that he wrote all this music and let the music speak for itself. Appropiate for him to give the background about tribute to a friend. Thank you to Krista for all the hard, organization. She did an excellent job for everyone.

While overall this trip was ok, the exclusion of the Deruata pottery stop was disappointing after being advertised as included. We were advised it was "out of the way" and we would have very little time to shop. Was this not known in advance? The tour guide in Florence needs additional training. He may have known the facts but struggled to translate to English. Be prepared for a LOT of walking.

We had a great time! Food was great! Guides were great! Our bus driver was fantastic! The entire group was professional and friendly at all times. Pepper Chaplin and his wife Heather were a joy to be around! I’m ready to do it again