Marcello Torrisi was our guide on the Grand Circle Cruise Line Small Ship 14 day tour "Italy's Western Coast & Islands:  Rome to Valletta, Malta."  Even before we met Marcello we knew he would be special....loved hearing from him before the trip.  There were two groups of 23 on the small ship and it was beautiful how Marcello always worked with the other guide in a positive and fun loving manner!  It made for great relations between the two groups and yet preserved our unique tour with Marcello.  He is very intelligent and demonstrated great communication skills....saying just the right amount on a subject and then always being ready with an answer when asked.  The headphone devices made for easy and relaxing touring since we could hear our guide as long as we were in the general vacinity.    Stopping to take a picture, no problem, just catch up!  Marcello added little touches along the trip to make it special: a stop to experience a local food which he provided several times, a bottle of bubbly at a look-out point, a special souvenir and as a surprise after the trip a delightful slideshow highlighting all our adventures.  We certainly felt like we were traveling with a special friend and his enthusiasm and love of his country was captivating.  Espeically liked when we went off the beaten path with Marcello....never knew what we might find next!  That is what makes travel exciting!  Thank-you Marcello!  

Hi Marcello,

I am still talking about my trip to Sicily!  I enjoyed every minute of the great experience I had with your tour group. You were a great tour guide and anyone that would have the opportuniy to tour with you would be very lucky. You are a very compassionate young man, and I will never forget you. I am sure you will remember me, Vincenzina. I look forward to someday taking another tour with you. Take care of yourself and have a blessed 2017!

Sincerely,

Vincenzina Patti

Marcello took the job of being a tour guide to a new level.  He treated the whole group like he was taking his own family on a tour of Sicily and even included a visit with his mom and brother at the family business.  In addition to providing a wealth of knowledge of his home country; he did something no other tour director has ever done for us ( and we've been on many tours).  He prepared a DVD of our trip to have as a keepsake and wonderful way to relive our trip.  

Thanks to Marcello's excellent commentary and attention to detail, our appreciation of Sicily increased tenfold.  We just sat back and relaxed because we knew we were in good hands.  We were sorry to say goodbye to a good friend. We hope we are lucky to have as good a tour director on our future trips!

My wife and I are each Sicilian-Americans who decided to take a trip to the Sicily we had not know except through the descriptions of our parents and grand parents.  We were very lucky to have had Marcello as our tour guide.  He gave us a close-up look and an understanding of our parents and grandparents words and feelings, as well as a deep understanding of the history and culture of the people of Sicily, region by region.  His knowledge of Sicily's places, events, history, and culture (including the "old language") made our experience very much deeper and more fulfilling than would have been possible without him.  He provided a very personal touch to many aspects of our tour and individual help when help was needed.  He had connections with experts at every stop of our tour, and knew the most interesting places and people throughout the Island.  He provided the opportunity to go as deeply into each and every aspect of our tour as we desired, from ancient Greek monuments to local cooking.  He found a way to satisfy each person's interests, varried as they were.

Marcello is a jewel of Sicily.  Certainly the reason our tour was the "Trip of a Lifetime".

Thanks to Marcello Torrisi.

Reveiwed by Joe & Kathy F.