Michele Topor, Inc.

A great overview of Italian cuisine and knowledge of the local wine, pastry, candy, green grocer, and cheese/meats/olive oil/balsmaic/pasta stores.

I took this tour with my three best friends from New York and New Jersey, celebrating our 50th birthdays. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The guide was interesting and personable. We learned a lot about food from the various regions of Italy, visited the most interesting shops and got a chance to taste different types pastries, meats, and vegetables. After the tour we went back and bought some of our favorites to take home and had a wonderful lunch at one of the recommended restaurants. That night, I used some of the things I bought and my husband said it was the best dinner I ever cooked for him. We were also given a printed list of recommendations for restaurants in the North End, which I know I will refer to for years to come.

I would highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in the history, food, culture of the North End. This tour is so jam packed with information, you may want to bring a note pad with. D. Smith

We spent an exciting afternoon learning about the Italian history,culture and living habits of Italian immigrants in North Boston. We visited a variety of businesses from pastery shops to green grocers and meat markets. At each stop we were treated to a lively account of the way the businesses were run. We were shown authentic products and ingredients to look for when preparing a meal. At each establishment we were greeted with enthusiasm. At the end of the walk we treated ourselves to a lovely dinner in the area. This is a must experience if you are visiting Boston. Young children would not find this enjoyable.

Beth was extremely knowledgeable and articulate. Two years ago I went on the tour with friends and this time I took my niece and it was even more enjoyable.

Our guide, Beth, was pleasant, knowledgable, and very well spoken.

Beth was very knowledgeable. A little bit of history, a little bit of culinary guidance. Gives you a nice warm up before you explore the North End in full detail. Salumeria Italiana was the highlight. Great store. Wonderful samples at places.

I had taken the tour before in 2005 and wanted to take the tour with Martha while traveling with my sister. I absolutely loved the North End the first time I took the tour and enjoyed the tour the first time immensely. However, this time after booking and paying for the tour we were greeted by a tour guide who was not Martha Topor. I do not think that this tour should be advertised as the Martha Topor tour because it may not be so. Had I known at the time that we were not going to have Martha as the tour guide, I could have taken my sister myself to all of the places that I had been with Martha on the tour the first time around.

I wish the tour was longer than three hours and more places were visited. Keep in mind, though, this should be taken as a positive comment. Plenty of places were visited but of course more would be even better. The director made the tour very interesting. It was his knowledge alone that enlightened the whole experience. It is definitely worth the price and time.

If you like Italian food and culture, you'll love this walking tour of the North End. Our guide, Beth, was so knowledgable and infomative, it was fantastic! We learnt about the history, geography, cooking, ingredients, cuisine, wine and culture of both Italy and this lovely and fun district of Boston. Lots of delicious samples along the way, and a warm welcome in every store she took us to! I think this is one of the best tours I have ever taken - I learnt so much and had a great time.

Thought it was well orchestrated and well planned.

Totally enjoyed the history of each of the areas of Italy with their differences and similarities. From the north where cow's milk to the south where sheep mild is used and the ethnicity of the countries bordering it to Sicily where the Arabs etc. invaded. with their influences i.e. sesame and the Greek influence, the cultural diffences, the cooking differences and the ethnic infusions were well represented. Some history of the North End was very interesting from the settling of the English to the Irish, to the Poles and Germans and then the Italalians to today, where the descendants of the Italians that once lived there and moved to the suburbs are moving back. Visited off the tourist track markets and picked up some wonderful hints for cooking and had a taste of the REAL stuff..... Excellent tour.

Being Italian-American, I looked forward to "cashing in" this Christmas gift. Our tour guide, Jim, was affable and enthusiastic as well as highly knowledgeable on all things Italian. The 3+ hours literally flew by. The sights, smells and sounds brought back a lot of memories for me. I didn't want the tour to end. Following the tour, we returned to the pasticceria, salumeria, green grocer, spice shop and wine shop, purchased pastries, bread, cheese, cold cuts, balsamic vinegar, fresh fruit, and a couple of bottles of wine, went to our son's girlfriend's nearby apartment and had a sumptupuous lunch to top off an enjoyable experience. It was an adventure that will be long remembered. If I could make any change in the tour, I would make the tasting portions larger, but even that did not detract from the overall event.

I have been on this tour before, led by Michele, with a group of 12 friends............she gave us a fabulous insight into Italian food and the products used. I so enjoyed it, that I eventually managed to organise a weekend when 3 friends from Boston, New York and Maine could come. We had a wonderful morning with James who also taught us so much and altthough the tour lasted over 3 hours it whistled by. In the afternoon, we went back to the stores we had been taken into to buy the ingredients he had talked so much about and then had a meal in one of the restaurants recommended. We all had a fantastic day and I can't recommend this tour enough...............the guides are extremely knowlegable and this has to be the best tour in Boston...............I'll be going again!

This was a wonderful tour! I loved it. Our guide was so informative & knowledgeable. The shops & shop owners we visited were delightful. The taste-testing was fun & naturally yummy! It was great learning both about Little Italy & the country of Italy itself. I couldn't wait to return to the shops we visited & delve more into the culture. This tour has inflamed the desire to visit the country of Italy even more! I highly recommend this tour as part of your experience in Boston! It was the highlight of my visit.