Michele Topor, Inc.

This was an excellent tour. Our guide was well acquainted with the area and the people of the North End. The stores were fascinating as were the sharing of samples at each stop. I highly recommend this North End Tour.

My boyfriend and I decided to take my parents on a vacation to Boston as a Christmas gift. What could have been a disaster - as our reservations were for March 2006 typically a cold bitter month - turned out to be spectacular. The weather was in our favor - just right for a walking tour. My father is 100% Italian and this was the tour to take him on! Both my parents loved the fact that the tour, though long, did not involve a 5 mile hike as they had feared. Rather, the tour was a lovely meandering through "Little Italy" - with samplings along the way! We also learned about the foods of the immigrants - the differences found between northern and southern Italy - and how to make the most out of our meals. The history of the area provided a great mix. Michele guided the tour and was wonderful! We even saw her again a few days later as we revisited the North End and were dining at a restaurant she had recommended. No visit to Boston would be complete without a tour of the North End and you just have to get Michele to take you there! When you can impress my father - you have surpassed the ultimate test! Gracias!

Our tour guide Paul was a delight and very informative. It is a very good way to become familiar and comfortable with the North End. Thank You.

It was a snowy Saturday in March-- and a perfect backdrop for the tour. Our guide, Paul, was wonderful, so knowledgeable and attentive! The shops welcomed us--each unique with their flavors, history and charms of Old World Italy --brought back so many memories of my Nonnie's kitchen where her food didn't just fill the plate---it filled our soul!

Michelle Topor is an excellent tour guide. She's got a thorough knowledge of history and Italian culture as it relates to Italy and the North End. She shared lots of interesting information about the food as we visited shops specializing in authentic pastries, groceries, and more. All of the shopkeepers were very gracious and the the food samples were delicious! It is easy to see that Michelle truly enjoys what she is doing - living in the North End, cooking, and sharing her knowledge with others. Her enthusiasm is addicting. I could have listened to her talk about food for much longer than the 3 hour tour.

The tour was great!! the leader was awesome...all the places visited were super!! HOWEVER the no refund/postponement policy is awful. My husband got very very sick at the last minute - i would have cancelled and reserved for another date and not asked for a refund BUT you make no allowance for that so down the drain went that $50.00 ticket!! i went alone on the tour so as not to waste $100. i think this is unfair and would not recommend the tour on that basis.

It was one of the highlights of my mother and my visit to Boston. I would abolutely recommend it to any Irish person heading to the Boston area. It was lovely to see an authentic "neighbourhood". Our guide was superb, very informative and friendly. We loved the food and all the recommendations for restaurants etc.! Well done!

The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and I learned a lot of Italian food and eating in general. I was disappointed in how few samples we received and the tiny size of them when we received them. On the Greenwich Village tour we did in New York, the price was less, we learned a lot of history and... the food samples were plentiful., ie... a rice ball for each person., multiple samplings of different breads and cheeses, olives etc... Pieces of candy, a piece of pizza, each of us got our own cannolli freshly filled., and a falafal sandwich. On this tour Michelle took 5 cookies for 13 people and cut them up in little pieces. At many of the stops there was no sample at all. This was a food and walking tour, but it was very slim on the food.

I was able to see another side of Boston. I discovered a few new places that I wouldn't have otherwise known. My suggestion to improve the tour: It seems that most people were not from the area. I think that places like the seafood market were not an essential part because noone is from the area and would go there for seafood. I thought finding out about more restaurants would've been a bigger part of the tour, but this was just given as a handout and not part of what we saw or discussed on the tour. It seemed a little more focused on things that would be great for people that lived in the area and not so much for people who visit from time to time. Overall, I am more familar with the Boston area, which is great. I just wished it had given a little more info. on the restaurants. We were looking for a good lunch spot and most of the recommendations where for dinner. If they are going to stick with seeing places with unique foods then I think it would be great to give recipes for the foods they are showing. Thanks! Hope this helps.

I expected the tour to be geared to people with a significant interest in cooking or purchasing Italian culinary products, but it seemed geared more for tourists looking for a unique experience involving food. My group waited about 1/2 hr. for 5 people who were late and then made a joke of their excuse that they were stuck in traffic, not a great way to begin. May I suggest you let people catch up on their own if they are late since there seemed to be a prearranged sequence to our stops. We got a lot of history as we waited, and other interesting information which would have been more compeling sprinkled throughout the tour. I expected to go to eight different sites, as advertised, but we only visited six, probably due to lack of time because we got off to a slow start . Some stores were very inviting with interaction with the sales people/owners making the experience more personal and interesting, others were much less so. The tour guide, though knowledgable and interesting, at times seemed distracted, not focused. Sometimes it seemed this was due to his desire to conform to owners concerns regarding customers, other times he just seemed vague. I had hoped for more ideas for recipes. Printing some in your handout would inspire, as well, as encourage purchases. I was considering the tour for my book group to do it but am not sure I reccommend it.

Great Tour!

Michele's tour was an eye-opening experience regarding the history, food, and culture found in Boston's North End. It was an experience that involved all five senses, leaving you with special memories of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes belonging to Boston's North End. Michele expresses an infectious enthusiasm and demonstrates a depth of knowledge that impressed me. I only wish I brought a notebook to record all the knowledge Michele had shared throughout the tour! Be prepared for an unforgettable experience of Boston's North End.

Much recommended. I will look into Michelle's italy tours.

Enjoyed the tour, food and history of the area. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

Jacqueline was our very capable guide, and she was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and had a good sense of humor! She shared treasures and stories that covered regional chinese foods, customs, local markets, medical herb treatments, and even a very smelly live chicken shop. It was cold and slightly rainy, but the weather didn't matter, as we were off from one adventure to another, with lots of different tastings, in a very compact area. I especially appreciated the way Jacqueline was very adept at encouraging and answering a wide range of questions by tour group participants. I would recommend this to any foodie, rain or shine.