I totally agree. Having a private tour guide our first time in Rome was so worth it.

ROME - Giulia Bernardini. goolarome@yahoo.com

My husband and I used her in 2002. We liked her so much we took two tours with her. Her knowledge really made Rome come alive for us. Since then, she received her Master's degree in Art History from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She lives here in the States but goes back to Rome for the summer. We were in Rome in 2007 but it was during spring so we couldn't meet up with her.

Even though it's been some time since we've personally used her, we keep in contact and gladly recommend her.

ekscrunchy - I think this is a MARVELOUS idea of yours. And I can happily and VERY enthusiastically recommend :

LUCA GARAPPA of
http://www.hillsandroads.com/

He is a very sweet. knowledgable and intelligent young man, based in the area around Siena. He does day tours (or half day also) and also private transfers between cities. He speaks many other languages besides Italian and speaks them WELL. English, French and Spanish, maybe others too.

He picked us up from our hotel in Firenze and took us out to the beautiful Tuscan countryside. We toured, talked, walked, got explanations and information, drank lots of coffee (bunch of espresso aficionados here!!) and had a great lunch together as well. At the end of our days he drove us back to the hotel in Firenze.

We used him about 3 years ago for two separate touring days in the Tuscan hill towns (my Mom sister and I) and he is a great part of the reason we fell in love with them. He is fiercely in love with his country and it shows. He is a wonderful guide, a gentleman, and a very safe driver.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 days with him and since I end up returning just about every year, we now meet for a fun day together, traveling somewhere, and we have become very very good and close friends!!

His prices are on his web site that I gave above and they are hourly prices, I think we paid about 33 Euros per hour when we used him. And something like 250 Euros for a private transfer from Firenze to Rome since my elderly mother did not want to have to travel in a manner that would not be suitable for her.

I know there are MANY people on this board who have also used him as a guide and sing his praises.

TORINO. SILVIA PELLEGRINO. Freelance guide; fluent in English.

I took the Citta di Torino tourist office's guided city tour, led by Silvia, in April, 2009. She is an excellent guide who interlaced history and architecture with amusing and interesting anecdotes.

I have no hesitation recommending her for private touring in and around the city.

Her e-mail address is: Sieverpin@tin.it

Great idea. Here is my favorite in Venice--especially Roberta Curiel who is a lifetime native of Venice.
http://www.walksinsidevenice.com/#/venice/home/

Thanks, everyone.

I have a link to a guide for Rome and Naples, but have not hired her, so cannot give first-hand comments:

http://www.katieparla.com/tour/

tt

Peter is excellent, a transplanted Aussie, very accomodating, creates a tour based on your interests, rather irreverent, great sense of humor, lives near Montepulciano and will train into Rome for your private tour.
http://www.peterkilby-touradvisor.com.au/New%20Bio.htm

Daniella Hunt of Mirabilia Urbis Tours, www.rome-tours.com.
She took us on a private tour of the Roman Forum and Colosseum
in 2006. She is knowledgeable, passionate, funny and fun.
Wouldn't hesitate to use her again.

bookmarking

Francesca is the regular local guide for Rick Steves' tours, and is reputedly excellent. But when we took our tour she was not available, and that was a disappointment. I'm glad to hear she also does private tours.

For a shore trip in Amalfi Coast: Carmine of See Amalfi Coast, private driver from Naples sea port to Pompei, Sorrento, Positano and Ravello. Full day tour : 350 euro for seven people.

This is who I would use. Great website for info about Rome too.

http://www.roninrome.com/

Avoid "Enjoy Rome."

They advertised a 3 hour walking tour, yet it ended in 2.5 hours.

The tour guide never even heard of the quote "The sun never sets on the Holy Roman Empire"

For Naples, Sorrento, AC region

Limousine Service Sorrento (Renato Cuomo) www.cuomonet.it

Francesco. http://www.francescomarrapese.com/

this is a keeper.

The quote is "The sun never sets on the British Empire" not the Holy Roman Empire. No wonder they never heard of it.

I mentioned the British Empire too. Still she never heard of it.

Why would you ask a tour guide in Rome questions about the British Empire?

topping to see if anyone has any new suggestions based on personal experience

well, bob the nav, I've followed your posts when travelling for two years; we used roberta curiel in venice last spring and just loved her. The website is most helpful. The guides (forgot her partner's name we had the second day, but she was wonderful as well) were professional, informative, sensitive and so personable. We (from 7 yrs old to 77) learned so much. Could never have gotten this well-oriented and comfortable in venice without them, so thanks.
now thinking about a trip to rome, so of course, I turned here first.
Also, last spring, we had a guide in Puglia who was nice; will come back with his name...penny

ttt

Thank you for posting this...I tried searching for just this info earlier and didn't get this thread...I don't know why.

Very much appreciated.

Another whole-hearted recommendation for Francesca Caruso!

We (family of 4, kids at the the time 9 & 11) also used her for our trip to Rome three years ago. She was fantastic and truly the highlight of our three weeks in Italy and France.

After our initial contact, she gave me a general idea of a tour of the ancient sites; I asked if we could also see the Basilica San Clemente, which she thought was a great addition. She helped us get our Roma passes and even bought some snacks for the kids to take with us since I had expresed some concern that we may need to get them something to eat along the way.

After the 4+ hour tour, we paid her including a healthy tip as we had gone over the alloted time, plus just thought she was so wonderful. We then said our good-byes and wandered around to find something to eat. Half an hour later she caught up with us - said we had overpaid her! We couldn't believe that she had spent that time trying to find us because she thought we had paid too much!!!

In 2007, her fee was 50e per hour; our booking for the ancient sites was for three hours. She does not charge if she goes over the agreed-upon time frame.

In a post from April of this year, someone said she has a new email address: Francescainroma@gmail.com

In September 2009, we took our first trip to Italy, visiting Florence, Tuscany and Rome and my in-laws hired a guide who arranged our entire 10-day trip. He arranged tours of private wineries and museums, drove us all around Tuscany, made all of our lunch and dinner reservations, etc., etc. He told us the history of the places we were visiting and really made it one of our best and most interesting vacations ever! We enjoyed it so much we are returning in October for another 10-day trip of Northern Italy with him. I have his contact information if anyone wants it. We also hired Katie Parla for a Vatican/Pantheon tour and she was fantastic.

EKC: PLease post the name and contact information of the guide. That is the purpose of this thread. I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour with Katie Parla.

Friends, I would recommend Country Tours of Siena. A few years back I was staying at the Palazzo Ravizza (loved that hotel!) in Siena with my cousin. We had rented a car but found getting around frustrating. A guest at the hotel recommended Country Tours so we engaged Fabio Manicini to take us to Pienza, Montalcino, and Montepulciano (sp.?)for an excursion which included lunch. Don’t recall the cost but we both agreed it was well worth the price. Just checked their website and they appear to be going strong.

Great idea! Thank you so much ~

This is a great thread...not sure how I didn't see it until now. I have used Francesca Caruso on 2 occassions and agree she is fantastic. I do still keep in touch with her and amamax is correct her current email address is francescainroma at gmail dot com.

On another note, I am beginning the research for my November trip to Bologna, if anyone has a recommendation for a guide in Bologna I'd love to hear about it!

For small group (maximum 6) tours of ancient and renaissance sites, I have had excellent guides through ContextRome.com.
All were native english speaking university profs or PhD students in various fields of art history, classics, archaeology, etc.

Sorry ekscrunchy! His name is Guido Gambone and his email is guidogambone at gmail dot com.

I tried setting up a tour with Francesca Caruso but unfortunately she is already booked.
However, she recommended a few of her colleagues:

*Sonia Tavoletta at soniatav AT aliceposta.it
*Luca Capparucci at lucaguide AT gmail.com
*Alessandra Mazzoccoli at alemazzoccoli AT gmail.com
*Richard Bowen at rbowen AT libero.it

great thread! BKing

fantastic, bookmarking

I got excited to see this but didn't see any mention of guides for the Calabria Region. We are interested in finding someone who might know how to do some research for ancestors in the Catanzaro, Sersale area. We will be there in September looking for grandpa's roots.

ttt

FLORENCE (Uffizi & Accademia): I can strongly recommend Marzia Valbonesi of Walks Inside Florence (www.walksinsideflorence.it). This was the first time I had used a guide and the experience was absolutely wonderful - instead of (as in the past) running around trying to see everything and not really seeing anything, her very carefully crafted museum tours showed us that less really is more. By dealing in more detail with a smaller number of works selected to show the evolution of styles of art over time, we came away with a much better understanding of what the art was really trying to tell us. Marzia was perfect.

We were a group of 6; cost was about 300 Euro for 3+ hours, and well worth it.

We had an excellent winery tour day this past June with Paolo Ferrero of http://www.buongustotours.it/ in Piemonte. It turned into a 10-12 day, with stops at several wineries, an artisan pasta maker, a goat cheese farm, etc. I would highly recommend him, and look forward to another trip and another day with Paolo (in my dreams right now).

ttt

thanks for coordinating all of this information!

We spent two one-half day tours in Rome with a young woman named Alessandra. We wanted someone who would fill our family with wonder and excitement. Keep in mind, we were parents and three kids, ages 9,13,15. Being a parent herself, she related to all the kids on there own levels. We went to pretty typical locations (our choice)...and with her we skipped a lot of lines and made good use of our precious time in Rome. If this is what you're looking for: alemazzoccoli@gmail.com. We had gotten her name from a Rick Steve's guide that was too busy to take us. Hope this is helpful. She does have a web-blog ask her for the address

bookmarking

Have booked with Gianni of Tours Around Tuscany for Oct, 2010. Will report when we return.

Bookmarking

I also have used Luca from Hills and Roads numerous times and he's like one of the family. This trip I will spend time in Umbria. Can anyone recommend a guide there?

ttt

I strongly recommend Walks of Italy for booking guided tours in Rome and Pompeii. After reading many great reviews about Jason Spiehler (the founder) and some of his guides on tripadvisor and rick steves I decided to book with them. They were prompt with replies to my questions and Jason even called to check that everything was going smoothly. I first did their Pristine Sistine Chapel tour which was wonderful, getting us in to the Vatican Museums before they opened to the general public. I also did the Pompeii tour which included the archaeological museum in Naples, which I think is a must if you're going to see Pompeii. Overall a great and smooth experience. Their general e-mail is info@walksofitaly.com and Linda, the tour coordinator, is very nice. The website is http://www.walksofitaly.com

RE: Carrara guide. We used Sara Paolini (Sara from Carrara!) for a very informative 3 hour tour of the city, a studio and the quarries in June of 2010. She can be reached at sarapaolini@hotmail.com mobile 347-888-3833. It made for a great day along with lunch in Colonnata--lardo--yumm!

I am also looking for a guide in Umbria, specifically with an emphasis on olive oil production and tasting. Any suggestions?

Great idea. Thanks for creating this thread, ekscrunchy!

Fantastic information!

I can't believe I didn't see this before.

We have taken two guided tours in Italy. The first with Luca Garrapa of Hills and Roads (mentioned above). This is another vote for Luca. We had a very lovely day with him in Tuscany.

We also had an excellent guide in Hilary Bockham from Context Rome. She took us on our Vatican museums tour and it was great. She made us feel like she knew the artists personally! Wonderful tour guide!

Thanks, EK, for starting this last year. Hope it keeps going!

bookmarking

I think this is a valuable thread, with just one MAJOR drawback... EK asked people to give prices -- yet himself/herself did not do so ... only noted that price was "moderate". Well, some people's moderate is other peoples' "cheap" and for yet others, it's "alas unaffordable."

Follow ekscrunchy 's lead (of omission) only 2 of this long list of rsponses gave a Euro figure ... it does tend to give one the impression that for the average Fodor's traveler, budgets are not that crucial. Lucky for them, but not as informative for those who must count the pennies.

On the other hand...prioritizing for a tour my become important enough so as to rearrange the all important budget (to this fodors traveler) reagrdless of the cost of the tour. It my become that important enough to bump other things.

It is also an easy click of the mouse to visit the links given to see what prices are being charged. Not hard to do even for those counting their pennies.

The price of my four hour tour with Francesca Caruso was 70 euro per couple, based on two couples sharing. Taht information, and more about the tour, is in my trip report.

I am not sure how much help this will be since I took this tour in 2007 but I am adding it to respond to the post by Travelerjan. Maybe this thread is not of interest to the "average Fodor's poster" but it is certainly helpful to some. There are also hotels and restaurants mentioned on these forums that are beyond the reach of many, including myself. That does not mean that some people might not find the information interesting of useful.

It is certainly easy enough to inquire about prices if one is interested in a particular guide mentioned here. These may change depending on time of year, number of people in a group, state of the guide's business, etc etc.

Agree with eks- prices may be subject to change based on number in group, area toured and seasons. So links are best, imho.

Has anybody used Miles & Miles tour company? Any feedback?

www.toursofrome.it

We used Gianni of Tours Around Tuscany - www.toursaroundtuscany.com. Gianni was every thing I hoped he would be. We used him for driving in Tuscany south of Siena for several days. We went to Bouncovento, Montalcino, St. Antimo Abbey, Pienza, Montepulciano, Mont Olive Maggior Abbey and many small towns in between. This was for 2 days, Including lunch. He then drove us to Olivieto, were we had the day to ourselves (Gianni will transport you anywhere, but only guides in Tuscany). We also spent a day at a thermal spa for massages, etc. He drove us to Assisi with a stop in Perugia. After 2 nights on our own in Assisi, he picked us up and drove us to Florence for our flight home the next day. His prices were reasonable compared to others that I had researched. E170 per person. I also compare this price to our driver (not guide) in Amalfi 3 years ago who charged us E450, and all he did was drive. He would drive us to each town on the Amalfi coast and ask how long we would need, which we didn't know, since we hadn't been there before. He (Salvatore) spent 90% of the time us with a cell phone glued to his ear. Gianni was great-look up his web sight.

Amalfi Coast Private Driver

A few years ago, I engaged Francesco Marrapese for a day of touring along the Amalfi Coast. He was outstanding. Francesco is a charming man who speaks excellent English and drives safely along the winding roads. You can reach him at his website: www.francesomarrapese.com

The correct web address or Francesco is: www.francescomarrapese.com

bookmarking

Need guide for Sicily this April. Help!

Luca Capparucci was our guide in Rome. My wife and I and 2 friends took a full day tour with Luca. He was terrific. We saw everything we wanted to at a nice pace. He is extremely knowledgeable, personable and patient(I had a lot of questions). He also pointed out some excellent restaurants.

He can be reached at lucaguide@gmail.com

Our group has used Guido with travelsintuscany.com for the last 3 years. very reasonable prices and entertaining and informative. I am looking for a city guide to Naples. Thanks.

bookmarking

Bookmarking -- great thread !!

In Matera, Nadia Garlatti was excellent. She is very passionate and knowledgable. We did a 4 hour walking tour for €50. Contact: ngarlat@tin.it or phone: 347 8548845.
In Taormina, Sicily we did a half-day Mt. Etna tour with Sicily Lif Tours. Our private guide, Alessandro was excellent. Although we had our own car it was very nice to be driven, sit back, relax and enjoy Alessandro's commentary. I think it was €60 per person.Contact: www.sicilylife.com
Each of these tours were for three people.

bookmarking

New address for Rome guide Francesca Caruso:


Francescainroma@gmail.com

Thank you all so much for this invaluable information...hubby and I are traveling to Rome in September 2011 and based on this comments I have already sent inquiries to secure a tour guide. I'm new on this forum and I love it....everyone is so helpful.

any good guides in Umbria?

any other suggestions for driver/guide for 4 adults based in Taormina, interested in day trips in Sept? thanks

topping

My opinion is also that hiring a private guide is absolutely worth it. In our case, my family (2 adults, 2 small children) traveled in Florence, Venice and Rome and in each had wonderful and totally unforgettable visits in each thanks to Walks Inside Italy. We wanted something semi-private, so we opted for the small group tours Walks offers. The itineraries hit all the sites we wanted to see, which were the must-see sites. We were able to take our time on the tour, and never felt like we were being rushed around. Even the kids seemed to enjoy themselves - amazing! Our communication with the guides before the tour was easy and precise. The best part was that every moment felt like it was being well-spent, definitely better than trying to see the sites with a guidebook in hand. I would absolutely recommend their tours to fellow travelers; I feel that our trip to Italy was made all the better for our experience with Walks in Italy. Contact information call be found (all three cities are on the same site, which also helped me organize the tours - with two little kids running around, I appreciate anything that makes life easier) at www.walksinsideitaly.com

Just returned from Italy. Took a two-hour tour with Francesca Caruso. Well worth the E50/hr I paid. She was lovely and knowledgeable and friendly. I will absolutely use her again. Thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the Palatine Hill and Forum.

Francescainroma@gmail.com

Bookmarking, thank you for the info.

Please use:

www.toursbyroberto.com

we have never met Roberto, but his company (mostly wife Patti I expect) has helped us with tours in Siena, Florence and lately Venice. Call or email and she can hook you up with a talented local guide in just about any city in Italy! and I got some pretty great advice about restaurants, places to stay and things to do throughout Tuscany.

We were extremely impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm of the guides. Prices vary depending on needs - and duration of tours.

I give my vote for a Tour Company we had called www.drivearounditaly.com. They took us to the Amalfi Coast from Rome and that was such a beautiful trip we will remember forever.

eks - what a great idea!

We spent two weeks in Venice and did the Doge's Palace/St Mark's tour with Luisella Romeo (and we had lunch with her in the Ghetto later in our stay). She is charming, lovely, funny, speaks idiomatic English, a native Venetian and is passionate about her city and guiding.

http://www.seevenice.it/seevenice/tour_guide_in_Venice.html

Another strong recommendation for Daniela Hunt in Rome and for Context Tours in Rome and Florence.

We had very good tours of ancient Rome with Sonia Tavoletta last October (50 euros/hr), and of the Vatican with Daniella Hunt (65 euro's per hour). Very different personalities, but both very good. Sonia is Italian, very articulate, and very passionate about Roman history. Daniella is more low key and casual; with both, the time flew by and it was well worth the money.

A wonderful idea for a thread . Thank you !

I had a fantastic experience at the Vatican last summer during a tour with Walks Inside Rome. They offer a semi-private tours with just a few people in the group so you still get the feeling of having your own private tour for a very affordable price with only 2 or 3 other persons. The tour for the Vatican Museum started very early, but I didn't mind it because we got to skip the long line and experienced the Sistine Chapel while it was still quite with hardly anyone in there. It was AMAZING! I believe that had I seen it with the rest of the crowd, the magnificence of Michelangelo's masterpiece would have been less fascinating. By the time we finished at the museums and went to St. Peter's Square, the air was just perfect and not yet too hot. The whole experience was unforgettable and our guide form Walks Inside Rome was very good and attentive. I strongly recommend them: www.walksinsiderome.com

Hi,
Has any of you heard about walkabout Florence? Their website is www.walkaboutpass.com My husband and I will be travelling to Italy next month and were wondering if we should take their "best of Tuscany tour" and their "Cinque Terre trek". Their prices sound very reasonable but we are trying to find out if the quality of their tours and guides are good too. Would be grateful for any info reg them.

bookmarking

bookmarking

Second the recommendation above (post by Ozlinz on 1/23/11) for Nadia Garlatti in Matera. Very personable native of Matera who speaks English well. Reasonable prices.

Alternate e-mail for her:

nadiagarlatti@tiscali.it

Does anyone know if Tours Around Tuscany is still operating? I have sent them an email with no answer so far.
They have a perfect tour for my brother's group.
Thanks.

I did receive an email from Tours Around Tuscany today. Since price was mentioned in another post I thought I would post the price of the tour of my inquiry: The Red Tour.
The price for our group of five adults and three children for a one day tour from 9-5 or six o'clock witn all admissions, transportation a wine tasting is E975.
I am afraid this is a little steep for us. But it sounds wonderful.

Rome: Sonia Tavoletta - soniatav@alice.it

We recently used Sonia for two half day tours of (1) the Vatican and (2) the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine, including the Colosseum underground/third level (must be booked in advance by telephone with Pierreci.)

Sonia speaks perfect English, is very knowledgeable, and has a wonderful attitude and personality. She enjoys her job and is good at it.

Bookmarking for friends who don't drive.

We would love a recommendation for a tour guide in the Bologna area - probably with a food focus. Ideas?

Glad this one came back! Bookmarking.

Bgmanne-
May I ask the price of the colosseum tour?
Does the guide have a website?
Thanks

@dperry:

Sonia has no website, just the email address. Her rate of 50E an hour is in line with the other top recommended guides on this and other similar forums. The Colosseum's (Pierreci's) fee for entry to the underground and third level with a private guide is 40E. You also have to buy the regular combo admission ticket - 12E per person. So, our 3.5 hour tour of the Colosseum (including underground and third level), Forum, and Palatine Hill ran a total of 239E for tow people. Of course, it becomes much more economical as your group size increases, as the price only goes up by 12E per person.

so much great info for our trip next month!

We had Luca Garrapa with Hills and Roads pick us up in Citavecchia on June 26, 2011 after a 7 day Royal Caribbean cruise. Can strongly recommend Hills & Roads. All arrangements made by email without problems. What a great way to transition into Tuscany after a cruise. Quoted and actual cost were identical at 42 Euro per hour. We had 8 large pieces of luggage plus 4 passengers plus Luca with room to spare in a large Van with big windows to enjoy the countryside. We enjoyed Sunday drive to Siena with many stops, great lunch and great company by Luca. Arrived in Siena around 7PM after getting picked up in Civitavecchia abour 8:30AM. Tuesday driver was man named Andreas and another wonderful day touring, same hourly rate 42 euro/hour all inclusive. Wednesday driver was attractive Dutch girl named Danielle from Siena to Florence for shopping and museums. We can without exception recommend Hills and Roads.

After using Luca Garrapa with Hills & Roads for 3 days, We had them drive us to Rome where we met up with Daniella Hunt with Mirabilia Urbis Tours in Rome. That tours name sounds like a big company but its just Daniella, who really gets into telling the stories of ancient Rome. She's animated and keeps telling us there will be a test at the end, but Daniella is really passionate about her history. Given a choice of a stoic, softspoken tour guide compared to Daniella, We'll take Daniella. She knew the great lunch spots to take us. We chose Daniella from this Fodor's blog and really happy we did. Cost for Daniella Hunt was very high at 75 Euro per hour for tour guide only compared to Luca Garrapa at 42 Euro per hour including vehicle/gas/etc. You also must add costs for tickets to St Peters & Coliseum plus 15 euro handling fee by Daniella for museum tickets.

Hi wadeh911. So glad you enjoyed your time with Luca and Hills and Roads. We have him scheduled for a tour in the Val d'Orcia next month.
The price is very reasonable and booking by internet a breeze.

A FABULOUS GUIDE FOR POMPEII / ERCOLANO

Lucia of http://www.luciapompeiiguide.com/ is a wonderful guide who made our day trip to Pompeii and Ercolano (Herculaneum) magical!!

She is an amazing lady with unbelievable insight, a wealth of information and an all-around great woman to spend the day with. I can MOST HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking for a perfect guide for the day, or half-day. We all immediately loved her. We went down to the Pompeii Scavi and proceeded to have an almost 3 hour tour there with her. She brought the place alive for us and there was no question that she did not have an immediate answer for. We went into so many different "houses" and places there and she knew what to tell us about them all.

At about 2:30 we took the train to Ercolano (Herculaneum) together with Lucia, after resting only a very few minutes with some drinks and snacks. Ercolano is much much MUCH smaller than Pompeii but really very different.

By about 4:40 we ended the tour here too and we paid (120 Euros per person) and said our goodbyes. While this was not inexpensive, it was just about THE most well spent money we paid out for anything on this trip and we were in complete agreement on that, all four of us.

Great list! Bookmarking.

Bookmarking

What a great idea for a thread! Bookmarking.

we have sent 2 emails to nadia g. for matera--- and have not heard back. don't know whether the email is no good-- or perhaps the emails aren't getting through to us for some reason. tried both addresses above. any ideas?? great list.
kawh

This is a fabulous collection of information. I am only sorry I have booked other tours in Rome and Florence through my travel agent. I have not booked any for Venice because I couldn't decide and was going to use the audio guides. Now I have just sent an email to Walks inside Italy thanks to these wonderful recommendations. To all, I thank you!

Somehow missed this thread in the past. We used Daniella Hunt with Mirabilis Urbis tours: http://www.rome-tours.com/

I found her on much older Fodor's threads when I planned my trip. She lists her extensive degrees and experiences in ancient Rome and Greece on her website, but just as importantly she knew the fun facts of how everyday people lived. I recently had reason to email her because a friend is going to Rome soon. Daniella is still giving tours and loving her work.

We had children in our group, so we arranged a price with her. All her current info is on the site:

http://www.rome-tours.com/guide.php

Okay I typed that wrong...mirabilia urbis tours.

ttt

Has anyone used Francesca Caruso recently? I sent an email 5 days ago, and no reply yet. Strange, since last time I used her (just over a year ago), she replied promptly.

Anyone know if she has a new address? (I used last year, and still have "francescainroma@gmail.com".

Grazie!

BOOKMARKING

We used Daniella Hunt of www.rome-tours.com last summer for a tour of the Forum and the Coloseum and she was great. Very passionate, knowledgable,interesting and engages everyone into her world of history. She is not inexpensive but was well worth every euro.She got us thru the 400m line at the Coloseum without a problem or a wait. Knew a great place for lunch and she took care of all tickets in advance. The kids (15,23,25,26)were kind of skeptical at first but when the tour was over they loved her. Wish we would have used her at the Vatican. Would recomend her highly. Contact her you will not be disappointed.

bookmarking

BM

"I think this is a valuable thread, with just one MAJOR drawback... EK asked people to give prices -- yet himself/herself did not do so ...(this thread is) not as informative for those who must count the pennies."

I know this was written in 2010, and Italy's economy has changed a lot since then. Many guides have left Italy in these down economic times but many really good ones remain. If you're serious about hiring a good guide, you'll need to research further beyond this well-intentioned thread.

But, honestly, if you're counting pennies as you travel, invest in a good guide book and forget about costly private tours. No one in Italy can afford to work for pennies these days, and no one with quality credentials is going to work for pennies, either. Most of the guides no longer live near the city centers because the rents are way too high.

Finally, ask one important question first: is your guide licensed? Any so-called historian or amateur blabbermouth can talk a good game but, in Italy, licensed guides meet specific criteria through testing. It's one sure way to know in Italy that the person you hire has the credentials to speak about the country's art and history. Without this credential, I'd be suspicious. There is no excuse not to have a license if you wish to be taken seriously as a professional guide.

Bookmarking

Just an update on Francesca Caruso. She is still working in Rome. It has just been incredibly hot there this week and she said she was wiped at the end of each day and fell behind on her email.

Fortunately for her (unfortunately for us), she is all booked up for all five days we will be in Rome.

Good to know she is still out there, though!

Licensing is certainly an indicator, but not a be-all. Daniella worked for the Italian antiquities authorities. She is also who American universities use when they hire a guide for their programs. I am not sure that she is licensed but she is certainly qualified.

Another thing that's important in a guide is their public speaking skills, especially if English is not their native language. On a tour, it can be hard to hear and nuance is lost. As an example, when we went, the guide at the Scavi tour seemed highly knowledgeable; however, most of the people on the tour looked lost. I think it was partly her accent, partly how fast she talked and also she alluded to things a lot of people just didn't know. I had done a second major in history so I knew a lot of her references, but I certainly could not fill the other people in and listen too.

5alive- that is why I take the Scavi every trip to Rome. I've had the demure, soft-spoken (omg-I can't hear a thing)60-yr old Italian lady 45-minute tour; I've also had the loud, look-at-each-person-to-make-sure-you-can-hear-me, passionate I-enunciate-every-word-because-I-know-you-want-to-understand-my-English 40-yr-old delightful Italian woman 90-minute tour.

I missed the Scavi last trip because my back went out on the way to St. Peter's. Sent my cousin in alone. She enjoyed it, so I'm guessing she didn't get the demure older woman.

I love getting someone new each time.

Five years ago I used a marvelous tour guide in Rome, and last year in Florence had a fantastic guide. They're both authorized and licensed, personable, incredibly knowledgable and I highly recommend them both.
Rome- Marlene Sommer: marlenesommer@hotmail.com
Florence - Louise: louise.guide@alice.it

Bookmarking

Bookmarking for future trips!

We just got back from Rome and used Daniella Hunt for a private tour to Hadrian's villa and Villa d'Este (evening hours). She recommended a time, set up a great driver (Emilio) and it was just what we wanted.

She and the driver were on time and she communicated lots prior to our arrival, including costs, asking preferences, etc...

We wouldn't have gotten near as much out of Hadrian's Vila without her. She is incredibly knowledgable and she will make you think. She is lots of fun, easy to relate to and conveys info in a way that makes it interesting and relevant. (The same with Villa d'Este, but it's so gorgeous you don't need to know as much.) Hadrian's villa is huge and without someone to tell you what you are looking at and the why, it would be just a bunch of ruins. You learn alot of Hadrian and what he was all about. She is also careful to let you form your own opinion about these historical figures, who depending on you ask, are great rulers or tyrants, or misunderstood.

We had asked about having aperitivo or dinner between the two and she suggested a few options...we ended up at this little restaurant in another town that was very good and we all had a great time. We saw a bit of the countryside, as a result, including a huge waterfall outside of Tivoli, that we would not have seen otherwise.

We would definitely use her again for anything in the Rome area. http://www.rome-tours.com/

Bookmarking

Nadia and Emilia, two fabulous guides for MATERA

We have met these 2 wonderful guides in Matera: very charming and fluent in English! We have contacted them through this website http://www.guidematera.com/en/contacts.html (fill the form in and specify that you'd like to visit Matera with Nadia or Emilia, you'll LOVE the tour)

I also did a food tour with Elizabeth Minchilli. We sampled pizza, all kinds of salumi, prosciutto, guancale, two stops for cheeses, wine....all around Campo de Fiori. She is fun and very knowledgeable.

I definitely recommend her, she does foodworkshops and more, as well. Her food app is also great (Eat Rome)!

www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com

How much should I expect to pay for a private guide in Rome?

AisleSeat, if you go to the link Denisea mentions, there is a cost section for Daniella Hunt. Most of the established guides should have a website where their costs are explained.



Denisea commented:
We would definitely use her again for anything in the Rome area. http://www.rome-tours.com/

Daniella is excellent...i believe the cost per hour is $55/hour with slight upcharges for more people but do check her site or email her. She will customize what you want.

I just happened upon this thread and don't know if Rome Cabs has been mentioned, but we used Stefano's services for transfers, as well as a couple of private tours while in Rome. He was fabulous, especially in assisting us with my elderly mother.

http://www.romecabs.com/

Bookmarking.

What an excellent idea! Bookmarking.

Great information. Thanks to all who contributed