Our family of four (mom, dad, 14 year old daughter, 11 year old son) spent 8 days in Rome in July 2012, three of those days touring with Giovanni. They were, by far, the best of our entire vacation.
We are high maintenance. All four of us talk incessantly, love history & want to learn - but we don't necessarily love the same *aspects* of history - lots of conflicting interests for a tour guide. We prefer to make our lives easier when vacationing, so wanted to be met at our hotel for each tour. Before we left, I researched dozens of options for tour sites and emailed Laura about almost all of them. Hardest of all, our son is a special needs kid (adhd, anxiety, aspergers) and he is *very* challenging: very difficult but very intelligent.
Finding a guide who likes children, can relate to teens, is endlessly patient, smart & engaging, fun, and flexible enough to cope with us seemed an impossible task.
But it wasn't. Laura, in her kindness & perfect planning, and Giovanni, in the days he spent guiding us, were absolutely wonderful. Giovanni's depth of knowledge was impressive and right up our alley. He's an archaeologist possessing an impressive knowledge of Roman history. Truly fascinating. He's also fun, with a great sense of humor & ability to converse on many topics.In addition, their tours were completely customizable (witness all those options I showered on Laura, & the great tours she devised) and totally personalized to our interests & priorities. Most importantly, they were flexible. That is priceless.
Above all - above the personal attention, customized tours, flexibility, and Giovanni's knowledge & disposition - we appreciated his connection with our son. Giovanni's ability to be patient, engaging and kind made those days special for us, truly enjoyable & memorable. The highlight of our trip. read more