Customer Comments & Reviews
If you would like to read some of the reviews we have gained on TripAdvisor, follow one of the links on the right. Or read our reviews in The New York Times and other newspapers - click here. We appreciate your feedback - whether it is positive or critical. Your review of our tour services greatly helps us to improve our offerings. If you would like to comment on a tour your took with us, please email info@italywithus.com.
April 28th 2012
Wife and I toured Vatican 4/25 with Arnoldo(sp) and it was wonderful. He was informative and personable. One of the highlights of our trip. St Peters mass prevented us going in but exactly as he suggested to come back afternoon and walked straight in. Consider tour a bargain!
April 18th 2012
Hi Helen,
The tour with Diana at Coliseum was great and the Vatican Tour with Arnaldo was fantastic. We had a great time.
Diana paid for out tickets at Coliseum. Do we have to pay you for those tickets?
We are going to Florence on April 19th. Do you have tours there?
Thanks for the great time!
Koiti
April 3rd 2012
Dear
Melanie,
I am just writing to say thank you to you and Carlotta for ensuring that our
stay in Rome was truly memorable. Carlotta was not only a great guide,
well-informed and entertaining, but she was so friendly and helpful all round.
Her knowledge of the by-ways and quick routes through the Vatican was as
impressive as her knowledge of art history! We had a wonderful time and thank
you both very much. It makes such a difference to have this really personal
tour, which focussed on the things we were really interested in but also
enabled us to see other things which we would certainly have missed on our own.
I hope that we might be back in Rome before too long, and if so, we shall
certainly contact you again, and ask for Carlotta if available! We shall also
be recommending you both to friends.
With all good wishes,
Judith (Nash)
March 27th 2012
Hello Helen
Just wanted to let you know that James Good was an excellent tour guide for our Vatican tour on Tuesday March 20th. We could not have asked for a more knowledgeable guide and he made the tour incredibly interesting for all. My daughter is currently studying in Rome and she also thought James was brilliant. He really is excited about specifics on dates and all of the details behind some of the most prominent figures that we know by name but maybe not by their infamous history in some cases.
Thanks again.
March 21st 2012
Hi Helen,
Just a quick note to say that we thoroughly enjoyed the tour today with guide Jason Cardone. He was very knowledgeable, providing context and interesting stories that really brought to life what we were looking at.
We all felt that he made the tour vastly more understandable and memorable than if we had done it on our own. To my surprise, our 17 year old son was as interested and engaged as the rest of us and I'm sure much of that was thanks to Jason.
We'll recommend him and your agency to friends coming to Rome.
Thanks very much,
Alex Klip
February 13th 2012
comments:
hi guys i was with you guys mid january for the vatican tour and enjoyed myself
immensely. my 2 parents and sister(3ppl) will be in rome on wednesday and i
would like to book u guys for the same tour is the hilarious english speaking
man available on wed(slightly balding, blond). i think he's really good. mail
me back on the details and timing (preferably wed morning) thanks! danny
December 22nd 2011
Ciao Kira,
Sorry for the delay in booking, I have been unwell.
Thankfully, I am back on track now, and returning to my plans for our trip to Rome in January.
I don't think my father would need a wheelchair, as long as he is not rushing at all, he should be absolutely grand.
Before booking the tour, I want to thank you for the kind attention you have paid to my request. It is very refreshing to meet with such excellent service, and I would like for you to pass this on to your manager, if appropriate, as I feel you are a great asset ti Italy With Us. I would definitely recommend the service to friends, based on the courteous correspondence I have received from you.
Now that I have said thanks, I just go to the link you provided me (http://italywithus.com/index.php?id=128 ).
If correct, I will book the date, then just let you know so that the date etc is definitelt confirmed.
Thanks again for your patience!
Róisín
November 29th 2011
Thank you Helen. That is fine!
We loved the tour- the guide was great and we were so appreciative of the beautiful explanation of the Sistine Chapel!
Hope all is well and thank you again for your help with the tour.
Sincerely,
Heather Blinn
November 28th
Hello Italy with Us,
After reading your website's blogs, I can see that we are not your only Anton
fans. We toured Vatican City with him last week. We were both surprised
and delighted with the quality of the tour, and especially Anton's wealth of
information and his "subtle" sense of humor! We have passed your
company's information along with our recommendations to our travel agent.
Thanks for the great time!
The Crawford Girls
California, USA
November 26th
Dear Adrian,
Kathleen Holmes
here. I was deleting old emails and saw yours, and wanted to tell you
what a delightful time in Rome with had with you and the staff for three
days. Monica and Diane were a wonderful surprise. Thank you for
making it all happen.
How is Helen? I pray she is getting back on her feet and able to return
to her lifestyle, with maybe less stress to deal with.
How is that darling puppy of yours?
Hope all is well, and Rome is still standing. Looks like the world's
economy is a bit shaky.
Thank you again to Jay, and our gal, who's name is escaping me at the moment.
They were both incredible Google heads, as tour guides. Nothing they
couldn't answer or offer info about. We loved our stay in Rome.
Thank you so very much.
Kathleen Holmes
November 26th
comments:
Please thank Carlotta for our Vatican tour last Tuesday. She was an excellent
guide with the right touch, as well as knowing her subject. She added value to
our trip to Italy. Please pass on our thanks! Tom
November 11th
Hi Helen, I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the Vatican tour. It was the highlight of our time in Rome. Anton was a wonderful guide. We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with him, and learned so much!
Cindy and Michael Doe
November 4th
Just to say a big thank you for the wonderful and informative tour of the Sistine Chapel. It was a very unexpected surprise which I didn't anticipate. Siobhan is always giving me surprises.
Have you sorted any pilgrimages to Rome ? If so let us know please.
Kind regards June and Siobhan.
October 31st
Dear Helen,
We are back home, happily recounting our memorable trip to Italy. Thank you very much for all you did for us. I know there was a lot of back and forth; but in the end, it all worked out and we were very satisfied. Thanks again.
Kind regards,
Patrick Mahoney
October 24th 2011
Dear Carlotta, just a note to thank you for the early bird tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum you conducted at 0800 hrs Saturday the 22 of Oct 2011 Your tour was very informative and conducted at just the right pace for all in the group including the children (which you were great with)Thank you for the extra sights and shortcuts that allowed the group to move around without falling over the large crowds that came later again thank you very much.(PS please thank Gilli for getting us on the tour)Yours Frances and Karen Bilton
October 19th
Dear Helen: Hope all is well with you and you are recovering from your hospital stay. Just a note to inform you that we enjoyed the two Vatican/St. Peters on 10/11 and the Borghese 10/12 tours we signed up for. Both guides offered lots of good information. Kathy of Boston especially is so passionate of what she had to offer. I know she's had to repeat the same story a thousand times, but her enthusiasm for her interest in art is still boiling hot. Thank you again and much aloha to you and your staff.
October 19th
Hi Helen,
Just a quick email to say thank you. We all enjoyed the Vatican
tour immensely. It was very informative and the pace was good, not
rushed but not too slow either. It was lovely to see the Sistine Chapel before
all the crowds arrived. Our guide was excellent. We had a great
time.
We hope to be back in Rome next September and will in touch again.
Thanks again for a great service.
Regards
Therese Grogan
October 18th 2011
Maree and Melanie -
You probably hear this all the time - but Kerry and I had probably the most
extraordinary experience of our lives last night. The tour was absolutely
indescribable. We were overwhelmed for hours afterwards... in fact, we
still are. Thank you so much for it. It is worth every cent and
more.
Can we ask - who was the fabulous young man who was the guide? He was
truly wonderful - so knowledgeable and so generous and so entertaining!
Has he written anything? We did not even get his name!
We cannot begin to describe how wonderful this tour was. Cannot thank you
both enough for all the help and patience you showed.
We will do the tour again, and urge everyone we know who is coming to Rome to
do it.
Best regards -
Paul Townsend and Kerry Lee.
October 15th
Liebe Melanie, dear Cathy, dear Helen,
wir waren und sind noch begeistert von der "morning tour" durch den Vatikan am 11. Oktober - nicht zuletzt dank der überaus professionellen, kenntnisreichen und unterhaltsamen Führung von Cathy!
Bitte richte ihr ganz, ganz liebe Grüße und unseren herzlichen Dank aus!
Wir kommen wieder, Rom wird uns nicht mehr loslassen; - aber auch Trier ist eine Reise wert.
Alles Gute
Margaret Swanson
October 13th 2011
We
LOVED the tour. Thank you so much!
September 24th
Hi Helen,
First off, thank you for two incredible tours last week. The colosseum and ancient Rome tour was great, and the private Vatican tour was spectacular!!
Second, my parents will be in Rome this coming Monday, 26 September, and I was hoping to arrange a private Vatican tour for them. Would this be possible on such short notice? They would like the same 8 am VIP tour, with the Nicholas chapel, that Heather and I had. They would also like the same guide, if she is available!!
Please email to let me know if this can be arranged. We could put payment through with PayPal tomorrow, or alternatively just have them pay on the day of the tour.
Thanks again,
Michael xxxxxx
September 15th 2011
Dear Helen,
Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our Early bird tour of the Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museum this morning. Our guide was -Anton and we cannot praise him too highly! He is truly brilliant and as far as we are concerned, made this tour one of the most memorable In all our holiday. Thank you to your company, and be assured we will recommend the tour to all we can. Will promise to comment on trip adviser too. Well done & thanks again.
Should also mention that we first heard of your tour & company from an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald(Australia) Sent from my iPad
August 26th 2011
Thank you so much for an amazing tour of the Vatican museums at 8.00 am Tuesday 16th August. Unfortunately did not catch the name of our tour guide - would it be possible to let us know his name? many thanks Anne Heselton
August 17th 2011
comments:
Hello, my partner and I went on a semi-private tour of the
Sistine Chapel on 4th August 2011. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit and I
heartily recommend Anton our guide, I enjoyed his opinions and found him
enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I know that this isn't his area of expertise
but I didn't feel that we missed out because of this. For example I had read a
lot about the Sistine Chapel and Anton discussed them with me and was confident
to add his own opinion. I enjoyed the tour so much that when I do get the chance
to return to Rome I will be booking a tour with you again and will request
Anton! Many thanks for such a well organised and interesting tour.
August 9th 2011
Dear helen
We had the semiprivate tour with Kathy on 14 July.
Thanks for your organisation it was great and Kathy a perfect guide
Best regards
Magdalena
August 9th
<< Vatican – Our guide was James. A+. We spent more time in the Sistine and St. Peter's than anywhere else. Just what we wanted<<
August 8th 2011
To Adrian and Nicola and all of the
crew at Italy With Us, Thank you for making our Vatican Tour an amazing
experience. I am sorry about the credit card issue; I learned that
I needed to call in for approval on that Mastercard, but I am grateful you
trusted me and that it was sorted out quickly. Hope to see you in the
near future with another group.
Blessings from the U.S., Diane Strack
Student Leadership University
August 4th 2011
comments:
Just wanted to sincerely thank you and, especially, Anton for our outstanding
guided tour of the Vatican. It was amazing! (8 a.m. tour - 29th of Juli)
Regards, Michael
August 3rd
Dear Ms. H. Donegan,
On behalf of the whole family, I would like to express my sincere thanks to your good-self, and to our guide, Kathy, for the wonderful 8a.m. Semi-Private VIP Vatican Tour, on July 12th.
The Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica were amazing! One could stay there all day and still not see everything! The museum is a treasure, and the paintings by Michelangelo and Rafaello Santi were breathtaking. Every detail is remarkable! It was all so fascinating, and Kathy was very informative, extremely professional and fully engaged for the whole three hours of the tour. The information was laced with anecdotes and humour to make the facts even more memorable.
Thank you ever so much for this wonderful experience and for the marvellous service italywithus is providing.
Kind Regards,
Maria Ellul.
August 1st
hello helen,
just a quick note to say how fantastic our tour was and our guide cathy was
excellent. i was hoping you might be able to send me a receipt copy via
email, i had asked for one to me faxed to our hotel in rome but unfortunately i
did not receive one before we left.
thanking you in advance and i will be sure to recommend italy with us.
kind regards,
laura.
July 22nd
Thanks, Helen !
From my clients who experienced last night's After Hours Tour:
"Our tour guide Jay was most likely the most knowledgeable guide I have ever experienced. Me knowing just a little about everything to be dangerous, but not enough to be serious, I can say I met my match. A Church Historian who was a walking encyclopedia of facts. It was like talking to Data on Star Trek. A very enjoyable evening!"
July 18th
Hi Helen,
John and I have just arrived back in Canada and I wanted to send you a very big thank you for the tours you arranged for us while in Rome. You and your staff went above and beyond the call of duty and brought the Vatican and Rome alive for us. Our day at the Vatican was truly magical and the After Hours Tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel…well words cannot describe the feelings of seeing the Sistine Chapel in the way your tour permitted and the memories we shall always cherish.
The knowledge of your guides is exceptional and we will recommend your company very highly as often as possible.
Thanks again for everything.
On another note I have a favour to ask of you. At the end of the tour of the Vatican/Sistine Chapel our guide (and forgive me his name escapes me at the moment…English chap with excellent knowledge of his subject) pointed out a book to us about the history of the Vatican (a white covered book with the title written in orange). We were unable to get back to the museum to pick up a copy and also could not find a copy in the souvenir shops or bookstores outside the Vatican. Would it be possible for you to send a copy of that book to us? Of course we will cover all costs. Please let me know.
Thanks again for everything!
Gillian
July 13th
Hi, Helen,
I just wanted to let you know how very much we enjoyed the tours with Anton yesterday afternoon at the Colloseum, etal., and this morning at the Vatican. He's knowledgeable, funny (in a dry sort of way!), informative and is especially good with children. He kept the attention of our two boys, ages 9 and 11 with topics they could definitely relate to (torture and how the ancients went to the bathroom!) They actually learned a few things beyond that, too! Please forward my email on to Anton if you would... we asked him to keep in touch with us and if he's ever in New York, to definitely look us up.
Thanks again for a job very well done!
Sincerely,
Theresa Nardo,
July 12th 2011
Dear Helen,
On behalf of my sister and I, I would like to express our appreciation for the
quality of the Vatican Tour on Monday, July 4, 2011, conducted by
Cathy/Kathy. In our view, Cathy/Kathy made the tour very special for
us. Her in-depth knowledge, personal passion and skilful
technique to dwell on the practical, significant,
human aspects of the history of Vatican, set your tour apart.
Your tour company was recommended to us by my friend who took the
"night" tour of the Vatican and you lived up to all that she said
about you. Please be advised that you have already been re-recommended
to my friends who will be visiting Rome in Sept.
The quality of your product is well represented Cathy/Kathy. Please
ensure she receives our gratitude and compliments.
Our thanks,
Linda Moxey/Cathy Moxey
July 6th
Dear Helen,
Would like you to know that Peter and I very much enjoyed the Vatican tour. Anton was so informative and knowledgeable. We were delighted that we had read about your firm in the Telegraph.
Thank you so much for your help.
Best wishes,
Lyn Beck
June 29th
My husband and I took a tour of the VATICAN on Monday 20th June. I think the guide was called Arnaldo. We would like to complement him on job very well done. He was most informative, we appreciated his humour, depth of knowledge, enthusiasm and very professional manner. Despite a very hot and crowded morning and a diversion which lengthened the tour we came away delighted and much enriched by the experience. We would also like to thank the young man (your rep) who stopped us on the street suggesting we took the tour.
Sue & George Drake
June 28th 2011
Helen,
The tour tonight was AWESOME!! We (my mother, her husband, myself, and my husband) all loved it - it was the highlight of our time in Rome. As a teacher who has taken this tour with groups of high school sophomores several times, it was an absolute joy to be able to stop and admire the treasures of the Vatican Museums and to be able to truly see the Sistine Chapel without having to fight for space with a horde of other tourists. In fact, this is the first time that I have been able to see several of the rooms that were on our tour in the four times I have been to the Museum before tonight.
For me, the highlight of the tour was standing in the the Sistine Chapel with only the few of us who were on the tour in the room - being able to take in the entire chapel at one time was breathtaking! Normally, there are so many people in the chapel that it is hard to be able to take it all in - not tonight. I feel fortunate to have been able to stand back and drink it all in without anyone blocking the view! I hope to bring my son to Rome in the next year or two, and I am already planning to take this tour with him. It is truly worth every penny to have the privilege to go on the tour; it is the very best way to see the Vatican Museum!!
I am looking forward to taking this tour again the next time I come to Rome!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful guides and the experience of a lifetime!!!
Beckie Rago
June 25th
Hello
We joined your 8am tour this morning. Just turned up and was all ok. The tour was excellent, as was Anton.
Thanks
Julia
June 15th
Helen:
Rome was great. Cathy did a splendid job at the Vatican and Anton’s tour of ancient Rome was wonderful. It was a great day and your tour guides were key to us getting to see and understand everything!
I have to say that your recommendation of Marcello was OUTSTANDING. His vehicle was very comfortable and suitable to see the magnificent views over the walls and guard rails. He knew EVERY area like the back of his hand. He gave us a wonderful and informative tour of the Amalfi Coast, keeping us well away from the busloads of bustling tourists and shopping traps. He set up possibly the best lunch my family has ever had at a wonderfully scenic restaurant in Pontone. Breathtaking views and EXCELLENT REAL ITALIAN food.
Then he arranged a wonderful afternoon tour of Pompeii for us – no lines, very professional tour guide [Leno], who spent several quality hours with us taking us through all the lost city’s features and history. Afterwards, he got us back to our ship with perfect timing.
His passion in seeing that his guests have a remarkable time is not something you see often. It shines through and through -- and you can count on him to take the greatest care of your clients.
Marcello should be your “secret weapon” for Naples/Amalfi/Pompeii. THE VERY BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST! A stunning tour, to say the least.
Thanks for everything,
Josh
June 13th 2011
Hi Helen:
Just back in Boston from our 2 weeks in Italy and I wanted to take a minute to tell you how much my husband & I loved the morning Vatican tour we took with Jay.
You may remember that we were scheduled for the after hours tour on May 31st but the Vatican cancelled it. I was reluctant to take your suggestion to do the pre-opening morning tour thinking that we'd have very little time in the Sistine Chapel before the crowds. I was wrong. We had a good 35-40 minutes. It was fantastic.
Now to Jay - who was adorable and smart and so well informed it was scary. His commentary was relevant, thoughtful and not at all dry - which can happen with thousands of years of history to pick and choose from. He made this tour outstanding for us. Please, please pass on this praise to him for me. He rocks.
I will not hesitate to recommend your tours - and Jay - to friends/family that make their way to Rome. And hopefully the next time we're in Rome we'll be luck enough to do the after hours tour too.
Thanks so much!
Lori & Michael
June 7th
Laura:
Thank you for the wonderful tour you conducted with us today!
We really enjoyed our time in Florence and we would never have been able to see as much if it weren't for your expert knowledge of the area.
It
was fun and informative!
Best regards,
Josh, Diane and Joshua XXXX
Miami, FL USA
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Sunday, June 5th 2011
Dear Helen,
Thank you so much for your emails! We had the tour of the Colosseum, Forum, etc. with Anton today - he is an excellent guide! My brother, who normally hates tours, was very entertained and happy we did this tour. We are both looking forward to our tour of the Vatican tomorrow - I think we have Anton again, which will be great. Thank you so much for all of your help - perhaps we will meet you in the office tomorrow - we will be there by 7:50am.
Best Wishes,
Anita
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25th May
Helen,
My girlfriend and I just concluded our private guided tour. All I can say is
"wow!" Worth every eurocent - Kathy's breadth and depth of knowledge
exceeded every other guide I've ever toured with and she was patient with us to
boot!
I will wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend your private tours to all who
inquire.
Thank you again.
JB
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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18/05/11
comments:
I wanted to thank you and your guide, Anton, for the wonderful tour we received
last week when in Rome. My mom, sisters and I were absolutely amazed at the
beauty and splendor of the Sistine Chapel and Anton's seemingly unending
knowledge of the Vatican Museum. He made the tour more than we ever expected
and I wanted to say thank you! We will recommend your company to anyone we know
traveling to Rome. Thank you again for making our experience in Rome so
enjoyable.. Regards, Monica xxxxxxxx Houston, Texas
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16th May
hello we took the VIP vatikan tour with Anton The tour was amazing! Anton was extremely knowledgeable also very funny.
I asked for Anton's business card at the end but he didn't have any with him Is it possible to get Anton's email from you?
thanks!
ekin
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