21 Mar 2023
We originally booked a tour with another group and were scrambling around to find them only to discover later that the tour got canceled. In our attempt to find where the tour had gone, we metJames and two other people in his small group tour. He helped us try to find our group, but then when that proved to be futile, he graciously made arrangements to add us to his tour. He checked with the others to make sure they were cool us joining them and they happily welcomed us to the group.
I’m so happy that the other tour canceled because James was a SPECTACULAR guide! His knowledge of Roman history was extensive. Every story he told us was fascinating; really bringing ancient history to life. He spoke about the historic figures like Caesar, Bernini, Raphael and Michelangelo like they were actual people and not just occupants of dusty old text books.
James was filled with information that didn’t feel like it was straight from a script. He answered our questions knowledgeably and was never stumped by our queries. The spots we went to were typical tourist places, but James went above and beyond the typical tour guide rhetoric. He gave us unique stories and little things to focus on; things that we might’ve missed otherwise. There was a sort of art history bent to the tour, which we loved.
The easy-going, conversational aspect of the tour made it feel personalized and special. We were able to learn so much about Roman history—and there’s a LOT of history—in such a short amount of time. The hours flew by too quickly and we were sad for it to end.
We HIGHLY recommend this tour. It was such a happy accident that we ended up on James’ tour and we’re thrilled that it worked out the way that it did. What a great way for us to kick off our first vacation day and our very first time in Rome. Grazie!