|
Date: 08/08/2012
Subject: Rich, Narrated Tours
Hello,
We want to tell you that we greatly enjoyed our three tours with Through Eternity in Rome last week.
Our first was "City of the Caesars: Colosseum and Roman Forum" tour with Caterina Panetta on August 2, 2012. She was very pleasant, knowledgeable, gave an interesting and easy to understand presentation, and was eager to answer our questions. The group was relatively small, so it was easy to interact with her and ask questions. And we were able to by-pass the long waiting lines because we were with the group tour. The weather was hot, but Caterina was great at finding shady spots for us to stand while she explained the incredible history of the buildings and people. Our tour experience definitely made our vacation time very productive.
We enjoyed our time with Caterina in the Colosseum and Forum so much, that we decided to stay on with her later that same day for the “Palatine Hill” tour. It was an even smaller group, and was just as amazing. We would highly recommend Caterina as a tour guide to others!
The next day, on Friday, August 3, 2012 we did the “Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica” tour with John Tinto. This was also an incredible experience. The tour was over 5 hours long, and our guide narrated through the whole time, giving us so much interesting information that we wouldn’t have known if we had just viewed the museums on our own. Again, we by-passed the long lines by being with the tour group. The tour moved fairly quickly through everything (there is a lot to see!), and our guide had a lot to tell us, so there wasn’t as much opportunity to ask questions compared to the previous day, but he did an excellent job of narrating as we walked along. He was also easy to understand, and very knowledgeable. The headsets allowed us to hear him well even in the most crowded area of the Sistine Chapel. It was a wonderful experience that we will long remember!
Your guided tours made our precious time in Rome so much richer compared to our first day in Rome with a self-guided bus tour with recorded narration and ear phones. After half of the first day, we were frustrated with the slowness of the bus around the city through the traffic, and we experienced difficulty hearing the recorded information and locating the buildings that were being talked about. We skipped using the bus after the first day even though we had paid for 3 days. Your tours were so much better! There is no comparison!
Thank you so much for making these awesome tours available to us!
Shelly and Steve Boekenoogen
Date: 08/08/2012
Subject: Grazie! Great Enthusiasm and Impressive Skills
I am replying on behalf of my husband Ronil, we both took the Vatican Museum Tour on 4/8/12 with Eugenia. Eugenia conducted a really excellent tour on a very hot and crowded day, very knowledgeable, and impressively skillful at managing the large group in the throngs of people. We especially really appreciated her explanation of the Sistine Chapel prior to entry.
We also took Stefano's tour on 3/8/12 - City of the Caesars and Palatine Hill. We adore his great energy and enthusiasm, and admire and appreciate his knowledge and passion, all in all made for very enjoyable and memorable tours of these amazing sites.
We want to say a very big "grazie", also "allora" and "va bene" to Stefano, for not one but 2 great tours on a very hot day!
Many thanks. Would definitely recommend!
Ronil and Jackie
Date: 08/08/2012
Subject: More Than We Dreamed Of!
I finally have a moment to respond to your feedback request.
My in-laws, husband and myself, thought Barbara Neroni was fantastic! The in-depth tour was more than we could have dreamed of and we were amazed at all her knowledge. Barbara was also extremely nice and gracious.
We are definitely recommending your company to all our family and friends who will be visiting Rome and the outlying areas! You made my first trip to Italy the best.
Grazie,
Angie Chavez Opper
Date: 08/08/2012
Subject: Marco and the Vatican- Highlight of our Trip!
My daughters and I spent 14 days in Europe and our Tour of the Vatican with Marco was absolutely the highlight of our trip! He was so good and we learned more in our time with him than any of us could have imagined. I would absolutely recommend Through Eternity Tours to all of my friends and if they were going to the Vatican I would tell them to request Marco.
Thank you for giving us a wonderful experience.
Date: 06/08/2012
Subject: Interesting, Relevant, and Outstanding Tour with Guido!
Our experience and tour with Guido was excellent!
On an very hot day he took time to insure that we were all always as comfortable as possible , finding the shady areas out side when possible.
His professionalism and depth of knowledge made our tour a great educational experience. I had been to the Vatican before and learned much more on my tour with Guido.
He is a great teacher and took the time to always answer the many questions my nephew Taylor, a 16 yr old boy asked. His depth of knowledge and ability to educate us while making the tour interesting, relevant and fun was outstanding.
I would definitely contact Eternity Tours again. Please send Guido our thanks and best wishes!
Date: 06/08/2012
Subject: A Privilege to Visit Ostia with Laura!
It was a privilege to visit Ostia Antica with Laura!! An archaeologist who actually worked on the site, she was so very knowledgeable as well as a charming companion. I would recommend touring with Laura to anyone interested. I was really tired the day I went, but passionate to go. So, Laura, was attentive to my weariness and need at one point for a bag of potato chips, which is always a lift for me with plenty of water as well. I really pushed myself on this trip to Rome and had full days every day, so would have taken a day off had I not been going home the next day. As you know a trip to Ancient Ostia I had planned was canceled, so I was most grateful that you made the trip possible for me and especially with Laura!!
Date: 06/08/2012
Subject: Thomas' Passion is Contagious
Thank goodness I found Through Eternity Tours on the internet! I went to Underground Rome and a private tour with Thomas Robinson. His passion for Rome and its history is contagious to say the least!! He is a fabulous guide, whom I would recommend to anyone interested.
Date: 05/08/2012
Subject: So Enjoyable We Booked Another Tour!
Can we take Stefano with us for the offered Florence Tours?! We enjoyed his company and his wealth of information so much! Our first tour with Stefano was so enjoyable we booked the Tour at Colesseum for the following day! Thank You Stefano for the fantastic Tour.
Date: 04/08/2012
Subject: A Perfect Tour Guide
Robert was wonderful; as was the driver on the Nighttime Tour. We especially enjoyed when they would discuss - in Italian - the best route or next place to visit.
Rob is obviously extremely knowledgeable, and really seems to enjoy educating people about the history of Rome. The fact that he is American and speaks Italian so well only adds to the tour. At no time did we feel rushed, and he always took the extra time to answer our questions. He made sure we saw the highlights and was able to give us insights into things before we saw them so we were able to enjoy and understand what we were looking at even more. Given the time of year (we would wait until Autumn next time) he always made sure we were comfortable and despite the crowds that we were able to see everything. Once or twice other tour guides and groups would be eavesdropping on our tour to hear what he had to say.
He is the perfect tour guide given his background. His knowledge and insights into the history of Rome are exactly what we were looking for. Also, given his knowledge of how the taxi drivers operate, we were able to get around the city and not get taken advantage of.
To close, we were very happy with the the entire experience and have told everyone whose asked, how great it was seeing Rome the way we did.
On another note, it has been our understanding (based on all the guide books) that tips are always included in the cost of the service (guides, waiters, drivers, etc...), and therefore are not required (but possible expected from Americans). We had a discussion with our guide in Barcelona, that tipping, while not expected, does show that you were happy with the service. She also told us that service people are all salaried in Europe and don't use their tips to live on as they do in the States, but again, a tip shows satisfaction with the service. We were very satisfied and hope that our lack of a tip did not make Rob or our driver think that we were dissatisfied in any way. They were both professional, courteous and very knowledgeable and helped make our short time in Rome wonderful. Thank you very much for putting us together with them and we know who to call, or email, when we visit Rome in the future.
Sincerely,
Jim & Debi Schonberger
Date: 01/08/2012
Subject: What a Privilege!
The Vatican tour with Laura was fantastic. She was somehow patient and efficient with our group as we navigated our way through the crowds. She explained concepts and ideas clearly and articulately. Most importantly, she really knew her subject matter and any questions were fielded by her with sufficient depth for understanding, without pulling the group too far off track with the tour. I felt privileged to have someone as qualified as Laura as a tour guide. In addition, the small size of the group was wonderful and for these reasons I have recommended your tour company to several people during my stay.
Whatever she is being paid, it surely is not enough :)
Date: 01/08/2012
Subject: One of Our Favorite Days in Rome!
We all really enjoyed the Rome of Julius Caesar and Michelangelo tour. Stefan did a great job of helping us imagine what life would be like in ancient Rome. One of our favorite days in Rome.
Date: 31/07/2012
Subject: Amazing Twilight with Thomas
My girlfriend and I had a wonderful week in Rome and the highlights for our visit was the tours "Through Eternity". The tour ""Rome at Twilight among the Piazzas and Fountains" with Thomas Robinson, was an amazing experience, opening our eyes and hearts to Rome’s history, culture and life. Thomas shared not only his unbelievable knowledge of the city, but also enlightened us with his strong passion and spirit for Rome. After his guided tour we start seeing the city in so many wonderful colors, details and facts. It really made our visit very meaningful and personal. We really would like to thank Thomas for his energy and passion to share his knowledge with us and the patience once answering all the questions. Thank you for wonderful experience and we wish you a lot success and prosperity in your business.
Dean and Laura
Date: 31/07/2012
Subject: Great Pace and Direction
My girlfriend and I cannot express enough our amazing experience with Stefano D'Ovidio for the tour “Vatican Museums and St. Peter's - Essential Experience (Avoid the Lines)" on 23/07/2012. Stefano met and greeted us with upbeat and very welcoming energy, which made all the tour wonderful journey through time, art and religion. Besides Stefano’s vast knowledge of history, art, architecture and religion, we couldn’t stop admiring his strong passion for the subjects and his talent in sharing it. He also acted very professional, logic and composed once one of the tour members wondered off without notice. We really appreciated his very hard work in fighting the enormous crowds, leading the group with very good pace and direction. We couldn’t have better guide than Stefano to explore Vatican! Thank you so much for positive and inspiring energy, vast knowledge and amazing coordination to share it all.
We wish you all the best luck.
Thank you!
Dean and Laura
Date: 31/07/2012
Subject: 5 Stars Twilight with Thomas!
Love the tour and Thomas. Excellent!!!! We loved it so much that I am going to give it five stars in TripAdvisor!
Julie Rule
Date: 30/07/2012
Subject: We are still talking about our great experience!
Our experience with Marco Balestrieri was a wonderful one. He is a very knowledgeable, well spoken, organized, professional man who gave us an in depth tour. We are still talking about our great experience and have compared any tour we have had with that one and we all agree that that tour was #1. We will recommend your tour and most especially Marco to anyone traveling to Rome. Linda and Larry
|
