To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: January 3, 2010
Subject: Especially captivating

We are home in the US now and I write to tell you what an extraordinary trip we had, in large part due to your guides. Mario took us through the Coliseum and Forum, giving us spectacular insight into the culture and everyday lives of people living at the time, as well as a detailed explanation of how and who discovered the ruins centuries later. His perspective of the times is interesting and was especially captivating for our 19 and 23 year olds. Gracelyn took us on a fabulous walk through time for the evening stroll. She is not only knowledgeable, but so engaging we asked for her again on our Vatican tour. As expected, she had us entranced by the stories behind the artifacts and paintings, and was extremely helpful in pointing out to us other places for us to visit that were not on the tours. All in all, our Rome visit was the trip of a lifetime for us and Through Eternity Tours was terrific. And despite our short time in Florence, Ignazio was able to trot us through the highlights in our short tour, and we spent the rest of the day revisiting those we had interest in. I would also like to thank you for your help in suggesting what we should see and do, and your patience through what seemed like 100 emails to get it all decided!! Thank you and Happy New Year! I will be recommending Through Eternity to everyone I know.

Martha Carlson

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: November 30, 2009
Subject: Amazing tours

Dear Through Eternity;
We LOVED your tours! We participated in three tours; Rome at Twilight with Ian, the Vatican with Marle, and the Coliseum/Forum with Gabriel. They were all fabulous. Ian was very funny and really kept our attention the whole time. I also loved the gelato stop. I must say it was the best we had on our whole trip. He was also so very helpful in suggesting ways for us to get home after our tour was over. (We took that tour the night we arrive in Rome, so we had NO idea where we were going!!) He was great!
Marle was absolutely fantastic and amazing. She was VERY well spoken and really has a gift for what she does. She helped us understand so much and we got so much out of her tour. Had we not had her as a guide for the Vatican, we would not have learned nearly as much as we did and we would have missed out on so much. She was so accommodating of everyone and was concerned with their comfort. She always made times for breaks, and with such a long tour, that is very important.

Gabriel was very knowledgeable and spoke very well. He also was very accommodating in directing us to an ATM and great restaurant once the tour was over. Gabriel was great. I will definitely suggest Through Eternity Tours to friends traveling to cities where you offer tours. I hope that I get the chance to use your tour company again.

Thanks again,
Anne Meagher
Jack Meagher
Connie Meagher

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: November 23, 2009
Subject: A treat!

Hi Eternity,
Here is a quick note to you to let you know that we had our Vatican tour today with Gracelyn & did our Colosseum & Palatine Hill tours with Thomas on Saturday. All our tours were wonderful.. We enjoyed the sites so much, and found our tour guides to be so friendly, personable, helpful and extremely knowledgeable.
We are having a wonderful time exploring and learning about Rome. Our Eternity tours have been a treat!

Best wishes,
Tom Daellenbach

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: November 22, 2009
Subject: An enlightening experience

Hi Guys
My wife and I have just recently returned from a short break to Rome and booked four tours with
Through Eternity after reading recommendations on the Trip Advisor website, we were not disappointed.
Gracelyn was able to bring the Roman Forum to life and it was easy to imagine the grandeur of the buildings
within the Forum and the bustle of daily life within. The Coliseum was an inspiring sight and once again
Gracelyn had the ability to transport us back to 80AD and the games held within.

Ian with boundless enthusiasm gave us a very detailed tour of Palatine Hill, pointing out things that we would
have surely have missed if we had undertaken an audio tour on our own. ( I don’t think I will eat swordfish again !!)
The Vatican Tour was also exceptional, Ian provided a very detailed account of the history of the artifacts, statues and art within.

Gabriel provided an in depth tour of “Rome by Twilight”. The tour of the back streets of Rome was fascinating and the interpretation of buildings, water fountains etc awe inspiring, but at the same time making perfect sense. The use of ancient Roman artifacts in modern day buildings was also amazing.

Must to our own disappointment, we left the “Rome by Twilight” tour to the last evening. Gabriel was able to point out many things and areas that we had missed on our short but busy visit , but has whetted our appetite for a return trip to Rome and we will definitely be booking our tours with “Through Eternity” .

I cannot convey enough to Gracelyn, Ian and Gabriel for bringing Rome to life for both of us during our short visit.

Many Thanks

William and Roz,
Gillingham, Dorset, England

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: November 15, 2009
Subject: Private Tours w/Gracelyn

Thanks so much for the wonderful time we had in Rome with Gracelyn as our private guide! In every way she lived up to our expectations of Through Eternity. For us it wasn't just about the knowledge of history, names, and dates, all of which Gracelyn can share with enthusiasm. It was the vivacity and excitement she brought to the Roman experience, both for ancient Rome and modern Rome. We loved learning what it was like to live in the city today, and to get to know Gracelyn as a friend. Thanks so much, again, for everything. This was the second time we toured with you, and we would do it again.

Beth Larson -- Magic Water, Idaho
Jeanene Davis -- Highland, Utah

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: November 8, 2009
Subject: Thanks

I meant to write much earlier, but am just now getting around to it. This summer we took 3 of your tours - Ancient Rome, Palatine Hill, and the Vatican. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed our day in ancient rome with Thomas. His enthusiasm was infectious and his love and familiarity with ancient rome enriched our experience a hundred-fold. He made the stones live for us. His gifts became even more clear when we visited Hadrian's Villa on our own. The ruins were impressive, but without knowing what the context, it was just a bunch of rocks. We kept saying "I wish Thomas was here with us!" (Our tour guide for the vatican was also very good, but I don't remember her name.)

Once again, many thanks for making my trip to Rome so memorable!
Sincerely,
Holly Hitchcock

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: October 29, 2009
Subject: A memorable experience.

Just a quick note to say that my husband and I were extremely pleased that we chose "Through Eternity" for our 2 day private tour of Rome. Our guide, Janet, was extremely knowledgeable. Right from the beginning when Janet arrived at our hotel promptly on time, we knew we had made the right choice. Learning about Rome with Janet was like meeting a friend who was taking you around to see the sights. My husband and I highly recommend "Through Eternity." Thank you for making Rome a memorable experience.

Susanne and Eric

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: October 27, 2009
Subject: We would do it again

Lois and I have been back from Rome for just one week and are finally recovering from all the travel. We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed having Marle’ escort us around Rome’s best sites. She was a wealth of knowledge and very personable.

I believe I speak for our entire group when I say that while the day was long and we felt overwhelmed at times with all we saw and learned; we would do it again in a second.

Thank you very much,
Tom and Lois Smith
(Tour of Rome on October 20, 2009)

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 28, 2009
Subject: I was so happy with the tour

Dear Through Eternity,
I had hoped to write to you first to tell you that Janet was fabulous. I was so happy with the tour. She had insights into Caravaggio and nuggets that I would not have found in books. I will highly recommend
your Caravaggio tour (as well as your other tours). And thanks for making the special arrangement for me.

Thanks again,
Barbie

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 25, 2009
Subject: Very pleased

Dear Through Eternity Tours,
Being from a country where large crowds are not that common, having the guidance and structure of a tour was far less daunting for us that "doing it ourselves" would have been (when we saw the size of the queue for the Museum that morning, oh goodness were we pleased we had arranged to go with a group!)

Back home in Australia now and wanted to write and say how wonderful our guide, Robert, was on Monday. He was so knowledgeable and engaging with his subject matter, and really brought the art to life for us. Our four year daughter (not the easiest age for visiting a gallery) was very interested in spotting all the lions, once several images of St Jerome had been pointed out with accompanying lions. Robert coped so well with giving us an in depth, informative, and interesting tour, and it is wonderful to deal with someone who is passionate about their subject. I was very pleased we had booked this tour for our trip to Rome, and feel very pleased to have had such an excellent guide for this fascinating tour.

Thank you

Rachel Taylor
NSW Australia

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 23, 2009
Subject: It was worth every penny!

My wife and I wish to thank everyone at your company for the excellent service you provided us while we were in Rome . Your guide met us at the Post Italian #26 exactly on time on September 5 , 2009 at 09:30 AM and gave us the greatest tour that anyone could imagine . He was very pleasant , spoke English , and explained the history and facts about the Vatican and its museums . It was worth every penny . We plan to come back to Rome again and we won't hesitate to use your service .

Donald & Jane Thacker --- New Albany , Ohio

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 20, 2009
Subject: Recent trip to Rome

Dear Gentleman,
I want to thank you on behalf of my entire family for the wonderful experience we had in Rome this summer. We are a family of four and I was afraid my teenage children would eventually get bored and tired after several hours of history, art appreciation, and archeology. How wrong I was! Our guide Marle Robinson covered the history of both the Roman Forum and the Colosseum with such a finesse and expertise that all of us are still talking about it. My youngest son even shared some of her comments in school.
Gabriel's fund of knowledge is very vast and he always seemed to have an answer for every question he was asked. The time we spent with him at the Vatican flew by so quickly that I could not believe the tour was over when it came to an end. Clearly both Marle and Gabriel are naturals and came across as two people who genuinely enjoy what they do. As we walked by other tour groups all I could see were large herds of cattle following a flag held by depressed guides reciting overly rehearsed scripts!

Thank you again for all the fun!

Fernando D. Kwiatkowski

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 18, 2009
Subject: Engaging guides

Hi,
I wanted to email you and rave a bit about your guides. My son and I had tours of the Vatican on Saturday Sept 12, (the name of the guide I cannot recall, only because details don't stick like they used to) and the Colosseum/Forum/ Palatine Hill on Monday September 14th with Gracelyn Monaco (whose name I remember because she kindly gave us a card.) I want to say how much we learned, and how gracious, knowledgeable and engaging these guides were. One of my motives for taking my son on a vacation to Rome was that I hoped he would intellectually connect with his Western Civilization and Christian roots. Your guides were able to make these eras and their cultures accessible and understandable. They articulated Roman/Early Christian and later century Catholic beliefs, behaviors and reactions, and then were able to translate and deftly draw similarities to our own times. My son is 26, an age that can be hard audience for anyone, no matter how much the guide knows or how many times they have presented. Each guide was more than able to keep his attention. After each tour we talked a bit and I could see he had retained a lot, and moreover had a new understanding and perspective.

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed my tours and learned so much. I am fairly well traveled and have experienced my share of group and tours, even in 2005 a "private tour" of the Vatican. I have never had such knowledgeable guides, or ones with depth that they could answer, and even delight in tangential questions. I teach and know how hard it is to draw people in and keep an audience. Your guides were great at presentation and had a mastery of their subject, and a polished way of reading, engaging and managing their groups. Kudos to you for recruiting and retaining these guides and the superior product they produce.

Eileen
Philadelphia, PA

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 13, 2009
Subject: Memorable

We just returned from a week in Rome, during which my wife and I did three Through Eternity Tours. We did the Vatican Tour with Gabriel, the Angels & Demons Tour with Justin, and the Coliseum/Forum Tour with Gabriel. I'd like to say how thoroughly pleased we were with our tours. The groups were small in size and our guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. They provided great background and context that made what we were seeing really come alive. Gabriel has an amazing depth of knowledge in art, theology and history; Justin was great to provide the history and local cultural insights. We will highly recommend your tours to friends and other travelers. Thanks for making our tours some of the highlights of our very memorable trip.

Gary W.

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 9, 2009
Subject: thanks

Hi, I just wanted to let your office know tat myself and my family took a private tour on August 20th with your. An American student named Jim from New Jersey was our guide. Jim was a wonderful and knowledgable young man. He completely made us feel welcome and was able to share so much of is insight and knowledge regarding the ancient ruins, Collesseum and the Vatican.

We came away feeling as if we really could relate to all that took place in these wonderful places He also was able to show us an out of the way restaurant that was incredible. We will recommend your company and especially Jim to anyone who we know is going to travel to Rome. Thanks for making our experience such insightful and meaningful one. Sincerely, Claudine Pachon-Solis

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 4, 2009
Subject: tour

We just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed both of the tour guides while we were in Rome in July. Gracelyn was fantastic and stimulating as she guided us through the Vatican - my children have called her a walking encyclopedia. Brandon was animated and full of knowledge as he showed us the Coliseum. My daughter particularly enjoyed his love of Latin as she takes it in school and loved the conversations they could have together.

Please thank them both for us and tell Gracelyn that we went to 2 of the 3 restaurants she suggested and loved them both. (I forget their names - one was her recommendation for the best pizza - and it was - and the other there was no menu. Food was just served continuously and thoroughly enjoyed by all of us.)

Many thanks!
Diana, Craig, Jenny, and Matthew Levin
Laurel Hollow, NY

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 2, 2009
Subject: Re: Vatican Tour Confirmation

Eleni,

I write to thank you for arranging Gabriel as our guide on our Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's tour. Although we realize we only scratched the surface of the Vatican museum (it would take a year just to do a quick walk through) he did a fantastic job of acquainting us with many important pieces, an understanding of what masterpieces are on display and helped us appreciate the beauty there. His explanations were truly enlightening.

I was impressed as was my wife. My son commented that he learned more about art in that tour than he had learned in his life. My grandson (17) was fascinated by the entire tour. We all asked questions that were thoroughly answered. We ran late, but Gabriel stayed in St Peter's until we had all had our questions answered.

We stand ready to recommend Through Eternity to anyone who wants a recommendation.

Grazie,
Ted Duke

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: September 2, 2009
Subject: Thankyou

I have been meaning to email since we returned from our family holiday in Italy in July. We Just wanted to say a big thankyou to Gracelyn for being such a wonderful, friendly, patient (there were 11 family members in the group aged from 1 through to 70!) guide. You made our holiday in Rome even more memorable!!! And thankyou as well to the rest of the team. The booking process and the information you provided upfront was especially helpful. We wouldn't hesitate in recommending Through Eternity to any future travelers in Rome.

Thanks so much
The Walford, Cortese and Russell Families
Australia

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: August 29, 2009
Subject: an amazing experience

Just a quick note to tell you how our private tour (Essence of Rome) with Ian went on June 25th. We had an amazing experience---it felt like something out of the movies. Ian was fantastic---he was energetic, incredibly knowledgeable, and quickly adapted the tour to fit our most keen interests. It was more like hanging out with a friend for the day, one with expansive knowledge on Rome, art, history, etc. My wife and I both laughed and learned a lot.

I have told everyone about that day---one of the highlights from our entire honeymoon. It is the ONLY way to see the city if it's your first visit---I can't imagine Rome without Ian's tour. The city is too old, filled with so much wonder, that you cannot begin to appreciate it fully unless you have someone like Ian by your side. We were hoping we could get someone fast paced, energetic, and fun---in other words, we didn't want a boring art professor. As it turned out, Ian was in his mid-twenties, not much younger than us. It couldn't not have been better.

Thank you again,

Michael

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: Augustu 28, 2009
Subject: Our tour in Rome

It’s the first day back from Italy, and I must say it feels like a crash landing. We treated ourselves to two days of private tours in Rome. We were most impressed and happy to have Thomas as our guide. From the very first moment we met him, we were treated as old friends visiting after a long time. It is such a treat to have a patient, knowledgeable, humorous and competent scholar walk with you through the streets of Rome and explain history in a context that brings past and present together. In many instances Thomas would provide colorful analogies between events occurring thousand of years ago and present. It is obvious that he has spent much time studying the history of western civilization in depth, along the way developing various lenses to let us see history through so many different lights. Just brilliant.

We visited the Forum and the Coliseum along with the Rome Baroque structures on the first day, stopping at a wonderful gelateria, and ending the day at a beautiful tratorria near Pantheon. The second day was spent in Vatican, with a walk to the old Rome near Piazza Navone, again stopping at Teatro Gelato, and ending with the best meal we had in Rome at a family owned osteria, thanks to Thomas’s endless knowledge of the city. We never felt that we were being pressed for time, as Thomas graciously took his time allowing us to take our time, with our endless questions and excitement. He has inspired us to continue our study of very important events in history that have changed humanity forever.

We can’t wait to begin with his recommendations for further reading. We wish Thomas continued happiness and success in his adopted Rome.

Best and Ciao

Tanya and Joe Sofer
New York, New York

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: August 24, 2009
Subject: RE: Ancient City Tour Confirmation

Hi - I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful experience we had with both the below tour and one of your Vatican tours when we visited Rome the beginning of the month. Our guide for the Vatican tour was Justin and for the below was Thomas. I can't say enough about both of these individuals. They were friendly, more than extremely knowledgable and informative, and overall just outstanding.

I was traveling with two children (ages 10 and 13) and because of your tour guides they thoroughly enjoyed both tours and were never bored on either tour. I found your company through Trip Advisor recommendations and I will also be adding my own recommendation. I have traveled numerous places both in the US and overseas and have taken many tours and have had excellent guides but I never had a tour guide the caliber of these two individuals.

Sincerely
Melissa Blair

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: August 20, 2009
Subject: Thanks for the remarkable tours

Dear Amanda,

First of all thank you for arranging our tours of your wonderful city late last month. Your careful attention to my request for a private tour which would allow my husband who has difficulties walking and standing worked out perfectly!

And our tour with Marle was wonderful as well. After meeting us at our hotel we enjoyed her expertise as she toured us around the Forum and Colosseum as well as the Catacombs. Her extensive knowledge of Roman history put everything in context and her love and enthusiasm for the subject comes across all day. She was delightful to spend the day with, warm and friendly and so easy to be with. She was also very generous with her time spending several extra hours with us to be sure we enjoyed our experience in Rome. She took the time to help us get settled on the Metro before leaving us.

Our time with Gracelyn and her tour with us around the Vatican and St. Peter's was also excellent. She is also very knowledgeable about the Vatican and all its wonders. Your guides are incredible in their background and knowledge of Rome. Our trip continued to Greece where we also took many tours but none compared to the guides we enjoyed at Through Eternity.

Thank you for all you and your friends did to make our visit to Rome so memorable.

Sincerely,
Marilee and Mark Talmage

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: August 13, 2009
Subject: What a great tour

Dear Eleni,
I just wanted to write a short e-mail to you to let you know what a great tour we had today and what a good guide Ian was. He really knew his stuff, paced everything well and more importantly kept us entertained throughout, he was a credit to your company. I will be sure to write a glowing review on the website where I found you, trip advisor.com.

Thank you again and please pass on again our thanks to Ian,

Ian Forster

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 24, 2009
Subject: The quality of the tour guides was a highlight of my trip to Rome.

Amanda –
I just wanted to comment of the tours we took through your company in Rome. The tours were booked through my sister, Angela Geraghty.

1. Thomas: Vatican tour: This was a spectacular tour – one of the best I’ve ever taken. It was interesting to learn about what we were seeing; however the real impact of the tour was how Thomas made me reflect on how this ‘stuff’ impacts my life and the emotional response possible to the artwork. I find it incredible that he can bring such enthusiasm and knowledge to tours given frequently – nothing seemed rote or canned. Tour date: Monday, July 21
2. Justin: Twilight walking tour: I will admit I wasn’t looking forward to another tour – especially one that began at 7pm. Justin made it interesting, informative and the time (and the cobblestones underfoot) flew by…almost didn’t want the tour to end. We had already trekked through the sights – and didn’t realize how much we missed until Justin started talking! Tour date: Wednesday, July 22

I will highly recommend your company to friends and family. The quality of the tour guides was a highlight of my trip to Rome.

Cathy Harkin

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 20, 2009
Subject: Two incredible days on the Immersion in Rome tour

I want to thank you for two incredible days on the Immersion in Rome tour. Your guide Thomas Robinson made our visit an amazingly more memorable and educational experience. My children ages 21, 19 and 16, along with my wife and I, haven’t stopped talking about how Thomas made Ancient Rome and the Vatican come alive. Based upon my online research, I had high expectation of Through Eternity Tours. I even read the book “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” in preparation for the Ancient Rome portion of this tour. Without question, Thomas exceeded everyone’s expectation. Nicely done.

Tim Alba

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 14, 2009
Subject: A couple of very happy Aussies!

Hi guys.
We have just returned back from our trip in Italy. Some feedback for you on Justin , who was our tour guide. He was terrific. He was on time , good company, well versed on the Roman Empire and took us on a physical and historical tour of Rome, both its sights and its history. We came away in love with Rome and with a much better understanding of Rome and its place in our cultural development. We had a ball, please thank Justin for us and we would thoroughly recommend the 2 day tour to anyone.
A couple of very happy aussies!

Regards

Colin & Amanda

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 5, 2009
Subject: Our tour with Justin

Dear Amanda,
Just a note to tell you how much we enjoyed Justin as our tour guide. He made history come alive and taught me things about Christianity that even I ,as a lifelong Catholic, never knew. His recounting of the lives of the artists and their dealings with each other was also something that made art more interesting to all my family, even those that professed to find art "boring." Thanks Justin, for making our trip to the Vatican so enjoyable.

Mary Kay, Tom and Neil McMahon

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 4, 2009
Subject: A wonderful experience

Dear Amanda,

We are now back at home in Grand Cayman and wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed our tours. Thomas was a wealth if information on our Ancient Rome and Palatine Hill tours and we enjoyed his commentary tremendously. Justin was our guide for the Vatican Museums and again was very enjoyable company for the day and a wonderful source of information. We will definitely recommend your company to anyone we know coming to Rome.. Thank you again for a wonderful experience.

Blair and Susan Kerr

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 3, 2009
Subject: It was the highlight of our 10 day Italy vacation

We just arrived home for a marvelous tour through Italy and spent our final day on a Vatican tour with Brandon. Although I am not an art expert by any means, Brandon provided a very interesting and thorough tour of the museum, chapel and St. Peters. It was the highlight of our 10 day Italy vacation. My only regret was not booking more tours during our short stay in Rome. The group was small enough to navigate the very congested hallways of the museum. Thank you.

Kind regards,

Brenda Goolsby

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 2, 2009 2:52:40 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Excellent tour guide

We took a tour with Through Eternity of the Vatican Museum. It was the most fantastic tour. We just couldn't believe we could have such an outstanding guide. Her name was Marle Robinson, and not only was she so knowledgeable about the history of art, but she gave us several extra hours. We just reveled in her expertise and knowledge. She made the Vatican art just come alive.

We were there months ago, and I have been amiss in not contacting you before this. But we have never forgotten the magnificent tour she gave us and wanted you to know how much we appreciated it.

I also contacted Rick Steves and told him how pleased we were with Through Eternity Tours.

Sincerely,

Virginia Karstens

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: July 2, 2009 2:25:02 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: All day adventure

Sincerely,

The Torkington family

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: June 30, 2009 8:25:15 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Our tour guide, Justin Southern, was superb!

On May 26th,we took your "St.Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums" tour and we were extremely pleased with what we experienced. Our tour guide, Justin Southern, was superb ! The knowledge that he imparted to us about history, the artworks, the techniques used, the artists themselves, and the entire Vatican, was thorough, informed, and exactly what we had hoped for.As a matter of fact,the tour was the highlight of our eight-day visit to Rome. We heard about your tours from relatives who had been in Rome last year and we have in turn passed information about Through Eternity Tours on to friends who are planning to visit Rome in the near future. Thank you and Justin for a great time.

Jan and Walt Jowett , Georgetown , Ontario , Canada .

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: June 24, 2009 11:23:13 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Thank you!

Dear Amanda,

I just wanted to thank you for your help in planning our time in Rome, and let you know what a wonderful experience we had with both Thomas and Gracelyn this week. Our group tour of Ancient Rome on Monday and private tour of the Vatican Museums Tuesday were both so well put together and captivating for all of us. Thomas vividly brought Ancient Rome to life for us, and inspired wonderful dinner-table conversation on the incredible lasting impact of the Roman Empire.

Keeping two children entertained for over 5 hours of art is a monumental task, and Gracelyn did a fabulous job. My daughter, Anna (8 years old), has repeatedly told us how much she enjoyed our afternoon in the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. It was truly the highlight of our trip.

Thank you again!

Sincerely,
Susan Weaver

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: June 17, 2009 4:06:40 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Unforgettable

Dear Through Eternity,
I just posted this review on trip advisor that I would like to share with you:
"We took the Vatican tour with Gracelyn at Through Eternity. Graziella (her italian name) was able to keep our interest alive for 7 hours as we toured the Vatican Museums including the Sistine Chapel. Not only was Graziella very smart and knowledgeable but she also communicated in a fun, passionate and energetic way. We proceed our trip to Pompei and then to Athens where we took other tours and we wished we had someone as interesting as Graziella guiding us in those places. She made our experience at the Vatican unforgettable and really brought the history and art alive to us. In fact she is so good, we joked that if some TV station would find her, she could have her own show like Rick Steves. But the show would be a lot more fun with this italian-american as a host. "
Daniela and Rich San Diego

Thank you!

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: June 11, 2009 4:13:44 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Outrageous Compliments to Marle Robinson - Our Guide for Private Vatican Museum Tour

Your guys do it right! Beginning with our Internet correspondence, you responded quickly and with understanding, making smart suggestions as to how to spend our time in Rome wisely and ultimately customizing an itinerary for us focusing on the Vatican Museums. Our guide, Marle Robinson, fit perfectly in our small foursome – I am not sure how you did that. She was delightfully energetic and funny, and within minutes became one of us. She pointed out all the little items of interest along the way, but really appeared to be in her element as we walked through the museums. Equally adept at discussing comparative religion and art history, she absolutely made our day a memorable one. She even joined us for dinner at one of her favorite restaurants that evening. Thank you and please convey our best wishes and feedback to Marle herself. Great job!
Marshall, Gerri, Ted, and Barbara
May 2009

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: June 5, 2009 3:43:24 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Thank You So Much!!!

I Just want to thank all the wonderful Through Eternity staff members we encountered when we visited the eternal city In February. We were wise enough to book three tours with Through Eternity. Ian our tour guide in the Vatican was so knowledgeable about art, one would think his major was in art history instead of archeology. The stories and the history you were able to pass on to us have made for many magical memories for my husband and myself. I will never look at a painting in the same way again Thank You!!

Gracelyn was our guide for the Forum and the Colosseum, in spite some rainy weather she had a smile and a story for nearly every monument we encountered. Others who were originally not on our tour were so impressed by her knowledge they asked if they could join us in spite nearly being finished at the forum. Gracelyn made the forum more than just piles of stone and rubble, her stories made the forum come alive again.

Our third tour was the twilight walking tour, unfortunately I am unable to recall the name of the woman who gave this tour, but she was wonderful and shared her love of the city to each of us from the Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, to the home of Bernini.

Since our return we have sung the praises of Through Eternity to all our family and friends, many who plan on visiting Rome in the future.

It is our hope we to will be blessed enough to return to the eternal city and be assured Through Eternity will be the only tour company we will ever consider touring with.

Thank You,
Ray and Terry Valle
Winter Springs Florida

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: June 4, 2009 6:56:30 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: thanks for a wonderful tour

Dear Through Eternity,

Thanks so much for the wonderful tour of the Vatican. Our tour guide,
Gabriel, was wonderful in every way. He was very professional and
knowledgeable and a natural born teacher. Both the content and style of
his presentation kept us all listening intently for almost seven hours. My
husband and I are both history professors (but not specialists in Italian,
classical or church history) and we learned so much from Gabriel. Our 13
year old son also enjoyed the tour. He thought he was going to be forced
to march through the Vatican and that it was going to be exactly the kind
of boring history lesson his parents always foist on him. In fact, it was
his favorite day of our seven day tour of Rome.

I would suggest a Through Eternity tour to any one visiting Rome. We are
only sad that we didn't book a tour with Through Eternity for the Roman
Forum as well.

Please feel free to share my comments with potential Through Eternity
guests on your website.

Thanks, Jennifer

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: June 1, 2009 2:25:11 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: We highly recommend the tour with Brandon.

For the second year in a row, we took the Vatican tour through your company! Both tours were wonderful. Brandon was our guide this year and his knowledge and enthusiasm were amazing. We learned a lot! The group was a good size, the pace was manageable for all, and we still covered a lot! We highly recommend the tour with Brandon.

Best wishes,
Wayne and Cherie Stevens
Idaho Falls, Idaho

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 28, 2009 4:42:03 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Very successful and fun trip to Rome!

I just wanted to vi feedback on two of our tours with Justin Southern. We did the Twilight tour and the Colluseum/Forum tour with him with our two kids and they loved it. We loved it as well. He used humor and really hit on the key elements. He even pop quizzed my daughter on the Twilight tour about the Forum tour info we learned earlier in the day. She is 9 years old and came home and gave her 4th grade class a lesson on Roman History that I could not believe.
We also did the Vatican tour with a wonderful guide, Marle, who again was able to hold our attention as well as the kids' for close to 7 hours!
Thank you so much for being a huge part if a very successful and fun trip to Rome!

Coles, Leslie. Mary and Gregory L'Hommedieu

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: Tue, 26 May 2009 09:34:41 -0400
Subject: It was the best decision I made for the entire trip!

In May my husband and I visited Rome and since it was my first time there, I wanted to get as much as I could out of the trip. I decided to do the Vatican and the Coloseum with tours and after much research on the internet, I decided with Through Eternity Tours.

It was the best decision I made for the entire trip. On Saturday, May 9th we toured the Coloseum and the Roman Forum with Ian Sumpter. The tour was everything I was hoping for and more. Ian was entertaining and extremely knowledgable. The tour went longer than expected but we did not mind. The group was small and we all enjoyed ourselves. I would never have learned all that I did with any other company.

We had also booked a tour of the Vatican for Monday. What a great surprise that Ian was also giving that tour also. Since the Vatican was my priority for the trip in Rome, having Ian as our guide was the icing on the cake. His knowlege and perspective made this the best day we had in Rome. No way would we have gotten out of the trip to the Vatican what we learned and experienced on that tour. Once again our group was small and very amicable, and Ian spent extra time with us there.
We enjoyed the visit to the Vatican and St. Peters so much that we returned to the Basilica twice more on our own.

There was no way that we would have gotten out of a trip to both these places what we got out of going on your tour. We felt totally immersed in the history of Rome. I felt very fortunate that we chose through eternity tours.

Nancy and Tony
New Jersey

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 27, 2009 6:32:25 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Great tours!

My boyfriend and I were in Rome last week and had signed up for the Colosseum as well as the Vatican tour based on our friend's recommendations. We had initially balked at the price but we're so glad we did it! It was worth every penny! Our Vatican tour was with Ian and he was amazing! He was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. We didn't know too much about the Vatican previously so didn't think it would be one of the top highlights of our trip but thanks to Ian, that was by far our favorite part! The colosseum tour was with Thomas and he was great as well! We had met other tour group members who had done the twilight tour and thought it was the best one so we wish we had done it!

Thanks for the great tour!
Stephanie

To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 26, 2009 10:37:02 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: My first trip to Rome!

Greetings from California,

We are back from our Italy trip, and I wanted to communicate my delight with the tours we took.
We started out with a Coliseum tour our second day in Rome, and we where so happy with it, we signed up for the Vatican Museum, Sistine, and Basilica tour the next day.
I am so glad that we signed up with you guys.
The knowledge, the stories, the layout of the information, the entertaining and interesting way in which you taught as you toured, was the highlight of my Italy trip!

Ian, thank you for such a memorable Vatican tour. You where inspirational, interesting, and fun!
Robert, the Coliseum tour was great! Your Mark Anthony was a performance I will always remember with a smile and a "bravo"!

Sandra Cross
San Jose, CA

To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 8:49 PM
Subject: Thank you for a memorable trip!
Dear Amanda,

I have wanted to write since we've returned to let you know what a wonderful time we had with Janet Cavallero on our private tour. We made the best decision to have a guide for the first part of our trip. We learned so much and had the best experience with Janet. We don't think we would have seen as much on our own and she brought us to some wonderful restaurants. I have told many of our friends about our trip and have given them your name and website. We can not wait to return to Europe and visit other cities. We were very impressed with Janet's knowledge and understanding of the city and she had a lot of patience with our diverse group. We felt like she was one of the family. She even added an extra day to cover the sites we weren't able to see. Thank you for a memorable trip! Please say hello to Janet for us.

Ciao,
Vickie K.


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 14, 2009 5:39:24 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: My kids loved Ian!

Our family had a wonderful tour of the Vatican art museum and the Sistine Chapel in April. Ian was our very knowledgeable and entertaining guide. It's not always easy to please children who range in age from 11 - 17 but my children all said that was a highlight of our trip to Rome. We are so happy we chose to see these wonderful sites through your tours. We wouldn't have gotten half as much out of it had we been on our own.
Thank you, and a huge thank you to Ian. My kids loved him!

Sincerely,
Katie Beaudry


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 14, 2009 1:58:15 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Will definitely recommend!

We really enjoyed both of the tours that we had in Rome.

During our night walking tour, Justin took us to all of the major sights and provided us with interesting context and historical information - we really enjoyed his perspective and appreciated that he did not rush us through the tour. Justin also took us to San Crispino for gelato, which was one of the highlights of our trip - it was great that he took us to a great place during the tour. Also, Justin gave us great dinner recommendations after the tour. Overall, he was very informative and very genuine in his approach - we all really enjoyed the tour!

We also took the Vatican tour with Gracelyn - for many in our group, she was the favorite tour guide of our trip in Rome and Florence. Gracelyn was funny and charming, and very engaging. She was extremely knowledgeable about the Vatican and St Peter's, and I liked how she explained to us why she enjoyed the art - having her personal perspective was great. In addition, she could answer every single question posed to her - plus she was patient with those who posed a bit too many questions! Our group of 6 had only one minor comment - one felt that she spent a bit too much time giving us an introduction to the Vatican, once we arrived in the museum. We also would have liked more time in the Sistine Chapel and at St. Peter's, but I think the long wait and the rain slowed us down. I liked how Gracelyn took her time and allowed us to really appreciate all that the Vatican has to offer.

I hope this is helpful to you - we will definitely recommend your company and in particular, Justin and Gracelyn.

All my best,
Christine Chang


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 12, 2009 3:08:39 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Wish we had booked more!

We were COMPLETELY satisfied with the two tours we had booked through your company, and we are fussy! Our only complaint was that we hadn't booked more. The guides were not only knowledgeable, but obviously had a passion for the subject matter, and were helpful with restaurant suggestions on top of it all. I've recommended you highly, and next time I'm in Rome, I'll plan on taking all the other tours you offer.

Sincerely,
Helen Mastache


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 11, 2009 2:39:14 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: The most informative and entertaining tour!

I have been meaning to write a note ever since I had the pleasure of enjoying two of your tours while in Rome last month. Both the Roman Forum & Colosseum tour led by Ian, and Vatican/St. Peter's tour led by Janet exceeded our expectations.

My son, who has been studying in Rome for the semester, accompanied my fiance and me on the Forum & Colosseum tour, and has stated that it was by far the most informative and entertaining tour he's had during his stay there (including his previous Forum tour - which, of course, was not led by a Through Eternity guide). There was a bit of a snafu with the beginning of the tour as Ian mistakenly went to our hotel to meet us, while we were instructed to meet him at the Forum. However, the mix-up was handled well - another guide (Anne) was sent to intercept us and essentially kept us company until Ian was reached. Upon his arrival, Ian was extremely apologetic and more than made up for his delay in starting with his engaging and thorough presentation during our walk through the Forum and Colosseum. His background in archaeology and thorough knowledge of the history related to the sites combined with his enthusiastic delivery kept the three of us engaged throughout the entire tour.

The following day, my fiance and I took the Vatican tour with Janet. Again we were impressed by the breadth of our guide's knowledge of the artwork we viewed throughout the day. Janet periodically checked with us during the tour regarding our interests and adjusted as she went along. As a result, because she knew we wished to walk the stairs up to the dome of St. Peter's she suggested we see the Raphael rooms at another time so that we would have time to tour St. Peter's and still be able to go up to the dome before it closed at the conclusion of our tour.

My fiance remarked that in overhearing some of the other tour guides at the places we visited, we had clearly been fortunate to have made a top-notch choice in tour experiences.

Thanks very much to both Ian and Janet, whose tours we enjoyed thoroughly. And thanks to Through Eternity for your excellent customer service. We will definitely endorse your company strongly to anyone looking for tour recommendations and hope to use your services again ourselves on our next trip to Italy.

Best regards,
Rachel Kayne


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 10, 2009 5:02:42 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Loved our tours!

Hi we loved the tour of the Vatican. The guide went way further than the call of duty by extending the tour late into the afternoon and spending extra time answering questions in St. Peter's and explaining what we were looking at. We were so impressed we asked her to book us on the tour of the Forum and Coliseum the next day. That guide, Thomas, is a friend of the person here at home who suggested we look to your organization for tours. We greatly enjoyed both days and will happily recommend you to traveling friends.

Thanks !

Jay Sokolow
Ina L Silverman


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 9, 2009 3:21:05 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: The best in Italy

Thanks, the Colosseum tour with Anne Woodall was wonderful. I thought she was the best tour guide we had in Italy and wished we had taken more tours with your company. We took a Vatican tour with another majorly rated company but wished we had taken it with yours instead! 3 hours was just not enough for the Vatican.....we felt rushed. Actually, you should write something like that on your website for the Vatican tour.....the length of it seemed long but honestly "this is the Vatican, something you may only see once in your life.......do you really want to rush through it???!!!!!" I think the reason that I didn't book the Vatican tour with you guys was that I had a pregnant woman in my group and was concerned about her lunchtime needs.

Thanks for checking up.
Marie


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 8, 2009 7:27:50 PM GMT +02:00
Subject: So impressed!

I would be delighted to provide you with feedback. My mother and I recently took your evening Rome piazza/fountain tour, as well as the Vatican tour. I had previously taken both tours with you, and was so impressed that I wanted to repeat the tours with my mother. Unfortunately I do not remember either of our tour guides' names. The evening tour was led by a young Canadian gentleman, who was outstanding. Our Vatican tour was led by a middle-aged American woman, who was also outstanding. I recommend your organization to everyone I know who is going to Rome (this is a lot of people, since I'm an American living in Italy). The details and stories told by all of your tour guides is wonderful and provides an experience that is second to none. My mother and I went to London shortly after our Rome trip, and our tour guide there was absolutely horrible compared to our Through Eternity guides. Thank you very, very much. I hope to join your tours again the next time that I am in Rome.

Melissa Terry


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 8, 2009 5:24:37 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Absolutely superb!

Hello,

The tour we took with you was absolutely superb. Our tour guide (I believe it was Rob) was extremely knowledgeable and really made our trip to the Vatican museums worthwhile. Had we toured them on our own we would certainly have missed a LOT of the interesting things Rob pointed out to us. I will definitely be recommending you guys to any friends who go to Rome. Thanks again

Regards
Gareth Hill


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 8, 2009 4:20:25 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Could spend pages raving!

Dear Through Eternity,

My husband and I cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience with Through Eternity. As I posted on Trip Advisor, Through Eternity was one of the best things about our trip. Before going, we agreed that we needed someone to help show us the sites and our preference was for a private tour. We found your website, looked at all you had to offer and signed up for the Immersion in Rome: What You Should See (2 days) and the Feast of Bacchus: Wine Tasting Tour (4 hours). We had a fabulous time and when we went to Pompeii, we wished we had signed up for the Pompeii Excursion. Marlè, our guide, was brilliant! She explained so much to us and made me SEE ancient Rome. My absolute favorite though was her explanation of the Sistine Chapel.... I could spend pages and pages raving about how great the whole experience was... but ultimately, the highest recommendation is that when we go to Italy again, I will seek out Through Eternity. And, I tell everyone here at home about it too.

Best Regards,
Tamara F. Dunlap


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 8, 2009 4:09:57 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Comprehensive and informative

Dear Through Eternity Tours,
This is a much belated thank you for the wonderful tour of Vatican City that we received from Justin on April 24th. Justin went out of his way to make sure all seven of us had a very comprehensive and informative tour. He certainly knew his material and he actually spent more time than the tour was scheduled for to make sure we had as much time as we wanted in each area, and especially the Sistine Chapel. I would gladly recommend your tour company to anyone, we couldn’t have been more pleased. We actually ran across Justin the next evening at Piazza Navona with a couple of his friends and he very graciously spent some time with us recommending additional places to visit and places to dine. Please pass on our appreciation and best regards.

Once again, thank you for everything.

Tom & Nancy Argue
Somersworth, New Hampshire, USA


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 4, 2009 12:15:58 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Very impressed!

The last week of April my daughter, husband and I took a group tour of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica with your tour guide Brandon. We just wanted to let you know how impressed we were with his positive energy, knowledge and enthusiasm for the classics and his job as an instructor and guide. We highly recommend your company and Brandon as a guide.

Regards,
The Talbots
New Jersey, USA


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: May 1, 2009 8:39:56 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: My sons are still talking about the tour!

Dear Brandon, It is a month since we had our tour of the Forum and Colosseum with you, and my sons Sam and Mason are still talking about it! When I ask them their favorite part of the trip to Italy, they both say that your tour was the highlight. We feel so lucky that we had this experience on our first day in Italy. Your passion for the subject has ignited their own fire for knowledge, and they have been interested in history since then with a newfound zeal. We have posted a photo of you with the boys here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/3413462927/in/set-72157605553488481/ and here is the photo you took of us: http://luanarubin.com/cgi-bin/quilterblog.cgi?read=21215 We loved it when you quoted ancient poetry in Latin, and we got a bit of it on video. We wondered if we could have your permission to include a little clip of your poetry in our family trip video which we will edit and put on YouTube? We would be happy to put your name on the clip.. or not. Anyway thanks again for your generous spirit and we hope to take another tour with you in the future!

Luana, Mason and Sam


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 28, 2009 10:51:29 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: A great passion for Rome!

Just want to pass on my thanks to Justin Southern for 2 fantastic tours when my friend and I were in Rome last week.
We did the Colosseum and Roman Forum tour in the morning and were so impressed with Justin that we did his Twilight tour that night. I found him to be professional and friendly, with a great passion for Rome and it's history which he obviously enjoys imparting! I learnt so much and was completely captivated the whole time- definitely the highlight of my time in Rome.
Thanks heaps Justin and keep working on those Baroque jokes!
Thanks also to the person I booked the tour through- we were a bit last minute but she was so helpful and friendly
Lauren Evans
Sydney, Australia


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 24, 2009 8:54:03 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Such an impressive collection of knowledge

Our two tours of Rome last week were simply spectacular. Though this was my 6th time to the Eternal City, I always find out so much more by spending time with one of your astute guides. Although I have lost count, this may have been my 7th or 8th booking with Through Eternity. I have never been less than thoroughly satisfied with the content, the depth, of knowledge, and the professional delivery of everyone. Wouldn’t dream of returning without one of your tours on my itinerary.

Gary Stevens


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 21, 2009 10:41:26 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Brandon is awesome

Through Eternity Tours,

We toured Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica with Brandon on 16/04 and had an amazing time. His passion for Latin, history and the Classical arts really brings it to life and makes an impressive place even more impressive. The extra information we got from him put many of the art works into a perspective that made it accessible to those of us without a strong background in art history. We would absolutely recommend our friends take any tour given by Brandon.

~Kipp and Memory


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 21, 2009 5:22:55 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Best guide we had was Ian

We recently returned from a 10-day trip to Italy, where we experienced tours from 4 different guides. Hands down, the best guide we had was Ian Sumpter from Through Eternity. Ian is a modern day Renaissance Man--archaeologist, art historian, former boxer, current rugby and soccer player. His intellectual curiosity and love of the subject matter came through clearly. Whether he was re-enacting Shakespeare's Marc Antony at the Forum, Russell Crowe's gladiator at the Colosseum, or just doing a mean Muhammad Ali impersonation, he made the tour interesting and fun. He connected instantly with our three teenagers and managed to keep their attention from start to finish.
An interesting person to meet, and a terrific tour guide.

The Burns Family
Chicago, Illinois


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 21, 2009 1:53:01 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Very lucky to tour with Brandon

We recently took the Vatican tour with Brandon. He was fantastic! Our tour lasted about 7 hours but never got boring. Even our teenage son said it was the best tour he ever took. Brandon really knew about every detail of the Vatican and answered ALL questions. It never got boring and we didn’t realize the time until it was all over. Anyone taking the tour with Brandon is very lucky!!!

Thanks Brandon for the great tour,
Tourists from D.C.


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 20, 2009 9:30:12 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Wonderful Tours

Through Eternity Tours were more than we had hoped for. Our three guides (Justin - the twilight tour, Brandon - the Vatican, and Gracelyn - the Forum) were wonderful. Their knowledge of and passion for Ancient Rome brought the city to life for us. Each were artful, captivating historians and story tellers.

My husband and I have been living in Europe for a year and have experienced numerous guided tours. Your tours are by far the most inspiring and engaging. We definitely received much more than our money's worth.

Rod and Robie Carnes
Beau and Teagan Carnes
Michigan


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 17, 2009 7:24:55 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Thanks for the great tour!!!

We really enjoyed our recent tour of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's with Gracelyn! We knew we had made the right choice when she told us at the beginning of our tour that we weren't going to walk around all day and listen to her say "This painting was done by so and so in 1627", etc., etc. Instead, she used her extensive knowledge to put the sights into their proper cultural and historical perspective. Gracelyn's an outstanding guide with a deep knowledge of history, an engaging personality, and a willingness to entertain questions. She made our Vatican tour one of the highlights of our trip...we only wish we had the foresight to have taken the City of the Ceasars tour with her.

We highly recommend her services to those who wish to make the most of their time and truly enjoy and understand the beauty and treasures of the Vatican!

Thanks again!

Thanks
Gregg and Kathleen
Snohomish Washington


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 15, 2009 11:29:16 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Truly wonderful experiences

During our week stay in Rome we took three tours from Through Eternity and
greatly enjoyed each one. Marle was our guide for the Forum Tour and did an excellent job with a larger group of giving a comprehensive history while still making it fascinating by putting it into context within the site. Thomas lead us through Underground Rome and we thoroughly appreciated the depth of his knowledge and the fact that what we were seeing few who visit Rome get to experience. Brandon was our guide for the Palatine Hill and since my husband and I were the only sign-ups that afternoon we very much appreciated that Brandon tailor made the tour to fit our level of knowledge. It is not often that you have someone interjecting Suetonius as the buildings are being 'reconstructed' for you. Each of these tours was a wonderful experience and we look forward to our next trip to Rome to experience more tours from Through Eternity.

Anne Renaud
Santa Barbara, CA


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 13, 2009 6:14:13 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Fantastic!

We took two tours with you last week: Ancient Rome with Brandon and Twilight Rome with Justin. They were both fantastic. We toured with you four years ago and returned due to the excellent guides you provided then. We would absolutely come back to you again and recommend you to anyone traveling to Italy (and have). They were both very informative and entertaining. We had our kids with us (14 & 8) and they loved both of them. Who ever is doing your hiring is doing a great job! Gary Wright


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 13, 2009 3:10:31 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Marle blew the other guides out of the water!

My family just returned from Rome and Florence. In Rome we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Marle. We spent the day with her at the Vatican and learned so much. My husband had been to the Vatican a few years ago with another company and our tour with Marle blew the other out of the water. She was so knowledgable and really made a effort to grab the interest of our two teenage children. She is so interesting and one can tell she really loves what she is doing. We joined her again with a group for the Forum and Colosseum two days later. Again, what an experience. We only wish we would have exchanged emails with Marle because we would love to keep in touch with her. She really made our Rome experience a special one.

Scott, Beth, Jack, and Dana Mercola


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 10, 2009 6:22:59 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: "Our expectations were more than met" - Mr and Mrs Simkiss

Tuesday, 7th April (Forum & Coliseum), Wednesday, 8th April Piazzas and Fountains, Thursday, 9th April Underground Rome

We took three of your tours during our 5 day holiday and on each we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and felt we had really learnt something. Marle accompanied the Coliseum and Forum Tour and made history come alive for us. Our 14 year old son was transfixed by the information and stories related by Marle and we were left hoping that our next tour with your company would live up to this excellent start. Justin took the Twilight tour of the Piazzas and Fountains and his relaxed and friendly attitude was just right to get over lots of information but in a way that made the night fly by. We joined the Underground Rome tour with Thomas on Thursday and he too was a great ambassador for your company. Very knowledgeable, friendly and able to convey history in a way we could relate to. Your guides are so enthusiastic about their subjects that you get the feeling they could go on forever and never tire – each of our tours over-ran by at least one hour, but no-one noticed because we were so engrossed. Thank you all for making our holiday in Rome so memorable.

Susan, Ted and Robert from Manchester UK


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 6, 2009 5:10:13 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Anne was outstanding!

Dear Through Eternity Tours,
My wife and I recently took your St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museums tour with Anne as our host. This tour far exceeded my expectations – Anne was outstanding. I am so glad we booked this with you. All the reviews I had read said you were good, but I can’t exclaim in writing just how good this tour is! The only thing that would make it better is add another day, to absorb everything that our eyes and ears were being presented. Anne’s expertise in getting our group of 11 through the check in process, ensuring our headsets were working properly and moving at a pace that allowed us to take photos. It’s nice to have an experienced guide that obviously likes what she’s doing lead the group. Her stories and presentations were superb. I know my wife and I were awestruck with what we were being exposed to and Ann’s dialog that went with all the art and exhibits was perfect. I can’t say enough of how awesome this tour is. I’m so glad I found your company and will recommend you to any one I know that is traveling to Rome.

Thanks for the great memories,
Scott and Tami Forbes
Port Saint Lucie, Florida, USA


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 3, 2009 8:45:31 AM GMT+02:00
Subject: Unbelievable!

I SURE DID ENJOY BOTH OF MY TOURS AND I DID MAKE MY COMMENTS FOR YOUR TOUR OFFICE ON TRIPADVISOR.COM UNDER THE NAME OF MAFIA81977 IF YOU LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK:

I am bored of history… I really am and definitely was as a student. I am also bored of walking around ruins and all the things you have to do and hear about them. I only booked the tour to the Vatican and Roman Forum for my husband, as this trip to Italy was a present to him, and to tell you the truth, I also wanted to avoid the queue lines as an individual so I decided to go with the Through Eternity tours since Trip Advisor list it as one of the best.
And they were!!!

The girls, Gracelyn in Forum and Colosseum, and Marle in Vatican, were so good to what they were doing, that literally every single word and description they made was such a surprise and alive to me!! And imagine I come from Greece, every single thing they said I have heard before.. but not this way!!!
To give you an idea, the Vatican tour started at 10 am and finished at 6pm… it was exhausting, and if it wasn’t for Marle.. I would just go, see and get out!! But she made it all so alive and beautiful and for sure, she made me to want more! Unbelievable!!! Thank you girls!!! You both were fantastic!!!!

YOU ARE STILL THE MOST VALUABLE BOOKING IN ADVANCE I'VE MADE FOR MY ROME TRIP. THANK YOU,

MARIA


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 2, 2009 9:27:19 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Absolutely wonderful!

Karen was absolutely wonderful, so pleasant and a wealth of knowledge. She helped us navigate our way through the Vatican in a way that seemed tailored to all of our particular interests, and we were a varied group: writer, computer systems administrator, and physicist.

In the past, we've always resisted tours, but based on our experience with Karen, we would definitely recommend Through Eternity to our friends and would look forward to taking another tour with you if we get back to Rome.

Valerie Trainor


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 2, 2009 8:46:08 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Very fortunate to take tours

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our tours: Twilight, Vatican and St. Peter’s and Forum and Coliseum. All the guides, Brandon, Anne and Ian were personable, charismatic, very knowledgeable and entertaining. As we toured through the Vatican and the Forum we encountered many large-group tours, and I felt very fortunate to be in an intimate group.
I have already spoken highly of the tours and the company to friends and will recommend Through Eternity to any visitors to Rome.

Regards,
Lee Murphey


To: Through Eternity Tours
Date: April 2, 2009 5:45:40 PM GMT+02:00
Subject: Excellent value

My Mum and I took the Vatican tour with Brandon recently. We met him at 10 am and he didn't leave us until 5 pm. His knowledge and passion for his subject, brought so much of what we saw to life, that I would very highly recommend a tour with him. It was excellent value for money. I liked the fact that our tour was such a small group, and we got so much detail, your guides are well trained and really interested in ensuring guests get everything they want from your tours. When next in Rome, I will use your company again and will recommend you to any friends travelling to Rome.

Best Regards

Colette


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2009 8:16 PM
Subject: Regretted we didn't have more time

Last Tuesday my husband and I took your St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican Museum tour. It was spectacular. We are not people who typically take tours, and we were very impressed. Our tour guide, Brandon (I don't know his last name), was well informed, humorous, energetic and clearly loves what he teaches. While my back and feet felt otherwise, the five-plus hours flew by, and we felt that we could have continued for longer (obviously the other members of the group felt similarly - we all stayed in the Basilica a long time, and continued peppering Brandon with more questions).

We only regretted we didn't have more time in Rome to take more tours with you. We will give wonderful feedback to Trip Advisor and will recommend Through Eternity to our friends.

Sincerely,

Elise Goldman


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 2:07 PM
Subject: Fascinated

I just want to give you some feedback on our tour on Friday the 20th of March.

Our guide Brandon gave us a wonderful tour of the Sisine Chapel and the Vatical Museum. We were a mixed group, but even my dad, who is not that into art, was really fascinated by what he saw and heard. It was really fascinating to hear the story of the renaissance and what was really behind the ideas and ideals of that time. We found the tour very well built up.

We had a great time!

Sincerely
May Rogne


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 8:14 PM
Subject: WOW!!!!

We visited Rome the last week of January and had booked 3 tours in advance with Through Eternity. After going on a couple of other pleasant tours in Florence (not with Through Eternity), we were expecting about the same level of knowledge and personality when we got to Rome ...wow!! were we in for a real treat! Each of our 3 #tour guides blew us away with their educational talks presented in a an enjoyable storytelling & conversational manner. We walked through the Forum with Ian, the Vatican with Marle, and strolled the streets at twilight with Gracelyn. To say that these guys know their Roman history is an understatement - these guys KNOW their history! And they bring it to life for you, leaving you wanting more (we've actually both been reading history books off and on since our trip). We've already recommended this company to friends and family - we just cannot say enough how much we enjoyed the experiences we had with your tour guides. The groups are not too large and the pace is great. Don't be alarmed by the length of time listed for each tour - it goes by fast and leaves you wishing you had more time to pick the brains of the guides! thanks for an awesome Roman holiday!

Brad & Crystal, from Texas


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 10:03 AM
Subject: 10 out of 10!

Myself and my wife took a tour of the vatican and i have to say it was amazing.The tour guide really knew his stuff, as he was pointing out different things he was also giving us the history of them aswell.I've seen the vatican and St peters before,but that was only in the history books,but when you see the paintings,statues, etc,it makes you feel like your part of that era and that was down to the tour guide.It made us feel like we where part of history and as we are catholic it was good to see the "catholic head quarters"............10 out of 10 for every part of the tour

Regards

Emmet Butler


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 1:19 AM
Subject: Blessed

I felt from the very start that my first visit to Rome was going to be blessed...and it was. One of the very special blessings was to have Thomas Robinson as my tour guide on not one, but two tours. At the onset of the Vatican tour, he said that we'd be seeing the Vatican through his eyes. How grateful I was! My eyes were seeing random paintings and sculptures, nice to look at but just random art. Through Tom's eyes I saw the story the pictures were telling. I could feel the passion that was being relayed. I was impressed with Thomas' knowledge, his sense of humor, his love of all things Roman. I could go on forever, but in a few words...Thanks, Tom!!!
Martha Calabrese


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 12:33 PM
Subject: Superb

Just a short note to say thank you to Gracelyn and Thomas for being our tour guides whilst visiting Rome.
My wife had I had a superb visit to the city celebrating her “special” birthday, and without their knowledge, enthusiasm and personalities, our visit would have been poorer without them.
We were fortunate to have Gracelyn to ourselves on the evening tour, and we thoroughly enjoyed her recommended restaurant.
Kind regards,
Glenn & Cath Hardaker


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:36 PM
Subject: Special and Unique Experience

We (My wife and I and our two teenage children) flew into Rome Dec 27th and that night took a private Through Eternity “Twilight Tour” with Thomas. What a pleasure. To spend three hours walking the city and not have to stick your nose in a tour book but just listen to Thomas’s insights on Rome and it’s history. My wife and I had traveled to Rome in the past but missed so much – wasting so much time trying to navigate and speculate on where to go and how to get there leaving little time to truly appreciate the City and it’s history. This time we did it right…plus you get Thomas’s tips on where to get the best gelato, hot chocolate, etc. We splurged with a private tour, but got so much back having Thomas to ourselves. A couple of days later we took a private tour of the Coliseum & Forum with Ian. I can only look back in envy – this good looking young Scot dazzled us with his knowledge of the ruins. It was like getting a tour from a young Mel Gibson. Roman history along with self-deprecating Scottish humor and storytelling.
One of the things we appreciate about Through Eternity tours is they give the guides the freedom to make it their own. The tours with Thomas and Ian were special, unique experiences and one of the highlights of our entire trip. I know when my kids think of Rome, they will remember Thomas, Ian and Through Eternity.
Thank you.
John P. Cushman


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 10:55 PM
Subject: Highly recommended

Dear Through Eternity Tours,
During our December visit to Rome, we enjoyed two tours with Through Eternity Tours. On Saturday, December 27 our tour of the Vatican with Marle was wonderful. Our experience was brought to life with her animation and passion for art and history. Her professionalism and ability to connect with us was top-notch. Equally superior was our tour on Monday, December 29 of Ancient Rome with Gracelyn. She, too, was extremely knowledgeable and was able to educate and entertain.
Should our travels bring us to Rome again, we will definitely seek your services. We will also highly recommend your tours to friends and travelers.
Thank you,
Tamara Kenagy
Wichita, Kansas


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 5:46 AM
Subject: Terrific!

I apologize that it has taken me so long to get back to you. Our (my wife and mine) experience with Through Eternity was terrific. The booking and instructions were done efficiently and our tour at the Vatican with Gracelynn Monaco was outstanding. She was extremely informative, helpful and patient. She spent more time on the tour than I'm sure she was required to, but I truly got the feeling she had a great interest in us and the subject matter and wanted to convey that to us thoroughly. We got our money's worth and much more.

When and if the time comes, we will head back to you and your services. Thank you.

Yours truly,
Greg Puchalski
Carol Hodapp-Puchalski


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 9:00 PM
Subject: Added so much to our vacation

Thank you very much. I would like to take this opportunity to compliment your organization and all of of guides for adding so much to our vacation this Fall. We had a group of 8 people and did several private tours including the Twilight Tour with Rob, the Vatican with Justin, the Forum/Collosseum with Ian, and the all day tour in Florence (Christina). All of the guides were incredibly knowledgeable regarding the sites, art, and history of their respective cities. They combined this knowledge with friendliness and humor that made all of the tours seem too short, except that our feet told us otherwise. Please relay our thanks to them.
Joe Robinson


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 5:53 PM
Subject: Wonderfull Experience!

We wanted to let you know that our 3 tours with Through Eternity were absolutely wonderful!

We especially enjoyed our two tours with Thomas - Roman Forum and Colosseum in the morning and Palatine Hill in the afternoon of October 1st, 2008. Although these were "historical tours", we didn't have just facts and dates thrown at us. Thomas told a story (or many!) and he made us feel like we were actually living that part of history. His passion was contagious! It was not only the most enjoyable day, but also the most enriching.

My husband was also impressed that Thomas spoke French!

I don't know if he will remember us, but you can tell him "Bonjour" from Montreal, Canada! Thank you again for a wonderful experience!

Laura and Sylvain.


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2008 3:13 AM
Subject: Brought Vatican to life

We visited Rome in October 2008. We were traveling on a shoestring but decided to splurge with a tour of the Vatican. Our tour guide was Brandon. We really enjoyed his knowlege and his humor. We are not big art fans but he made the tour of the galleries most enjoyable. He gave us just enough detail without getting boring. And his knowledge of the Vatican brought it all to life. At the end of the tour we could not beleive we had been touring for almost seven hours. It all went too fast. We would highly recommend Through Eternity Tours and hope you get Brandon.

Spence Autry


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 2:48 AM
Subject: Amazing!

Hi Jeanne and Amanda,
I hope you are doing really well. I just wanted to tell you again THANK YOU for an awesome day in Rome in October!
You both were Amazing with providing all kinds of intricate details in the pre-planning phase - and my family and I felt in good hands, really looking forward to a special time in Rome.

Our driver greeted us with a smile as we disembarked the ship. He was cordial and friendly to all of us and drove us safely to and from Rome where we were greeted by Ian.
You probably know this and feel the same way - you are lucky to have Iam on your team. He is FANTASTIC!!! He's bright, funny, clever, super-knowledgeable and made our time in each of the places we visited that day extraordinary, extra special and grander than it would have been without him. We learned, and were reminded of, so much of Roman history, Christianity stories and Michelangelo's amazing works - including the sculpture piece wrestling the snake - simply and truly unforgettable. We took tons of photos (I'll include here 1 of us in the Colosseum) and each have lots of wonderful memories from our day together there.
We will highly recommend anyone we know of headed your way and with any luck, will let you know when we might be able to return and see some more!
All the best.

Grazie!
Geoff


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 10:57 PM
Subject: Mille grazie!

I wanted to drop a quick note to you guys and thank you for the most memorable part of my visit to Rome. My name is Travis Lopes, and I am 22, a recent college graduate from Kentucky, USA. I took the St. Peter's/Vatican/Sistine tour with a wonderful tour guide from Through Eternity, Marle.

Marle is from South Africa, and supremely knowledgeable about Italy, Christianity, and St. Peter's/The Vatican. She led us on an informative and entertaining tour of all the major highlights (although, as she said it would take years to see everything in these places). She was obviously passionate about her subject matter, and took an extra couple of hours to make sure we saw everything that we wanted to see.

Furthermore, at lunch, my mom and I sat by Marle and chatted, and she is a really cool, friendly lady and I am so glad that we took the tour. It was money well spent. Thanks Marle, and blessings to you and Through Eternity!

ps. expect to finish Marle's tour with Pope John XXIII being your new favorite pope! :-)

-Travis Lopes


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 9:39 PM
Subject: Amazing tours with Gracelyn and Thomas

We just returned from an 10 day trip to Italy and want to thank Through Eternity for providing us two wonderful guided tours while in Rome. On Sunday December 7th, we took the Rome at Twilight tour with Gracelyn. Since this was the day before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (an Italian holiday) and this also was the day that started the Rome holiday shopping season, the mass of humanity in the area of the Spanish Steps was unbelievable. Fortunately we were able to find Gracelyn among the masses, and she provided us with a 3 hour private walking tour that far exceeded our expectations. She was very easy going and friendly and her knowledge of the area we toured and the sights we saw was very detailed and thorough. We very much enjoyed our time with her. On Saturday December 13th, we spent 7 hours with Thomas touring the Vatican Museum and St. Peters. This was to be a group tour but since there were only two of us, we ended up with a private tour at no extra charge. Thomas was magnificent! His knowledge of art, sculpture, philosophy, and history was amazing. My wife is an artist and has studied art history, but I am a novice in the subject and Thomas gave me a complete course in Medieval and Renaissance art history. We do not have enough superlatives to describe these two guides. They were exceptional and went far above what I would expect a tour guide to do. I will highly recommend Through Eternity, Gracelyn and Thomas to anyone visiting Rome and looking for guided tours. Thank you for a wonderful time.
Richard & Jeanne Young
Cartersville, Georgia


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 12:00 AM
Subject: Above and beyond!

We were wondering if Thomas had an e-mail address that we could reach him to thank him personally once again for the time he spend with our family. He was our family’s guide 11/24th and 25th and we just wanted to tell him how he had made our trip to Rome so incredibly memorable. Our family felt so blessed that we were given the opportunity to spend time with Thomas. Not only was he incredibly knowledgeable, but he was kind, showed great consideration in the many discussions that he held with our sons, and went above and beyond what we would have considered a normal touring experience. Thomas actually took his personal time to locate a data cable that we needed to get our Tom-tom to work for our trip to Florence. We will highly recommend your company to our friends and family, as well as post some reviews through internet sites such as TripAdvisor and Rick Steve’s blog page. Through Eternity is very lucky to have Thomas on staff.
Thanks so much,
Robin and Frank Mancuso


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 7:05 PM
Subject: Best tour ever taken!

The tour that we took with Through Eternity Tours of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s was by far the best tour that we have ever taken.
You guide was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable, and took the time to answer all of our questions. He entertained us with stories about the artists and Popes that were unknown to any of us – even though some of us had read many books about the Renaissance. He spent SEVEN hours with us!! SEVEN HOURS!! It was simply marvelous.
The next day, we took a tour of the Coliseum and Forum with an Italian guide (not a Through Eternity guide) whose English was not all that good, and who was a little condescending. Having an American guide was far better. It was clear to us that being Italian does not mean he/she knows more than an American about Rome, and that being a guide does not mean that he/she speaks good enough English to be easily understood by an American. In addition, our two trips to Italy – Florence, Pisa, and Rome – have shown us that many Italians do not really like Americans.
I highly recommend your service to each and every American visiting Rome. American English and a knowledgeable guide willing to spend as much time as needed with you are an unbeatable combination!!
I learned about Through Eternity Tours from Rick Steves’ Guide Book. Please forward this message on to them!!
Thanks for a great time,
Norman R. Jones


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, November 29, 2008 3:06 PM
Subject: Fabulous!

Dear Amanda,
I wanted to thank you again for co-ordinating our whirlwind Ancient Rome tour, last Sunday, November 23.
We had a wonderful time, and Marle was fabulous!! She is very knowledgeable, and informative. She was extremely considerate of my 83 year old mother. We can not wait to return to Rome and explore your beautiful city.
I will highly recommend Eternity Tours to everyone.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Nellas


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 6:41 PM
Subject: Learned so much!

Hello Amanda,
I just wanted to let you know how happy we were with our tour! Thomas was wonderful and we learned so much. I have already recommended your company to several friends. We just loved every aspect of our day in Rome and thank you very much. I have a favor to ask you which is to pass my email along to Thomas. We asked him to let us know if he ever comes to Texas:) We would love to be his tour guides here!
Thank you again,
And Thank you to Thomas,
Elizabeth Pearson




To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 12:14 AM
Subject: Amazing Tours - Grazie

Dear Jeanne, Aylette, and Amanda

It has taken awhile to get back with you re: all of the tours we took with the company; we were gone for three weeks and as they say stuff happens!

Our first tour was on October 14 visiting St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums with Justin. What an incredible visit, Justin shared with is his enthusiasm for history, art, the Catholic Church and so much more. We were given so much more than we would have received had we walked around by ourselves or tried to follow a guide book. Justin is passionate about the history, he gave great explanations of the art pieces, and has great knowledge of popes.

That evening we had the privilege of meeting Gracelyn and taking the tour Rome at Twilight. Gracelyn is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining…and she is very friendly and warm. She was willing to answer our questions and never seemed to lack energy. She recommended a restaurant to us for dinner when the tour was over and it wonderful. Mama something, just ask Gracelyn!

Wednesday, October 15 was our tour of Ancient Rome-Colosseum & Roman Forum, our guide was Rob Allyn. Rob’s knowledge and personal appreciation of the sites of Ancient Rome was obvious. He brought to life the history and societal issues of what was ancient Rome. When we were at the site of Julius Caesar’s funeral procession and after explaining the circumstances of his death, the speeches of the conspirator assassins, etc. Rob went into character and delivered Mark Anthony’s speech which of course contains the famous words, Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

Thursday, October 16 was our private, all day tour Essence of Florence with Ignazio. He met us at the train station and thus began our wonderful day in his company. Ignazio shared so much of Florence's history and of course sights. We visited the market, just for a look to see how the goods are sold by various vendors specializing in their certain item. We visited Santa Croce, the Bargello, the Academia where Michelangelo's statue of David towers in front of you, the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Ponte Vecchio. Ignacio shared his wealth of Renaissance history. We all ate lunch at a wonderful outdoor cafe that Ignazio recommended. It was a marvelous day filled with awesome history and sights.
What an incredible time we had on our journeys in Rome and Florence.
Thank you and without a doubt we will recommend your company to friends who are traveling to Italy.

Sincerely,
Rick, Jill, Paul
Torrance, CA


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 2:02 PM
Subject: Good fotune to find Through Eternity!

I meant to write to you after our trip but time elapsed and I just didn't do it. I wish I could remember the names of our tour guides. They were all wonderful. St. Peter's and the Vatican was led by Gracelyn. She was so knowledgeable. Instead of lasting 5 hours, our tour concluded after 7.5 hours.
The Roman Forum and Colosseum and Palatine Hill were led by Thomas. Again, the stories he shared were wonderful and really put meaning to the sites we were seeing.
The Rome at Twilight tour was led by Justin. He gave Rome a personality. If we had to design our trip again, we would do this trip first as it gave us a real feel for the lay out of the city.
I am so glad that I booked these tours on line. It was the only way to see the city. It was our good fortune to book with Through Eternity Tours.
Evelynn

To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 11:35 PM
Subject: magnificent job

We appreciate you asking about our experience. We intended to email you before now, but sometimes life gets in the way.

We toured the Vatican with Through Eternity Tours during the first part of October 2008. I must say, of all the planning I did for this trip, scheduling you for this tour was the smartest thing I did (and we had a wonderful trip).

Gabriel was our guide and he did a magnificent job. He is so easy to listen to and so very knowledgeable about what we we're seeing during the tour. No question stumped him and he made every effort to make sure everyone in our group of 12 was satisfied before moving on with the rest of the tour. He enlightened us in many ways. We learned a lot about art, art history, and history, but Gabriel added spirituality to everything without being offensive or presumptuous. He made everyone in our group comfortable to ask questions. And we, of course, could hear his answers to others' questions. I was rather moved by his answer when a young lady in our group asked, "And who was Noah?" I certainly take too much for granted, but Gabriel doesn't and he didn't miss a beat.

We never felt rushed or like a herd of cows being moved from one place to the other like we saw with other tour groups. The equipment worked great and we were always able to hear Gabriel regardless of our position in the room. We really appreciated him telling us that limited seating is available throughout the tour. My husband cannot stand for long periods and he knew to spot maybe the only chair when entering a room. But he could still see the exhibits and hear Gabriel's explanations.

Honestly, this tour was the crown of our trip!

Thank you,
Harold and Carolyn Neal


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 10:51 AM
Subject: We Want to say mille grazie to Marle!

My son and I took the Vatican tour with Marle on Friday, Oct. 31. It was AMAZING! I just retired from the National Park Service and part of the time I worked as a Park Ranger interpreting the Aztec Ruins to visitors from all over the world...so I have a pretty high set of standards for tours! Marle exceeded them all! St. Peter's was closed when we started out, so she shifted gears and gave us some wonderful history and then slipped us in as soon as the church re-opened. We had the chance to see St. Peters.....with some discreet guiding.....and then headed to the museums. After a quick trip through the transport gallery we lunched, and so enjoyed learning more about Marle and her passion for teaching and educating. Next she treated us to a lecture on Italian history focused on the Vatican and Catholocism, weaving together a tapestry which formed the backdrop for our walks through the Pinoteca, statuary& map galleries...to name a few! Another fascinating presentation was made specifically about the Medicis, Micheangelo and the Sistine Chapel. Marle offered anyone interested to go with her for a look at the School of Athens.....or a chance for extra time in the Sistine. We had the opportunity to spend almost 1/2 hour in the chapel........until it closed.......and then she wrapped up for us in front of St.Peter's, calmly dealing with a pushy official who wanted to shoo us out into the rain. She patiently fielded questions, worked the schedule to avoid crowds and most of all, communicated her enthusiasm and knowledge with passion! Our tour ran longer than the 5 hours advertised, and after it was over Marle offered restaurant suggestions, helped out a young man and his mom who weren't even with our group, and assisted us with the purchase of train tickets while she waited for Pascuale to come pick up the headsets! We certainly got more than our money's worth, and we would not have enjoyed or understood St. Peters and the Vatican as much had it not been for the incredible job by Marle. Mille grazie, Marle! Gayle and Travis Lopes



To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 3:16 PM
Subject: Outstanding!

We just returned home from 13 days in Italy, traveling with another couple. One of the real highlights of the trip was our tour of the Roman Forum and Colleseum. What made this tour such a highlight was our tour guide, Rob Allyn. He was outstanding. He brought the history of Rome "to life". He was knowledgeable, articulate, very easy to understand, and had a great a sense of humor, which made this tour so memorable. When he recited the "Friends, Romans, countrymen..." speech from Shakespeare, we all had chills. At the end, the entire group broke into a spontaneous applause. He was the best tour guide we have ever had, anywhere. Thanks Rob, for making our Rome experience one that we will long remember. (I tried to put this email on the "Your Comments" section of this website and was unable to. Please feel free to add this.)

Jim & Linda



To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2008 11:39 PM
Subject: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

At the last minute I was able to join my husband on a business trip to Rome. With only 3 free days before my husband's work began, we wanted to see as much as we could, but also to understand as much of
Rome's history as possible. We arrived on Saturday morning and that evening we joined Gracelyn at the foot of the Spanish Steps for a "Rome by Twilight" walking tour - what a delight! The next two days we spent with Thomas, as we toured the Forum and Colosseum one day and St. Peter's and the Vatican the next. Phew! At all times, we felt like we had a partner in exploring the beauty and history of Rome, not a
> "cattle herder," who's job it was to just run us past as much as possible. This was the best way to not just see Rome, but to understand and enjoy this wonderful experience. Thank you, Gracelyn and Thomas - your excellent knowledge and the skills to share so much insight gave us a wonderful glimpse into this magical city. Grazie!
Ciao!
Mike and Julie Saemisch, Denver, Colorado




To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2008 11:01 AM
Subject: PERFECTO!

What a wonderful way to immerse oneself into the richness of Rome. I'd never visited the city before and was unsure about spending my first two days in the city on tours. However, the patience, passion, knowledge and enthusiasm which both Brandon (Vatican tour) and Ian (Forum and Twilight tours) demonstrated gave me a real insight into its past and the confidence to explore it alone in the days that followed. They both brought history to life in a meaningful, fun way and were happy to answer questions at any point. Their love of the city and their subject matter was highly contagious and I've come home determined to return to Rome for more. Many thanks for such a great experience.

Sarah Radford, London


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 10:04 AM
Subject: Tour Highlights

Surreal. We did three tours with the group, Vatican and St Peter’s, Colloseum and Forum, and Rome at Twilight. What an unforgettable experience. We did the Vatican and St Peter’s with Brandon. Who better than a foppish Oxford educated Classics Scholar to introduce us to the art and history entrenched within those walls? His anecdotes, comments and obvious passion for the subject empowered everyone in the group, and made a long, potentially tedious tour one of the highlights of our time in Rome. If ever anyone should want to do the tour I would, and do, recommend Brandon.
And then we did the Forum with the ‘scouser’, Ian. (btw, congrats on taking Chelsea at Stanford Bridge). As a trained archaeologist, again, who better to bring the ruins and history to life. He was able to allow each of us in the group to visualise the forum in its heyday, the buildings, the customs, the cultures…
His soliloquy near the Rostrum, as has been mentioned in previous comments before was surreal. To be seated less than 50 metres away from where the speech may hypothetically have been delivered was an experience, and one that has to be on everybody’s list of things to do in Rome.
Through Eternity, I say to you thank you, thank you, thank you, and congratulations on the manner in which you conduct your groups, and the guides you have to conduct them.
Peter and Santie (South Africa)



To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 3:05 AM
Subject: A wonderful tour of Pompeii

I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how much we enjoyed the tour of Pompeii with Marisa as our guide. Even though we arrived late because of the train, she was patient and so accommodating to wait for us and we enjoyed the entire 3 hours with her. She is a wonderful person and so very knowledgeable that we could have gone another 3 hours with her! She is a treasure and we want to thank you for having her be our guide for that day. Please extend our thanks to her again for the wonderful and enjoyable tour.

Thanks again for your assistance and hope one day to utilize your services when in Italy !

Ciao and mille grazie !

Gerry & Vera Di Meglio, Richard & Mary Liscizka



To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 6:40 AM
Subject: Incredible Tours

We want everyone at Through Eternity to know that the three days we spent with Brandon were the most enjoyable time we had on our vacation to Italy. Brandon provided us with more knowledge and information than we can ever remember. The tour of Ancient Rome, St. Peters, The Vatican, The Sistine Chapel and the twilight tour of Rome will forever be etched in our minds. Having the same guide for the three days really made each tour more meaningful as Brandon would maintain a chronology of the history from Ancient Rome to “New” Rome. His knowledge and ability to make it very interesting only enhanced the entire time. Thank you so much for making our visit to Rome so memorable. We would recommend Through Eternity to anyone wanting a truly educational and memorable time in Rome.
Sincerely,
Rollie and Barbara Swingle, Elk Grove, CA



To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 5:01 PM
Subject: Seeing Rome wouldn't have been the same without Nikki!

We just returned from our trip to Rome with 3 families. We did 2 days with Through Eternity with 7 children ages 6-15 and 6 adults. Nikki kept both tours fun and very exciting for the kids. They learned more in those two days than they have all year in school. The kids were all sad to say good-bye in the metro station (that is where the photo was taken). My six year old even said he wanted to learn with Nikki again the day after we left. We looked at our pictures last night and I am amazed at what the children all retained from what Nikki told them. Thanks so much for everything. We will recommend you over and over.
Susan deHoll
Sumter, SC



To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 11:09 AM
Subject: Huge “Thank You”

I just wanted to write and say a huge "thank you" for our tour on Thursday, it was absolutely wonderful. Karen's knowledge and enthusiasm was second to none, I will ensure that I recommend your company to our friends who are coming out to visit next February.
Kind Regards,
Cherryl Law

To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2008 12:56 AM
Subject: Kudos to Brandon!

We've arrived home, and I have to let you know that we were sooooooooooo happy with our tour!
Brandon Green did an absolutely fantastic job of making the history and art come alive. ALL 5 members of our family really enjoyed the day. I am so glad we booked through you and got the real 'in-depth' look at the
Vatican.
I will be adding comments to Trip Advisor also!
Thanks again, and kudos to a great job by Brandon! and a Vancouver boy too!

Annette & Ron La Brosse



To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 8:17 AM
Subject: Ian - you will never walk alone!!!

We were in Rome recently on our first trip to Italy, staying 5 days before taking a 12 day cruise. After reading your reviews on Trip Advisor, I booked two tours for ourselves and friends/family who were meeting up with us in Rome. We turned up at the Vatican to be met by a fellow "Scouser", our tour guide Ian. Have to say, its not often I am so impressed by a fellow Liverpudlian! Ian's impressive knowledge of both the Vatican and the Roman Forum/Colosseum tour we had also booked helped to make our time in Rome enjoyable, fun and one of the highlights of our trip. Ian was a fantastic guide, knowledgeable, witty and full of stories to share about Roman history and art. We went to Pompeii a few days later, on our own, wishing so much we had taken him with us!!

Can't recommend Ian highly enough. Please pass on our warmest wishes, we enjoyed some Irish 'craic' watching the soccer that evening and would be happy to reciprocate with the sights of Melbourne, Australia should he ever choose to call!
Regards,
Tracey & Tony Byrne (Melbourne Australia)

To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 5:19 AM
Subject: Our St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums Tour - 9/16/08

Thank you so much for a great experience. This was our first tour in Italy and we loved it. Marle Robinson, our guide, was a highlight of the tour. She explained everything in an easy to understand and engaging way. We loved her stories and her facts and figures. We appreciated her experience and knowledge in her field. We felt that she meant what she was saying and she explained the art and artists, as if it were her first time and that she was as excited as we were. Not that she does it every day - I would never have known! She was also very kind to recommend some restaurants to an elderly couple whose only good meal in Rome up until that day was in a Scottish Pub! The next time we're in Italy, we hope to see more with you. Thanks again and please give our regards to Marle!

Carol and Shane


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 4:27 PM
Subject: A BIG THANK YOU TO BRANDON

Hi Jeanne. We have just returned from our amazing trip and I just wanted to write and thank you for all of your help in getting our 9/30 tour with Brandon. He was INCREDIBLE!!! Not only did he show us the fabulous sites of Rome, but the history and the knowledge that he provided with each stop was truly phenomenal. He put his heart and soul into making sure that we got the most out of our trip. It was very clear to us that he truly enjoyed his job and took great pride in it. Thanks to him we had an absolutely wonderful time in Rome (including an awesome lunch)! He clearly went above and beyond for us and I just wanted to make sure you knew how very much we enjoyed and appreciated him.

Thank you again for making this possible and the next time we come to Rome we will definitely go "Through Eternity Tours" again.

Grazie! ... Patti :)


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 3:58 PM
Subject: Awesome Experience, Knowledge and Personable Guide

Brandon was our tour guide who is very knowlegable about ancient history, Latin, Greek and convied his information in a mix of intellectualism, humor and clear common communication verbal skills. Brandon was mindful of our time and a mission for us to experience as much of antiquity through modern day Rome. We saw so many things and yet they were presented with enough auditory description that it felt as if we came away with an understanding not just a visual blur. The Forum, Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi, Navona and even places that we didn't visit with Brandon he gave us information to their significance. We were a bit tired at the end of a full day, but all of us were very satisfied. I would recommend to others and will contact you for tours in the future. After all we did throw that coin in the Trevi Fountain. It would be nice to have the same level of tours available in Venice and possibly other cities by "Through Eternity Tours". I find that your recruitment of these wonderful guides makes all the difference.

Sincerely,

Mark H. Curtis III, DVM


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 3:20 PM
Subject: Re: THROUGHETERNITY FORM - INFO

Sorry it has taken us so long to get back to you but wanted to provide you with positive feedback for our two tour operators - Rob took us to the Borghese and was quite delightful and knowledgeable plus gave us some restaurant ideas; Justin took us to the Collesium, Forum, Trevi Fountain and a neat place for lunch that day. He also gave us some great ideas for dinner and surprisingly one was already recommended to us by friends. He was both knowledgeable and extremely entertaining. He also was able to take complicated history and funnel it down to everyday examples. You are lucky to have both young men on staff. We would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

Anne and Andrew Stewart, Toronto, Canada
Kelly and Sinc McEvenue, Mississauga, Canada


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 7:04 PM
Subject: Through Eternity is a fantastic tour company

We were recently in Rome and took the Vatican group tour with Anne, and a Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill private tour with Robert. Both were fantastic. Anne broke down an overwhelming flood of facts and art objects into the most interesting and absorbable pieces, and Robert took all the thousands of facts and organized and presented them in such a way that he kept us open for more. Both had such different styles and yet both were superb. We walked away with a real sense of the overview, and two memorable days of details. Thank you, Through Eternity, for truly enriching our trip to Rome.

Sincerely,
Chris and Rich


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 7:40 PM
Subject: Outstanding!

Dear Aylette,

Just a short note to say a huge thank you and your company for the wonderful tours that we took with the amazing Marle. Both days were just outstanding and we did not dream we could learn so much of history from one person in one and a half days. Marle is an absolute wealth of knowledge as well as having a charming and bubbly personality! She made our tours so interesting that we were glued to her every word the entire time. After reading the reviews of your tour guides in Tripadvisor prior to our trip it sounds as though all your staff are brilliant but I have to say that we were blessed to have Marle to show us the amazing sites of Rome.
Would you please pass this message onto her for us and please give her our email address as we would love to keep in contact with her.
Once again thank you to Through Eternity for the very professional service you provide it was much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Chris & Gary Williams
Sydney, Australia


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 6:28 PM
Subject: Rave reviews for Tours taken Sept. 19 & 20

We were a group of friends who booked 3 distinct tours with Through Eternity. I was the researcher/booker, and have had only raves from all of the participants, 6 -11 individuals on any given tour. On the 19th we took the "Ancient City" tour with Thomas, who met us at our apartment and managed to get us across town on what was our first encounter with Rome's bus transit. Thomas, surprisingly, hails from Florida but has had a classical education and is both a scholar and researcher. His breadth of knowledge was tremendous, he was engaging, informative, and entertaining throughout the day. Following the morning tour, Thomas accompanied us to lunch in a casual restaurant which he knew and recommended, and we proceeded to the Vatican to meet up with others of our group who had just arrived in Rome. Having toured the Vatican 7 years ago without a guide, having Thomas lead us through with his commentary and knowledge was amazing. Not only did we benefit from facts and descriptions of statues, paintings, church history and artifacts, but from the nuances of the times and situations in they were produced.

Our second day in Rome we took a half day tour of the Forum and Colosseum with Justin, who, next surprise, is from Alabama! Though young, he too is a font of knowledge and enthusiasm. There is no possible way that a person or group could learn and appreciate all that he was able to convey to us with only a guidebook or by walking through alone. All of us were particularly struck by his assessment of the Colosseum, and agree wholeheartedly - that it should be regarded much as a concentration camp site. More than a million people were slaughtered there, after all, and it is not a like a carnival or place of celebration, but more of a place for somber reflection.

Molte,molte grazie to Through Eternity, to Thomas, and to Justin. If we are lucky enough to be in Rome again anytime soon, we will get in touch and explore more of the city and its history!!!!

Karen Colwell, Dublin, Ohio, USA,


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 2:28 AM
Subject: Can’t imagine a better guide!

Jeanne, I wanted to write and tell you that we had a wonderful tour, and enjoyed our guide Nikki very very much. I will recommend your company to everyone I know. If your company recognizes employees for a job well done, please forward this to the person responsible.....and recommend Nikki for any and every award given.....she really was the best, and I can't imagine having a better tour guide. She is friendly, personable, intelligent, and simply put.....perfect in every way. Thanks also, to you, and those in the office, for always responding to my emails and making our dreams come true. You guys are the BEST!!!!!!
Thank you again....we had a wonderful time visiting your beautiful city!!!!!
Charlotte Myers


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 7:01 PM
Subject: Tours taken OCT 1 & 2 - Highlight of our trip!

My name is Tara Payne and I have just returned from a wonderful stay in Rome. Where I took two of your group tours. The first was Collosseum and Forum with Guide Nikki. And the second was the Vatican with guide Ian.

I am not someone who usually feels compelled to review a tour however your guides were outstanding. We found ourselves telling everyone we met to book with your company. We were so impressed with Nikki and Ian. They had a real passion for what they were speaking about and the history of sites we visited. They kept things fun at all times and we were never bored! Your tours were a highlight of our trip. I only wish your company was in every city:)

Thanks so much for giving us such a wonderful experience!
Tara from Ontario Canada.


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 2:02 AM
Subject: Extremely delighted!

Through Eternity Tours:
My husband and I would like to follow up on our Essence tour with your company on Oct the 2nd with the tour guide Brandon. We were extremely delighted with our guide and so wonderfully impressed with his knowledge of his history. He was so pleasant to deal with and certainly was most willing to try and answer all our questions. We so enjoyed his presentation of many varied tour stops with his unique way of describing sayings, writings and inscriptions. His tour was certainly very upbeat and contained our interest for the full duration.
We would both highly recommend Brandon to tourists who are wanting value for their money. Together with his ultimate knowledge and his passion for what he is doing, we believe him to be a great asset to your company.

Margaret Edgar Thompson


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 6:05 AM
Subject: Amazing!!!

Hello - I wanted to provide you feedback of our tour with Justin - he was amazing - passionate about the history, great explanations of the art pieces, great knowledge of popes and very pleasant - we met up with the group at 10:00 as you know and he left us at the Basilica at 5:30 where he was still inside available for questions - we did not expect it to be this long which was not a problem for us - I will definitely recommend your company to friends traveling to Rome - have a guide made all the difference (as it was our first time) and you get so much more out of the experience - memorable experience -

With great appreciation and best regards,

Suzanne & Larry, Victoria BC, Canada!


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 8:46 PM
Subject: Wonderful private tour!

Hello Through Eternity!

I just wanted to take the chance to thank you so much for the wonderful private tour my family and I experienced on Sept. 26th. Our guide was Brandon, and he was just fantastic! He was wildly enthusiastic and passionate about the subject matter, and it was quite clear that he a great love for the work. He was also very witty and personable so he was not just another "stuffy academic" speaking to us as much as he was a brilliant young man speaking with us. The ancient city was just magnificent, and we are so pleased that we chose your company and Brendan to gave us all the inside scoop!!!
Thanks again for all you did for us!!
Sincerely,
The Magliocco Family


To: Through Eternity Tours
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 11:02 PM
Subject: Gabriel was the best of all the guides we’ve had!

My husband and I had the good fortune to book two tours in Rome with Through Eternity -- The Vatican and the Forum and Colosseum. Our guide was Gabriel and he was so knowledgeable! He guided us through these highly populated areas with ease and was a fountain of knowledge. We've done many tours over the years and Gabriel was the best of all the guides we've had and we would definitely recommend Through Eternity to anyone going to Rome and certainly recommend Gabriel highly. We found these tours through the Rick Steve's Italy 2008 book, which is loaded with information on all the major cities in Italy. Thanks Gabriel for making our Rome visit so wonderful!
Linda and Herb Sohl
Palm Desert, CA