Rome for art & culture lovers

Maurizio was an amazing tour guide. His knowledge about every piece of art was sensational. 100% would do this tour again! Very seamless pickup at meeting location and walking us into Vatican City, guiding us through security. Only feedback is not on tour guide but the headsets used. The system is a bit finicky. The headphones are a bit uncomfortable. I'd say the vox or similar wired headphone systems are superior.

Guys, 4:15 PM is the best time to visit the museum. The guide is awesome, skip-the-line is a life saver and you'll see pretty much all the gems you have to! If you're not into Roman Empire and Renaissance just save the money for the aperitivo and the pasta!

The Capitoline Museums should be your first stop when visiting Rome. The exhibits put every other Roman attraction into o perspective. Make sure you see both museums. There's an underground corridor that connects them, on the bottom floor.

Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about both the history of all sites but also about how to effectively navigate the journey through the spaces during such an extremely crowded time. Due to the jubilee crowds we had some delays, and our tour ran long. She did not rush through the museums, nd gave us the complete tour anyway. Seeing that some on the group were getting tired, she sought out places to sit and rest, and was more concerned with everyone's health and happiness than ending on time. A native Roman, the depth of her knowledge, her personal perspectives, and her passion were amazing! Since the sistene chapel was closed, she spent 20 minutes using picture handouts to talk through the meaning of the art inside. The climb to the dome was my favorite part - to be inside seeing the mosaics and the perspective of such a grand church from above were incredible!