Sistine Chapel Express and St Peter Basilica

Overrated

The Basilica of St. Peter is beautiful and you can visit it for free, the Sistine chapel I feel is very overrated. The guards ask you to be in the middle, all tight trying to look at the ceiling paintings, they ask you to get out quickly. I paid for the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican museums, the latter more worthwhile.

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Monica is a gem, a unique and personal tour into the secrets of the Vatican.

From the first moment we met Monica early in the morning, outside the Vatican, she was full of stories, history, images, maps, and so much energy! We were learning and laughing together immediately! She deftly guided us straight into the key rooms, including the corridor of maps and Sistine Chapel before anyone else got there, meaning we had it magically to ourselves, which is totally unheard of. It was beyond a dream. She tailored the tour for us personally, focusing on scandal and history for my husband and deep and academic art knowledge for me, all the time weaving us into and through the most hidden and special treasures. We were with Monica for 4 hours and the time totally flew by. When our time was up she wouldn't let us go without finishing a few last things, so ran us through them and landed us up at the best pizza we had in the whole trip! She is an absolute gem, a barrel of laughs and a font of knowledge. Her expertise is endless and full of contagious enthusiasm. This tour was worth every penny and remains a firm and fond memory.

Response from the operator: Emma, thank you so much for your kind words. It was a pleasure showing you the place where art meets history. I hope to see you soon in Rome or London. Hugs and kisses

via Tripadvisor

Fabulous!

Monica was amazing. We did a 28 day European vacation and took many tours. She was the best tour guide hands down. She was educated about her subject and very passionate. She could explain everything we asked and was able to evaluate our level of knowledge of religion and history (more than the average person) and tailor the tour to us. We didn't get any information that we already knew and learned a lot. The skip the line was great. These museums are not to be missed and I would recommend having Monica go with you to explain what you are seeing. There is so much and it is so overwhelming. She kept us focused on certain aspects so that we didn't just go brain dead with the amount of information and things to see.

Response from the operator: Dear Cecelia, Thank you for your kind words. It was a pleasure to have you and your husband on my tour. I hope to see you soon again in Rome. Happy Holidays back home Monica

via Viator

Deep Dive into Vatican Treasures

My father and I joined Monica Carosi for a 5 hour tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, entering an hour before the museum opened. While this duration initially seemed daunting, the time flew by as we surveyed the vast collection of treasures, stopping at important and unusual works to better appreciate and understand what we were seeing. Monica was energetic and highly informative, but the tour never felt rushed. We felt our guide was a resident of the Museum with a 6th sense – she knew all the guards, she anticipated sudden time-limits to access to make sure we made it, and she even photographed us in front of the “Pieta” reproduction, critical when we later discovered that the original was curtained off for a special mass in St. Peter’s. The pace had a comfortable rhythm. We headed straight for the Sistine Chapel, admiring the nearly empty Gallery of Maps on the way. The Chapel did not feel crowded, and her detailed prep before entry allowed us to thoroughly appreciate the scope and beauty of the Chapel’s artworks for about 20 minutes or so. We exited back into the museum and strolled to the Pinacoteca. After a snack break (her treat :-) we visited Laocoön in its peaceful courtyard and stopped to study the Belvedere Torso, both brought to the Vatican by Michelangelo, kick-starting the collection. We revisited the Gallery of Maps more slowly, looking for places we had already visited in Italy, before appreciating Raphael’s captivating works. We short-cut through the Sistine Chapel, bypassing the now shoulder-bumping crowds to the tour-guide’s exit to St. Peter’s. As you can tell, we covered a lot of ground and artworks. We never fell victim to “museum-fatigue”, though, and never felt we we’re going through a checklist. Instead, we felt like we spent a morning with a friend eager to share the beauty, history and character of a place she deeply knew and loved.

Response from the operator: Steven, thank you for you kind words. I love the Vatican Museums which are home to me and I love sharing their beauty with the people who put so much effort to come here to Rome. Your dad was fantastic, energetic and appreciative. I hope to have you again on my tours in the future with your ladies. Hugs and kisses Monica

via Tripadvisor

Monica was a treasure!!

We were so fortunate to spend the first weekend of our month long tour of Italy with Monica at the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's. She certainly set the bar high for all guides during the rest of our trip! She picked us up at our hotel and took us to a non touristy nearby restaurant, as we requested, for a delicious lunch before getting us all a taxi to the Vatican. There, her knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm just shone as she guided us for several hours through history, teaching us many facts we never would have gotten on our own. The awe we experienced looking at the beauty of St. Peter's was only surpassed by all the facts she could tell us such as the band of gold circling the ceiling of the church was 12" high.... quite a valuable design placement!!! We learned much about religious behavior and life in general both in those days and through modern times. She still gave us a nice break to rest and absorb all the information we gained from her vast knowledge and ended the tour by calling a taxi for us and warning the driver to treat us well as he took us on to our destination! Monica gave us much insight into the non tourist side of Italy as well and paved the way for an absolutely wonderful Italian vacation. We highly recommend her to everyone!

Response from the operator: Don, Thank you for your kind words. It was easy to show you the beauty of the Vatican and sharing with some tips how to enjoy at its fullest your italian vacation. Come back soon. Hugs and kisses Monica

via Tripadvisor