Spanish steps Trevi fountain Pantheon Navona Angel Castle

Personalized planning and wonderful guides for family visit to Rome

From the moment I reached out to Christina a month before our planned trip, she was immensely helpful, exchanging no less than 35 emails in 30 days, and always super responsive. I would not have been able to successfully purchase our Colosseum tickets without her tips to navigate the arcane websites. She helped us decide which tours to do, accommodated last minute changes, and selected guides who were incredibly knowledgeable and personable. We did two tours: 1) 3 1/2 hr Full Experience Colosseum tour (Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill) with Mauro, and 2) 3-hr City Walk tour (Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Church of Saint Louis of the French, Navona Square, River Tiber, St. Angelo Bridge, and St. Angelo Castle from the outside) with Valerio. Both Mauro and Valerio were fantastic. Our kids, 9 and 12, were slightly more engaged with the Colosseum tour, likely due to the subject matter. Mauro is great with kids, which made sense when he shared that he was also a middle school history teacher (he even successfully answered an unrelated WWI question my 9yo posited). And Valerio was so gracious when we were running late, extended the tour without our asking, saved the day by procuring Pantheon tickets when they were sold out for me, and paused the tour for ice cream when the same 9yo was losing steam. Cristina and her team or guides added so much to our trip. Thank you!

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Outstanding CrisRomanGuide

We had a wonderful time in Rome - it was a dream adventure! I was reading Rick Steves’ book on Rome and came across Cristina Giannicchi ‘s name and contact information. I emailed Cristina and was surprised when she responded! We did an hour Zoom planning meeting and Cristina put together a detailed plan for our adventure in Rome. Her expertise and knowledge was invaluable which made our trip very enjoyable. She gave us detailed information on how to purchase tickets online as well as when your phase tickets. I can remember Cristina telling us to make time in our schedule to take time and enjoy Rome and its culture. I did not really understand what she meant but now that I have visited Rome, I totally understand and are glad we had spare time to explore on our own. Cristina arranged transports from the airport to our AirBnB and from our AirBnB to the Port of Civitavecchia. We were welcomed to Rome by Marco’s team, Andres and Maurizio. They were friendly, dependable and safe drivers. Our first adventure was with Gigi Bruno our guide who met us at our AirBnb and then we walked to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Gigi had headsets for us and we were glad we had them. Gigi was very friendly. He was and knowledgeable about the Colosseum and the surrounding area. He knew how to navigate the lines. He encouraged us to see the Colosseum at night since our Airbnb was so close. Glad he did as the Colosseum at night was beautiful! The next morning, Laura Nicotra took us on a Heart of Rome Walk tour starting at Navona Square then visiting Church of San Luis of the French to Pantheon to Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps as well as other sites along the way. In the afternoon, Laura and Andres took us to the Appian Way and the St. Sebastian Catacombs. What an interesting place that is worth seeing. The next day, we met Laura at the Vatican Museum and the Basilica of Saint Peter at 08:30. It was so crowded and Laura knew how to navigate through the crowd! She got us all headsets which very much appreciated. Laura also took us through the roman archaeological sector, called Pio Clementino, pine's cone court, octagonal court, rounded hall, candelabra gallery, the tapestry gallery and the geographical map gallery, Raphael's rooms, and the Sistine Chapel. These painters and sculptors are amazing and talented! After viewing the Sistine Chapel, we used the reserved exit to St. Peter Square and the on to the Basilica of St. Peter, Pietà, Holy Door, Canopy, and Dome. The beauty of the Basilica was breathtaking! It was very crowded, too. The day before our tour, two people were canonized into sainthood which created more crowds than usual for September. Several cardinals were blessing people. A baby was being baptized. There was a lot going on the day we were there. With Laura’s expertise, we got to see and learn a lot about the Vatican, the Square, and the Basilica. In the afternoon, we explored the area around the Vatican and Rome. Each evening, we enjoyed dining at local restaurants trying new foods. We also learned to enjoy gelato. Even though it was expensive hiring guides, it was well worth it! Their knowledge, expertise, and suggestions were invaluable. Many thanks to Cristina and her colleagues, Gigi and Laura and our drivers Andres and Maurizio! We had a great time!

Response from the operator: Thanks, Cheryl, for sharing your experience with me and my team. We really enjoy seeing happiness in our guests' memories of their Roman holiday.

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Chris was so good at...

Chris was so good at explaining the city and the meaning of what we were seeing. Helped us a lot understand the history of Rome and important figures.

Response from the operator: I am happy to help navigate through the centuries of the history of Rome.

via Viator

TRIP OF A LIFETIME

My family of 5 adults spent our Thanksgiving holiday in Rome where Cristina and her guides truly made it a trip of a lifetime. Our days with Cristina, Laura and Margherita were by far the most enriching days of our trip. Though they probably guide people through the Colosseum and the Vatican multiple times a week, you would never know it by the way they engaged with each of us... my husband and I, our daughters 28 and 31, and my 83 year old mom. Cristina took us on a wonderful walking tour of Rome the day of our arrival. As soon as we met Cristina we knew we were in excellent hands. She is incredibly personable and her knowledge and background is immense. The next day we met her at the Colosseum to tour the Arena, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Cristina continued to build and connect the history of these sites and the ancient city of Rome like the layers of history beneath us. All the while, she spent time speaking and connecting with each of us individually. After our two days with her, we certainly felt like we had all known each other longer than that! Laura guided us through the Vatican museum and St Peter’s Basilica. Without her knowledge and insights we would not have fully appreciated or known how to navigate the Vatican’s treasures. She knew of the special viewings that had just opened for the Jubilee and ensured we did not miss the highlights of these vast museums. From Rome, we enjoyed two day trips that Cristina organized for us including transport service. She employs a local service and our driver was so kind and attentive. (This same service provided excellent, reliable transport to/from the airport.) One day he drove us to the charming town of Montepulciano where we enjoyed a lovely wine cellar tour (arranged by Cristina), the winding hillside streets and views of Tuscany. On route back to Rome, he stopped at Civita de Bagnoregio where we walked across the pedestrian bridge to wander through this enchanting, medieval city. We spent a fabulous day in Tivoli touring Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este with Margherita who was incredibly excited to share the history of these two very different places… the former dating back to the first century and the latter to the 16th. Cristina’s, Laura’s and Margherita’s passionate, knowledgeable, engaging manner made these ancient monuments come to life and left us with a deeper understanding and appreciation of ancient Roman history. They each have extensive background in art and archaeology. I had found Cristina’s name in the Rick Steve’s guide and contracted with her the summer before our trip. She gave excellent suggestions while in the planning stages and very clear instructions and tips for purchasing tickets. She surpassed all of my expectations and we were delighted by her, her guides and drivers.

Response from the operator: We loved spending time with your beautiful family!

via Tripadvisor

Wonderful Experience!

This is my second time touring Rome with Cris! The first time was just me and my family. We did the City Walk tour as well as the Vatican. She was awesome! So, when my travel agency brought a group of 24 to Rome this summer, I knew I wanted to hire her again. Everyone loved her. She is professional, fun, and extremely informative. Touring with Cris is like walking around Rome with a friend. I found her years ago in a Rick Steve's guide and I am so thankful that I did. Honestly, one of (if not THE) the best tour guide I have hired. I recommend her to everyone I know that is going to Rome. I cannot say enough about how highly I would recommend her.

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