Italy Rome Tour

Latest review from Mc Nichol's family

From tripadvisor – reviewed on july 28th 2012

ItalyRomeTour and Max Parini made our trip to Rome and Italy the trip of a lifetime and a trip we will never forget. This was our first time to Italy and my children’s first time to Europe. I planned very cautiously and asked around for referrals and for advice from friends that had recently gone to Italy with their families. Max was the most highly recommended of all. I knew that hiring a private tour guide was the way to go, especially since it was not that much more than doing the cruise line’s excursions. So I knew right away that it was well, well worth it to pay a little extra to have a private tour. Boy, was I right. Max and his company more than exceeded my already extremely high expectations based on his reputation.

Let me begin with the planning stages….I have been in touch with Max since February (trip was in July). He was extremely responsive and comfortable to deal with right off the bat. I am the type that asks A LOT of questions and needs constant reassurance that I am planning properly. Max addressed each and every one of my questions, never leaving out any details. He made the planning easy so that I could truly sit back and look forward to my trip. I originally thought that I would just use him for the private tours in Rome, but then I figured out that he could handle all of my needs in Italy because he knows all of the best people in all of the areas I was traveling to. He also handled all of my transfers (airport to hotel, hotel to cruise port, cruise port to hotel, hotel to airport) with cost competitive prices.

Rome – We spent two days with Max in Rome. Our first day was hitting all of the key spots in Rome…the Vatican, the Colosseum, etc. The day was amazing. We could never have covered as much ground if we were on our own, and certainly would have missed out on hearing all of the history behind the sights…something that Max is extremely knowledgeable of. Max is a proud Roman and it showed. He geared the tour to all of us….my husband and I who are in our mid 40’s and my children ages 10, 13, and 14. We all had the greatest experience with Max in Rome. I didn’t even have to open my guidebook.

Our second day in Rome was actually spent in the town my grandparents were from which is about an hour away. Max truly went above and beyond on this day. First of all, about 2 weeks before our trip, I unexpectedly found some relatives that live in the little old town my grandparents were from…my mother had first cousins she never even knew about! There was a huge language barrier so Max came to the rescue….he called them for me (ahead of time) and arranged the day for us to go meet. When we arrived in San Donato the entire town was awaiting “the Americans”. With Max at our side translating, we got a tour of the town by my newly found family which included the home that my grandfather was raised in, as well as the church that my grandparents were married in….and the day ended at my mother’s cousin’s home with what seemed like an endless 5 course meal…and when we arrived at the home, there was a place set for Max because he had been in touch with them and they wanted to share the special day with him too. To sum it up, my new found family ended up kissing and hugging Max goodbye just as much as they hugged and kissed me and my family! This was one of the best days of my life and I have Max to thank.

We left Rome for a cruise that stopped in Livorno and Naples. In Italy you are only allowed to give tours in certain cities and Max is not licensed there but he set us up with amazing guides….From Livorno, Illianna took us to Pisa and Florence and from Naples, Giovanni took us to down the Amalfi Coast, to Positano and Sorrento. They were both extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their “cities” just like Max was in Rome. I really felt like I got my money’s worth!

As for our transportation from the airport, hotel, and cruise ports, we always had extremely timely service by drivers that were extremely friendly and accommodating.

I couldn’t recommend Max and his company ItalyRomeTours any more highly….Giving them the rating of 5 out of 5 across the board seems like an understatement. You will NOT be sorry if you use them. They will make your trip to Italy the most incredible experience of your life.