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Our great clients saying nice things about us

Dear Stella, We absolutely LOVED our Vatican/Ancient City Tour of Rome!! Our guide (we believe his name is Dara -- it's been a while) was terrific! He gave us so much information and with such sense of humor that the day just flew by: He was full of knowledge and was very entertaining! He answered all our questions and more! We bragged about this tour to everyone we know! The day after this tour we actually took a group tour to Pompeii...we barely made it! A private tour with your company "ruined" big tours for us!:) We got so used to the personal attention that we were given by your company that day in Rome that we now need to get used to "regular" tours again!:) Thank you very much for your assistance and for providing us with such a great tour and guide! ~Marina & Vadim Stella, Thank you for your inquiry. Our guide to the Vatican was most valuable. He was very knowledgeable and personable. I would recommend your service to friends and relatives. E. Kendall Hi Stella! Just wanted to say, that we had a great time in Rome and we really enjoyed the tours. Laura is a fabulous woman, very entertaining and full of info. Even my 16 old daughter and her boyfriend thought so too....and they are hard to impress :o). Anne was also great and we enjoyed our Vatican tour with her, very much. Thank them both for us again!!!!!! My daughter just started Latin classes in high school and she is totally fired up, fueled by some knowledge about Rome from our trip and some of the things Laura told us. It was worth every penny!!!! That is for sure. Again ...THANKS Best regards! Kinga :o) Thank you for everything. Especially for being flexible with the time. Our guide was knowledgeable and patient and added tremendous value to our tour of Saint Peters and the Vatican museums. I have already recommended you to a friend. Thomas We did a tour with you about 18 month ago and wondered if you were still in Rome and still doing tours. We are planning a trip and wanted to contact you first. We had such a great visit last time. Please let me know. Hope all is well with you! Sincerely, Lydia Hi Stella, Back in Canada from our holiday. Wanted to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed Laura and the private tour she gave us of the Vatican museums. Please thank her again on our behalf and she may remember who we are when I let you know that we are forwarding two pictures that we took in the Vatican of a single beam of light that was perfectly illuminating the candles on the altar. She had requested that you forward these pictures to her email address once you receive them. Thank you again to Laura. Regards, Vicki, Erv, Sharon and Paul Hi Stella, It was great! And thanks for asking. Sienna did a splendid job of making the history come alive with stories of the people and the players in and of the Vatican. Stella, Now that we are back home from our wonderful vacation, we wanted to touch base with you and let you know how happy we were that we found your tours online. It was absolutely wonderful to spend the afternoon with Anne. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we are talking about another visit some time in the next year or two. Once again, we wanted to thank you for all of your time, effort and assistance in making our trip memorable. The experience at the Vatican City was incredible - one we'll never forget. Anne was obviously extremely knowledgable, as well as friendly and courteous. We would have missed so much if we had not booked the tour with your company. We're keeping your information on file so that we may contact you in the future and recommend you to our family and friends. Thank you again for everything, Please take care, R. and B. Jankowski Well, you might be reading my mind, because I was going to e-mail you today. It was just perfect. And Dara was perfectly suited to us. He was knowledgeable, funny, and full of information. It was the highlight of our trip to Europe. We didn't get his contact information, so if you'd please pass along our gratitude to him, that would be wonderful. Our decision to get a private guide was a wise one. When we saw the people in groups being herded through the Vatican like cows, straiting to keep up and to hear, well, we knew we made a very wise decision. L. Parr Sienna was wonderful. She made our tour more meaningful and enjoyable than it ever could have been on our own or with a bus load of tourists. We particularly appreciated Sienna's deep knowledge of the Vatican's colorful past and its architectural and art history that made her tour most enjoyable. Thank you for assigning Sienna to us. Regards, Dominick & Carmen Rivera I can not say enough for our personal tour of the Vatican. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and stood in the pouring rain for several hours with us. He even went for coffee! His insight into the inter workings of the church were very informative and he was very personable as well. I would definitely give him HIGH marks to anyone who asks. Worth every single penny!!! :) J. Lera Hi Stella, yes, my husband and I did take the 2 tours with your company in Rome and we thoroughly enjoyed both. At the Vatican, Dara was our guide and we really appreciated his slightly dry Irish sense of humour. He was a wealth of information about the Vatican and very patient with all our questions. The guide for the Rome at Sunset walking tour (whose name I have unfortunately forgotten) was also excellent. She checked with us at the beginning about where we had already been & then quickly decided on a few great areas to concentrate on. She is a resident of Rome and yet we had a connection to her because she is originally from Washington state which is close to Vancouver, B.C. She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour as well. She pointed out obscure facts to us that we would otherwise never have known. I would definitely recommend your guide service and in fact, already have. M. & R. Soutar Hello Stella, Just a quick note to tell you how much we enjoyed our private tour of the Vatican Highlights. Sienna was fantastic - warm, energetic and above all, knowledgable. At the end, she took the time to suggest restaurants/shopping and marked our map accordingly. We will be recommending your company and Sienna in particular, to our friends and family that visit Rome! Thanks, B. and A. Broughton Stella, My wife and I along with another couple took a Vatican tour through your agency on 9/21. It was a great experience and we were very impressed with our guide, Anne. She was excellent. W. Gemmell To: Stella Martin Our private guided tours in Rome on September 21 & 22 were among the highlights of our first trip to Italy. Our Vatican guide (Laura) was charming and ebullient and presented us with a broad historical perspective. She attuned us intellectually and visually to the complex interweaving between pagan and Christian elements in the emergence of the Catholic Church. She was especially passionate and provocative about the artwork. The Ancient City guide Anne took a low-key approach and gently eased us into a profound appreciation of those massive and magnificent ancient ruins. She was also very knowledgeable and ensured that we saw far more than we ever would have on our own. Both tours were simply superb, worth every penny. Thank you so very much. Hugh, Judy, & Jackie Stella: We've never met but my wife and I were on the Vatican tour with the Seligmans and Sienna. In a word, she was extraordinary. Another word, encyclopedic. And a very nice person on top of all of that. She's even better than pistachio gelato on a hot day. What more can I say. She is a credit to your organization and was very pleasant to be with for the entire day. Mike Bromberg Dear Stella, By all reports of local travel folks our decision to book a tour with your organization was viewed as a "gamble"....they were wrong. Sienna (like the paint) arrived on time to meet us at the Hotel and we walked the short distance to the Vatican. Her knowledge was deep and she gave us wonderful stories intermingled with the history itself. My girls (16 and 13) could have been bored, but Sienna knew how to read their faces and would switch gears or recommend a gelato break at just the right time. Sienna was a wonderful guide and international hostess. She even made sure we got into a taxi to return to our hotel, pick up our bags while the taxi waited and then skirted us off to the train station. Sienna even reviewed our E-tickets telling us exactly what to do when we got to the train, saving us valuable time and helping to avoid mistakes. Our Vatican tour was one of the exceptional highlights of our trip....Sienna was cheerful, knowledgeable and helpful. S. Kovalik North Conway, NH Dear Stella, We did indeed have a wonderful holiday in Italy and our tour was one of the highlights! Our guide was so very knowledgeable and personable and we believe we had the best of the best. We got far above just the Vatican tour on the walk from our hotel-a thorough history lesson. Thank you very much. C. Clement Stella - Just a brief note to let you know how much we enjoyed our tour. Dara was so knowledgeable and added so much to our time spent in Rome. Speaking for all the Borgerts, we could not have enjoyed our tour more. Please pass our gratitude along to Dara for us. Thanks for the opportunity. L. Borgert The tour was very good and our guide was outstanding. The tour was filled with more information than I thought it would be. Our guide was able to answer our questions and she knew her way around the Vatican very well, so that we did not have to stand with other big groups. I especially liked the one on one time with the guide, rather than these 20 people tours. I have recommended this tour to some of me friends, and if I get back to Rome, which I hope I do, I will definitely sign up for this tour again. Once again, thank you for your time and for the tour, most outstanding. E. Smith Chicago, IL, USA Stella, we loved our tours! We were a difficult group and with the heat and my uncle's reaction to it, we were especially difficult. We greatly appreciated sienna's and dara's patience. Sienna even stayed with us to make sure we all got cabs out of the coloseum. Everyone commented on how much more they got out of rome by having the guides along. They were both flexible and responded to what we wanted to see and what we felt we didn't want to see. Thanks again for everything! Katie Sienna was very accommodating and answered all of our questions and rolled with all of our strange commentary as well. I would highly recommend her to anyone. It was especially nice having an American give us the tour too. I believe she understood our perspective as Americans and as (except for one of us) non- Roman Catholics. Please let Sienna know that we really appreciated all of her interest and attention. Best Regards, C. Cannon When you hire a guide, someone who goes to the same place and tells the same stories all the time, you hope to get someone who is not bored with the place, but is as excited to be there as you are. That's what we got from Sienna, excitement and intrigue! Like it was the first tour she had given and had all this information she just had to tell someone! She was great! We saw only a small portion of the Vatican, but what we did see, Sienna told us everything about it, so we feel we really know what we saw and came away with something. I don't think we had an unanswered question. She was great, we wish she could have shown us around the rest of Rome! Out of the 4 tours that we took while in Italy, Sienna was the only one on time. The restaurant that was recommended, ArLu, was the best! Thanks for the great service! Please be sure to pass on to Sienna that we had a great time and are grateful for the experience! Grazi! Lisa and Family Dear Stella, The tour with Siena was wonderful. I have been to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel twice before without a guide and, as you can imagine, just looked around and up and said wow. This time I learned so much! Siena was fabulous and I would recommend her and your company to anyone who is going to Rome. Sincerely, C. Saccucci Sienna arrived to pick us up at our hotel right on time. She even had the cab waiting when we arrived in the Lobby. Sienna, an artist and classical arts student, was wonderfully informed on the art, architecture, and history of the Vatican. The tour was fascinating under her guidance. The Vatican is, of course, interesting and awe inspiring, but Sienna made it accessible to all of our senses. Five hours went by in a flash. She is an American "ex-pat" so language was not a problem. In addition, she was kind and patient. We never felt rushed or patronized. All in all--Sienna made our Vatican tour much, much better than if we had attempted it on our own. Sienna is a lovely, articulate and intelligent woman--I FELT LUCKY TO HAVE HER AS OUR GUIDE FOR THE DAY. Sincerely, D.D. McDonough Hi Stella! how nice to hear from you ! and happy New Year to you too! My daughters and I really enjoyed our tour of the Vatican Museums. our guide was from Ireland... he was incredibly knowledgeable and told us lots of anecdotes and interesting facts that made the tour seem like a real insider's tour. didn't matter what question we asked, he knew the answer! We also appreciated his recommendations for restaurants - I asked him for some names, since the first couple we'd tried seemed very touristy and unexciting. We had a marvelous - if very late - lunch near the Vatican after the tour and two excellent dinners based on his suggestions. You're welcome to add these comments (hopefully appropriately edited) to your web-site. thanks again and ciao! L. Jenner Our guide Ann provided us with well-informed, stimulating and accurate information about the wide range of modern, medieval and Renaissance art and architecture we viewed, as well as current and historical facts and fascinating trivia about the papacy, the Vatican and the city of Rome. She helped us get through the daunting task of absorbing what we were seeing, and making maximum use of the time we had allowed for our tour. She was delightful.... poised and articulate, sensitive to our physical needs and time constraints, willing to answer questions and follow up on points of interest - no mean feat, since she was working with five ordained pastors who (between us) know more than a little about the subjects at hand! We would strongly recommend Ann to anyone interested thirsty for knowledge and insights and in making the most of their time - especially those with a strong interest in art, theology and history. The Mey Family Hello Stella, I wanted to take a moment to extend congratulations to your organization for a wonderful Vatican City Tour with Dara. I know that Dara has now left you, but he represented your company proudly and we were delighted at his wealth of knowledge. Our tour was on 13-Sept at noon and we asked that Dara meet us outside the bookstore door near the Vatican entrance. He was cordial, on time and professional. When we were finished, we wanted to do it all over again so we could learn more from Dara! Alas, time and money won out! I will be happy to recommend your company to anyone who is looking for private, professional tour guides in Rome. We look forward to our next visit and tour with Italy Hotline. Sincerely, B. Brys Stella Thanks so much. Dara was great. We enjoyed being with him and his wealth of knowledge. A friend of ours will be coming to Rome in the next couple of months. I've copied her above because we told her about you and our tour. I'm sure she will be contacting you when she finalizes her trip arrangements. Patti Maura and I had a wonderful time and Dara is VERY professional and informative. My husband was under the weather and MISSED a great day! Ramona It was probably the high point of our entire visit in Europe. Thank you Sienna for such a fun time around Rome. Please send us your address so we can send you a gift. D. and J. Renfroe Stella: Great to hear from you. I apologize for not sending you comments when we got back. Sienna was so good, we were going to write you when we got back and let you know, but you know how it is when you get back and get busy. She was very pleasant and knowledgeable. She really made a great difference in our experience. We would recommend her highly to anyone wanting to have a private tour. It was so much better than the 50 people with a bus and headphones. Also, your rates were very reasonable. Your drivers were also very good and prompt. Also, your car service was reasonable as well. Both services were less costly than the cruise line. We were skeptical since we had no prior experience with your service, but we were pleasantly surprised. Please say hi to Sienna for us all. Thanks! Regards, V. Sequenzia, Jr. The tour was fabulous - more than we had hoped for. Our guide was so knowledgeable about the art, history, religion and politics of the various periods of each painting, statue and tapestry that we looked at. He made it seem alive, very interesting and lots of fun! When we came back to Canada, my daughter had to register for her first year at university and decided to take a Renaissance art history course and a course in Greek and Roman studies. Tell our guide "thanks" and that Kate and I say hello. I will be recommending your tour to a friend of mine who is traveling in Rome during June and to another friend who will be there in September. Anne Marie Stella, We found Dara to be an outstanding guide and our group enjoyed his information and his style. He was open to questions and with every question he went into more depth with information. Tremendous. Plus, he has a great personality, very easy going and delightful. Thank you so much for making these arrangments for us. Aloha, Carole Hello Stella By the way, our compliments on your beautiful website too. Fred, my husband, did ours as well and is an IT guy and was very impressed with the graphics. We will be happy to recommend you to anyone. Best Regards, Lauren Hi Stella, We are back safe and sound; to a cold, rainy, ugly, nasty Pacific NW day..yuck! Chris felt better the next day after our tour with you, so we took him back and showed him everything you showed us! I have to tell you, you did a great job, the kids got soooo much out of your tour, and so did I! We also went to one of the restaurants you recommended, the one near the Trevi fountain, and it was excellent, thanks for that recommendation! I couldn't think of any reason to come home, I didn't miss anything, and I think the Meditteranean climate is where I belong; so now I need to find a way to do it! Thanks again! Lisa Stella: I booked an Angels & Demons tour with you for October 28th. Ann (Anna) was our tour guide. This was undoubtedly the best tour I have ever been on in Rome. She was truly awesome. I have been to Rome many, many times and I learned so many new things from her. She was a delight and, oh so knowledgeable. I book quite a bit of Italy for my clients so I will be contacting you again for their tours. I am also forwarding your info to the tour operator I use and I am telling her she needs to contact you! Again, thanks for a fabulous tour! Pam Hi Stella, I have not returned home yet as I am staying in CO for a week but will respond to you to say that Dara could not have been more informative, interesting and pleasant! He was a joy and a delight and we were very, very happy with the tour. I have forwarded your email to my daughter as well. I know that she, too, was very pleased with Dara. Amir was wonderful, too! He was efficient, knowledgeable and very, very helpful! I do believe that my daughter will agree with me that both Dara and Amir were excellent tour guides and we would highly recommend them to anyone; anytime! Thank you to you, Stella, as well as you were most helpful and we would have loved to met you. Do you ever come to the States and if you do, please let me know so that I could help you with anything you might need when visiting our country! Again, thank you for eveything! All Good Things, V. Tenge This four hour Angels & Demons Tour was fabulous!!! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and took the tour beyond Dan Brown's book. While visiting sites within the book, she highlighted the story's plot and provided some interesting history of Rome. In addition, to visiting key sites from the pages of Angels and Demons, our tour guide took us to many hotspots within Rome such as the Spanish Steps, Bernini's old apartment, the President's palace and more. In addition to taking us to these magnificent places, she pointed out some interesting facts relating to Bernini, Borromini and Christianity. Since our guide was so knowledgeable and professional, we booked for the Vatican our. Rome wouldn't have been complete without these tours!!!! Thanks, Emily, Denise It is nice to hear from you. And thank YOU so much for a wonderful tour through the book's highlights in Rome. It was great to finally see these places we had all read about. You know so much about the history and made it very enjoyable! We have already told our family and friends about the tour. We really couldn't think of any recommendations. It was great! It'd be great to visit again and take the Pagan/Illuminati tour! Good luck with everything! Happy Holidays, too! -H. Cardenas We LOVED our tour with Sienna. My husband, who resists organized activities such as tours, said it was like hiring a best friend for the day! Sienna was personable and informative, and because our tour was very small (just the two of us and our guide) we were also able to learn lots about life in Italy from an American perspective. The tour was very well researched, not just walking from site to site that appeared in a popular novel, but with lots of background about pagan/Christian/renaissance symbology. I particularly enjoyed visiting the smaller sights that we would have ordinarily missed. I highly recommend Sienna's tour. Sorry for the tardy response--I somehow missed this email until now. Barbra Stella, Please forgive the delay in my response. We all considered the Angels and Demons Tour to be a highlight of our vacation in Italy. Our guide was interesting, knowledgeable, and accommodating. We loved the personal touch, not having to consult our maps, and getting the most out of our day. After this good experience, I'm sure we will want to have the benefits of a private guide on our next trip. Fran Murphy Hello Stella -- we had a wonderful time in italy. we certainly enjoyed our visit to rome and you helped to make that possible. you are a delightful person and we enjoyed the days we spent with you. we were really impressed with your knowledge of everything that we wanted to see in rome. we could not have enjoyed the vatican as much as we did without your help. the background information you gave us really helped us "see " what we were looking at. about the angels and demons tour. layla was absolutely exhausted when she got back to the apartment. we had to give her a day to just rest. but she talked about it constantly for the rest of the week. at the end of our trip we asked layla what she had enjoyed most about our trip to italy. she said the angels and demons tour with you. so i guess that is praise enough. again, thank you for everything. i will definitely be giving you name and e-mail address to family and friends who are coming to rome this summer so thay they can book you for a tour. take care, linda Stella, Sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you. Our guide was Sienna. The Two Day Pagan/Illuminati Tour was fabulous! She took us around all of the sites from the Angels&Demons novel and then some. We learned more than we had ever expected. She was extremely knowledgeable and well worth the price of the tour. Not only was the tour great, but the food was, too! She took us to wonderful restaurants and bakeries each day. The tour was so thorough that we ended up leaving Rome early and heading to Florence for a day and a half, too. K & S Swantner Dear Stella, The Angels and Demons tour was one of the highlights of our trip. Sienna was wonderful. Her information was great for us and the kids and really gave us a foundation for the rest of our week in Rome. If anything, we would have liked to spend another day with her! Please use us as a reference if that would be helpful as we will also recommend your tour to anyone we know visiting Rome. Please give Sienna our best! C. McArthur Stella, Sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you. The Two Day Pagan/Illuminati Tour was fabulous! Our guide took us around all of the sites from the Angels&Demons novel and then some. We learned more than we had ever expected. She was extremely knowledgeable and well worth the price of the tour. Not only was the tour great, but the food was, too! She took us to wonderful restaurants and bakeries each day. The tour was so thorough that we ended up leaving Rome early and heading to Florence for a day and a half, too. Kelly & Scott We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Sienna is very personable and did a wonderful job in giving us a lot of information, without overwhelming us! She also answered some non-tour questions that we had, as we had just arrived in Italy. We will recommend her and your service, if we have the opportunity. Thank you for providing a great service. Karen November 2007 Dear Stella: I know I can speak for the 4 of us in saying your "Angels and Demons" tour was the most memorable for many reasons. First, your extensive knowledge through obvious exhaustive research was phenomenal. All those little extra little known details were fascinating for all of us never to be forgotten. We spoke of you often during our ensuing 12 day trip. We covered a lot of ground and in reality, I would even recommend this tour to those who have not read the "book" as the history you provided gave special insights and covered some main attractions all folks would like to see in Rome anyway. The connection with the "book" made touring exotic and exciting. Your charming personality, relaxed informal style was absolutely refreshing as was your flexibility in scheduling. Sienna, thank you! When next we journey to Rome, you will be the first person we will call. We hope you will keep in touch with us as time goes by. D. Ventre Hi Stella: Thank you for arranging our tours. Your guides, Sienna and Dara, were superb. Gary, Lorine, Brandon and Beckky. San Jose, CA Hi Sienna: Your name is a constant in all our conversations about our visit to Rome. The tour you provided was all I had expected it to be. After many visits to Rome and as many tours of the City, your tour stands at the top of all the experiences. You clearly focused for us the plan of the City which is always elusive. For two days afterwards, we continued our visit around Rome using your focus as a guide. I had worried that the walking would have been too daunting for Madeline but you were very attentive to her need to stop for a rest; for which Kara and I are grateful. The arrangement of the tour went beyond the references to Angels and Demons although you kept the frame of the story as the main points of your organization. I am presently completing Italian lessons for students who will visit Rome in August and September. When I described for them the outline and the presentation of your tour, they eagerly sought your address which I gave them without hesitation. As ever...Len, Madeline, and Kara Hi Sienna We will be in Rome and would love to tour the city. Our friend recommended you as a tour guide, you might remember Carol she was in Italy with 3 other friends of mine in April time frame (Meme, Susan and Melanie) and you acted as their guide of the Vatican which they haven't stopped speaking about. If you are available any day between Sunday 9/23 and Tuesday 9/26, Ron and I would be honored if you could act as our guide also. If you could please, confirm your availability to be our tour guide, I would appreciate it. Thanks so very much, and look forward to meeting your very shortly in Italy, I hope!!! Kathi Hi Sienna: What can I (Madeline) add to Len's message. You did make the tour so very special. I still feel so intelligent when I relate some of the unknown details you added about the Piazza Del Popolo, the Spanish Steps (drinking from the fountain), Via Babuino, the Vatican and so much more Even though my leg acted up every now and then you never reminded me how much of an "old lady" I was. You made me think I was just like all the young people in Rome. Thanks from the bottom of my heart! As ever...Len, Madeline, and Kara Dear Siena Thank you so much for the great tour of the Vatican!! I learned so much and it really helped me when we went on to Florence and Venice. You gave a real art history lesson. I wll recommend your tour to everyone that I know coming to Rome!!! Thanks again, E. Eckel Dear Stella, Our guide picked us up at our hotel as scheduled. He was wonderful, so knowledgeable and friendly. We were more than pleased. Thank you very much. E. Kendall Hi Sienna, We just wanted to write and let you know that we were so happy with our Vatican tour with Ann on October 16. She was wonderful and knew so much about what she was showing us. We had a great afternoon with her and learned a lot as well. We will definitely be back and will request her again on another tour. Thanks again, Erica and Kirk Ryan Just wanted to let you know that Anne, again, did a great job on the tour. We thoroughly enjoyed being with her. I know she’s a real asset to your company. Thanks again, James & Sharon Bouvier Hi Sienna I just wanted you to know that the tour you arranged in Rome went perfect. Alberto was the Best!!!!! He took us to great sights, always dropped us off very close, gave us lots of info on the city and even took us to the best Italian restaurant possible. He should be commended for the great job he did. Thank you again for all your help. I will highly recommend your company for tours. Could you let me know for what other destinations you arrange tours. Thanks Again Chrystal Hoey - All-Ways Travel Dear Siennna, I'm finally getting to writing to you to let you know how pleased we were with the 1/2 day and full day Italy Hotline tours we took while in Rome recently. We were there on September 22 and 23 and did a half day Vatican Tour and a full day Villa Borghese, Ancient Rome and other sites. Ann was our guide and she was wonderful. Paying the little bit extra to have such a knowledgeable guide, to beat the crowds and to do just as you wished was worth every penny. We'd never do it any other way, now that we know! We're not wealthy and it was initially perceived as a great indulgence to do your tour, but by the time it was over we saw it as brilliant and the only way to go. Ann was delightful, accommodating but with strong and wise suggestions. We thoroughly enjoyed her. By the way I hope she had a great art exhibit in October! Sincerely, Kathy and Gene Bonnes Hi! My mom still raves that you gave an amazing tour to her as well. And I truly agree that having the tour with someone so smart and caring and truly gifted makes walking around Rome that much better. It does make us remember it more and love it more. Thank you so much for having Anne do the tours.. she was amazing and so smart and so sweet.. she is just perfect and really a great asset for you. I hope in the future to send more people your way.. and of course if you ever need anything in the states just let me know! Warmly, Kim Sienna,We had such a wonderful time on our tour of Rome. Anne was fantastic and so knowledgeable. I can't think of a question we had that she couldn't answer. We had so little time to see everything but she planned it just right. We didn't feel rushed and saw everything we wanted. She also took us to a small restaurant down a little alley [Taverna dei Fori Imperiali] where the food was delicious. Very authentic and such friendly people. We definitely want to come back to Rome and stay a couple of weeks to see it all. In the meantime we are going to your old stomping grounds, Seattle in July for two weeks. Many thanks to you and Anne for a wonderful day in Rome. Please use this for a recommendation from all four of us.Steve & Charlene CarsonPevie & Patty Cotton The tour was wonderful. Anne was a delightful and knowlegeable young woman. We truly enjoyed the tour of the Vatican and would recommend and use your services in the future. Sincerely, Grace Patanio Hi Sienna! On my "to do" list since we returned from Italy has been to send you an email to let you know how much we thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Ann. She was terrific with the kids. She had an easy going manner, a wealth of information and terrific stories that kept the kids interested in what otherwise could have been a recitation of rote historical data. Dealing with you and Ann and your company was a very pleasant experience--and if we ever plan a return trip to Italy, you will be on my list to call! Best regards,Alitia I recently returned from a trip to Rome. We only had 1 1/2 days and a half to see the city so we relied on Italy Hotline and are so glad we did! Sienna Reid made the booking process so easy. I explained to her that I would be traveling with an older couple as well as a four year old. She assured me that the guide would personalize the tour to meet our needs: both the physical challenges and keeping a four year old interested. Their guides are all English speaking and will customize tours based on your interests. Anne met us at our hotel and we began our journey. Anne's knowledge and passion for the arts brought such deep perspective to our tour! She pointed out so many things we would've missed on our own. Anne knew little tips and tricks that helped us avoid long lines. And when we needed to call in the help of a driver for day two, it was handled promptly and efficiently. The van was new, clean, and very comfortable. I would highly recommend booking a private group tour with ItalyHotline. Diana and I are finally home after a months adventure which ended in Rome in fine style with Georgio meeting us at the pier. He delivered us to meet Anne Patsch, who took us on a most interesting visit of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica. Anne was most informative and obviously familiar and comfortable with all aspects of Vatican art, the artists and the museum itself. She was gracious and considerate when we needed to "rest". A fine personable young lady and informative member of your organization, we enjoyed her company. We were ready for Georgio to take us to the Airport Hilton Hotel as we said our thanks and good byes to Anne -- he did take us by the Coliseum, and pointed out the various Roman antiquity and other aspects of the city as we drove to the Hilton. We were tired but both considered it well worth our effort - glad I found you, Sienna and your organization on my PC. Ted and Diana Belknap Hello Sienna, Our trip was very meaningful and, mostly because of Anne. Her tours so enriched the experience that we cannot imagine what it would have been like without her. She was very thoughtful and sensitive to the needs of my parents who, it turns out, did a very good job walking all of that distance. She was very patient and did not rush us despite my parents slowing down toward the end of the Roman Forum part of the tour. She made us laugh and she very was easy to get along with. She made outstanding restaurant recommendations. We would highly recommend the tours and Anne is a standout guide. She is very knowledgeable, but did not make it stuffy. We would really like to come back and see more under Anne's direction. Furthermore, thank you for answering all of our questions prior to arriving. It was helpful in selecting the tours. We also liked your website and found it to be easy to navigate, informative and interesting. Keep up the good work! Again, thanks for everything. Kim & Jon Sherwell I want to let you know how much my daughter and I enjoyed our experience in Rome. Anna was wonderful! She was very knowledgeable about all of the sites we went to, and we especially enjoyed hearing her descriptions of the artwork and its history that she showed us in the various churches. We were big fans of her "Let's just see the exceptional things in this church and then move on to something else exceptional" approach. Since we only had two days, and thousands of years worth of things to see, it was perfect! The transfers to and from the airport were also very good. The drivers were waiting for us as promised, and very nice. Thank you so much for the wonderful experience and I will be sure to recommend your company to any of my friends who are traveling to Rome!" Thanks, Lyn R. I am so glad you e-mailed me. I have been working on a book with all of my pictures & was wondering if I sent you some, if you could tell me what they are. We took so many wonderful pictures & was told so much info by your girls, that I can't remember what all the places were ( I should have taken notes). Hiring Ann & Laura was the best investment we could have made for our trip. We got to see so many things we would not have seen on our own. We liked having a guide to ourselves because we didn't waste any time waiting on other people and we were told & shown things that we would not have learned on our own. It was wonderful & I would recommend you to everyone! The only thing I wish I had was a outline covering the major places/things we saw. This would have made my photo book easier to make. Sincerely, Julie Drouant Hi Sienna, I wanted to let you know that the chauffeur arrived exactly on time and took us to the airport. He was very pleasant and helpful. You have a true jewel in Ann. She gives great tours and has a wonderful sense of humor ~ a necessity with our quirky group. She answered all of our questions and took extra time to show us things that we had expressed an interest in that were additional to the actual tour. She also went to Ostia prior to our visit to see if there were new/different sites that would add to our experience. Please let her know how much we appreciated her expertise and that we would love to have information about her exhibition. Thanks again, Cynthia hi Sienna,our working life is always made that much better when we have the privilege of spending time with individuals that are very good at what they do! Let me just say how lucky you are to be living in such a beautiful city! I have just returned from my trip to Rome, Malta and Paris. On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to extend a great big thank you to Sarah May! each member of our group made the comment that the highlight of our trip was the 8 hour tour of Rome. Sarah was informative, interesting and engaging. she answered all of our questions with patience and enthusiasm. Her knowledge was extensive and we have all come away from the experience with a greater sense of the history of Rome and a longing to return to that magnificent city! again, thank-you for taking such good care of us! gerry warner ryerson university Just a note to THANK YOU tremendously for your time and effort making our visit to Rome safe, productive, and enjoyable. On another note, Anna was simply a delight, very personable, knowledgeable, and very fun to be with. We do not have words to thank her. We cannot wait to come back again. Rome is full of treasures, tales, en dos and innuendos that make the city grow on you... Be safe and best regards to Anne. Sincerely, Jorge Simental,MD Pamella Irvine Kauai, Hawaii Hi Sienna, I just wanted to write a quick note: Laura was fabulous. She is a great guide, a lot of fun to be with, and can easily go from talking about Italy's current culture to interesting details of Roman history. She makes enormous amounts of history easily accessible. We loved going to the Vatican and piazzas with her, and felt that we got so much more out of a day with her than we ever would have gotten on our own. My husband and I would absolutely go on another tour with her. Best, Mollie Dear Sienna, On October 3, 2008 my friend Linda and myself had a wonderful experience by taking the culinary tour with you. You were on time in meeting us at the hotel and we greatly enjoyed shopping at the local markets gathering all the ingredients needed for our luncheon. You made us feel very welcome into your home. The dishes we prepared were wonderful as well. If we come back to Rome I will surely give you call. thanks mary palazzolo capri fountain 2.jpg ancient roman soldiers.jpg amalfi fruit bowl.jpg CIMG7248.JPG CIMG9098.JPG We thoroughly enjoyed your special offerings on the tour. So much is lost by just looking but not understanding what took place historically along with these fabulous artistic endeavors. Kude Hello Stella. Sienna was great! The five hours went by in a flash, and we saw and enjoyed much more than we would have alone. Thank her for us! The DeBrosse Family Stella, Now that I'm semi-recovered from our 24-hour journey back, I can think clearly and respond to your email. Our tour was wonderful. Sienna was full of information about the sites we visited, enabling us to see them with new eyes. She gave us tips and things to look for that we would never have been able to pick up on our own. I'm only sorry we didn't get to spend more time with her. Not only was she a knowledgeable and professional tour guide, but my mother and I thoroughly enjoyed her company. And, of course, we loved Rome and are already trying to figure out when we can get back! Thank you, and particularly Sienna, for an unforgettable experience. Best regards, Barbara Hello Stella! Well, our tour was fabulous. She did an incredible job and we totally enjoyed it. We had a great trip to Italy. Our tour guide was fantastic. There is no way to see all the sights (and understand everything) without the guide. I highly recommend your company! Thank you again, K. Naylor Hello ! We enjoyed meeting you too! Your knowledge of Rome is impressive. We all learned so much and felt fortunate to have had you to show us around. The following day we did get to visit all the other places you mentioned, your guidance was helpful. We stumbled across the Basilica of Santa Maria with the elephant statue out front. Wow, that was impressive! What was nice, no one was there and you could get up close to see everything. There is so much to see in Rome, we hope to visit again, Hilary K. Cleary Hi Stella, We absolutely loved the tour. Our guide was great. I would recommend it to anyone. Thanks Marla Dear Ms. Martin: I want to, after finally arriving home, thank you for an excellent stay in Rome. Your guides provided us with a most beautiful time. Both of them were truly remarkable in providing an experience we will never forget. Please convey our grateful thanks to them. Had we tried to do this on our own we would never have seen half of what your guides provided. Your service is indeed "Truly Remarkable". By the way, that time and day problem was entirely my fault in misreading your email and I apologise to you. Our guide was Anne and our chauffeur/guide was Amir, of whom, again, I can not say enough about as too their professionalism and help. Also, their personalities are great; very friendly and considerate. I think they went above and beyond for us. Many, many thanks Dear Stella, We just wanted to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed our tour on July 19th with Ann. She made the day an absolute pleasure, despite the excessive heat in Rome! We got exactly what we wanted from the tailored tour of ancient Rome and the Vatican, and we used her advice for a day and a half on our own this past week. Betty and I went back to the Vatican in the afternoon and I made the climb to the top of the dome, with no waiting in line! We also made it to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain at night to end our visit to Rome. We're just sorry we didn't make it to her favorite gelato place, but we did get our fill of this wonderful dessert. Thanks again for introducing us to the city! We'll be back when the weather is MUCH MUCH cooler. Ciao, Bruce & Betty Good Morning Stella, I'm sorry I haven't written sooner about our guide but I returned home to mass confusion! To say Laura was wonderful would be putting it mildly! We enjoyed her immensely. She was very knowledgeable, fun to be with, answered our questions and gave a very thorough presentation! I wish I had known about your company previously. If your other guides are as great as Laura I would definitely recommend you and your company to future visitors to Rome! Thank you for sending Laura as our guide. L. Alexander I can not tell you how very much my daughter and I enjoyed our tour with you. You gave us so much information that brought life to everything we were awe-struck viewing. You are gifted at your chosen profession. On our next visit, we will definitely contact you and recommend you highly to anyone we know coming to Rome. Thank you so very much for making our visit even more special and memorable. God Bless, Gloria Hello - I would like to compliment our Tour guide, Sienna. We had a wonderful experience with her and Would highly recommend her and your company to any friends visiting Italy. Thank you all so much. Ciao, C. Van Huisen Stella, Thanks so much for the tour, it was great and Ann was such a delight & knowledgeable guide. David The tours were great! Dara was an amazing tour guide, and we all had the best time. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun. It was a great way to see Rome, and we were sad we didn't have another day to do another tour. You were so accommodating with getting everything set up for me since I kept changing dates and times and numbers, and I really appreciate you making everything come together. I'll keep you in mind the next time I am in Italy. You can use any of our correspondence on your website. Ciao! Anne Stella, Just to advise, we enjoyed the tour of the Vatican and our guide was great. Thanks, Lou In a word....outstanding. Our guide was great. All 11 in my group found him to be great. I did tours my self in law school and have traveled extensively internationally as well as domestically. I can't think of any better guide anywhere. In addition he was a very nice person. T. Brady Our tour guide was fabulous and my 10 and 12 year old boys completely enjoyed the tour with us!!!! we gave your card to several people and will continue!!! thanks again, linda Stella, Happy New Year to you! Our tour was great, Dara, our guide, did an excellent job. We have recommended your service to several others since our visit to Roma. Cheers, KPS :-) We had a fabulous time on our tour ! in October! She was a terrific guide and so enthusiastic, We are still talking about our experience with our friends! Thanks again. D. and D. Van Ess Just wanted to let you know that it was one fantastic tour. Our guide was knowledgeable, delightful and made the tour come alive for us. She was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!. If you ever need a recommendation please do not hesitate to contact me. M. J. Elko Simply - Loved Sienna. She was a great guide for us in that she not only had an extensive knowledge on the city and it's history - she also gave us an insiders view on what life is like for Romans now. I have been on SEVERAL tours of the Rome over the years - But, for the first time - I left the tour feeling that I had really gained insight not just facts and figures. She also has incredible people skills, One day she toured with my young daughters and I and it was a completely different approach than the one she took with my corporate clients. Most importantly, she was Human. So often tour guides seem to be under an amazing amount of pressure to dispense information and pack in locations. with Sienna we never felt rushed or that we were missing anything. I would highly recommend Sienna and Italy Hotline to any future clients or acquaintances that are planning a trip to the city. Sincerely, A. Smart Dear Stella: The guides you provided were both excellent. Seeing these historic sites with people knowledgeable about the history and social perspective of the times is really the only way to fully appreciate the wonders of our planet left over from different millennia. To see these sites without a guide would be having a five course meal and only drinking the water. Gary and Lorine Stroy San Jose, CA. I don't know whether David has had time to respond to your e-mail. We really appreicated the time you spent with us going through the Vatican Museum. We enjoyed your company, the enthusiasm Sienna had for what she was showing us and the general conversation we had while waiting in line. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and tours with your guide, again showing us many parts of Rome we probably we never have seen on our own. Again his enthusiasm for the architecture, history and even the Rome of today helped us see a city with a great past and future. Thanks, again to both of you for making our visit to Rome so memorable. We will try and keep in touch. John and David Hi, I just wanted to say that my family had the best time on the two tours we took with Laura in August. She was accommodating, knowledgeable and funny. Even my teenagers enjoyed the tour. I had talked a bit with Laura about the Robert Harris novel Pompeii. I wanted to let Laura know that there is an even better Harris novel, this time set in ancient Rome, Imperium. I highly recommend the book and would think that maybe you can feature an Imperium tour at some point. I look forward to my next visit to Rome. Thanks again for the great time in Rome, S. Carter Stella, Be sure to tell Anne that we really enjoyed the tour she gave us. We were also able to see an Ancient Roman Art exhibit on loan from the Paris. Lynn O. Hi Sienna, Thank you so much for all of your efforts. Our group had a wonderful tour of Ancient Rome and the Vatican. Fabio was extremely knowledgeable and personable. The women in the group were quite taken with Fabio’s charm and good looks! The tour was the highlight of our two weeks in Italy! Thank you again. We will spread the word about the excellent service that you and Italy Hotline provided. Best regards, John Gradwohl I just got off the phone with Delores Taskey, sister of Rita Jula, who RAVED about your guides in Rome! She said that Andrea and Ann were fantastic with them, and they loved Amir their driver! She said that when they got to Barcelona and had a guide I set up for them with another company, they had been spoiled by their guides in Rome and kept comparing them, and the Rome guides won hands down! I hope you will share their pleasure with Andrea, Ann and Amir. Thank you, too, for being so patient with me! I'll be bringing you lots more business! Pam Darnell, ACC CruiseOne Booking time with your team was without a doubt the best vacation move I have ever made. Not having a lot of time to spend in Rome, we wanted to see everything but really spend time on the important things. Our guide for the Vatican, Anne, was incredibly knowledgeable and was able to construct a story about the art and the history of the Vatican, and the region, that we would never have gotten by ourselves. I have recommended the service to the CFO of our company. Lynne and Charlie Tartaglia, Boston MA We almost felt as if we'd made a new friend at the end of the day. Our driver was wonderful as well. We wanted to visit a small church but really didn't know the exact location and he went out of his way to find it for us, as well as to knock on the door of the rectory to speak with them about when we might visit during open hours. Thanks for everything! Lynne and Charlie Tartaglia, Boston MA Sienna, Funny to get your email right after I recommended Laura and Anne to my brother-in-law for their trip to Rome next Spring! Both Laura and Anne were knowledgeable and conducted the tours at just the right pace. Both were great about taking our photos at various sites. The fact that they were Americans and we could understand them made the tours enjoyable. I bet the people in the large tour groups were envious! You are lucky to have these fabulous women in your company. Feel free to use any of my comments, just sign us Kurt, Deborah, & RoseMary Hi Sienna, Anne was great tour guide and I greatly appreciated the depth of her knowledge. This last trip was my fifth visit to Rome, including a semester of college. Anne showed us places and sights of significant cultural, historic, and artistic importance; places we had not seen. Even of the few sights we had seen in past visits Anne offered us new insights. Jill and I would definitely take another tour on our next visit and recommend Italy Hotline to our friends. Sincere regards, Jack Hi Sienna, just wanted you to know how much we appreciate all you & your organization did for us in Italy. Anne was great. We would have missed so much had she not been with us. It was great seeing the Vatican through her eyes. I will certainly recommend both of you. Thanks for the Borghesse on such late notice. Ellie Johnston Experienced a wonderful tour with Anne. She was not only highly knowledgeable, but also interesting and entertaining. Our tour of ten people consisted of several age groups. Anne had a little bit of everything for everyone. We asked her several questions not covered in her presentation and never once was she at a "loss of words" regarding our inquiries. I highly recommend her to anyone wishing to take a tour of the Vatican and its museums. We crammed in a lot of ground in a very short time. At the end of the tour, it began to pour. Anne shuttled us away to a favorite local restaurant where we weathered the storm. Thanks, again! Elmer Carr Dear Sienna, I want to thank you for helping to make our trip to Rome the most wonderful experience!!! WE LOVED ANNE!!!! I can't tell you what a joy she was to be with! Her knowledge and passion on what she shared with us was one of the best highlights of a wonderful vacation!!!! I really feel we got a great overview in such a short time!!! Please pass on our appreciation and also, have her email me on how her show went! I was so excited for her. If only we were in town, we would have loved to come see her art work! As soon as I figure out how to put some of our pictures on the computer, I wanted to forward some to her too. We will highly recommend you and Anne to ANYONE who is going to visit your wonderful city. Thank you again and please tell Anne "many thanks" too! Gratefully, Lindy and Randy Price Our beautiful granddaughter, Mica (age 18), my husband and I had a wonderful private tour of the Vatican last July 2008 with Anne. We could not have asked for a better experience for our granddaughter--very informative, relaxed, with plenty of time for questions. We had only two days to spend in Rome, and we did NOT want to waste a minute waiting in line. We spent our time learning and enjoying! Thanks, you all. Janice Clayton, San Antonio TX Hi Sienna, We traveled with our 2 children (15 and 7), and Laura kept the tour interesting for both! Sienna, Thank you so much for the helping us with the tours! I learned more Art History within 5 min of Laura’s tour of the Vatican than in 2 years at college! It was fascinating. I will definitely want to rebook with your company and hopefully have Laura as our guide on future tours. Anne’s tour was great, and the stories of Nero were fascinating. My 7 year old daughter was just telling our nanny about the Vestals, she picked up a lot from Anne. Are you an artist? We ate at La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali, and the restaurant gave us a cloth bag when we left. I was just looking at the drawing on the front (with 2 cats) and I see your name! Elizabeth B. Sienna, I need to tell you what a great time we had on the Vatican Tour. Katherine and I enjoyed it so much and learned alot. We really enjoyed Rome and will return and use your services again. I want to come with my children and show them how wonderful Italy is. I shall always remember my time in Italy and your tours that made it so special. I will be in touch with you for future travels to Rome. Thank- you, Joy Davis Dear Sienna Reid, We arrived at our hotel on 5/14/09 as planned. At 8 AM the next morning Anne met us in the hotel lobby, as you said she would. We saw the Forum,Coliseum,St Peters Basilica, part of the Vatican city,Sistine Chapel, the piazzas and fountians and the Pantheon. All of this in only 6 1/2 hours. The coach was waiting for us at our hotel when we returned, even though we were late, because of the buses being on strike. All the taxi drivers were busy and traffic terrible. The coach driver delivered us to our cruise ship on time. We thank you for planning our short time in Roma.We saw so much, in such a short time. We think Ann is such a knowledgeable, nice, enjoyable tour guide. She even squeezed in a little shopping for me. Please relay our gratitude to her. Sincerely, Penny Hayden Tucson, Arizona The culinary tour with Sienna Reid was all we hoped. The shopping provided an enjoyable background on the foods; pastas, cheeses, meats, and vegetables. It was also a window into the culture of Italian shops. Sienna’s cheery personality made the a rainy morning walk a joy. In regards to the preparation, it was an education that we hope to duplicate at home. Our three boys, ages 10, 13 and 17, were along. They stayed interested throughout the education on Italian urban shopping and cooking. They appreciated the effort and ate all the food. Sienna was a patient and interactive listener. Thank you again, Karl and Kaye

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