NINA BERNARDO (sparpa@hotmail.com)
"When in Rome..." do yourself a favor and look up Nina Bernardo for exceptional guide service. We hired her a couple of weeks ago for a full day walking tour of Rome. At the time, she subscribed to Rick Steves' €300 Day Special. She has a long standing relationship with RS Europe, so you can learn a lot more about Nina on this website.
Up front, I informed Nina that my travel companion and I had been to Rome previously and visited virtually all the top attractions. We wanted to walk the path less traveled to second tier, under appreciated, places of interest. Nina drew up a custom itinerary that was innovative and fun; "Rome, through the backdoor" as it were. We were introduced to neighborhoods, plazas and narrow lanes, that otherwise would have remained unknown to us forever.
GAETANO MANFREDI (gmguide63@gmail.com)
Gaetano is the Dean of Professional Pompeii Guides. His son is a 4th generation Pompeii guide. Notwithstanding his depth of Pompeii expertise, Gaetano can set you up with guide service/transportation in the greater area. Like Nina, above, Gaetano has a long relationship with RS, so you can find more about him on this website. Here's a link to Gaetano's site:
https://www.pompeiitourguide.com/about-gaetano/
In my case, from Sorrento, we wanted to visit Pompeii Ruins, Santuario del Santo Rosario and Herculaneum. Gaetano suggested attending these places the day we move from Sorrento to Naples. He bundled transportation door-to-door with stops for guided tours of the aforementioned attractions; entry fees included. His plan was super efficient and saved a lot of time and grief.
Although Gaetano has narrated Pompeii tours a zillion times, our walking tour was conducted in a fresh engaging style. Gaetano has a colorful knack for transporting you back to 79AD and bringing Pompeii to life. I wager there are cheaper guide services to be found, but none better.
Happy Trails.