Advice for the Heart of Italy tour

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I've done this tour and really enjoyed it. Tours don't always stay in the same hotel, but our tour stayed very close to the Vatican Museum entrance, and had a very early start. There is always a local guide, never audio only.

thank you!

I just did the Best of Rome tour so I can only speak to that tour. At the Vatican we had a local guide who was excellent. The only suggestion I would give is to bring along the ability to listen to the RS audio Sistine chapel tour since the guide cannot talk while in the chapel. The guide did provide an overview of the chapel before we went in. I very much enjoyed the Vatican museum with the guide. It was very crowded and the guide was able to point out and discuss highlights as well as usher us through the maze filled with people. While wee usually travel on our own and without guides, I don't think we would have gotten much out of the vatican museum without the guide.

Our hotel was Hotel Lancelot near the coliseum, tho yours could be different. We liked it.

I would suggest emailing or calling the RS office. I found them to be responsive and helpful.

Also, I think people are honest about things they didn't like, I don't find all the reviews "glowing."

I just read the itinerary for the tour, and it does mention using the app in the Vatican Museum, so that might have changed.

Since the format of the Vatican tour seems to be a very important consideration, it would be best to call the RS Tour Dept and discuss it and any other questions you may have about the HOI tour directly with them. They're always very helpful and you'll have the most current information.

I was on this tour in June. The hotel is near the Vatican. That day started out with a walking tour with a guide (we had Francesca Caruso). We visited the Pantheon, San Luigi dei Francesi, Trevi Fountain, etc. Then we returned to the Vatican are and got an hour free for lunch (some people went back to the hotel). Then we met at the Vatican entrance for a quick introduction (and tickets). We were on our own in the Vatican museum with a suggestion to download the RS app and listen to the guided tour. Or you could bring the RS book and follow this walking tour in the book. The museum was CROWDED. Doing it in the afternoon after being outdoors on a guided walk (during the big heatwave) was not fun. I considered opting out of the Vatican museum as I had been there before (just as crowded in 2010) but decided to do it as I really wanted to see the Sistine Chapel again. The Sistine Chapel was even more C R O W D E D and I literally ran out of there as I got very claustrophobic.

I did Heart of Italy in 2013 and it looks like the itinerary has changed since then because we had a guided tour. I suspect visitor numbers and possibly other Vatican Museum policies have changed how they have to do this. I know in 2016 (??) or so they had to drop it entirely (whichever was the big year).

It sounds like this museum may be a must for you so what I'd do is arrive in Rome at least 2 nights early (3 if you can manage it) and book one of the private guided tours that is before visiting hours. As you mentioned, the crowds in there can be claustrophobic and the times I've been I found it very hot (May and September). Do take small binoculars with you!

There is PLENTY to do in Rome for 2 or 3 full days before the tour but you know that if you've been before! You can also choose to opt out of any part of the tour and go off on your own. Of course this is really only possible on a day you are not doing a transfer to the next location.

Tour hotels can change and not all departures of this tour may have the same Rome hotel. We stayed in Hotel Sonya near Termini. You'll get the name of the first and last hotels a few days after you sign up so you can book extra nights there if you like.

BTW, I loved this tour. I thought it was a good mix of big city, countryside and resort time. I loved Volterra and enjoyed the other locations as well. This was my first visit to Italy - but not my last, lol. Unfortunately it also started a mild addiction to RS tours.....

It sounds like this museum may be a must for you so what I'd do is
arrive in Rome at least 2 nights early (3 if you can manage it) and
book one of the private guided tours that is before visiting hours...

Without having taken the RS tour (but having experienced the mob in the museums) this is an excellent idea if exploring the collection without the hordes on your heels is a priority. Really, I think the forum has seen quite an increase in recos for the early-entrance tours over the past number of years as tourism #'s in Rome and the Vatican have increased. Look at Walks of Italy's "Pristine Sistine" or a number of other reputable companies who offer similar tours.

https://www.walksofitaly.com/vatican-tours/pristine-sistine-chapel-tour/
https://www.contexttravel.com/cities/rome/tours/early-entry-vatican-tour
https://www.througheternity.com/en/vatican-tours/early-morning-vatican-tour.html
https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican/sistine-chapel-vatican-tour?layout=layout2

You could then opt to skip the RS HOI app tour of the museums/basilica and use the time for different attractions.

Thanks everyone for the advice and recommendations! I definitely plan to arrive 2-3 days prior to the RS tour. I like the idea of a private guide on our own then opting out during the tour day... maybe the Borghese Gallery instead (with tix purchased in advance!)

That sounds like an excellent plan!

We stayed one more night in Florence but I was traveling with my brother, SIL and their 2 adult sons and one of the kiddos had very limited time off work. Could probably have used another night there as well. Some in my tour went on to Venice after that altho TBH getting back to the US from Venice is sometimes a pain. There are not that many direct flights back to the US so often you have to take an early flight to a European hub and then catch an International flight.

On our late April 2019 HOI, we ended up being guided in person at the Vatican Museums which was extremely lucky and highly satisfactory. Queuing prior took about 40 minutes and it was typically crowded, as expected. I forget why this worked out this way (instead of being released inside to tour on our own with RS app audio as official RST itinerary indicates) but having been live-guided there before, it was again so much more valuable and informative (getting to ask questions, for one) to have a local Roman guide. I arranged for a private guide (highly recommend [email protected], colleague of the fabulous Francesca Caruso) at Galleria Borghese and was thrilled with the experience. We also did the 'Crypts, Bones & Catacombs: An Underground Tour of Rome' with Walks of Italy and it was a stellar small group tour experience. WoI has plenty of enticing itineraries and can be a very good value. Though private guiding fees are considerably higher, having your very own qualified local brings a level of insight and information that just can NOT be beat and to me, well worth the money. Our Rome hotel was the comfortable and perfectly situated (equivalent of mere blocks away from Vatican City and close to the Vatican Museums entrance) Hotel Museum on Via Tunisi in the Prati district. I'll put in a word for ToursbyRoberto.com for a terrific option of 'joinable van tours of the Tuscan countryside' when you finish in Florence. Using a quality, clean and newer Mercedes van, this max 8-person tour with local Florence pick-up spot not far from our hotel (08:30 pick-up/16:00 drop-off), gave us a fabulous day on the 'Montalcino Full Immersion' tour which included guide, lovely drive with photo stops, two different family-run winery (one also a working farm) stops including tastings with light edibles at first/full lunch at the second (additional cost of €25 ea, fantastico) and a brief Montalcino visit (we probably had just about an hour in town). Purchased bottles at both wineries, plus grappa at the second and wished I had allotted more interior suitcase space for an olive oil bottle buy. Side note, when at the Volterra wine tasting on HOI itinerary, I now regret not taking the plunge and getting the incredibile Brunello wines offered at shipping included prices with multi-bottle (I think it was 6) purchase. I did buy 2 bottles at that time; it was after being on the Tours by Roberto excursion I realized the great value of shipping costs included with the larger bottle count purchase, in comparison to the Montalcino wineries charges on the TBR tour. As a 9-tour RST alum, typically my only disappointments are in the 'if only we had more time here' variety. I thought all local guides on HOI were particularly awesome, even while having been greatly impressed with all local guides on my previous 8 RSTs. Happy travels, indeed. Buon gusto e buon viaggio!

This was our first RS tour, back in the day when it went the other direction. Reversing the direction eliminated one of our disappointments. It was our first trip to Italy and the shock of a frenetic Rome after places like Volterra and Monterrso, didn’t sit well. Even in those days the crush in the Vatican museum meant I was more focused on not getting lost than what was around me. I suspect it was even more difficult for the guides who were trying to come out with the same group they brought it. I assumed that’s why they initially eliminated it and then reinstated it on a more individual basis. Swore we’d never go back to Rome.

Fast forward to May 2019 and a travel companion,on what will perhaps be his only visit to Rome, wanted to see the Vatican. Of course. I contacted Francesca Caruso about a private guided tour and she referred me to Sonia Tavoletta. Sonia set up for a tour at 15:30 (3:30). We bought our tickets for the 3:00 final time slot, met her at 3:30 and followed behind the crowds. There were hardly any people in the galleries, so time was shorter but you could actually see and enjoy the art work. The Sistine Chapel was crowded but you could find a seat on the bench and then there was hardly anyone in St. Peter’s. I don’t know if others have had this experience or we just had angels watching over us. One this trip, which included the RS Southern Italy tour, we spent so much time in Rome that we now love it.

Our HOI tour stayed at Hotel Sonya. Our two biggest regrets were not including time in Venice and not buying the Brunello wine in Volterra.

If you decide to find a guided tour for the Vatican I recommend https://www.througheternity.com/ Through Eternity was by far the best tour company I've used anywhere in Europe. We used them for the Vatican as well as a Forum/Colosseum tour.