Guide in Roma

Francesca Caruso, one of Rick's reliable guides, took us on a fabulous tour of Ancient Rome and will customize for you. We did about 4 hours, just the two us us + Francesca. Very knowledgable on history and culture. She is a Roman by birth, but her American mother gave her the gift of perfect English. Contact her at [email protected].

Ditto the recommendation for Francesca. She was the local guide for the Rome segment of the Heart of Italy group tour we took w/ Rick Steves' company two years ago. She was incredible, and everyone in the group adored her. She was engaging, very easy to understand, had a cute wit, and spoke perfect English. Whenever my husband and I tell others about that trip, we always mention that we had the most wonderful guide for Rome. I can still hear her explaining how "Rome is a lasagna,with layers and layers of civilizations' ruins on top of one another." After seeing the primary historic sites, she walked us up a residential street and pointed out bits and pieces of the ancient sites that had been worked into the building of private homes, explaining that many of the historic sites once served as the "Home Depot" for residents...they took what they wanted/needed. So, that gives you just one example of how well she explains "how" things evolved and how Romans lived. With Francesca you will not only see everything, but you will have a much better understanding of what you are seeing. She connects well with everyone, and she will make your Rome visit extra special and truly memorable. At one point, Francesca pointed to an area with lots of fabulous ruins and explained that the particular area used to be a parking lot when she first started guiding 14+ years ago. One leaves Rome realizing that "everywhere" under our feet there are more and more ruins yet to be unearthed.

Jeff, Here's another very definite vote for Francesca. She's an outstanding Guide with an incredible knowledge of history and speaks excellent English. On one of my RS tours, she provided a very interesting tour of the Musei Capitolini and other historic sites in that part of Rome. I had a short visit with her in mid-January, which is always a treat. Happy travels!

Jeff,
We tried both Fransesca who the others have recommended and Ron in Rome (who is in Copenhagen now) and they were booked. We tried Federica D'Orazio and she was fantastic. She wrote the book "Rome: then and now" in the then and now series. We e-mailed back and forth a little and she customized a trip for us. Her English was very good, she was attentive to our needs, and her knowledge of Rome and Italian History was great. I would highly recommend her and use her again if we ever go back. Her e-mail was [email protected] two years ago so I cannot guarentee anything. Good luck and have a great trip.