Guide to use in Rome

I would use an official guide for the colosseum and the Vatican museums. You can book directly through the Vatican website.

https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking

for the colosseum tour you'll need to call to book the tour: +39 06 399 67 700

This tour will cost 5 euros over the cost of admission. It's a very good tour of the site and your admission ticket will gain you entry to the forum/palatine hill.

donna

We hired Francesca Caruso, she was listed in Rick Steves guidebook. She was an incredible guide, great teacher, taught us history with so much passion. She also helps write RS guidebooks and you can see her on his travel videos.

I agree Francesca is terrific, but she is very busy and often booked well in advance. Her colleague, Sonia Tavoletta does an equally fine job, she just doesn't have the TV gig. [email protected].

I like Walks of Italy's Pristine Sistine tour for the Vatican. They are small groups, only 12 per group so not quite private.

We did walks of Italy and it was very good. Well the first one was good :)

I used Mirabilia Urbis Tours for each of these tours. Colosseum and Roman Forum one day, Vatican Museum the next.
Daniella Hunt, the tour guide, is American. She's from North Carolina, and has lived in Rome for years.

Using her both days tied together all the history by distilling down what you needed to see, while also considering what you wanted to see. She asked what our interests were and made the tour for that.
She is a private guide, so you're' "buying" her for the the entire time, for whatever size group you have. Ours was my adult daughter and me, so we moved at our own pace, lingering where we wanted and moving along when we wanted.
I cannot recommend Daniella enough.

Google Sara Magister also. She is great as is Francesca

Alessio Vicari tours !