We were completely blown away by John Tinto (Through Eternity Tours).
My girlfriend and I were in Rome for a friends wedding, and very much wanted to see and learn about the Colosseum and The Forum. I took Latin for a few years back in the day, but had never made it to Rome, so I was itching to relive my classroom learning days.
John delivered, in every sense of the word.
It was a hot and sunny day, and the first three things John promised (and 100% delivered) were:
1. There were lots of places to fill up water, so buy a water bottle and hang onto it, because he would point out every opportinity to fill up at the public fountains
2. He would do his best to keep us out of the sun and in the shade whenever possible (at one point, this meant him dancing a figurative jig with another larger tour group to get us seats in the shade in the forum, and continued throughout the entire tour; something we appreciated being pale-skinned and under-prepared for the harsh Roman sun)
3. There were bathrooms along the way, and even though on hot days like that, most people sweat out most of their water intake, he would point out every restroom just in case
John weaved for us a beautiful story of every site, and connected them clearly and logically (and with a sharp yet gentile sense of humor) so even the non-archaeologists in the group could follow. One of his favorite words was "imagine..." as he took the ruins upon which we stood and verbally reconstructed their original beauty around us, so we felt as though we were looking at them in their prime.
John answered every question eagerly, and his knowledge of and passion for the sights and history seemed of infinite depth.
Another intangible John delivered on was reading the group. The other family in our tour had two children, both under 13 years old, and my heart was warmed by the way he engaged them both (by name, no less) and verbally painted pictures for them in a very special way they could appreciate, without leaving the adults feeling like they were in a children's classroom.
I could go on, but to sum it up, this was the best tour I've ever had of anything, period. And it was all thanks to John.
Thank you John, your tour was unequivocally the highlight my trip to Rome.