this company covers all types of tours . they are an excellent company with highly trained guides

www.italy.artviva.com

We did the Through Eternity Ancient Rome tour, and it was very very enjoyablke. Rob made the three hours fly with his knowledge and 'performances'. :))

We did the Vatican tour with Eden walks, and Rossa was extremely wonderful as well. We had a great time with both companies and I understand they come quite well recommended on this forum.

These all sound fabulous. Which one did you find to be the most budget friendly?

Also, should you tip your guides? We did a tour/excursion in St. Lucia and we tipped the guide cause he was hilarious, but no one else did. Is it customary in Italy, and if so, how much would you give for a standard good tour? Thanks!

We used Rome Walks a couple of months ago and we found them to be very good. They keep the groups small and the tour guide was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We took the Forum/Colosseum tour and on another day we took the Vatican Museum/St. Peter's tour. They are reasonably priced....and if you feel the tour guide went 'above and beyond' then consider a tip. Our tour guide was from England and had been leading tours in Italy for 8 years. She did a fantastic job, therefore we gave her a tip.

Hello Sox Fan:

Americans feel they must tip for everything. Which is nice of them but not necessary.

Italians do not tip. It is not in their nature. As they say "the tip is in the bill".

Thank you. Is that true for restaurants, too? Do they expect a tip because I'm american, though? I bet a lot of Americans still tip because we're used to it. on our honeymoon, my husband insisted on tipping because "I'm american and I like to say thank you with a tip"

Restaurants give people the most trouble. Many Americans think like your husband. The waiters are use to getting tips from Americans....sometimes they even request a tip.

Look at your bill in a restaurant.

One: you pay a cover charge

two: the tip is included

As I told you Italians do not tip...but if it makes your husband comfortable then tell him to do it. He says giving a tip is saying thankyou...well since the restaurant put the tip on the bill you have said thank you!

Waiters in Italy are professionals They earm a good wage and are not college kids working for tips....

I don't mean any disrespect at all, but, shouldn't one come to another country ready to embrace that country's culture, rather, than "imposing" home beliefs/practices onto the other country, even if it comes from the greatest of intentions?

I guess, that topic can go way beyond tipping, but, could be applied to many situations actually ...

Anyway, on tours ... if you're after a private guide, I know Ron in Roma (http://www.roninrome.com/guide-service/) comes highly recommended around here. Plus, his site (http://www.roninrome.com/) has plenty of handy hints about virtually everything one would need to know about visiting Rome!

Good luck with your planning, and have a great trip! :)

What I don't understand is why these organised walking tours of Rome ( and indeed Florence) seem to be necessary. What's wromg with just walking around, having read a guidebook?