Let me start by saying Marta and Ilona were wonderful tour guides! Now, on to the tour.
After my mom and I finished a Mediterranean cruise in Venice we took the train and spent a few days in Rome. Since Rome is such an historic city we wanted to maximize the minimum amount of time we had. I'm so glad we booked with Sistine Chapel Tours for a full day tour of Rome. Interestingly enough, I read my cousin's review of this company on TripAdvisor, which is how we picked them.
There is no way to convey the volume of the lines at the different tourist attractions in Rome. There are people everywhere! And with all those people come significant lines. I think I heard someone say the line to get into the Vatican Museum was about a 5 hour wait. Keep in mind that Rome in July is hot. I mean it's really, really hot so, the last thing I wanted to do is stand on a long line in the sweltering heat for hours. If you go to the sights without a private tour you will be standing on line as only the licensed tour guides are allowed to enter the tourist venues without waiting in line. If for no other reason the private tour was worth it just to get around the overwhelming sea of humanity at the different venues.
We met our first guide, Marta at the Colosseum at 9 a.m. Because of the early start we wanted to grab a quick bite to eat and some coffee. Marta took us to a little café and explained how seating in Rome works (you request service when ordering and then take a seat. If you don't request seating then you remain standing down your coffee and move on your way). She ordered our food for us in Italian and gave us some of the highlights of the what we could expect to see. We went back across the street to the Colosseum and began our day our amazement. After bypassing the already growing line, Marta explained the history architecture, design, purpose and etymology of the Colosseum. She also had some images of what the Colosseum looked like in it's earliest days when the statue of Nero was outside the entrance (which is how the Colosseum got its name). Once inside, Marta led us to an elevator that took us upstairs. When providing info to book the tour I had to identify my and my mom's age, so the tour guides were aware that my mother is not a teenager. As such, thy made every accommodation to ensure she was comfortable including taking breaks during the walking (we covered miles), locating elevators and seats, keeping her close to the shade, and of course, finding all important water. After giving a very thorough and in-depth overview of the Colosseum, the current restoration activity (sponsored by Diego Della Valle, the founder of Tod's), and the culture of the time (she also showed pictures of what it probably looked like in ancient times) we moved on to The Forum, which is pretty much down the street.
I had no idea that the Forum was the center of Roman culture. I always thought of it as more like a City Hall, but it was so much more than that. We saw: the pyre where Julius Caesar was cremated, which is still pretty well preserved; the complex of the Vestal Virgins and the Temple of Vesta. We saw where republican government began with the Senate ruins along with numerous other ancient ruins. Absolutely breathtaking! And, Marta's detail of the history made the ruins come to life.
After leaving the Forum we began the trek towards the Pantheon which is a little more than a mile (appx. 2k). There are ruins all along the way as well as other historical sights including the palace once occupied by Mussolini, the monument to Vittorio Emanuelle, and the Galeria de Pamphilij (which is apparently still occupied by the Pamphilij family). The walk was beautiful and the information Marta gave was fascinating. We also took plenty of pictures along the way and at the sights.
We finally got to the Pantheon, which is awe-inspiring. After looking at it for a while we went inside and I was further blown away. Once again, I did not realize the Pantheon is an active church. Marta also explained the dedication outside to Marcus Agrippa. And who knew that queen who is the namesake of the Margherita pizza is buried there as well? I'm still amazed that I saw the tomb of Raphael.
Despite our running behind schedule and Marta having another commitment, she offered to take us to the Piazza Navona, but we declined and took a taxi to Vatican City instead so we could have lunch and then meet Ilona for the second part of our tour. Marta was fantastic and we discovered we share a love of the same music in addition to history and culture. She put us in a taxi and told the driver where to take us near The Vatican so we could get lunch.
I didn't think our next guide would be able to measure up, but Ilona was just as fantastic as Marta. Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel was the second half of the tour in the afternoon. We met Ilona at 2 p.m. outside of the Vatican Museum where the line was about 5 hours to enter. I must admit I was a little nervous when I saw that line, but we breezed right by al of that.
Now, The Vatican Museum is huge and old, so the limited places where there is air-conditioning probably have much cooling impact. Plus, 20-25,000 people visit there daily. So even after bypassing the lines outside there is still an overwhelming sea of humanity inside. However, the art residing inside is absolutely amazing and well worth the heat and crush of people. Plus, with the licensed tour guide you get the back story on the pieces you are seeing, which helps move things along. Of course, there will be those pieces that you just need to stare at a little longer.
In order to get to the Sistine Chapel you have to go through a series of collections in various halls throughout the museum. You also get to go through the Borgia apartments, which are also a part of the tour and contain artwork and exhibits. As you're walking through the museum you will spend a lot of time looking at ceilings. The craftsmanship, detail and overall beauty is literally everywhere from the original mosaic tiled floors (Ilona didn't like walking on the tiles that are open to walk across because she was concerned about preserving them) to the intricately designed walls and frescos.
After a few hours of visiting different halls and seeing the markings of the popes responsible for the rooms, we are almost to the Sistine Chapel. Ilona explained everything we would be seeing prior to entering the chapel because once inside you are not supposed to speak. There are benches along the side to sit and it still seemed pretty noisy (I assume that is from the shear volume of people), but there is nothing like seeing the Sistine Chapel in person. Who knew that Michelangelo didn't want to do it at first?! We met back up with Ilona near the exit for the chapel and then we began our next trek towards St. Peter's Basilica.
There is no way to justly describe St. Peter's Basilica, so I won't attempt to. I will say I never need to see another church, cathedral or basilica again as they just won't measure up.
Our tour concluded in St. Peter's Square, which was surprisingly uncrowded. We looked at the rest of Bernini's works including standing on the one spot where the pillars of the courtyard appear to be one despite being four, took a few more pictures, and then accepted that the heat and walking had taken their toll on us both. Besides, it was around 6 p.m. so we needed to get going back to our hotel. We took a taxi back to the location where our hotel shuttle would meet us. I couldn't remember the name of where we needed to be, so I showed Ilona a picture and she told the taxi driver where to take us. Simple.
For those who want to know the logistics of how this works, you purchase your tickets to the exhibits prior to booking the tour and provide them to the company via e-mail The tour guides will have the tickets, so you don't need to worry about printing them or bringing the entrance tickets. There is a lot of walking so wear comfortable shoes. The tour is on foot, so be prepared to either take a taxi or other form of public transportation. The taxi ride from the Pantheon to Vatican City was about 6 Euro for2 people, so not expensive at all.
My cousin said in his review that this is the only way to go, and I must agree. Sistine Chapel Tours is way more than the name suggests.