We took a '4-hr Vatican Tour with Private Guide' on Day 1 and the 'Private Rome in a Day' tour on Day 2. Both tours picked us up at our hotel in Rome. I think ouir driver's name was Luigi (not positive) but he was very good. He picked us up at the designated time from our hotel and coordinated the meeting point with our private Vatican tour guide. He even told us about some of the sites we were seeeing on our way to the Vatican. He also didn't just drop us off and leave. He waited with us until we were met by our tour guide (who was right on time as well). They've definitely done this routine before and they were very good at it! A true pleasure. He was also there to take us back to our hotel at the end of our tour. No hassles with getting to/from the hotel and that's exactly what we wanted!
Dennis, our Vatican tour guide was incredible! His knowledge of "all things Vatican" was very impressive, his english-speaking skills were very good and his true love of what he was doing showed in his interest in answering all our questions. He knew the smallest of details about many subjects related to the Vatican, the popes, Vatican history, etc. I couldn't ask for a better tour guide. Having a knowledgeable, friendly and caring tour guide made all the difference. Well worth the price for a private guide. 5 Stars for Dennis! He deserves a pay raise!
Our 8-hr Rome Tour with Private Driver was equally impressive. Fabio, our driver was friendly and very courteous. He picked us up at the hotel in a very nice Mercedes wagon and asked if there was anything in addition to the usual Rome sites, we wanted to see. After telling him we enjoyed touring cathedrals, he made a point to include several as part of our tour. Fabio had our tickets for the Colosseum and the Forum and provided them to us when needed. It was nice that we didn't have to remember to bring the tickets with us. Amazingly impressive (and I don't use that term lightly) was Fabio's ability to maneuver our car through very congested Rome city traffic and through pedestrians that walk in the middle of very narrow cobblestone streets. His knowledge of the smallest of "streets" that would get us to our next venue was nothing short of remarkable! He dropped us off directly in front of each spot (or as close as possible), SAFELY working our way through traffic and crowds getting us directly to the door of nearly every venue. We accepted his recommendation for a lunch restaurant and we were not disappointed. And yes, he dropped us off right in front of the door! I saw no other touring cars getting as close to each venue. When I asked him how he was able to get us so close to each one he simply said with a chuckle "I'm the best driver in Rome". I believe it, too!