A long, but wonderful day winding through the hills and stopping briefly in several towns to get a bit of a history lesson, stop for bathroom breaks and shop. The highlight of the trip is definitely the lunch on the Tuscan Farm, which is really a winery! I felt like I had walked into Martha Stewart's home and was served a 3-course meal and wine tasting! I would do it again, but prepare yourself for a 13-hour roundtrip day!

Our tour guide, Georgia was very informative and entertaining! She escorted us into the auditorium, which seated approximately 6000 people and prepared us for what we were going to experience. The setting is very festive, people and bands from all around the world who are recognized by the Cardinals throughout the ceremony. The audience cheers, some play musical instruments, some sing as they put on a show for the Pope who acknowledges them with a wave and a blessing. It was a remarkable experience witnessing and being a part of this special ceremony in which the Pope blesses the audience, religious articles and family. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

What a GREAT tour! Our tour guide was Mossimo, who was hilarious! He balanced fact and fiction as we made our way around Rome following the storylines from "Angels and Demons' and getting a little history lesson regarding landmarks and the like. Mossimo worked hard and had us entertained from start to finish...he should be on broadway! A very fun and worthwhile tour!

Amazing and breathtaking are some of the words I'd use to describe the tour. Our tour guide sat down with us for about 15 minutes prior to entering the Vatican Museums and said we can walk in and "oooh and ahhhh" without understanding what we're looking at, but it's more fun to know what we're ooohing and ahhhing over - how true it was! The lines are very long and it was well worth the money to have our own tour guide. She answered our questions and provided details we'd otherwise never had known about sculptures and paintings. Make sure your knees and shoulders are covered...you wouldn't want to miss the Sistine Chapel - and for those who may be wondering, open-toed shoes are acceptable.