There was no way I was going to spend another day roasting in a slow moving hoho moving oven bus,and having to walk long distances to each attraction in the sweltering heat.
It was just my lucky day that I found this company while sitting in a sweltering Hotel Piemonte foyer and googling airconditioned tours of Rome.
Wow.Impressive from first contact.Prompt responses from Tamao,answering all my numerous questions by email,until I was satisfied,and confirmed with him for an afternoon tour.No deposit or credit card details.Immediate answers and confirmation and pick up all within an hour.Some of the Rome tour companies I contacted,sent me automated email responses thanking me for my query and notifying me they will respond.My holiday is over I am back home,and they have still not responded.
Mauricio,our excellent driver and tour guide was waiting for us in a shining new black Mercedes,dressed professionally.He was patient while our kids were a bit late getting to the car.He was friendly,and interesting without being intrusive or over bearing.
We were beginning to feel that Rome was just all heat,sweat,grime,scammers and pick pockets.But Mauricio really made Rome come alive in such a comfortable,interesting way.Showing us the best places for gelato/pizza and all the other touristy "must do's".Nothing was too much trouble for him,and we felt really taken care of.
He stopped right up at the attractions.We drove down narrow streets that buses would definitely not be allowed to.He opened and closed doors for us,took photos,told us about the places without boring us to death with a history lecture.He also showed us an interesting feature at the Embassy of Malta,where you stand in Italy,look through the Maltese Embassy gate (which is technically Maltese territory) and you can see the Vatican (which is an independent state).Hence you "see" 3 countries all at once.It was an interesting anomaly which he took the initiative to show us,and it made things more interesting.He showed us the nicer,cleaner parts of Rome and took us to vantage view points that we would not have known about if we had done things on our own.
This was the best thing we did.I can't recommend it enough.It is worth every cent.Its a pity we did not know about them earlier.
If you are travelling with family,and if anyone has any health or mobility issues like asthma,angina,arthritis etc,this is the best way to see Rome in comfort,and it is really affordable.
Thanks for the great time Mauricio.