Sylva T.

Loved it. So easy. Silvia was outstanding. Guide really knew her stuff but also was able to customize what we were interested in on the fly. Loooove.

Silvia was an incredible storyteller who brought the Vatican to life in a way I’ve never experienced before. Her ability to make history interesting & engaging made this the best tour we’ve ever been on. She explained topics with clarity and depth, but never in a way that felt overwhelming or like a quiz. She was warm, engaging, and had some funny jokes that kept everyone smiling. She’s perfect for a ladies group or families with young kids—she handled a little ten YO in our group with such grace and care, even protecting him when needed. Silvia made every moment feel personal and memorable. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone visiting Rome. I feel so lucky to have booked this with her, it was outstanding. She gave us recommendations for a local lunch spot and shopping.

Silvia is amazing. She expertly yet causally walked us through the museum, providing a ton of knowledge with humor. It was worth every penny. We would have never been able to navigate it on our own, much less have been ble to absorb as much information in the same amount of time of time!

We had an excellent tour with our guide Silvia. The early entry made for light crowds throughout the tour. And, Silvia’s knowledge of the history and art made the experience much more enriching. Would highly recommend.

Our experience with Sylvia as our tour guide for the Vatican was absolutely phenomenal! From start to finish, she ensured every detail was seamless and enjoyable. The day began with private transport to the Vatican, setting the tone for a luxurious and stress-free experience. Sylvia’s extensive knowledge of the Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel was truly remarkable. She brought history, art, and culture to life with captivating insights. Her ability to navigate the Vatican with ease allowed us to avoid the crowds and focus on the beauty and highlights of the sites. Sylvia has a warm personality and passion for her work. She took the time to answer all our questions, tailored the tour to our interests, and ensured we had ample time to admire the stunning masterpieces. This tour was a highlight of our trip. I highly recommend Sylvia if you’re planning a visit to the Vatican!

We took the “Private Borghese Gallery Tour with Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off” from Eyes of Rome on December 26. We were picked up on-time at our hotel by the tour’s driver and dropped off at the Villa Borghese and met immediately by our personal guide, Silvia, who greeted us warmly and immediately started setting the context of what we were about to see with the history of the Aurelian wall, Roman life in the 1600s, and the concept of the “villa suburbana,” all of which is quite necessary for a full appreciation of the wonder that is the Galleria Borghese. She explained to us the relation of the Galleria’s founder Cardinal Scipione Borghese and his position as the Cardinal Nephew to Pope Paul V, which gave him political power over the Papal States. Silvia told us of the original plan of the gardens and the vivarium, which housed species from all over the world- plants and birds respectively, which was foundational to understanding the art collection to come. For context, I have twice visited the Galleria Borghese in 1996 and 2010, but it was my husband’s first visit to the Galleria and, in fact, to Rome. Our tour impressed, entertained, and satiated the curiosity of both of us equally– not an easy feat, for sure. We appreciated that Silvia structured the tour as much as possible as the Galleria was meant to be experienced (unwinding, if philosophically, the changes to the sequence of rooms necessitated by current COVID protocols). Silvia was knowledgeable, personable, funny, and very well-versed in the history of the Borghese family, the Papacy as related to it, and the artists (Bernini, Carvaggio, etc.) and their works featured in the museum. Among the highlights for us: *A very informative but also witty and humorous study comparing the depiction (and by extrapolation the characterization) of Venus painted with Cupid by two artists– Cranachi (il vecchio) and Brescianino, an eye-opening discussion about the differing regional attitudes toward women at the time *Revealing the technique but also the humanity of Caravaggio with a thorough education on the ‘Madonna dei Palafrenieri.’ Some of why the painting would have been a shocking portrayal of Mary, Jesus, and St. Anne may be obvious, but understanding all the details– Mary’s plainly visible underskirt– contemporary of the artist’s time, the wrinkled, withered portrayal of St. Anne (the Vatican chapel bearing her name being the intended destination for this work, where it was ultimately rejected), and the still-astounding use of light in darkness was extremely interesting and enriching to our experience *A 360-degree analysis of Bernini’s Baroque masterpiece Apollo and Daphne (starting with Silvia ensuring we averted our eyes to view the sculpture first from the right-hand side, as intended by the artist himself prior to the statue being moved) gave us a complete understanding of this work. Viewing the sculpture– which I had seen before but never from the vantage point encouraged by our guide– this way gives the complete story of Daphne’s encapsulation into the tree depicted here and Apollo’s (non-)reaction. When the delicately carved, paper-thin tree bark was pointed out to us, you could almost feel the heartbeat that Apollo would have felt as his hand grasped it. I appreciated the details of the windswept hair turning into leaves, which also stemmed from her hands, and the roots emanating from her foot, details I had not really fully appreciated before. I would highly recommend Eyes of Rome and specifically our guide Silvia. I cannot enumerate with words how much more I appreciated the Galleria Borghese with her expert and naturally flowing guidance and historical context. We had a fantastic time that we will not soon forget.

We were privileged to enjoy a super, private tour of the Vatican by Silvia on Saturday, August 10, 2024. Silvia knew exactly how, when and where to go. She told excellent stories and shared facts as we visited the Vatican. I would recommend her HIGHLY for anyone going to the Vatican. Worth every penny, plus she gave us a wonderful recommendation for where to enjoy a relaxing lunch. Thank you, Silvia!!!

This was a 10/10 experience - everything was seamless and our guide Sylvia was the BEST!!! Highly recommend! The perfect amount of time!

Our tour guide Silvia was everything you hope for. The lines and crowds at the Vatican are not to be underestimated. Sylvia would not be detered, she led us through the Vatican and Sistine Chapel hitting all of the must sees while not getting bogged down in the crowds. We never felt crowded or rushed just felt like the first to arrive at every point of the tour. She was professional with a clear love and appreciation of the history on full display. We were lucky to have her! Don't skip this private tour it is worth every penny and then some.

Silvia was knowledgeable and very nice. We had a great time. She took great care to make sure we saw a lot of interesting things and to explain them to us in very good English.

Wonderful experience with Silvia Monti. Very professional, knowledgeable and articulate. Explained everything in details and gave us enough time to ask questions. Really an amazing experience. Love it! Mark Haygarth and Mandy Zakaria

I can’t imagine seeing the Vatican any other way. Skipping all the lines and getting in early made for a very ease-filled visit to the incredible collection of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, along with St. Peter’s. Silvia was an excellent guide, with an incredible depth of knowledge and a great way of distilling down all the works into the key ones to see. She clearly has been doing this a long time and really helped us navigate the Basilica after her part of the tour ended, too. An unforgettable experience in Rome. Thank you Silvia!

Sylvia was a master at imparting valuable information while making the tour dynamic and entertaining. Her depth of knowledge about the Vatican and art history is impressive and it was a perfect morning. Definitely opt for the early arrival option if possible because it made a huge difference to avoid the crowds.

Our guide, Silvia, was fantastic! Her tour of the Colosseum was very interesting and she happily and easily answered all of our questions. I wish I could give this tour 5 stars, but, through no fault at all of this company, I cannot look back on this day and call it “Excellent”. As we were leaving the Colosseum to head to the Forum, a member of our group experienced a medical emergency. Silvia very quickly alerted security and called for an ambulance. She then stayed as long as she could to act as translator. The driver was very prompt to pick us up before the tour, and was very patient at end, eventually returning 4 of us to our accommodations. Silvia was honestly concerned about us, and continued communications into the evening and the next day, making sure we were all okay. She absolutely went above and beyond and I highly recommend this tour.

Sylvia was a wonderful tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable and provided a vast amount of information in easy and interesting ways. She got us through the crowd seamlessly. We would have been lost without her. Highly recommend!

This tour was awesome. We saw and learned things about the Colosseum that we never knew. Our guide, Sylvia, was simply genius. Getting on the floor of the Colosseum and then walking to the Forum past the Palatine Hill was incredible. Private is the way to go. Worth every cent.

Our tour guide Sylvia was amazing. Knowledgeable, funny, compassionate with our older family members who need a bit more time. The early morning/skip the line tour is the only was to see these beautiful sites. We walked right past the long lines and right into the Vatican museum and were on our way. I highly recommend this tour and Sylvia!

Had two back-back tours with Eyes of Rome. The first was the Vatican + Hidden Gems tour with Rosie. The second was the Colosseum + Forum tour with Silvia. Both were excellent, very knowledgeable and truly demonstrated their passion for their craft. Thanks to both of them!!! We appreciated you and learned so much.

Silvia was an excellent, well spoken, and highly informative guide. I would recommend her to anyone. Very unique and wonderful experience

A wonderful experience, and I highly recommend this tour. Silvia was energetic, informative, and engaging the entire tour, and even my 16 and 13 year old sons enjoyed the experience!

Visited Rome for 3 days with my boyfriend and this tour was one of the best activities we booked. Our tour guide, Silvia, was amazing - informative, friendly, funny - everything you need in a tour guide. Visiting these sites early before the general public was an incredible experience and highly recommend for your next trip!

How well our guide Silvia explained what we were viewing and their historical significance. Also kept the pace perfect for our group. Thank you Silvia you made my friends happy on this tour of the Vatican.

Sylvia was AMAZING!!! We skipped all the lines and she was so informative. We had my 10 and 11 yo with us (they were very jet lagged) and they loved it. Thank you!!

I can't stress enough how important it is/was to have a guide like Silvia taking us through the Vatican. She was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of the Vatican, the museums (art, sculptures, maps) , the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. We added on extra time to see the Papal Crypts as well. The crowds at the Vatican can be overwhelming but with this tour you get the edge by getting in quickly and early. Having a guide that knew all the highlights and important aspects to point out on our tour was the icing on the cake! I can see how his type of tour done alone could quickly become totally overwhelming. So I can say without any hesitation that this tour is a must for the Vatican and especially in the busy summer tourist season. We went in mid-march and it was already beginning to ramp up. All and all it was an amazing experience for our family and Silvia was great working with our teens to ensure their questions were answered and that they stayed engaged. Can't recommend this tour enough. 5 stars!

From the moment the van picked us up at the hotel until we were dropped off we had an absolutely fantastic time. Silvia greeted us like we were old friends. She was very professional and very fun. We walked straight into everywhere we wanted to go. No lines whatsoever. Had time to stay longer where we wanted. It is the only way to tour the Vatican. I would recommend anybody visiting Rome to take the time to tour the Vatican and to spend the extra money (well worth it) for the early bird private tour. Ask for Silvia. She’s the best!

Altissima professionalità! Tutto organizzato perfettamente: puoi scegliere il tipo di guida (storica, artistica, divertente). Dopo la prenotazione vieni contattato per comprendere le tue aspettative e i tuoi desideri e per avere tutti i dettagli logistici. Prelevati direttamente in hotel (puntuali), siamo stati seguiti da Silvia, che ha saputo con passione coinvolgere il mio bambino di 6 anni in un tour strepitoso.

Sylvia was so amazing, doing a great job of blending historical fact with storytelling about the period. Having an archaeologist as a guide makes it such a more interesting journey, finding out about why things were done as they were. 100% worth the booking!

We had a fantastic tour with Silvia M yesterday. Our time in Rome was short and she helped us make the most of it. We loved the stories and insights she provided on the history of Rome as well as more contemporary Italian history. She also helped us get tix for the Pantheon and gave us some restaurant and cafe suggestions. We highly recommend Eyes of Rome and Silvia!

Silvia is educated in both history and archeology, and her passion for both was contagious. She was entertaining and friendly to our family of four, including our teenage boys who ordinarily despise guided tours. Both boys loved the tour from Silvia of the Colliseum and the Forum, and were attentive and engaged throughout. We highly recommend Silvia Monti as a private tour guide for both English speaking and Italian private tours!

Silvia Monti was so well educated and knowledgable in all things Vatican. She was able to cater our tour to our specific interests. Our adult son Is a philosopher by education and she was able to make sure she adjusted our education and tour to accommodate his very detailed interests. This was a very pleasant surprise. She was very excited to share her knowledge in philosophy and religion.

We had an excellent time on this tour with our friendly and extremely knowledgeable guide, Sylvia. This tour was a perfect start to our stay in Rome! Syliva was able to answer all our questions and gave us a wonderfully in depth tour of both the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Highly recommend this tour!

We booked the “Private Borghese Gallery Tour with Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off” from Eyes of Rome on October 21, before the Omicron variant placed our present trip to Rome very much up in the air. Happily we were able to make it to Rome and to experience this wonderful, personalized tour of what I think is the greatest collection of treasures in Rome on December 26. We were picked up on-time at our hotel by the tour’s driver who was well-informed and effective with regard to the current COVID protocols, helping us to ensure we had the appropriate type of mask required and our physical vaccination proof (we had assumed digital versions would suffice, but this is not currently the case in Rome or at least not for the Villa Borghese). Another tour operator probably wouldn’t have checked for these items and we would have missed the entire experience. We were dropped off at the Villa Borghese and met immediately by our personal guide, Silvia, who greeted us warmly and immediately started setting the context of what we were about to see with the history of the Aurelian wall, Roman life in the 1600s, and the concept of the “villa suburbana,” all of which is quite necessary for a full appreciation of the wonder that is the Galleria Borghese. She explained to us the relation of the Galleria’s founder Cardinal Scipione Borghese and his position as the Cardinal Nephew to Pope Paul V, which gave him political power over the Papal States. Silvia told us of the original plan of the gardens and the vivarium, which housed species from all over the world- plants and birds respectively, which was foundational to understanding the art collection to come. For context, I have twice visited the Galleria Borghese in 1996 and 2010, but it was my husband’s first visit to the Galleria and, in fact, to Rome. Our tour impressed, entertained, and satiated the curiosity of both of us equally– not an easy feat, for sure. We appreciated that Silvia structured the tour as much as possible as the Galleria was meant to be experienced (unwinding, if philosophically, the changes to the sequence of rooms necessitated by current COVID protocols). Silvia was knowledgeable, personable, funny, and very well-versed in the history of the Borghese family, the Papacy as related to it, and the artists (Bernini, Carvaggio, etc.) and their works featured in the museum. Among the highlights for us: *A very informative but also witty and humorous study comparing the depiction (and by extrapolation the characterization) of Venus painted with Cupid by two artists– Cranachi (il vecchio) and Brescianino, an eye-opening discussion about the differing regional attitudes toward women at the time *Revealing the technique but also the humanity of Caravaggio with a thorough education on the ‘Madonna dei Palafrenieri.’ Some of why the painting would have been a shocking portrayal of Mary, Jesus, and St. Anne may be obvious, but understanding all the details– Mary’s plainly visible underskirt– contemporary of the artist’s time, the wrinkled, withered portrayal of St. Anne (the Vatican chapel bearing her name being the intended destination for this work, where it was ultimately rejected), and the still-astounding use of light in darkness was extremely interesting and enriching to our experience *A 360-degree analysis of Bernini’s Baroque masterpiece Apollo and Daphne (starting with Silvia ensuring we averted our eyes to view the sculpture first from the right-hand side, as intended by the artist himself prior to the statue being moved) gave us a complete understanding of this work. Viewing the sculpture– which I had seen before but never from the vantage point encouraged by our guide– this way gives the complete story of Daphne’s encapsulation into the tree depicted here and Apollo’s (non-)reaction. When the delicately carved, paper-thin tree bark was pointed out to us, you could almost feel the heartbeat that Apollo would have felt as his hand grasped it. I appreciated the details of the windswept hair turning into leaves, which also stemmed from her hands, and the roots emanating from her foot, details I had not really fully appreciated before. I would highly recommend Eyes of Rome and specifically our guide Silvia. I cannot enumerate with words how much more I appreciated the Galleria Borghese with her expert and naturally flowing guidance and historical context. We had a fantastic time that we will not soon forget.

Uitstekende ervaring. Silva heeft ons met heel veel passie door de Roman Forum en het Colosseum geleid.

We did a private tour of the Vatican City with Silvia Monti, and the Colesseum and Palatine with Elisa and cannot speak highly enough about both tours. It was expensive, but so worth the money - I am pretty sure that we will not have the opportunity to tour these places again, so we wanted to make the most of our time in Rome. Both guides knew how to dodge the crowds, and we have photos of ourselves in the Vatican museum without another person in the picture! I think that touring the Vatican without a guide would be such a waste as they have all the little bits of information that are not in the guide book and that make it all the more memorable. We are not big art or history buffs but both guides made it really interesting and we feel like we came away with a degree in both by the end of it! I would highly recommend it, and would not hesitate to use them again if we ever visit Rome again.

Excellent Vatican & Sistine Chapel Early Bird Tour : Our tour guide Silvia from Eyes of Rome was excellent. She was very informative, humorous and very personable.She was right on time and picked us up from our hotel and took us by cab to the Vatican. We were able to get in early and she was able to get us ahead of the bog crowd. As it was a private tour with 4 in our group it was really easy for her to tell us all bout the architecture, paintings/painters /sculptures. It can get quite crowded and noisy inside due to so many tour groups and I would highly encourage you to take a private tour with Eyes of Rome. Highly recommend eyes of Rome to any tourist in Rome.May be a bit pricier than other but definitely worth it. Awesome tour, awesome guide!

Silvia M is an amazing tour guide. She picked us up at our apartment for a private tour. She had great energy, knowledge and stories to bring the landmarks to life. Silvia M even kept the attention of our teenage children - which is an amazing feat! I highly recommend Silvia M and this tour.

We thoroughly enjoyed this experience with eyes of Rome and would highly recommend it. Silvia was our tour guide and her warmth and knowledge were second to none. The queue to get in is extremely long and you get to skip it! Although it was very busy Silvia managed to steer us to quiet spots where we could appreciate the treasures. She was also very good at tailoring the tour towards our personal interests and making recommendations for the rest of our stay.

What a blessing it was for my wife Rhonda and I to be introduced to Rome by Ms. Silvia M. We could not have hoped for a more special and memorable experience. We had never been to Rome before and it is hard to imagine how our day with Silvia could have been better. The day started with Silvia taking the time to really understand what was important to us during our day together. She listened closely and made truly excellent suggestions for how to structure our day. We visited many well known sites (e.g., the Pantheon was the PERFECT first stop) as well as sites in the Jewish Ghetto that are not seen as much but were truly amazing and beyond special. Again, we felt blessed to be on this tour. In addition to great knowledge about Rome, Silvia had a wonderful sense of humor and a genuine personal warmth. Her knowledge and love of archeology was something that she also shared when she made clear and incredibly helpful suggestions to spend time on our own in the days following our tour with her. We will return to Rome. Soon. There is no question that we will be sure to take additional (ideally, multi-day) tours with her and with this fine company. We can never say thank you enough. Tom and Rhonda P.

Last month, my family and I took a two-week vacation in Italy. We could not leave without a tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. After researching, I went with Eyes of Rome tour and I could not be happier with the experience. We did not opt for the hotel pick-up and drop-off but we met up with our tour guide, Silvia, at the front of the Colosseum. It was an easy taxi ride from the center of Rome. She was so pleasant and fun to hang out with. Also, her knowledge of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum was incredible and made the experience so much better. I highly recommend this tour company and Silvia, if you can make requests for a tour guide. I also recommend a private tour rather than the group one because it is much more personal and you don't have to wear an audio device. Silvia even recommended a great restaurant for lunch after.

Silvia Monti is THE perfect guide when visiting such an architecturally, religiously and historically important venue. We were spoken to in a way that made us feel inclusive and respected as people that wanted to learn and see first hand. While the crowds were large on account of Easter Week, Silvia was always able to find a quiet corner where she could take the time to speak to us and explain our surroundings. Her extensive background in archaeology and the Vatican and its treasures was of invaluable interest to us with no question left unanswered.

Silvia Monti was an excellent tour guide. Her knowledge of the sites was impressive and paired with her noticeable love and respect for Roman history and the sites. We would recommend her as a tour guide to family and friends. She provided a personalized tour that not only considered our interests, but brought ancient Roman history to life through ancillary tools such as pictures and diagrams. For those who want a nice balance of fun and history, ask for Silvia.

Absolutely perfect private tours of Colosseum and Roman Forum (Day 1), Early Vatican Tour (Day 2), and Walking Tour (Day 3)! Serena and Silvia M were our tour guides and both were exceptional! Ideal combination of deep experience, knowledge, and engaging communication. Would highly recommend!

I am never going to visit the Vatican any other way again. Our guide Sylvie was superb - impressively knowledgeable, rewardingly attentive and companionably relaxed as she shepherded us through the hordes of summer tourists and ushered us into a couple of tranquil secluded galleries on our own.