Published on Feb, 2021
My mom had requested to visit Europe for her 70th birthday. We didn't have the resources to travel until recently so I wanted to make this a memorable trip for her, while still on a budget. Fortunately for us, we were able to do it before the covid pandemic took hold of the world.
As I was researching and booking tours, I met Rossana. She was very communicative and informative, and I ended up booking three private tours with her: (1) Roman Basilicas, (2) Padre Pio and St. Michael the Archangel Sanctuary, and (3) Assisi and Cascia. She even helped me navigate how to attend an audience with my mom and the Pope.
Rossana and Luigi treated us like family! They met us promptly in Rome, picking us up and dropping us off at our hotel. They brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers to celebrate my mom's birthday, which my mom later left for Padre Pio. They were very accommodating to my mom's mobility needs and provided a wheel chair. At all times, I felt my mom was safe in their care.
Rossana was very knowledgeable and conveyed her knowledge about every location we went. It was clear that she is passionate about Italy, it's culture, and it's history. The Roman Basilica tour was a great way to see an overview of the city as well.
One of the benefits of the private tours was being able to stay in an area as long as we wanted, which also gave us time to pray when we visited my mom's favorite saint, Padre Pio, and my favorite saint, St. Francis of Assisi. It also meant we had the opportunity to eat at some delicious family-run restaurants.
On our journey to visit St. Francis, St. Claire, and St. Rita, we bumped into a church group visiting from Naples, first helping them take group photos and then as we prepared for evening mass at Cascia. Rossana was incredible, stepping in to interpret for us. When we met again at a gas station on our way back to Rome, we made plans to visit them in Naples and Rossana agreed to be our guide.
I cannot thank Rossana and Luigi enough for making my mom's birthday truly an enjoyable and memorable one! We cannot wait to go back and see Naples with Rossana and Luigi when it is safe to do so!