tours-europe.com

14/02/2024

Happy Valentine y' all!!!

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29/01/2024

Buckle up people! 'cause this week we're taking a stroll down the quirky streets of Rome, where the real rockstars are the Sampietrino cobblestones! Picture this: you're wandering through the Eternal City, and beneath your feet, it's not just any old pavement – it's a dance floor of legendary stones.
Week # 03 “Sampietrino: The Story of Rome’s Iconic Roads..”
Meet the Sampietrino or Sanpietrino, the Chuck George Clooney of cobblestones. These little guys are the unsung heroes of Rome's streets, making every step you take a historic cha-cha. They're not your average rocks; they've seen it all – from gladiator sandals to modern-day sneakers.
First things first, Sampietrino isn't just a random name; it's a tribute! These small, rectangular basalt stones are named after St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) in Vatican City, where they were extensively used for pavement. Dating back to the 16th century when Pope Sixtus V commissioned their widespread use in the city.
Now, these stones aren't just randomly scattered; oh no, they've got a plan. They've lined up like a Roman legion ready for battle, creating those iconic patterns that give the city its distinct charm. It's like nature's own mosaic, but instead of a museum floor, it's the path you're strutting your stuff on.
But here's the kicker – these stones aren't just for show. They've got a story, a tale to tell. Legend has it that Sampietrino cobblestones are made from the volcanic rock that witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Talk about having a fiery history! These stones have survived more drama than your favorite soap opera character.
As you wander through the narrow alleys and bustling piazzas, don't be surprised if you find yourself doing a little Sampietrino shuffle. It's practically impossible not to join in the dance when the streets themselves are busting out the moves!
Sure, they may not be as famous as the Colosseum or the Vatican, but the Sampietrino cobblestones are the unsung champions of the Roman streetscape. So, next time you're in Rome, keep an eye on the ground – those stones have a rhythm of their own, and you might just catch yourself tap dancing through history!
Photo Credit: Mimmo
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31/12/2023

Sorry, we couldn't find a mailbox, so we're sending you our Christmas card this way...

14/11/2023

What happens if you don’t expect rain but it starts raining and you’re not prepared for rain?
You get creative and our Kristina is creative! 😉
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Check us out! www.mybesttour.com
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27/05/2023

The fireman at the Colosseum.
General rehearsal for the installation of the Tricolor Flag 🇮🇹 for the military parade on June 2nd.
Watch it till the end!

17/05/2023

Roma is full of surprises and this is one of them.
You see a hole in the wall, you enter it and… Voilà! Here is a wonderful park!
The Park is Villa Sciarra.
The Villa was built in the 17th century for Cardinal Antonio Barberini, in 1811 it was bought by the Colonna di Sciarra, hence the name, and finally by George Washington Wurts and his wife Henrietta Tower (sister of Charlemagne Tower) who donated it to Mussolini who ceded to the city of Rome and became a public park that Romans can enjoy.

16/04/2023

MENU Gioia Tours is part of award winning tour company My Best Tour Golf Cart Tours Vatican Tours Colosseum Tours Gioia Tours Enrich your travel experience with us!Gioia Tours, founded by Roberto and Andreas in 2006, is based in both Rome and Pisa (Tuscany), consists in an exclusive team of expert d...

16/04/2023

Laura's ready to start her "special" Vatican private tour! 🤩
mybesttour.com

MENU Gioia Tours is part of award winning tour company My Best Tour Golf Cart Tours Vatican Tours Colosseum Tours Gioia Tours Enrich your travel experience with us!Gioia Tours, founded by Roberto and Andreas in 2006, is based in both Rome and Pisa (Tuscany), consists in an exclusive team of expert d...

09/04/2023

Happy Easter!!!
Easter has always represented the opening of the tourist season and we take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter and introduce you to our new logo.
We were inspired by the pavement of the Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo.
We hope you like it!
mybesttour.com

27/03/2023

Air Force Experience
Piazza del Popolo, in Rome, on its centenary, which will officially occur on Tuesday 28 March the Italian Air Force has set up a real aeronautical village, full of history and technology, with aircraft on static display, experiential itineraries, training and entertainment meetings, promotional stands, playful simulators, projections, musical and sporting performances that will allow citizens of all ages to get to know better the Air Force and live together the 100th birthday of the “Arma Azzurra” (Blue Force).
Tomorrow Tuesday 28 March before the end of the Air Force birthday ceremony there will be an aerial overflight over the city of Rome by 100 Air Force aircraft which will culminate with the passage of the acrobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori (Tricolor Arrows): two Frecce will be used, a joint flight with other assets of the Air Force.
The overflight will be from 11.20 to 12.15 in Piazza del Popolo. The Arrows will close the military ceremony for the celebrations to be held from 11 on the Terrace of the Pincio, in the presence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella..
The exhibition will remain open until 29 March, every day from 10:00 to 20:00 and on weekends until 22:00, with free admission and without reservation.
mybesttour.com

17/03/2023

17/03/2023

We recently had the pleasure of showing our beautiful city to a group of 60 Roman autistic children and their families aboard our golf carts. The event took place under the patronage of the Municipality and the Province of Rome.
The children and their families absolutely loved and are still raving about their tour.
They sent us the pictures and videos they took, and we want to share them with you.
We are really proud to have given these kids children and their families a day of joy.
Recentemente abbiamo avuto il piacere di mostrare la nostra bellissima città a un gruppo di 60 bambini autistici romani e alle loro famiglie a bordo dei nostri golf cart. L'evento si è svolto con il patrocinio del Comune e della Provincia di Roma.
I bambini e le loro famiglie hanno adorato e sono ancora entusiasti del loro tour.
Ci hanno inviato le foto e i video che hanno realizzato e vogliamo condividerli con voi.
Siamo davvero orgogliosi di aver regalato a questi ragazzi e alle loro famiglie una giornata di gioia.
mybesttour.com

23/02/2023

14/02/2023

Romulus and Remus, Lupercalia, and Valentine’s Day.
Yes, it’s a lot, but it’s worth reading.

Lupercalia
Lupercalia was an ancient pagan festival held every year in Rome on February 13, 14 and 15.
Today's Valentine's Day (named after a martyred Christian saint) is an offshoot of Lupercalia.
Lupercalia was a sexually charged celebration, featuring animal sacrifices, chance encounters, and mating in hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility.

Ritual Sacrifice
The Lupercalia rites took place in different places: the Lupercale cave, on the Palatine Hill and in the Roman Forum.
The festival began at Lupercal cave (where the twins were nurtured by the she-wolf) with the sacrifice of one or more male goats (a representation of sexuality) and a dog.
The Luperci, a group of Roman priests, smeared their foreheads with the blood of animals from the sacrificial knife.
Subsequently, the blood was removed with a piece of wool soaked in milk.
Feasting began after the ritual sacrifice and the Luperci cut strips, called “Purifying thongs or februa” made of goat skin from the goats that had just been sacrificed.
They then ran naked, or nearly naked, around the Palatine whipping any woman within striking distance with the thongs.

The Romantic side of Lupercalia
During Lupercalia, the men randomly chose a woman’s name from a jar to be coupled with for the duration of the festival. Often the couple would stay together until the following year's festival. Many fell in love and got married.

Lupercalia and the legend of Romulus and Remus
According to Roman legend, King Amulius of Albalonga who reigned after imprisoning his brother Numitor, ensured that his brother's offspring did not seek revenge by having his nephews killed and commanding his niece to become a Vestal Virgin.
However, by divine intervention, the legitimate line was restored when Rhea Silvia was impregnated by the god Mars and gave birth to Romulus and Remus, who were saved through a series of miraculous events.
Amulius ordered the twins to be drowned in the Tiber River, but the servant in charge of this infanticide took pity on them and put them in a basket which he instead let float on the river.
The river god Tiberinus carried the basket along the river until it got caught in the branches of a wild fig tree.
The brothers were then rescued and nursed by a she-wolf in a lair at the base of the Palatine Hill where Rome was founded. The twins were then adopted by a shepherd and his wife and, once they learned their father's trade, after having killed their uncle who had ordered their death, they found the lair of the she-wolf who had fed them and called it Lupercal.
Romulus and Remus regained their grandfather's throne and decided to build a new city, consulting with the gods through augury, a characteristic religious institution of Rome.
The brothers' quarrel during the foundation of Rome led Romulus to kill Remus, an act that could be seen as sacrificial.
Fratricide thus became an integral part of the founding myth of Rome.
Lupercalia is thought to have taken place to honor the she-wolf and please the Roman god of fertility Lupercus.

Saint Valentine
Several legends surround the life of Saint Valentine. The most common is that on one February 14 during the 3rd century A.D., a man named Valentine was executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II for assisting persecuted Christians and secretly marrying Christian couples in love.
It seems that, during Valentine’s imprisonment Claudius ordered Valentine to reject his faith or be killed.
He refused to forsake his faith and was beheaded.
Legend tells that during Valentine’s imprisonment he tutored a girl named Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer and states that God restored Julia’s sight after she and Valentine prayed together.
On the eve of his ex*****on, Valentine supposedly penned a note to Julia and signed it, “From your Valentine.”
Apparently, this was the first “Valentine”!

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25/01/2023

Curious about the Swiss Guards?
517 years ago, on January 22, 1506, led by their commander, Kaspar von Silenen, 150 Swiss mercenaries arrived in Rome after traveling 500 miles following the pilgrim route known as the "Via Francigena".
They entered the Eternal City through the Porta del Popolo where Pope Julius II, the "warrior pope", welcomed them.
Who else could have developed the idea of establishing the elite military corps of the papal guard?
Since that day, faithful to the motto "acriter et fideliter" (strongly and faithfully) the Swiss mercenaries protect the life of the pope and the Vatican, risking their own.
Though lacking cavalry and with little artillery, these men enjoyed the reputation of being by far the finest warriors of the age.
The current Corps uniform was designed about a century ago by the then commander, who was inspired by Raphael's frescoes.
There is no certainty that the original uniform was designed by Michelangelo, however we know that the choice of colors was not accidental, yellow and blue are those of the coat of arms of Pope Julius II Della Rovere, while the red was added by Leone X de 'Medici, who wanted to reproduce the tricolor present in his family's coat of arms.
The baptism of fire for the newborn Swiss Guard Corps took place twenty years after that festive entry, on the occasion of the terrible Sack of Rome in 1527 which cost the lives of about 150 guards.
A much greater emphasis has been placed on the non-ceremonial roles of the Guard since the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, unarmed and small arms combat training has been stepped up.

08/11/2022

The tourist season should start to wane, but with the complicity of the weather, which is still very nice, 20 ° C and above (68 Fahrenheit), many tourists are still around, and many are booking our tours.
Here they are enjoying their authentic Roman lunch at the restaurant right next to our office near the Vatican.
The restaurant is 102 years old, still in the hands of the same family, and is run by the Massa brothers, Giulio & Maria.
Do you see Giulio waiving? 👋

17/08/2022

Why is the Trevi Fountain dry?
Wandering around Rome on Monday morning you might have a nasty surprise, on Monday they turn off the water and take out all the coins that people have thrown away during the week.

Why is the Trevi Fountain dry?
Wandering around Rome on Monday morning you might have a nasty surprise, on Monday they turn off the water and take out all the coins that people have thrown away during the week.
While we're at it, let me give you some facts about this world famous fountain and its pennies:
It is estimated that around 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain every day.
The coins are vacuumed, weighed and cleaned, then delivered to Caritas, a Catholic charity based in Rome.
Although it is illegal to do so, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain.
There is no waste of water involved in the functioning of the fountain, this water is continuously recirculated and filtered to prevent bacteria from attacking the statues. Due to the nature of the recirculated water, it is unsafe to drink from the Trevi Fountain.

19/07/2022

'round nidnight...
What can one see on a night tour of Rome?
Well, anything!
Even a guy diving and swimming in the Trevi Fountain..... and cops arresting him!

02/06/2022

June 2nd - Republic Day
On the 2nd of June 1946 the Italian people were called to the polls to decide the form of government after the Second World War and the fall of fascism.
The commemoration, held in Rome, includes the deposition of a laurel wreath at the Monument to the Italian Unknown Soldier in Piazza Venezia by the President of the Italian Republic, the flight of the aerobatic team Frecce Tricolori which spreads the colors of the Italian flag in the sky, and a military parade along Via dei Fori Imperiali all the way to the Colosseum.

13/05/2022

Today, 13 May is the anniversary of the attack on Pope John Paul II, 13 May 1981, by the Turkish assassin Ali Agca and we wanted to show you the plaque that was placed in St. Peter's Square on the site of the crime.
The date of the crime is written in Roman Numerals:
XIII V MCML###I Can you read them? No? Let me teach you:
X stands for 10 and I stands for 1 so, 10+1+1+1 = 13
V stands for 5
this is where it gets a little more complicated now:
M stands for 1,000 and C stands for 100 and, when the C comes before the M you subtract 100 from 1,000 and that’s why 1,900 is MCM. Then, L stands for 50, X for 10 and I for 1 and so L###I is 50+30+1 =81
XIII (13) - V (5) - MCM (1900) L (50) ### (30) I (1)

Today, May 13, is the anniversary of the attack on Pope John Paul II, May 13 1981, by the Turkish assassin Ali Agca and we wanted to show you the plaque that was placed in St. Peter's Square on the site of the crime.
The date of the crime is written in Roman Numerals:
XIII V MCML###I Can you read them? No? Let me teach you:
X stands for 10 and I stands for 1 so, 10+1+1+1 = 13
V stands for 5
this is where it gets a little more complicated now:
M stands for 1,000 and C stands for 100 and, when the C comes before the M you subtract 100 from 1,000 and that’s why 1,900 is MCM. Then, L stands for 50, X for 10 and I for 1 and so L###I is 50+30+1 =81
XIII (13) - V (5) - MCM (1900) L (50) ### (30) I (1)

11/05/2022

One of the funniest advertising posts you can see in Rome!

21/04/2022

Today marks the 2775th anniversary of the founding of Rome.
Happy birthday Rome!


-wolf

Today marks the 2775th anniversary of the founding of Rome.
Happy birthday Rome!
In the photo, the Capitoline Wolf, preserved in the Capitoline Museums, represents the she-wolf nursing the twins Romulus and Remus. According to the legend, they were found and raised by a she-wolf after being abandoned in a basket afloat in the Tiber River.
This is the most famous image associated with the founding of Rome.

21/02/2022

Unexpected encounters.
While enjoying a stroll around Rome last Sunday, I came across one of our guides, Raffaele (aka Ralph), who had just finished a tour of the Colosseum and was introducing our guests to one of our favorite spots for a quick, yet authentic , pasta-based lunch. The place is called Pasta Imperiale 🍝 and they have a shop near the Colosseum and one near Piazza Navona.
You choose your favorite pasta and your favorite sauce and they arrange your plate right in front of you.
It takes a few minutes, but it's worth the wait.
They also have sandwiches and salads. 🥪 🥗
Pasta Imperiale

10/02/2022

Tomorrow, 11 February 2022, the Vatican State will turn 93 years old.
Yes, I know that many of you will think that I am crazy, that the Vatican has been there for hundreds of years.
What about Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel, they weren't 90 years ago, right?
But I'm talking about the Vatican state, which didn't exist until 1929.
The Pope lost his territory when Italy was unified in 1870 and did not have his own territory until, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mussolini, the Italian government granted the independence of the territory behind St. Peter's Basilica surrounded by Roman walls.
Thus, Pope Pius XI obtained his own country, physically and politically separated from the Italian Republic and the Vatican became the smallest, landlocked, country in the world! 0.49 sq km (0.19 sq mi), that’s it!
We should say Happy birthday Vatican, shouldn’t we?
By the way, you can’t visit the Vatican on the 11th of February, it’s closed…

29/01/2022

St. Peter’s Square.
Normally, even in the slow tourist season, it would be crowded by people from all over the world.
It’s kind of sad to see it almost deserted…
This is the time to come and have Rome and the Vatican to yourself!
See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuRrQgW5J4Y

26/01/2022

Happy Australia day!!! 🇦🇺 🤩.. and thank you Australia for welcoming all the Italian immigrants!!! 🇦🇺 🇮🇹 🤗