Driving guide (DG).

Use a DG for a city tours, excursions and trips.

Driving guides (DG) fully licensed to drive a vehicle classified as public transportation (limo) well educated and professional. Usually a DG speaks more than one foreign language and has good knowledge of Italy, its history and art. Some DG's are also licensed tour escorts or local guides. While ESD's are fairly common in most cities, DG's aren't as easy to find. The difference between an ESD and a DG is the depth of intellect and knowledge. DG’s are professionally trained to ensure that you get out of your excursion whatever you are looking for in the way of local color, culture, fun, historical sights and museums, landscapes and views, restaurants, etc. The amount of information provided by a DG will be more thorough and personalized to your particular interests than what offered by an ESD. However, in many European cities, a DG may not be allowed to guide tours through major churches and museum where such explanations are restricted to Local City Guides (WG). A driving guide is ideal for you if you are not familiar with the place you’re visiting and you want to see as many sites as possible in a half-day, or full-day, and you want someone to design the perfect itinerary for you without going deep in details at each one of the places you visit. A DG's range is not limited to one city, opposite to a local guide (WG) whose knowledge is very thorough but limited to one city, he will be able to provide information concerning various Italian and/or European cities.

Use an ESD for transfers, business trips, tours and excursions.

English Speaking Driver (ESD) are all very experienced and used to hosting foreign tourists. They are all extremely familiar with the sights you will undoubtedly want to visit. If you have made a list of "must-sees" for any city you'll want to visit, ESD’s will gladly take you wherever you may want to go. If by chance, however, you did not have the time or inclination to "do your homework" before traveling, the driver will design an itinerary that will include all the highlights. ESD’s will offer only very basic information about the sights you will see. ESD’s speak English, but rarely at the level of a Driver Guide (see next). Therefore you can use an ESD if you are familiar with the area you are visiting and you just want to be taken on the itinerary you set for yourself without having to bother driving yourself, or walking, and finding the places you want to visit.

City Guide (Local Guide)

Use a local guide (WG) to visit museums, excavations and churches thoroughly.

City Guides are those who are specialized and licensed to guide in one specific city or limited area. Local culture, history and traditions are so different from area to area—even from city to city—that no single guide can possibly become highly knowledgeable about a whole country or region. Therefore many local governments, especially in Europe, have chosen to assure the integrity of the local culture by licensing only those guides who have had a formal education and have proved to be knowledgeable and qualified to represent their area or city. Tours conducted by City Guides are often intense and detailed. The use of a walking licensed guide is recommended for the visit of museums and walking areas.

Driver

Use a driver for transfers and tours with a WG

Driver. Just drives. He is fully licensed to drive a vehicle classified as public transportation (limo). Knows where to go, but knows only a few words of English and a tourist normally has trouble communicating with him. He’s used for simple transfers or flanked by a local guide.

A driving guide is recommended for this kind of situation:

Ø      “I’m bringing my family to Rome and this will be our first time there. We only have one day but we want to see all the major highlights.”

Ø      “This will be our first time in Rome and we’d like a full-day tour that will introduce us to the city and its major highlights.”

Ø      “We’d like a half day tour to the Catacombs and the Old Appian Way.”

Ø       “We’ll be in Rome for a few days and want to visit Tivoli and the Roman Castles”

Ø      “We want to tour Rome, but we don’t want to walk too much.”

Ø      “We’ll use Rome as a base and we want to do day trips to Florence, Pompeii, Assisi and the surroundings of Rome.”

Ø      “We would like to be transferred to Florence, but we also want to do some sightseeing on the way there. We want to stop in Orvieto and Siena.”

This is the case in which I would recommend an English Speaking Driver:

Ø      “I’m coming to Rome on a cruise and it’ll be my fourth time there. I need a driver to take me to the city to visit again places that I’m already familiar with and I want to do some shopping also.”

Ø      “I’ll be coming to Rome on a business trip and I need a driver to pick me up at the airport and take me to the city where I have to visit business partners whose offices are located in different areas of the city.”

Ø      “We need a transfer from Rome to Florence.”

This is a tour to do with a City Guide (local guide):

Ø      “We will be staying in a hotel that’s located right in the center of the city of Rome and would like a half-day tour of ancient Rome. We would like to walk through the Forum, the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill.”

Ø      “We’re coming to Rome and we’ll be staying at a hotel right near the Via Veneto, we would like a half day tour of that would include the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps.”

Ø      “We will be in Florence and we would like a tour of the city that would include the David and the Uffizi Museum.”

Ø      We’re staying in a hotel near the Vatican and would like a guide for a half-day tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica” 

A local guide would be recommended o flank a Driving Guide for these tours:

Ø       “We want to do a day trip from Rome to Florence to see the David.”

Ø      “We would like a day trip to Pompeii.”

Ø      ”We would like a full-day tour of Rome that would include the Jewish Ghetto and the Synagogue.”

Ø      “We are Catholic a we would like to go to Assisi and visit it thoroughly.”

Tours to do with a City Guide plus car and driver:

Ø      “My wife and I are visiting Rome to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We are both very interested in Roman history and art and we would like a full-day tour of the city. We want to visit the Borghese Museum and focus on Caravaggio’s paintings located in the museum itself and in the churches.”

Ø      “I’m bringing my family to Rome and would like to do a half-day tour of the Vatican.”

Ø      “We’ll be staying in a hotel near the Vatican but we are very interested in the Roman ruins and would like to tour the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill thoroughly.”

Ø       “We are a group of six, we are all retired and some of us have problems walking. We’ll be spending a few days in Rome and want to visit the city thoroughly, but we can’t do full-day tours.”