Our friends put us in touch with Mario about 4 months before our trip and we were in regular contact with him about our plans. He was highly responsive... read more and professional in our interactions.

In Italy we spent half a day with Mario at Pompeii and another half day in Rome and they were both wonderful. He is highly knowledgeable and able to communicate his knowledge in an informative entertaining way. He was flexible in making and changing plans and responding to our requests. It was great!

Mario also arranged for our travel to and from the Amalfi Coast (beginning after we toured Pompeii). The drivers he provided were of the highest caliber, friendly and also highly experienced driving the sometimes very challenging mountain roads.

Thanks for helping to make our trip such a success!!

  The way Mario guides adults and kids through the world of art is unique and fascinating. Apart from an extensive knowledge of the subject, he is able to captivate his... read more audience with his vivid interest and the uniqueness of his way of diving into the facts and events representing the background of each masterpiece. I have never seen anybody mastering the details and the biographies of artists as Mario. My kids are always enchanted by Mario’s presentations and explanations. This is a five star artistic experience. Highly recommended.

  I have been joining The Grand Tout Italy Virtual Tours regularly in 2020 and 2021. They are informative and entertaining - and can be joined from wherever you are in... read more the world. I have even been "on tour" when I was on holiday somewhere else in Australia - away from my home town - just by opening my laptop!I Mario is not only incredibly knowledgeable, but has a gift for how to select, package and present information (in this case for online tours) - a rare skill I think. I miss seeing Italy in person because of these very uncertain times - but joining a virtual tour with Mario is the next best thing. Highly recommended. …

  The virtual tours with Mario Bernardi are wonderful. If you can't get to Italy right now, do the next best thing with an entertaining and informative online tour. ... read more If you're planning a trip, this is also a great way to learn about the things you're going to see before you visit. So far, I've seen his virtual tours on Caravaggio, Michelangelo, DaVinci, Botticelli, Donatello, Bernini, Borromini, Ravenna, and St Peter's Basilica. All of them were excellent.

  My wife and I toured the most famous sites of Venice, plus a few behind-the-scenes spots, for a full day with Cristina. She was amazing! Cristina conveyed the rich history... read more of Venice, back to the days of its inception with barbarians forcing the local Romans into hiding in the archipelago of islands which is now the Venice we know. We navigated in and out of St. Marks and the Doge's Palace, through the crowds, never having to wait for admission. In St. Mark's she took us up to the altar, and the sarcophagus of St. Mark, and showed us the great gilded Byzantine altarpiece turned currently away from the sanctuary. Behind the busy square, we popped into the small workshop of one of the few remaining Remeri, the carpenters who specialize in creating the forcola and oars for the gondolas (like stepping back in time). In a city which could appear like little more than an anachronism and tourist trap, this tour highlighted an Italian city with a very special and rich history, and ongoing artists, musicians, and craftsmen who keep alive the creativity we cherish in the Italian culture. Kudos to Cristina, and the Grand Tour Team!

  Wonderful bespoke tour of the Etruscan Necropoli, hill towns in Abruzzo and fantastic day trips in the Maiella and Gran Sasso National Parks. This was a 5 star once-in-a-lifetime trip.