Review: IterItaly (Private Tour: Rome 3-Hour Orientation Tour)

This is a review of an excursion I booked through IterItaly during my family’s trip to Rome before a Mediterranean cruise. You can read the entire report, starting HERE.

Website Description

Private Car Transfer in Rome: Seamless Service from Fiumicino Airport, Ciampino Airport, and Civitavecchia Port

Experience hassle-free travel with our reliable private car transfer service in Rome. Whether you’re arriving at Fiumicino Airport or Ciampino Airport or heading to Civitavecchia Port for a cruise, we offer a stress-free, door-to-door service that prioritizes your comfort and convenience.

How It Works

Airport Pickups (Fiumicino & Ciampino)

Our professional driver will be waiting for you at arrivals with a sign displaying your name, ready to assist you with your luggage.
No stress about delays—we track your flight and adjust pickup time as needed.
Enjoy up to 1 hour of free waiting time after landing.

Additional Tour options:

1-Hour Tour on Arrival/Departure Transfer in/from Rome
Add a 1-hour tour of Rome’s highlights during your transfer. Explore iconic landmarks such as Cestiu’s Pyramid, Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, Marcello’s Theatre, Piazza Venezia, Roman Forum, Trajan’s Market, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. The tour concludes with drop-off at your hotel (no stops included). This option is available if your departure or arrival point is in Rome.
3-Hour Orientation Tour on Arrival/Departure Transfer in/from Rome
Arriving on an early flight and looking to explore Rome before hotel check-in? Enjoy a 3-hour tour tailored to your interests. Our driver will greet you directly at the airport or port and ensure you see the best sights before dropping you off at your hotel. Want a custom itinerary? Just let the driver know!

Process/Booking

After much research, I found this option and decided it was the best choice to get us from the airport to our lodging, with some stall time before we could check-in. There were 6 of us, with many bags, and we were taking an overnight flight. Public transportation is probably great, however, it wasn’t for us. This would allow us to explore a little with some guidance and a place to store our bags.

It was super easy to book! I immediately received a confirmation and then a reminder the day before. I decided to use the company for multiple transfers throughout our trip. Each one had to be booked separately, but I did receive a code for a small discount for the repeat bookings. This particular tour cost us $66 each (including a gratuity) in 2023. As of writing this in 2025, the price has gone up some, but not by much.

A few planning notes:

I took the entire price of the transfers/excursions in Euros and added the appropriate gratuities. Then, I used my bank’s currency exchange calculator to determine how much that would be in USD. I divided each by how many would be taking part in each tour/transfer. I had everyone pay me upfront and got the tips in Euros ahead of time.
I also added a bit, because the exchange rate does change.
WhatsApp is majorly used in Europe, so I had that downloaded. As soon as we landed, I checked it for messages from our driver. This was the form of communication for all of our IterItaly transfers/tours and for all of our other private excursions/tours.

Excursion Recap

Note: Most of this portion is the same as my trip report. If you’ve already read that, you can skip along to my overall thoughts below!

We were starting our decent into Rome, landing about 9:20. We made our way through customs (super easy), got our luggage, and went to find our driver. We found our driver easily and he took us to our van. One note: A lot of the vans have two benches that face each other. So, half of us were facing backwards. Just keep that in mind.

Our driver drove us through the city, stopping at various points of interest. We basically wanted to “see” the major things. We weren’t sure what, if anything, we’d get back to during our two days post-cruise. Our driver pointed out a lot of things, but honestly, we were so tired that I can’t remember what a lot of it was unless it was a popular spot.

Our first stop was at the Colosseum. Jeff opted to stay in the van, but the rest of us hopped out to grab a few photos. Please excuse our “overnight flight” look…..

Our next stop was a very pretty square…. Emily, Megan, Jeff, and I got out to stretch our legs and walk around for a little bit. Our driver told us that he would drive to the other end of the square and wait for us.

Next up was Trevi Fountain. Anything you read will warn you that Trevi is crowded and they aren’t lying. We weren’t feeling fighting the crowds, but thankfully we still managed to get some photos. More importantly, there was pizza right next to Trevi Fountain. We didn’t care that it was probably not the best pizza (though, it tasted just great to us), we were starving. Mom, Jeff, and Jen stayed in the van while Megan, Emily, and I got photos and pizza.

From there, we drove to the nearby Spanish Steps. Again, the three of us got out while the other three stayed in the vehicle. Well, Jeff got out and got McDonalds, lol. We walked around, took some photos, and tried to find the Louis Vuitton store. Emily and Megan had plans, lol.

Our driver took us to a park that had great views of the city. It really was beautiful. Mom, Jeff, and Jen were almost delirious and the jet lag sweats were kicking in for me. I did get out and walk around, but I was ready to be done, lol.

Our next and last stop was a drive by of Vatican City. I was tapped out and we had plans to tour it post-cruise, so I stayed in the van. Megan and Emily got out for a few minutes, before our driver got yelled at by security for idling.

Our three hours were up, so it was time to drop us off. My parents were staying in a hotel through NCL. The rest of us were staying in an AirBnb that I’d found. He dropped us off first. We got settled and took showers. Showers after an overnight flight just hit different.

Overall Thoughts

I would 100% recommend this excursion and IterItaly, overall! We used them a total of four times during our trip and they were fantastic. On time, clean vehicles, and safe drivers. We really had no issues, at all!

The 3-Hour Orientation Tour is a double-edge sword. It keeps you awake, allows you to at least see the major sites, and gives you something to do before you can check-in to your hotel/AirBnb. On the other hand, you’re so tired from your overnight flight that you eventually hit a wall and have a harder time enjoying it. Plus, you are most likely still wearing those same clothes from overnight. None of that is a fault on the tour or the company, though.

My suggestion is to do the following:

Upgrade and add a 4th hour.
Pack your carry-on/personal item with an extra change of clothes. Give yourself some time when you land to wipe down areas that need it, change clothes, wash your face, brush your teeth, and add deodorant.
Make a note in the booking that you’re going to do the above and that you would like to stop for a meal midway through the tour. A sit-down meal would have done us a world of good.

Italy/Greece 2023 Trip Report (September 1 – 15, 2023)
– The Beginning (Vivi Alla Giornata!)
– The Planning Process (Rome)
– The Planning Process (Greece Ports)
– The Planning Process (Italy Ports)
– Flight Confusion
– Day 0: Leave for Rome (September 1, 2023)
– Day 1: Rome Arrival and City Tour (September 2, 2023)
– Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)
– Day 3: Sea Day (September 4, 2023)
– Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)
– Day 5: Athens (Piraeus), Greece (September 6, 2023)
– Day 6: Mykonos, Greece (September 7, 2023)
– Day 7: Olympia (Katakolon), Greece (September 8, 2023)
– Day 8: Valletta, Malta (September 9, 2023)
– Day 9: Messina (Sicily), Italy (September 10, 2023)
– Day 10: Naples, Italy (September 11, 2023)
– Day 11: Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy (September 12, 2023)
– Day 12: Disembark and Vatican City (September 13, 2023)
– Day 13: Rome (September 14, 2023)
– Day 14: Leaving Rome (September 15, 2023) and Some Final Thoughts