Published on Dec, 2024
This is a very positive review. We were lucky enough to get Francesco Pagano as our guide. As part of a “40th birthday” present for my girlfriend, I had booked small group tours of Pompeii for Oct. 18th and of Herculaneum for Oct. 19th through Viatour. Francesco contacted us a few days before the tours saying that the minimum number of participants for the Herculaneum tour had not been booked, so he offered us some options. We opted to have a private tour of Herculaneum on Oct. 19th for an small upcharge. Then things got a little complicated (stick with me; like I said, this is a very positive review). The Italian rail workers were supposed to strike on Oct. 19th, the day of our Herculaneum tour. I reached out to Francesco asking how we were supposed to get to Herculaneum if the trains were not running. After some exchange on WhatsApp, Francesco arranged it so that we would have both tours on the same day; he would meet us after our tour of Pompeii and drive us in his car to Herculaneum, where we would join another couple for the tour, and NOT be charged extra (very generous). When we met him at Pompeii, he waited for us to eat a quick lunch (and have a beer), and he declined letting us buy him anything. Unfortunately for the other couple, they could not get to Herculaneum because of train problems in Naples. Francesco decided to give us a private tour anyway, and again, with no extra charge. About 10 minutes into the tour, Francesco realized he lost his backpack, which had his wallet and all his identification. Instead of stopping the tour right there, he called a few of his friends at Pompeii to see if they could find his backpack, and continued our tour. He was VERY professional, and although definitely stressed about his backpack, still had a smile on his face. Fortunately, about a half hour later, someone called him and told him they found his backpack. Francesco, now in an ever better mood, finished our tour, which was EXCELLENT. Then, he actually drove the two of us to the train station. Unfortunately, another monkey wrench: that train was not running! That was a serious problem for us get back to Naples, so 5 minutes after he dropped us off, I called Francesco and told him what was going on. He immediately turned around, came back, picked us up, and drove us about 10 minutes to the “government run” train station. Amazingy, as he drove, we gave us MORE info like we were still on tour! After he dropped us off at the “government run” station, we got train tickets (thanks to another helpful soul), ran across the tracks, and got on the train in the nick of time and headed back to Naples.
Francesco saved us so much time and money by driving us from Pompeii to Herculaneum, not charging extra for a private tour when the other couple couldn’t make it, driving us to the first train station, and then the second train station. We would have been stuck for hours and probably would have had to pay 100+ euros for a cab to Naples. And all of this was on the day his younger son’s birthday! He actually gave up family time to take care of his clients, which is above and beyond.
Francesco is a great guy and a great guide. My girlfriend and I cannot recommend and thank him enough.
