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Mirabilia Urbis' guide Daniella taught ancient Roman history for a cultural association and worked as a guide for the Archeological Superintendent of Rome at the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill in 1997. After these experiences, Daniella decided to set out on her own, offering visits for curious travelers who preferred to savor art and architecture rather than frenetically consume the attractions that Rome had to offer. Thanks to her on-going research, she is knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics: ancient Roman cuisine, art and liturgy in the Middle Ages, Renaissance history, and the glories of the Baroque era - to name a few! "My visits are organized to be educational and fun. I want my customers to experience the city of Rome and fall head-over-heals in love with it." Daniella, Daniella, I found Daniella through other peoples' recommendations on Fodors. On a scale of 1 to 10 she is a 15! She is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and very focused on everyone in the group having a great experience. The ages of our six participants were 11, 14, 46, 49, 75, and 80. She engaged everyone from the 11 year old to the octogenarian. She knew all the facts that the other guides didn't know and she told us when archaeologists or historians had disagreements about a fact. Over the course of two days, we easily had seven days of tour experience! Hi Daniella, I found Daniella through other peoples' recommendations on Fodors. On a scale of 1 to 10 she is a 15! She is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and very focused on everyone in the group having a great experience. The ages of our six participants were 11, 14, 46, 49, 75, and 80. She engaged everyone from the 11 year old to the octogenarian. She knew all the facts that the other guides didn't know and she told us when archaeologists or historians had disagreements about a fact. Over the course of two days, we easily had seven days of tour experience! Hi Daniella: Daniella, Daniella, Dear Daniella, Dear Daniella, Daniella: Dear Daniella, I found Daniella on the internet. I believe I typed in "tour guide Rome"...and the rest is history. By the time I arrived in Rome with my husband, Gary, I had become friends with Daniella through e-mails. We spent our first day at the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. It was a treat to have Daniella to ourselves (while groups of 30-40 people were herded around the archeological areas with their tour guides.) Daniella made ancient Rome come alive for us. We also really wanted to do the Vatican before leaving for Florence and Daniella made that happen for us. We even got a glimpse of the Pope giving mass to the Swiss on the day of our visit. I'm hooked on Michaelangelo now and I just bought his autobiography and we have Agony and Ecstacy to watch tonight! Ask her for the name of her favorite restaurant! We had a wonderful dining experience because of her recommendation. Thanks for the memories!! Hello Daniella, Daniella is the best! Her visits are a very fun and educational way to see Rome. Daniella is a vistior to the 20th century -- she really lives in antiquity and she'll take you back to ancient Rome when you visit the city with her. The only way to see Rome's great attractions is with Daniella. For first timers or those who have visited before, nothing can get you " inside" the history and intrigue of daily life in Ancient Rome like Daniella. Her opening word "imagine.." was the start of the most memorable 2 days of our Italian holiday. Do yourself a favour, discover Rome with Daniella. Everyone who comes to Rome should tour with Daniella Hunt. Our three days The best investment we made during our trip to Rome was our time spent with Daniella. We learned so much from her about Rome and enjoyed every second of our private tour. We were amazed with her knowledge! Our first day in Rome we spent about 4 hours with Daniella and visited the Ancient Forum and The Coliseum. Both were fascinating. We spent the entire next day with Daniella touring Vatican City, The Spanish Steps, The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, etc... It was a fabulous day! We asked her tons of questions and she never seemed to get tired of us. Since I threw my coins in the Trevi Fountain, I am ensured a return to Rome and will most definitely tour with Daniella again. She was great! We absolutely loved our tours with Daniella! We learned so much about Rome, and in a fun, interesting and exciting way. We would highly recommend her! We were part of that "Group of Seven" travelers (see Ellen Detlefsen's posting below) who benefited from Daniella's knowledge, experience, wit and humor in March this year. As she sat us down on the stones in the Forum, her tour began with "Now imagine...." and from that point on, Roman history came alive! We knew we would be both learning and laughing when her sentences began with, "Now the guide books may tell you this, but...." With knowledge steeped in the Classics, Daniella helped us come to know a culture and those who formed it. ... She always hit the mark on recommendations -- be it a great place to eat or a museum. We'll be back! Mary & David Daniella spent four days in mid-March 2001 with a group of seven of us, We had 3 wonderful tours with Daniella in Rome from Nov. 18th to Nov. 23, 2000. Her service greatly enhanced our week in rome. She was well informed and yet capable of drawing her own conclusions. Very professional, yet warm and accepting of our family, our visits with her were an extremely positive experience. Daniella, thanks so much for showing us around -- it was more like a personal tour from a friend than a impersonal tour from a guide! Thanks again -- and I hope to do it again sometime! Dear Daniella, I found Mirabilia Urbis randomly just wandering through the internet, and it was just one of those things that was meant to be. My daughter (16) and I were visiting Rome and Daniella made its history come alive for both of us. Rome is a walking city, and her tours (we took two of them) really left us feeling like we got a real feel for the city, both ancient and modern. I would recommend her tours to anyone! I got Daniella Hunt's name through a very reliable tour group... I was nervous, because I was responsible for setting up our Rome trip for a group of 8 people. Well, we couldn't have had a better start to our Rome trip. Daniella showed us the sights of the ruins, answered ALL of our questions, and gave us a great history lesson. We went to the Coloseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. Our favorite restaurant in Rome was the one she recommended. I would recomend Daniella to anyone. I believe she can relate to just about any age group. (Ours was 18-40something).
Daniella Hunt graduated magna cum laude in Classics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995. During her senior year abroad in Rome, she specialized Roman archaeology and ancient history at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies. She then continued her studies, completing a three-year program in ancient Greek at the Gregorian University in Rome. In the summer of 2002, she completed her M.A. at the Vatican School of Paleography, Diplomatics, and Archivism. Since then, she has been working on several projects and conducting research at the American Academy and the Vatican Library.
Daniella thinks her visits are a success with adults and kids alike because, as she says, "While I'm an eternal student, I also love teaching. And of course I'm passionate about the city of Rome and Italy in general: its art, history, literature, and culture..."
Customers' comments
Gary and I just wanted to add our praises to the millions you've already received from satisfied clients over the years. Afterwards, of course, I thought of hundreds of questions I should have asked when we had you captive. Your tour was wonderful; we learned so much; with your keen knowledge, wit and unbridled enthusiasm, you made ancient Rome come alive for us.
We had a blast sharing lunch with you. And the picture you took of us at the Colosseum turned out to be one of my favorites.
I hope we can return some day. Until then, ciao. Thanks, again, for some terrific memories.
Lili and Gary Salzman
We're home and still talking about our wonderful trip to
Italy and the fascinating tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum with
you. Thanks so much for enlightening us and keeping the tour so very
entertaining and interesting. It was time and money well spent and I
would be happy to recommend your tour services to anyone!
Best regards,
Jennifer Wham
David Heyman
Peggy and I wanted to thank you once again for the time you spent with us in Rome. Since returning to our home, work has kept us hopping but we have persevered through work by dwelling on our memories of Rome. Our memories include the special time we spent with you. Your knowledge and enthusiasm of Rome's history and archeological sites is exceptional. I am sorry we did not book more of your time because you really brought the past alive and we enjoyed your company.
Tom Lopez and Peggy Jordan, Idaho, USA
David Heyman
I wanted to write you as soon as we got off our cruise and thank you for the wonderful time we had touring Rome with you. As a matter of fact; we have already recommended you to several people who were on our cruise. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed both tours we took with you and felt your knowledge and interpretations of the various periods of Rome was excellent. In addition, we now know the stories and history that go with all those great pictures we took. So we can share what we learned from you with our friends and family as we show them all our pictures! We also appreciated you working with us on some of our last minute changes we made to our plans and making it possible for us to see a lot more of Rome then we ever thought would be possible in the time we had. We could not have asked for a better guide. Finally; please feel free to post this email as our personal recommendation to anyone who is looking for a private guide. Your personality, friendliness and vast knowledge make's you a super guide that everyone will enjoy touring with. I can't recommend you enough. Best regards and thanks again for a wonderful experience.
Jeff and Sandy Lacey, Charlotte, NC
Wow! What can I say? Amazing! Fascinating! Incredible! Breathtaking! Educational! Fabulous! All words to describe the absolutely phenomenal day we had with you. Gary and I were in awe the entire time! We learned so much. You truly are a wealth of knowledge. We definitely feel that our trip to Rome would not have been complete without you. We found ourselves wanting to meet with you again to learn as much as we could. We truly enjoyed how you made things come to life. You created pictures of the past that made us long to have lived back then. It was absolutely fascinating! We loved the roman lunch. It was great getting to know you better while learning about the past. We have found ourselves searching to find the wine we shared. We loved learning about and trying the different foods that were eaten hundreds of years ago. I can not thank you enough for making our trip to Rome outstanding! We hope to return soon and will definitely be giving you a call. Thank you again! You truly have a gift! Thank you for sharing it with us. Sincerely,
Lisa and Gary Dickison, Charlotte, NC
Betsy and I thoroughly enjoyed our day and a half with you. We learned more than any tour book, audio guide or tour guide could have possibly taught us. You not only gave us the "what and where" of the sights but an in-depth "why" of what we experienced with you.
Your tours were not only a great vision into the past but also in insight into the personalities that created history.
Nick and Betsy White
Your tour was a major highlight of our action-packed trip, and I don't think a week goes by that we don't extol your virtues to someone who asks about what to do in Rome. You really brought the Colosseum and San Clemente to life for us, and increased our enjoyment of those sites tremendously. In fact, I would say that an afternoon with you enriched our whole experience of the city: you taught us enough about the "language" of ancient Rome in one afternoon that we were able to visit other churches and historical sites later in the week and see them with new eyes.
With very best regards,
Cary Goodell & Michael Cuiccio (and young Michael Hecimovich, who says the tour with you was the best birthday present ever!)
Wow. That's the first, second and fiftieth word that comes to mind when I try to describe what it's like to experience Rome with you. And experience is very much the operative word. Through you I experienced the passion, joy, and intrigue that was ancient Rome.
Week after week, you opened my eyes and my heart to the most incredible story I had ever heard. We covered all the usual places, of course, like the Colosseum and the Forum and the Imperial Fora; our pursuit of historical breadth then took us to ancient aqueducts and rarely-visited temples. It was extraordinary.
Truth be told, I fell totally and helplessly in love. As a result of my time with you --- your enthusiasm, your clarity, your mastery of the art of storytelling --- I am now enrolled in a Master of Arts degree programme in Classical Civilisations at the University of London! I am hooked. Truly, nothing will ever be the same!
Amy Selwyn
This note is long overdue but I want to thank you again for your wonderful services in Rome. Your knowledge of Roman history, art and culture enriched our experience in the city immensely. Chris tells everybody Rome was his favorite part of the trip, in no small measure because we had you to inform and entertain us! Hope all is well. We look forward to seeing you on our next visit!
Carol Giacomo, Washington, D.C.
I want to thank you again for the wonderful tours that you provided for my Trinity Western University student group. You have such a gift for bringing ancient Rome to life. This is the second time that I have worked with you, and, as before, the students loved you! And, as before, you got the highest ratings of all the speakers on our itinerary.
What I think really makes your guided tours unique is not just your knowledge but the way that you share it. As we walked around the forum, I listened to other guides rattling off a bunch of dates and historical facts. It didn't much sound as though they cared about either the history or the group they were with. You, on the other hand, reach out to every person in the group and make him or her feel important to you, then you pull each person into ancient history through your stories. As one student remarked this last time, 'Even when we were exhausted by weeks of touring, Daniella's enthusiasm kept us interested and wanting to know more.'
You even cared about the small things: sunscreen, restaurant tips, remembering names, helping a lost coordinator find her way home... My students from 2002 still talk about you and ask me to say hello to you when I see you next. That says a lot!
Thank you so much,
Christina Battermann
Coordinator of Academic Administration and Travel Studies, Trinity Western University, Langley, BC, Canada
Ann Leago, Okemos, MI USA
You gave my wife and I a walking tour of the forum a few years ago. We just stumbled across the original web page I had printed when we were planning our tip to Italy and were reminded of you and your wonderful tours. We hope all is well with you and you are still walking Rome's wonders with the likes of us. Take care and we hope the next time we are in Rome we can take advantage of your knowledge!
Don & Marlyn Fowler, Seminole, Florida
Roger Salzman + Katherine Shear, Pittsbrugh, PA USA 
Alan Guignon, Sydney, Australia
of tours, or better yet, walking history lessons, were one of the highlights of our trip this May. Daniella is professional, yet personable, enthusiastic, and genuinely friendly. Her extensive knowledge of ancient Rome, its people, its culture, its society, its architecture, seems inexhaustible. ...In addition to our three days of tours, Daniella supplied us with suggestions about restaurants, transportation, museums, and day-trip. Mirabilia Urbis Tours is the way to know Rome!
Lynn Mason, Bath, NC USA
Angela Hester and family, Charlotte, NC USA
Dan Silvestri, Chicago, USA
Drs. Mary Cerreto & David Coulter, Boston, MA USA
ranging in age from 16 to 54. She was a wonderful guide, and made what was really only a long weekend most memorable! We really appreciated her in-depth knowledge, her wit and enthusiasm, and her unflagging good humor. Her suggestions for itineraries, museums, and restaurants were outstanding. We walked and talked and laughed and learned, and we *all* loved being able to go out without a guidebook (or even a map), secure in the knowledge that Daniella would be taking us to interesting and zany spots. We asked her to take us through "Latin" or classical Rome this time; next time we'll do another aspect of that great city with Daniella. She made all of us, including two teenage boys, feel at home in Rome, and enlightened about the past! Grazie!
Ellen Detlefsen, Pittsburgh, PA USA
Richard G. Collie, Harbor Springs, MI USA
Hank Mishkoff, Dallas, TX USA
Jack and I are in Ireland. It is gorgeous here, but Rome was the best.
We really enjoyed our tour of the Vatican. It was definitely the highlight of our trip. We ended up going to Ostia Antica like you had suggested. It was lovely! And we had dinner at the place you recommended. The food was fabulous. Thank you again for all your suggestions and help.
We had a wonderful time and it was great to meet you. Hopefully, we will see you again in Rome soon.
Take Care,
Emily Harrington and Jack Kemp
Mandy Falk, Annapolis, MD US
Vivian R. Wood, Anchorage, AL USA