JW-ROMETOURS

Gratuities for your tour guide are not included in the tour price and just like anywhere else in the world, except Japan, are graciously accepted but not mandatory!

Let each one do as he has resolved in his own heart.. Nobody will judge you on whether you leave it or not! (2 Cor 9:7)

Basically, I believe it is important to follow the Bible’s direction to be honest in all things and have my business operation according the business standards set by the Italian goverment.

First that means I m licensed.

This is a costly and time consuming process, which is why few Witnesses have a license  for tourism here in Rome.

However, for me it is important to not conduct illegal business, even if it means I m subject to government fees, training and higher taxes (up to 40%)

It is worth it for a clean conscience!

It might seem my price is high, but you will find – looking at the average prices of a tour in Rome through Trip Advisor – that are very well priced for the value of the guiding and confidence you receive to know you are supporting someone working hard to follow direction.

I m unable to give all pioneers a discount.

I decided to make an exception for those who took a ‘ vow of poverty’ and who live on the small allowance received from the organization.

Regular pioneers and commuters like me, do work and earn money and pay taxes. As fellow pioneer I need to support my own family. Anyway I would like to tell you as a regular pioneer since 25 years that I deeply appreciate all your efforts!

For those who are in special full time service SFTS – according with the group size – I always try to do my best, giving to them a discount.

My sincere wish is that all brothers and sisters from abroad can join us on my tours even though I understand that in some situations, given the exchange rate, the tour price can be significant.

However in case of any dire economic discomfort, please let me know at the time of booking and I will evaluate each request regardless of your privileges in the congregation.

In general, anyone who decides to take a vacation abroad can let themselves be guided by the principle found in Luke 14:28 like I do with my family when I go in holiday.

Not at all! 

This is because I do not discriminate my business based on religion. In fact, when my business began, I rarely did tours for Witnesses. And now Im doing them only in certain days and not continuosly.

I was not, I am not and I will never be, an exclusive guide for Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

In Italy this would be considered a discriminatory.

And I did not improvise myself as Tour Guide, for example after having received training due to an international convention.. and then using that material provided by the organization for a personal business! In Italy, besides, it would not be even possible.

Therefore, I decided to create a division of my work dedicated to themes and tours that would be enjoyed by our brothers and sisters.

I find this balance and variety refreshing as it balances out the often strong demands of Bible tours with the more relaxed non-bible tours!

Because I m the only one brother who can legally offer a tour inside Colosseum and Vatican, each week, many brothers and sisters request my services.

But being alone, and having chosen not to take other brothers or sisters to work for me, in peak season I m unable to accomodate up to 60% of JW Bible tours booking requests.

I understand why some may feel this way, however you might be interested to know the following ..

From the moment you set foot in Italy, and particularly in Rome, you are already funding the Vatican. An important part of the businesses, hotels and B&Bs in the country belong to them!

In addition, the proceeds of the Museum tickets are largely used for the maintenance, restoration and caretaking of the precious works of art housed in the Vatican Museums (around 20.000 pieces)

Furthermore, I m not forcing anyone to purchase anything. It is one of the 3 tours I offer, and everyone, based on their own conscienses, can decide wheter to ask for this tour or not.

It would be like accusing the faithful slave of encouraging us to visit St.Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican just for having written the article G 75 1/8 pg. 21 “An interesting tour in the Vatican”.

And is just one of many articles dedicated to this place!

It is evident that the decision to visit a church for tourist purposes, rather than a museum run by the church..or even just attending – without participating – to a funeral and/or wedding inside a church is a personal decision and no one should impose their own choices on others (Gl 6:5, Rm 14:3,10).

This has been perfectly explained in many recent articles and broadcastings.

May everyone act according to their own personal conscience without judging those who feel differently!

Not at all!

First of all, I consulted with brothers at Bethel before choosing this name!

Second, I would like to remind you that only the term “JW.ORG” and its logo of the watchtower with the blue background are protected by copyright laws, and not the letters of the alphabet j, w!

No one can copyright letters of the alphabet!

There is even a hotel chain – not owned by our brothers and sisters 🙂 – that uses the same 2 letters and does not constitute a copyright infringement – jw-marriott.marriott.com 

However when jw.org souvenirs and gadgets with background photos/videos of Caleb and Sofia and the logo “jw.org” are handed out at assemblies.. and/or any other material from the website is shared on social media (even images/videos of publications that have been included in several virtual tours during the pandemic “for a fair use”) these all constitute copyright infringements! 

No, I choose to use this method because it is an internet standard for helping people to simply identify their language or region.

You will find a similar style on all sorts of websites from banking to airlines.

Because I feel that discussing my own privileges or my “position” in the congregation would be not modest!

Unfortunately, we are continually bombarded by an increasingly self-absorbed and self-congratulatory culture.

Personally, I work hard not to fall into the trap of theocratic narcissism.

It’s not important how many generations back we can trace our spiritual lineage or which activities we fulfill for the organization.

Like a sister said in a recent brooadcast “I do not identify myself based on my privileges” and I don’t like that others identify me based on these either.

While I m working I want to be identified only as your professional tour guide, not as a kind of jw celebrity.

I never used my theocratic privileges (past or present) to target more business from Witnesses.

I love this phrase from a w 23/12  art.51 par.14 “God does not base his approval on the amount of work we do in his service or on the privileges we enjoy. He grants his approval because of our faithful endurance!

Privileges may come and go but our strong relationship with Jehovah remains!

In the most important world’s museum and in the country with a rich cultural heritage, the profession of tourist guide is governed by the local State, not by the Bethel or by someone else!

The organization has never sponsored/authorized, nor will they ever sponsor, any company, tour operators or businesses that  offer Bible Tours!

Everyone who chooses to offer Bible based tours accepting donations without holding a regular government license or as a licensed tour guide, carries all the responsibility of doing so, before Jehovah and before Caesar (Mt 22:21)

Personally, I m a professional and licensed tour guide who provides his services to everyone, not just Jehovah’s Witnesses.

To claim that my professional requires authorization from the organization to offer Bible-based tours would be to me, the equivalent of claiming that any professional (hairdresser, house builder, plumber) requires authorization from the organization prior to offering their services also to brothers and sisters.

I do not want to mix business and theocracy.

I m offering a service to everyone – through this website even some specific tours to brothers and sisters, in certain days only!

Yes of course!

It will be a special pleasure to welcome them. I m sure that the interesting Bible based facts presented on the tour will give everyone lots to consider and think about.

Furthermore, under Italian law, it is considered discriminatory to exclude anyone from an advertised group tour. 

Everyone is welcome!

Anyway I would like to advise all customers – even using the 2 letters jw to be easily identifiable by everyone – that the 3 tours here, are basically designed for Jehovah’s Witnesses and are 100% Bible and Jehova’s Witnesses articles based.

Everyone is free to decide if my tours would be a good fit for them or not.

Me: I’m a Tour Guide.

Next question: ok I see..but I mean what is your real job profession?

Me: still a Tour Guide 🙂

In the few countries of the world with an incredible cultural heritage like Italy, the profession profile of Tour Guide is particularly sought after and appreciated, and is strictly regulated by the Ministry of Tourism.

It requires a bachelor degree, skill tests and constant upgrading.

So since 2013 it’s my only job with which I support myself and my whole family.

The service providers who only accept cash payments or work exclusively on a donation basis are not subject to tracking receipts and report their earnings to the government and therefore do not have to pay 40% tax like me!

Those who offer tours at a bargain price often do not even have a VAT (tax) NUMBER and obviously do not provide insurance coverage for their customers in the event of injuries incurred during a tour! 

Not paying taxes and not providing insurance coverage are the secrets behind those super-low prices!

In Italy,there are two types of licenses required in order to provide services to tourists:

1. The Tour Leader or tour host that can accompany tourists on buses, segways, bikes or even on foot giving short and generic information about the places they visit. They are not allowed to enter museums, archeological sites, etc.

2. The Tour Guide that can accompany their customers everywhere giving a vast array of insightful  informations and facts on history and arts and can exclusively enter museums and archeological sites.

Anyone who offer tours inside the Colosseum or the Vatican through guides that are not JW’s, is simply not a Tour Guide and does not have the license and skills to provide a tour inside the Colosseum and the Vatican. This is why they have to hire someone else, who is licensed but is not a JW!

Those licensed guide – not JW’s – will give you a common secular tour of the Colosseum and Vatican like any other online tour company offers. They are not at all Bible based experiences!

Let everyone answer according to their conscience before God and Caesar on how they choose to operate their business.

Personally, I prefer to continue to operate legally, while maintaining the most affordable prices, when compared to those who like me, pay their taxes and provide insurance coverage, even if this means having to ask a fair price.