Hi Janie,
Thanks for the comments on my blog. Yes, at the Vatican I did have a private guide, my significant other, who is a professor of art history, has been my guide to art museums all over the world for the last almost 27 years. We arrived early one morning and we were able to visit the Sistene Chapel, Raphael rooms and the rest of the important parts of the museum before the mobs arrived. We had not been to Rome since the 1980s. It was great to get back.
Hugs,
Jim