Palazzo Vecchio without the crowds

Benvenuti alla Dolce Vita! Brilliant licensed art and history guide, PhD, with over a decade guide experience in Florence, the Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Venice, Rome, the Vatican, Pompeii, the Amalfi coast and Sicily - all the regions connected in culture and history, a combination of sea and land - I enjoy sharing my love for them with others. I'll plan your itinerary, arrange skip-the-line museum tickets, a minivan with private driver and a boat ride, show you the hidden beauties of Florence, take you to my favorite local restaurant and on the most panoramic hike, talk art, history, Italian life and politics, and can even cook for you a Sicilian meal. Pleasure in life must be holistic - and Italy is an ideal country for this. My tours of Florence are outstanding - my experiences of Tuscany and the Cinque Terre are sublime - my Venice is passionate like Casanova - my Rome is layered like a delicious cake - and my Sicily is breathtaking. I am driven by passion for local Italy, my home over the past 25 years. Here, I studied in Rome and Florence, worked in Parma, the Cinque Terre and Tuscany, and of course fell in love - in Sicily. It's this pleasure, careful research and local knowledge that I'm happy to share on tour. What to expect from my tours? Expect more and better! A watermelon popping out from my backpack in the middle of a spectacular hike, a memorable love abduction story from a Medieval monastery, a delicious seafood meal, a marble quarry worthy of Michelangelo, and wine tasting in the villa of Mona Lisa. Guiding is one of the most creative activities, where each guest is a chance to discover the place anew, adding a unique tour to each visit. I enjoy creating your custom itinerary, preparing every detail, adding local insight, taking you to places as varied as a panoramic trail above Portofino, a secret temple of Mithras, a private road of the Medici, a gondola shipyard, or a prehistoric village in Sicily. And in winter I indulge in researching new destinations and itineraries in Italy, just got my official Vatican Museums license 2025! For an even more unique and local experience, please ask my advice on where to stay, eat, and how to travel within Italy, share the interests, ideas and details you wish to be included on tour. The more I know about your taste and plans the better I can prep and serve Italy for you :) Welcome to the Dolce Vita! - Official art history guide license (800 hours compulsory coursework, state exam) valid throughout Italy including UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Florence, Venice, Rome, Siena, Pisa, Tuscany, the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Pompeii, Sicily, Umbria, and more!). - Official art and history guide license for the Vatican City including the Vatican gardens, the Sistine Chapel, Museums and St. Peter's basilica. - PhD (European University Institute) - The last guide still resident in the oldest part of Florence! - 19 years guide experience - Published book author (Oxford, Hart Publishing). I am a licensed guide, not a driver. I can accompany you in your vehicle, arrange for a private driver or public transport. I cannot service cruise passengers. My museum and city guide license is for English, Italian, Russian and French languages only.