Anna was nothing short of fantastic! She was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, fun, and genuine. She brought Venice alive. You would be very fortunate to have her as your guide. I would rate her 6 stars if possible.
Private tour in Florence Anna K
5.0
(15) reviews
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Anna K.
4.9
Guide rating
271
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Benvenuti alla Dolce Vita! Brilliant licensed art and history guide, PhD, with two decades 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 feature 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 Popes, a gondola shipyard, or a prehistoric village in Sicily. And in winter I indulge in researching new destinations and itineraries in Italy, now also official Vatican Museums guide license since 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, the Summer resodence of the Popes, Papal basilicas in Rome. - PhD (European University Institute) - The last guide still resident in the oldest part of Florence and in a real 900 yo Medieval tower! - 20 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 do not service cruise passengers. My museum and city guide license is for English, Italian, Russian and French languages only. I deliver tours in Pompeii, Herculanum, Paestum, Rome, the Vatican City, all of Lazio, all of Tuscany, Florence, Siena, Pisa, the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Venice, Ravenna, Orvieto, all of Umbria, Assisi, all of Sicily.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Anna K.
Unique in Italy and in the world, Venice impresses like a gorgeous human face uncovered behind a splendid carnival mask. For me, there are two equally captivating faces to this city. The first is the mask of the ornate palaces lining the Grand Canal, the golden Byzantine mosaics of St. Mark's church, the fascinating sparkles of the glass chandeliers from Murano island, the richly embroidered velvets of traditional Venetian costumes. For the lucky ones who steal a glimpse behind this facade, Venice opens a face of exquisite beauty and art, outstanding courage, unprecedented wealth, head-spinning decline, the desperation of gambling, the promiscuity of nunneries, revivals from the plague, fires and floods, and long-standing tradition of politics and bureaucracy to rival even the Ancient Rome. While touring its most iconic monuments, I will try to share with you also a glimpse into this hidden beauty of Venice to cherish in your heart until your next visit. For once seen Venice, you will want to return.
Anna was nothing short of fantastic! She was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, fun, and genuine. She brought Venice alive. You would be very fortunate to have her as your guide. I would rate her 6 stars if possible.
Anna was extremely efficient in creating a very special itinerary with our specific and unusual requests. She was quickly responsive to the messages and made changes when our plans changed. We were impressed with depth of her knowledge and her ability to communicate clearly. On our tours with her she impressed us with her detailed knowledge about the history of Venice. We highly recommend Anna and look forward to scheduling more tours with her.
WOW!! We wanted a full Venice (including the local islands), Florence, and Pisa experience. We booked Anna for 4 days using a few of the different packages she had available then she customized it to our needs. Although we booked late, and our holiday was over Christmas eve and Christmas Day, Anna exceeded all expectations! She knew so many tricks to getting us in to see everything. She knew the best restaurants, we ate the BEST Florentine steak of our lives! She created an itinerary considering details I wouldn't even think to ask about (making sure we were climbing the Pisa tower at sunset is just one example). She considered the special holiday hours, boat hours, altered train schedule, etc. Her knowledge of the area and interesting stories were amazing. I would book her again in a second! Highly recommend!!
Fantastic day with our very professional guide Anna. She made the very busy city of Venice stress free for us with her knowledge and guidance.
Anna was marvelous. She met us at our hotel and took us to the train station. She surprised us with gelato. She expertly navigated us into Saint Marks Cathedral with no wait time. We visited Doge Palace and the Jewish Ghetto. She found two authentic Venice chocolate shops for me. We highly recommend Anna for her vast knowledge and experience.
Anna knew so much about Venice, and had the connections to help us see the most important things for our one-day outing there. We especially enjoyed the info on St. Mark's and the Doge's Palace. We were able to ride the Grand Canal in a water taxi and see a panoramic view of the city from a rooftop terrace. Unforgettable! (And she even brought some of her favorite gelato to sample on the train! ) We'd hire her again in an instant!
Visit the Doges Palace to learn about the republic of Venice, admire the gold Byzantine mosaics of St. Mark's basilica, indulge in gondola ride through the narrow canals, awe at the majestic palaces and the Rialto bridge on the Canal Grande, visit the ghetto of Venice (optional - please advise the guide in advance in order to plan logistics), discover the ancient art of Murano glass-making and even paint your very own carnival mask. Lunch in a local Venetian restaurant tucked away on a side street. Suggested itinerary: - Return fast train Florence-Venice. - Water taxi ride along the Grand Canal and/or little side canals in gondola. - Walking tour of Venice. - Skip-the-line visit of the Dogi Palace. - Skip-the-line visit of St. Mark's basilica (subject to availability). Also available as a multiple day itinerary - please ask your guide. Please note that advance booking of ONE MONTH is required to ensure availability of museum tickets April thru October.
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Fast train, water taxi, gondola, walking tour.
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Train Station: Florence Santa Maria Novella, beside the Venchi gelato shop inside the train station building.
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If your tour is valued over $200 USD and booked at least 45 days before the tour date, you can book with a 20% deposit!
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