Our latest issue – a special report on the best local guides in Northern Italy – is the first of two issues on some of the best tour guides in Italy! We revealed more than 30 of our favorite tour guides and tour companies in Northern Italy. These are passionate locals who lead 1/2-day and one-day private and scheduled tours.
Subscribers can access the full list PLUS access our next issue with our long list of favorite guides in Central and Southern Italy. Here are a few of our picks:
VENICE: L’Altra Venezia
(39) 338 6691364
www.laltravenezia.it
Rates: from 30€ per person for half day
Specialty: gondola tours
Walter Fano, founder and front man for the group of ten Venetian guides who make up L’Altra Venezia, offers a variety of straightforward itineraries categorized by neighborhood or historic era. The tours are perfect for first-time visitors still getting their bearings and looking for an easily penetrable overview of the city and its art and architecture. Where L’Altra Venezia shines is in its gondola tours, which offer a unique way of visiting Venice along its winding canals and majestic lagoon.
For Subscribers: More local tour guides in Venice
EMILIA-ROMAGNA: Italian Days Food Experience
(39) 338 4216659
www.italiandays.it
Rates: start at 60€ per person
Specialty: local food producers
Alessandro Martini specializes in bringing travelers to the high temples of Emilia-Romagna’s second-to-none local cuisine. This is the home to immense wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano, Modena’s fine aged balsamic vinegar, sweet prosciutto from Parma, and Bologna’s stuffed tortellini and ravioli. Alessandro will schedule visits to local producers of these delicacies and more, with, of course, tastings at each one.
For Subscribers: More local tour guides in Emilia-Romagna
TURIN/PIEDMONT: Gabriella Bossina
(39) 335 6685231
bossinagabriella [AT]libero [DOT] it
Rates: from 120€ per group for two-hour city tour
Specialties: Turin and environs
When you talk to Gabriella about Turin, one of the first adjectives to come out of her mouth is “magic”. Indeed, she is able to bring out the extraordinary in this modern industrial capital by introducing visitors to the city’s art, architecture, and monuments in the context of Turin’s historic cafè culture, rich narrative of myths and legends and–of course–famous chocolate production. She also knows the beautiful countryside outside the city, leading travelers through the breathtaking Susa Valley and the medieval mountain abbey of Sacra di San Michele, the Reggia di Venaria Reale castle and park and the Canavese area.
For Subscribers: More local tour guides in Piedmont
CINQUE TERRE: Kate Little
(39) 346 9749902
www.littleparadiso.com
Rates: 350€ per group for full day
Kate has that unique passion that many expats do for their adopted homes. A resident of Liguria since 1989, she fell so in love with the region’s wine and cuisine that she has since become both an AIS sommelier and earned a Master’s degree in Italian Gastronomic Traditions from the University of Rome-Tor Vergaata. She finds special delight in cooking, eating, and drinking with her clients but also is an avid walker and leads a number of breathtaking hikes over the dramatic Cinque Terre coastline. She often collaborates with Bella Vita Italia for custom tours throughout the region.
For Subscribers: More local tour guides in Cinque Terre
Look for our list of best local guides in Central and Southern Italy in the upcoming February 2013 issue of Dream of Italy! Subscribe today so you can receive it hot off the presses.