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English speaking driver-guide for tours of Rome by private car. Shore excursions, day trips, journeys through Italy |
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At the Roman Forum in 1998 |
I drive you around and show you
places. While driving I point out things and
explain what they are. I stop at the places that
require a visit and help you visit them. The
fact that I'm writing this text myself tells you
that I have a pretty good knowledge and command
of the English language. I don't speak English
with a heavy Italian accent, so no language
barrier! Many clients who had come to Italy
before and have had other experiences with local
guides and driving guides, told me I was the
best guide they ever had. Very kind indeed!. I
will not only be pointing things out from inside
the car. When possible or necessary I will be
walking with you inside churches and museums,
around gardens, squares, excavation sites etc.,
Of course when I work I have to deal with our
chaotic traffic and sometimes you'll have to be
a little patient while I look for parking
space... |
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At most places it will be
alright to leave the car just outside, even
if double parked, for a little while. But
places that require a little longer time to
visit ( i.e. St. Peter's Basilica, the
Vatican Museums or Tivoli Gardens) we may
have to drive around the block once or twice
before finding a parking space, and it never
takes a really long time to find one
anyway. Naturally, speaking English and
driving aren't enough for guiding people
around; one has to know the history of the
places he takes you to! I started learning
about the Romans and Art History from my dad
when I was still a kid and, like most kids,
I wasn't all that interested then! Plus,
having a father and a teacher concentrated
in one person wasn't all that fun! It was
later, in my late twenties, that I became
keen on Rome's history and started going to
lectures, university classes and reading
lots of books... and I still do! |
On the Old Appian Way in 2004 |
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Explaining how mosaics are made |
In other words, I can maybe
tell you about Rome more than you want to
hear, but not necessarily I will! Rome is
not my only playground though, I can take
you to Florence, Siena, the Tuscan
countryside, Naples and its surroundings or
anywhere else you'd like to go. Some people
hire me to tour Italy's most attractive
areas and we tour for one or two weeks. One
of the recurrent phrases I here as I'm
touring with my friends (after a few days
together (they all become friends rather
than clients) is: " This is they way to
tour!" What I really enjoy, and my clients
also enjoy, is doing the tours off the
beaten path. Most people stay for only 2 or
maximum 3 days, including the day they
arrive and the day they leave. They end up
having just one full day in Rome which is
barely long enough to see just the most
famous places, the ones everybody knows and
talks about like St. Peter's, the Colosseum
and the Trevi Fountain. |
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I like it when the people
stay a little longer, three or four full
days, and give me the opportunity to show
them places not even the locals know about.
I also like to go with people who visited
Italy before and do not need to go back to
the classical sites. I can take them to see
places that are very interesting but visited
by few. Another comment I hear often is: "We
would have never found this on our own!"
I hear it especially when I take people on
tours in my area, way off the beaten path to
discover places that arouse enthusiasm even
in my Roman friends when they come to visit
me and I show them around. I live in the
country, about one hour drive from Rome
heading south towards Naples and the area is
full of beautiful, well preserved, little
medieval towns that really deserve to be
visited, but very few people actually do.
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With Tina Turner. in 1989. |
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