About Us :: Our Guides

	Alberto Gobicchi Tour Leader Men's Programs	Alberto is a native of Turín where he spent his youth and completed his university studies in Psychology. Lured by his love of foreign languages – he speaks French, English and Spanish like a native – after college, Alberto became a translator and worked with such diverse clients as the Juventus soccer team and the renowned Teatro Regio of Turin. With a spirit of adventure, in 1989, Alberto took his first tourism-oriented job and put his considerable charisma to work as a performer/entertainer at a German-owned vacation village! He then moved on to a seven-year stint as a tour leader with the largest operator in the Italian tour operator - Alpitour – before entering the US market with such operators as Globus and Trafalgar. Alberto now occupies himself full-time as a tour leader traveling the length and breadth of Europe and we at Tuscan-Colors feel privileged to have him lead our special interest groups when he is available. Alberto resides in Madrid where, this year, he will be very busy with Europride 2007.
	Alvise Zanchi Tour Guide Venice	Alvise studied at the University of Milan and speaks English, French and German as well as his native Italian. He has studied Venetian art and literature and has lived in several European Capitals. He decided to become a local guide so that he could help people to discover Venetian culture and to assist visitors in understanding and appreciating the true beauty of Venice. He is particularly fond of conducting the Tuscan-Colors gay walking tour of Venice which offers an unusual route through the labyrinth of his native city. Beyond his professional career, Alvise plays an active part in the social life of the city. He also plays the piano and harpsichord.
	Anna Maria Gilardoni Tour Guide Lake Como, Bellagio, Lugano	Anna was born in London of an English mother and an Italian father who, in 1979, opted to return to his native town of Bellagio with his family. Anna was thus raised completely bi-cultural and bi-lingual and it seems quite natural that she should enter the tourism field. She has worked in many capacities from Area Operations Manager to Hotel Contractor to Tour Escort. In 1988 she passed the very rigorous examination and became licensed as an official guide of the Province of Como. Through her work, Anna met her husband who was employed as a chef in a Bellagio hotel. Soon after they moved to his native town of Cefalù in Sicily where their two children were born. Both longing for the beauty of the lakes, they returned to Bellagio a few years later and now make their permanent home there. Anna’s days are spent regaling visitors with her great knowledge and captivating personality on tours of the villas, gardens and artistic sites of the region.
	Antonella Falcone Tour Guide Pompeii, Naples, Capri	Antonella is that rare species – a native Neapolitan! She has a great love for her city and its bay – as all Neapolitans do – and is thrilled to have the occasion to introduce the wonders of this area to Tuscan-Colors visitors. She is particularly well-versed in Roman history and enjoys conducting visits to the Ancient City of Pompeii.
	Bruna Caruso Tour Guide Venice	Dr. Bruna Caruso Cherubini has a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts with special emphasis in Venetian art and history. She is an official licensed guide in her native city and is specialized in introducing visitors to the most important museums and galleries of Venice as well as to the many temporary exhibitions held there. Bruna has published extensively - including an important essay on Domenico Rossi, Venetian architect of the late 17th century (Ateneo Veneto, 1989). She has contributed to the *Everyman Guide to Venice* (1993) and Churches of Venice published by Electa (1993). Her article entitled “The New Grand Tour: Venice” was published in the review *Sotheby's Art at Auction* (1994-95). Bruna has collaborated with the Superintendency of Art - cataloging works of art of the city's many churches She has also worked avidly with the Educational Department of the Superintendency and the Municipality of Venice, presenting lectures on the evolution of Venetian painting and architecture and leading guided tours for both students and adults. Since 1996 she has also taught art history and architecture to students from Hofstra University (New York) for their program: “Hofstra in Venice”. In the same year, she became the resident study leader for Venice Interlude organized by Smithsonian Journeys. In 2004 she became the resident study leader for the Smithsonian's Venice and the Veneto. During these educational tours she offers an extensive program of lectures and informal talks about the Veneto and the Venetian arts.
	Camilla Baines Tour Guide Florence, Arezzo	Camilla is the daughter of an English father and an American mother. She grew up in London where she took her degree in Art History at London University. She has lived in Italy for two decades and has worked in tourism since 1988. Initially she traveled around the whole of Italy as a tour manager with small specialized groups but later received her authorization as an official local guide for Florence province and now works almost exclusively in Tuscany where she also makes her home. As well as introducing Florence to first-time visitors, she delights in revealing the city's many secret treasures to the more keen Florence aficionado. Among her favorites are the Vasari Corridor, the Medici Villas and gardens in the surrounding countryside and the Piero della Francesca Trail. Camilla is a working mother with two young boys.
	Donatella Grilli Tour Guide Siena	It is a testimony to the tremendous personality and verve with which Donatella infuses her work that when asked for the highlight of their Siena visit, most Tuscan-Colors guests respond: Donatella! While not actually Sienese – she hails from Belluno in Northern Italy – Donatella couldn’t love her adopted city, nor embody its essential essence better, had she been born there. Having traveled extensively in her youth – from London to Tripoli to Paris – she finally settled in Siena after marrying there in 1969. In 1973, Donatella qualified as an authorized local guide for the province of Siena – thus combining her love of art, passion for Medieval history and great talent for foreign languages. She speaks German, French and perfect English. Donatella is a true teacher at heart and supplements her work as a tour guide with a full lecture schedule and teaching affiliations with various University Study-Abroad programs including that of Stanford. She has an absolute passion for travel and has visited such exotic places as Burma, Thailand, the Philippines, India and the Seychelles. Although she ardently claims not to be a “fashion-addict,” most guests remember Donatella for her innate sense of style as well as her brilliant insights on Siena life.
	Elisabetta Servadio Tour Leader Women's Programs	Elisabetta hails from Genoa where she spent her early life and educational career – taking degrees in foreign languages, political science and law at the Universita di Genova. Always fascinated by languages – she speaks English, French, German and Spanish as well as her native Italian - and lured by her desire to travel, she began her career as tour manager in 1978 escorting Italian clients around the USA. Later she received her certification to accompany foreign visitors around Italy and, although she has resided for more than two decades in England, she finds great joy in introducing visitors to the joys of Italian living and the artistic treasures of her native land. Able to marry many of her keenest interests, she finds particular satisfaction in conducting Tuscan-Colors’ tours for women.
	Gabriella Fiorucci Tour Guide Vatican City	Gabriella Fiorucci is Roman by birth. She took her license as a professional guide in 1971 and ever since then has been conducting tours of The Eternal City and its surroundings with great gusto! She is fluent in English and French as well as her native Italian. She is one of a very exclusive group of guides authorized to conduct private tours within Vatican City and Tuscan-Colors clients profit from her insider access on specially-arranged visits to the Sistine Chapel and well as the Vatican Gardens. Gabriella is the accomplished author of *Mosaic – The Work of the Muses*. Gabriella says that the inspiration to write this book came to her at the suggestion of the many people who have participated in her tours over the years. “Tour participants expressed a keen interest to learn more on the art of mosaic, without burdening themselves with in-depth academic publications.” Indeed, Gabriella is one of the leading specialists on mosaic works in Rome!
	Jackie Bradshaw Tour Escort Pienza, Montalcino	Jackie is born and bred English but adopted Italian, having lived in Siena for the past 5 years. She began her working career in insurance – first with Scottish Widows and then a series of brokerage houses. Unfulfilled, she began to explore Reflexology and established a private practice in Manchester. After the move to Italy, she embarked upon a new career as a teacher of English as a foreign language. Never content to rest upon her laurels, Jackie shortly afterwards established her own internet company offering wedding planning and assistance to English-speakers wishing to arrange their marriage in Tuscany. On the subject, she says “When you don’t speak the language pulling off such an event in Italy can be nightmarish so I organize as much as the clients desire. I see myself as a sort of wedding fairy godmother helping to make their dreams come true!” Now Jackie has added another feather to her cap by leading Tuscan-Colors food and wine adventures in Southern Tuscany. She loves sharing the history and scenery of gems like Pienza and Montalcino with guests while enjoying a glass or two of good wine – particularly her favorite Brunello. With this new vocation, she has discovered some great family-run vineyards which produce what are quite literally some of the best wines in the world!
	Leonardo Alessi Tour Guide Florence	Leo is a born Tuscan with a passion for travel, cinema, opera, musicals and literature. He has managed to combine his various interests in his chosen profession as tour escort and authorized local guide for Florence. Keenly interested in environmental concerns, for example, he has designed a series of “eco-friendly” tours around Tuscany which address the various issues in play for this precious landscape. He has managed to work in even his interest in cinema having created itineraries which cover the locales of great films set in Tuscany. He has great knowledge and interest in the history of Florentine Art and a visit to the Uffizi or the Pitti Palace with Leo is certainly un unforgettable experience!
	Lesley Smith Tour Escort Pienza, Montalcino	Lesley’s greatest passion is travel and, indeed, she has traveled extensively all her life. A lover of adventure travel in particular, she has trekked in the Himalayas, dived in the Maldives and spent weeks in the jungle of Borneo in order to spend time with her favorite animal… the Orangutan! Raised in London, Lesley moved to Tuscany in 2003 in order to pursue her love of photography and professional career as a photographer. Her explorations around the region in search of the perfect shot have led her to make infinite discoveries and, anxious to share these with guests, she now works as a tour escort in Southern Tuscany specializing in food and wine tours. A great chef and gourmande, Lesley delights in accompanying Tuscan-Colors travelers around the farms and wine estates of Pienza and Montalcino. In her words, “I marvel every day that I am out with guests at the majestic beauty of this corner of the world and the wonderful places that I am able to reveal to them.” Lesley speaks English, French and Italian and spends her spare time restoring the beautiful farmhouse she has recently purchased with her Italian partner in the countryside south of Siena.
	Massimiliano Canneto Tour Guide Rome	While not a native Roman, few local guides of the city could impart more quality knowledge or in a more enthusiastic manner than Massimiliano. He approaches his work with true passion! He first came to the Eternal City to further his studies and has achieved his university degree in foreign languages and literature while taking a minor in archeology and art. He has completed additional studies in tourism marketing and, of course, holds the coveted ”patentino” as authorized guide of the city. “Massi” speaks English, German and Spanish as well as his native Italian. Actively “out,” he takes particular pleasure in conducting the Tuscan-Colors Gay Walking Tour of Rome which traces the homosexual history of the city on an unusual route through the labyrinth of the centro storico. Always keen to reveal the hidden curiosities of the city to his guests, Massimiliano also specializes in one of Tuscan-Colors most off-the-beaten-track itineraries: through the Jewish Ghetto and Bohemian Trastevere quarters of the city.
	Sandro Bognolo Transfer Assistant Venice	Sandro was born and raised in Venice … and with quite a pedigree: his family can trace its Venetian roots to the 14th century! With his great love for Venice and foreign languages – he speaks English, French, German, Spanish and of course Venetian – it was a natural move for Sandro to enter the tourism field. He has been a qualified tour escort since 1993. Sandro prides himself on his intimate knowledge of the labyrinthine city he calls home/ He proudly avers, “this city of secrets holds NO secrets for me!”
	Tanya Gregory Tour Guide Florence	Tanya is the daughter of noted American professor Michael Gregory and an Italian mother. Raised in the San Francisco Bay area, she traveled frequently to Italy during her youth and was instilled with an enormous love for the history, culture and art of the bel paese. Desiring to experience American “college campus life,” Tanya completed her studies at the University of California Berkeley taking her degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology. It was also there that she discovered her interests in Art and Medieval History both nurtured by her stepfather, renowned economic historian, Carlo Cipolla, then in residence at Berkeley. Following graduation, she transferred definitively to Florence where she continues to make her home and where she is employed as an authorized local guide. Tuscan-Colors guests marvel at her breadth of knowledge delivered with charm, humor and, of course, in flawless English! Tanya knows Florence better than any native Florentine and she revels in the opportunity to reveal the hidden corners and glimpses of local life of this over-grown village on Tuscan-Colors’ Artists and Craftsmen Walking Tour.
	Viviana Girola Tour Guide San Gimignano, Pienza, Montepulciano, Chianti Valley	Viviana Girola was born in Como in Northern Italy, She attended the Università degli Studi in Milan. She fell in love with Tuscany in the 1980s and moved to a farm near San Gimignano where her husband is employed in the wine-making industry. Her great respect and admiration for Tuscan art and culture led her to become an authorized guide for the region. She has published a best-selling guide book on San Gimignano, Today she lives with her family in a small medieval village in the Chianti Classico area. Viviana loves being able not only to show her guests her favorite beauty spots around the area but also to enlighten then as to their historical, anthropological and artistic significance. She is also a wine enthusiast and particularly enjoys leading oenological tours.