Ciao! My name is Iole and I’m your local expert in Venice, Italy! I became a guide for Venice Urban Adventures after several years of working in a travel agency, organizing services for tourists in front of a computer monitor all day. After all those years seated in a chair, I felt the urgency of working on the other side of the tourism industry, facing real people, human beings with all their problems and idiosyncrasies, yes, but with souls and experiences and ideas to share. I feel now more involved in what I do and I’m very satisfied with the job and about myself as a tour guide.
I love guiding because I get to meet people from all over the world and deal with different cultures and habits. Through all the experiences I make, I enlarge my understanding of the world in which we live. The process of learning from other people never stops for me. Moreover, my job is dynamic and challenging. It’s never boring, not for one second. And, yes, it takes a lot of energy, mentally and physically speaking, but I get a lot of satisfaction in return.
My tours have two primal characteristics. The first one, and most important, is the attention I put into people and their needs. I first figure out, as much as possible, who is in front of me, trying to understand what his/her interests and problems are in facing the reality of another country and culture. Then, I adjust my tour according to the guests.
The second characteristic is the love I bring to Venice, the city in which I live and work as a tour guide. I try to communicate this love to my guests, introducing them to the culture, to the traditions, and to the customs of this unique city.
I absolutely love Venice, its long history, its traditions and customs. This is a magic city in between the sky and the sea, an architectural jewel full of art, in which every brick, every stone speaks from the past, telling its stories. And yet, the city is the crane of a deep popular culture, traditions, and customs of the Venetian people, who are the bones of the city itself. If we let the Venetians abandon the city, we let the city die.
Instead, we have to sustain the pop culture and support the local traditions. My contribution is to show all this to foreign visitors, help them to understand how this city works, and teach them how to be respectful of stones and people as well. I hope you’ll come join me for a taste of the best local food or even a day doing yoga on the beach!
