Marella
Role:
Siena and Florence City Guide, Day Tour Guide, Family Tours
Skilled at: qwerky entertainment
Fluent in: English, Spanish, Chinese
Afraid of: falling from trees
Favorite wine: Prosecco from my birthplace
Favorite City: New York
Favorite Hill Town: Siena, the very special place I am lucky to call home
Ciao, happy to meet you! I’m Marella, I live in the hills of Siena. I am in love with Tuscany, Medieval Siena, Renaissance Florence, the old hill towns, wild nature, making my own olive oil from my trees!!! For these reasons, almost 20 years ago I moved to this region! I was born in Venice and I love my city: I am always inspired by its open spirit and eastern style. Indeed I chose language and literature studies in English and in Chinese at University and then I lived abroad for several years. I lived in England, in China and I traveled to many countries around the world. In China and Italy I worked for an international corporation as Customer Care Manager: I enjoyed that, but the call of living in the open air and being free in a beautiful region brought me to my beloved Tuscany. Becoming a Tour Guide was a winning move: I put my experiences, skills and passions into one job. Touring with you in the beauty of Siena, telling you stories about old hill towns, the marvelous wines … and sharing your stories, is just magical. I have been working as a guide for more than 15 years and in the last years I specialized in Family Tours. I love children and teenagers, my son is a teen...
I create itineraries where young people and adults are not spectators, but engaged and involved in the learning.
My goal is to transform the visit of a city or museum into an experience that engages the emotions and leaves a lasting memory.
Personal Itinerary
San Gimignano Games
& Casole d'Elsa Art Tour
1.
San Gimignano treasure hunt, other games and the world’s best gelato
2.
Lunch in a local farm or
typical restaurant with wine
3.
Casole d’Elsa and painting workshop with an artist
A tour for everybody who wants to enjoy Tuscany in different way, through learning and play, painting or drinking wine, if you prefer. It is an ideal itinerary for families, where boys and girls can get involved in treasure hunting and other games. Discovering the “town of a hundred towers”, San Gimignano, is the perfect stage to take your family back a thousand years, to conquer a medieval city, to climb the towers, to get into the military fortress and to win your prize! Another prize? The best ice cream in the world is made in San Gimignano, the famous Gelateria Dondoli with its multiple awards.
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After a tasty and typical lunch at a local farm or at an authentic Osteria, a traditional family-owned restaurant, the tour will continue to Casole d’Elsa, one of my favorite hill towns away from tourist tracks. Immerse yourself in a magical place of local artists and craftsmen that have created an original, artistic environment of crafts, sculptures and installations scattered around narrow medieval streets and corners around town. Meet its authentic people and spend time with an artist with whom you might want to live the experience of making your own painting of the Tuscan hills. You may also let your children engage with the making of art while you indulge in a wonderful glass of wine. Wandering around, this medieval town offers plenty of breathtaking, panoramic views over the surrounding valleys and there’s a historic castle to discover! Back home, together with your unforgettable memories you will also have a colored masterpiece to cherish your family’s artistic fun.
The treasure hunt and painting workshop are optional activities, the tour can be customized to include other visits in both towns and the tour is also suitable to adults traveling without children.