Sam was born in Munich, Germany, grew up in Newark, N.J., and studied French and Russian Literature at Brandeis University. After completing his M.A. in Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto, he put his academic career on hold temporarily and went out into the world to see what that was like. 

Over a period of about 15 years, he worked in various capacities including as a sharecropper, a sawyer in a lumber mill, a planter box maker, an English composition instructor, a bookstore/café owner, a San Francisco tour guide, a limousine driver, a computer store salesperson, a dBase III business applications developer, a software quality assurance testing manager, and a project management software implementation consultant—in more or less chronological order.

Pam is originally from Oklahoma. She attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs. She has lived in Colorado, California and now Tuscany! She has a degree in psychology and marine biology but says "all she ever needed to know she learned in her theatre classes." She loves researching great restaurants, handling tour logistics and leading tours. 

She also has a passion for music and she tries to find local musicians to feature in all our tours. Pam sings in an ITALIAN GOSPEL CHOIR! She finds it amazing to be singing American spirituals with a bunch of Italians in churches that were built in the 1400s.

After graduating from Georgetown University, Karen has called Tampa Bay, Florida home for over 20 years. She has enjoyed traveling all her life – from family camping trips while growing up in Virginia to a plethora of international destinations during her 15 years as a corporate meetings and travel manager (CMP, CTE and SMMC certified). Despite having no ancestral ties to Italy (that she knows of!), Karen’s heart and soul lies in this bel paese.

Karen’s Favorite Travel Tip:  Stay overnight! So many places take on a truly magical aura when the day trippers leave and the locals come out. Venice, Siena, Positano, Florence…all are totally different experiences at night!

Rubina was born and brought up in Florence.
Since she was a child she had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and she has traveled in many European countries developing her interest in tourism. Rubina is fluent in French and English and has a command of Spanish and Portuguese as well!

She attended an International French high school, graduated in Modern Languages and Literature at the University of Pisa and received a Masters degree in Design of Sustainable Tourism Systems at the University of Florence.  She runs her own business which supports tourism services and works as part of our global team of independent suppliers.

From Rubi:
I like learning about different cultures and meeting local people. I think that in order to appreciate a country you have to be in contact with locals, not the ones in souvenir shops but the baker or the lady at the market. That's why I love learning new languages!

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Fede is a native of Rome where she graduated from university with a degree in Languages and Literatures.  A job opportunity in 2002 brought Fede to Tuscany where she worked as the Program Coordinator for the University of California, Siena Study center. She enjoyed nine wonderful years being in daily contact with students from the US before the school’s campus closed.

Fede has been a licensed guide and tour escort in Italy since 2012.  She lives near Siena with her husband and two great kids.

From Fede:
I love to accompany people that travel in Italy. I am a friendly, energetic person who really enjoys getting to know people and sharing my love of Italy with them!

Raised in North Carolina, Toni came to Italy in 1997 to discover her Italian roots, and immediately knew she'd be back to live and eat her way through the country. 

For over 10 years, Toni has been hosting food and wine tours in Florence and all over Italy. 

She especially loves the Amalfi Coast and its wine and fresh seafood cuisine.

Lior Aviv holds two B.A. degrees in Art History and an M.A. in Art History.
Besides the art seminars and cultural presentations that Lior gives, he is working on two important projects. The first is writing his PhD which talks about Augustus Caesar and Cosimo I of the Medici family. The second is writing a book where the main goal is to transmit the message that art is a language which everyone speaks.

Lior’s years of teaching have proved to him that this is true and he has a way of teaching that enhances our own intuitive capacity to observe and understand art.

With an English mother and an Italian father, Ben was lucky enough to be brought up in a bilingual family.

After starting off as a trip leader with various tour groups he obtained his guiding license three years ago and now works all over Tuscany and Italy.

Ben speaks Spanish as well and you will also find him co-leading some of our trips in Spain.