Nadia Guazzini
Executive Director
Part Swiss and part Italian, mine is a family with a long tradition in the hotel industry. Growing up among many languages and cultures, I speak French, English, Swiss German and Italian.
For years I worked with the National Free Press, managing fashion and food industry events. But, ah, the leisure sector! To oversee, organise and direct luxury travel and events. Thanks to my studies abroad, I now help my clients feel like dear guests, not mere tourists.
I’m also a devoted wife and mother of two children. I adore soaking up other cultures. My idea of heaven? Horseback riding through the Tuscan countryside, skiing until sundown, relaxing on the veranda with friends while we sip wine, talk and watch our children play together.
My favourite phrase:
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
Benedetta Grande
Senior Travel Designer
Raised in Florence, I hold a diploma in science and linguistics and am fluent in Italian and English. Thanks to years of experience in the congress field, I possess excellent skills in managing, organising and coordinating projects and people.
Before joining TAOLS, I became a licensed tour guide in Florence. I like revealing the city’s beauty, telling its legends. I’m enthusiastic and dynamic, and enjoy new places, cooking styles, experiences… and sharing those with our guests.
Thanks to my Sicilian roots, I’ve developed a love of good Italian food, sharing a long meal with my family and relatives and soaking up the beauty in every little thing. I adore the beach; basking in the warm sun and listening to the waves.
My key phrase:
“Everywhere is my home. My roots are inside me.”
Alessia D’Elia
Travel Designer
Born in Tuscany, half from Northern Italy and half from Southern Italy.
I have studied tourism with a diploma in tourism, a degree in science of tourism, and a master degree in travel organization
Thanks to this, I can easily create tailor-made experiences and tours following clients’ desires and needs
I am a culture, food and art lover, I love being in contact with local and foreign cultures and traditions, having lunch in the middle of the jungle with Mayan families, dancing salsa on the steps of the central squares of Cuba, making mozzarella cheese with local people in Naples.
I can speak English, Spanish, French and a bit of Swahili
My key phrase:
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Laura Meattini
Gourmet and Wine Tour Designer
Born and raised in Tuscany, I love the Tuscan wine zones, gastronomic traditions and the historic and artistic treasures nestled off the beaten track. I hold a degree in Modern European Languages and a Slow Food Master’s of Wine.
In addition to my cultural background, I gained hands-on experience at Chianti Classico as a hospitality manager in a prestigious castle, and have been collaborating with TAOLS staff since years.
I’m an experienced sommelier and adore discovering ‘hidden’ wineries and food producers.
I enjoy organizing and leading tours that focus on wine, history, art and beauty in Chianti and throughout the Tuscan wine region. In 2008 I become an official tour guide for Pisa and Lucca, and I can speak English, German and, of course, Italian.
Giovanni Tenucci
Cultural Tour Designer
Since 1994, I have studied and promoted the art history of Florence, Siena and Arezzo. An art expert and licensed guide, I enjoy creating tailor-made itineraries for my clients and guiding them on those trips. I also work with the Italian University, and guide groups of diplomatic Italian visitors or foreign representatives.
In 2006 I was recognised as one of the 500 certified Italian teachers of future guides. Plus, I also created the Italian Master’s programme for Licensed Guides.
I treasure human relationships and love sharing my knowledge about Tuscan treasures with our guests. From intricate questions from adults to entertaining the curiosities of small children. And, along with my fluency in Italian art, history and culture, I am fluent in Spanish and, of course, Italian.
Elisabetta Cappugi
Cultural Tour Designer
I’m originally from Florence. For my Art History degree, I evaluated Renaissance illustrations of the Divine Comedy; for my master’s I organised a Holography exhibition for Fratelli Alinari in Palazzo Rucellai.
Among others, I have worked closely with Harvard University’s Villa I Tatti, Palazzo Pitti, the Uffizi Museum and the Boboli Gardens. So I’m familiar with what goes on around most Florentine and Tuscan locations – in the open as well as ‘back stage’. A licensed tour guide, I enjoy sharing these nuances with my guests! Due to my contact with international universities and institutions, I speak fluent English in addition to Italian.
When I’m not leading tours I work as an art consultant and evaluation expert, give art lectures and have published books about private Italian villas and gardens.
Margarita Trejo-Malibràn
Tour designer
I’m Margarita Trejo-Malibràn. Born in Mexico, I’m now a licensed tour guide for Siena and its province. I graduated from Mexico, with a degree in Business Administration, specialising in Tourist Resources. Plus, I studied English at the Averett College in Danville, USA and French at the Sorbonne in Paris.
I arrived in Tuscany in 1980 to study the Italian language and couldn’t get enough of the territory, its colours and flavours! I decided to move to this region, and worked as a teacher to both children and adults. This experience helped me become more open and informative.
In 1999 I passed the official Tour Guide examination. Now, in my job as an official tour designer, I can transmit the sensations, love and respect I have for Siena and its surroundings to my guests.
Angelica Braccini
Photographer and smile catcher
Born and raised in Florence, I travelled a lot with my first jobs, and even lived abroad. Once I returned to my hometown, however, I looked through the lens of a camera and saw the world that I wanted to represent.
I played with colours and photo styles, before deciding on my path: to capture a glance, a smile, freeze time in a photograph. Landscapes, people and their feelings are at the centre of my work – they are my passion.
I love documentary photography, a style that allows me to be almost invisible and capture emotions and surroundings. My aim is to tell a story through images, and to transmit all the emotions of that story to whomever is looking at my photos.
Thanks to my diverse photo shoots, I’ll be able to create concrete souvenirs of your Italian experience!
