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a magical journey
Anna took us on a magical journey through Florence. From the Medici Chapel to the Bardini Gardens we were treated with great stories about amazing artworks, architecture and the city. Our time in Florence was truly enriched by the tour. An added bonus is how she deftly avoided the high season crowds. If you book a tour with Anna you will not be disappointed.
– James E.
Anna is a 10!
Anna’s passion for Italian art and history is palpable. We were a family of four and all riveted by her engaging description of the art and architecture- she transported us through Italian history with whimsical anecdotes and fascinating stories. If you want an enthusiastic and engaged guide who cares about you learning and appreciating the works before you, Anna is a 10!
– Robin F.
Best tour ever!
Just the best tour we’ve ever had! Anna is so knowledgeable and made our tour of the Uffizi so enjoyable!
– Katherine W.
Don’t hesitate!
We were so thrilled to have had this walking tour of Siena with Anna. Her vast knowledge of and passion for the city are evident throughout the entire walk. She customized the walk for us to show us the areas we were most interested in. We even got to experience her “play by play” calling of the Palio. If you are lucky enough to find an availability with Anna, don’t hesitate to book!
– John C.
True Story Teller
If you want an amazing experience in visiting Siena, take a tour with Anna! She makes the city come alive. Anna is passionate about her home, her knowledge of the history of Siena is unmatched, and she is a true story teller with a great sense of humor. Go book a tour and fall in love with Siena!
– Deborah D.
exemplary guide
Anna was an exemplary guide in both Florence and Siena. She was informative, helpful (she got us a reservation at a restaurant in Siena when all others said they were full), took us to places tourists don't normally go and we funny and fun to be with. You cannot go wrong with Anna.
– Lee L.
Superlatives fail
“I can't imagine any tour guide that could even compare to Anna. She was so knowledgeable about Italy and art and food; got us around each city in a fun, efficient, and friendly manner; and had SO MUCH enthusiasm about Italy, the people, our group, and the museums and art. Superlatives fail when we talk about Anna.”
— Walter D.
Now that’s what I call an action shot in Siena Cathedral!
Top notch
“Anna was such a wonderful guide for our group! Her storytelling ability is top notch, and the details she weaves in keep your attention throughout the tour. Add to that a cheerful disposition, and she makes for a fantastic tour guide. Will absolutely continue using her for future groups & trips!.”
— Amanda D.
Passionate
High energy, so knowledgeable, passionate, interesting, fun! We learned a lot, saw great sites, ate food we may not (WOULD NOT) have tried if she hadn’t suggested. Her recount of the Palio ‘on the track’ made us almost feel as if we were there live. Her interactions with the locals really gave us an idea of what it feels like to be members of the various contrada. So fun!
– Gina B.
Loved Everything
“My wife and I loved everything about the tour. Anna is smart, knowledgeable, and very personable. We have been to the main sites in Florence before and wanted to concentrate on the Oltrarno side which Anna knew backwards and forwards. Our tour lasted 3.5 hours and included San Miniato, various churches, and a great running commentary of the whole area as we walked. We would absolutely use Anna again and recommend her to anyone without reservation.”
— Ken S.
“I was so impressed at the thoughtfulness and care Anna took to create a perfect Florence experience for my teenage grandson and I. She scheduled a private art class for him that was truly the highlight of our Italy trip this spring! We also really enjoyed the walking tour and visiting the Duomo, and learned so much from Anna. She was incredibly friendly, fun, and knowledgeable. I would very highly recommend her to anyone visiting Italy. It will be an experience you will always remember!”
— Peggy G.
Massimo works in stained glass and has a wonderful pottery shop too!
meeting local artists along the way! this is emilio frati, without whom the Duomo of Siena (and the floors of the vatican, for that matter) would not be as well preserved as they are today.
Palio Expert!
“We had a magic time in Siena with Anna, a guide whom I found through Rick Steves’s website. Anna conducted private walking tours for us during the week before the August Palio. She is a real expert - a Massachusetts native, now a Siena resident and member of La Lupa contrada's leadership, with a PhD in art history and a special concentration in Siena and Tuscany. She is also a great communicator and a really wonderful person!
“Anna crafted a tour adapted to our interests, especially around the Palio. On the day before the race, she arranged for us to view the Prova Generale (an especially elaborate practice run) from an upper room on the Campo, then led us through town and down the long hill to Lupa's festive pre-Palio dinner (cooked and served, this year, by the teen girls of the contrada). Although the Palio attracts international tourism, Anna helped us understand that this 800-year-old event really is continued by and for the people of Siena, full of traditions and rivalries.
“We highly recommend Anna and hope for another tour with her!”
– Mea
Urban Trekking with Anna!
“Anna was a terrific tour guide with a great passion for the city of Siena and all its history. She was enthusiastic and willing to go the extra mile to answer any questions we had about the culture, navigating the city, transportation, restaurants and shopping. It was fantastic to have access to an Anna who has excellent Italian and English language skills. I would highly recommend her to others looking for a custom guide around Siena. We thoroughly enjoyed our two hours of urban trekking with Anna!!”
— Susan C.
Brilliant
Anna was a brilliant guide, blending intelligence, enthusiasm, and humor to create a tour that was both educational and incredibly fun. What really stood out was Anna’s personable and approachable nature. She encouraged questions and made everyone feel included, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Her sense of humor added a delightful touch, making the tour feel like a journey with a knowledgeable friend rather than a formal lecture.
From the outset, Anna’s passion for Siena and its cathedral was evident. She brought the history of the cathedral to life with a rich tapestry of facts and stories, making even the most intricate details accessible and fascinating. Her explanations were comprehensive yet easy to follow, ensuring that everyone in our group, from history buffs to casual tourists, could appreciate the beauty and significance of what we were seeing.
Anna’s tour was wonderfully well-rounded. She covered everything from the stunning mosaic floors to the awe-inspiring frescoes and the cathedral’s unique architectural features. She had a knack for pointing out the hidden gems and lesser-known aspects that we would have missed on our own. Her deep knowledge was complemented by her ability to weave in entertaining anecdotes, keeping us engaged and smiling throughout the tour.
– Jenna B
Fantastic Guide!
“Anna was a fantastic guide! The whole tour was great, but we especially enjoyed her explanation of the Palio and the tour of the Civette Contrada Museum. She also gave us lots of great suggestions for what we could do on our own after our tour was complete. She is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to learn more about Siena.”
– Julie L.
She's a star!
“Anna is top rated. Sharing her love for Italy was passionate and contagious. She was personal and full of energy and fun. I would tour with her anywhere. She's a star!”
— Madeline L.
You won’t be disappointed!
“Anna was the best tour guide I've ever experienced. She is extremely knowledgeable and ready to share her love for art, history and culture with her clients. She guided our group in Sienna and again in Florence. The cities came alive thanks to her vibrant, positive energy and depth of knowledge. Anna has raised the bar for tour guides to a new height. You won't be disappointed!”
– Brenda E.
Words cannot fully describe how much we loved our time with Anna, but let me try by saying that of all the things we did and experienced during our three weeks in Italy, my wife and I said before we returned home that the tour with Anna was the highlight of our trip. We’ve been to Siena many times and asked Anna if she would be willing to tailor the tour to our interests, which she kindly did. We did a deep dive into late medieval art at the not-to-be-missed Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, the art museum housing the masterpieces of Sienese Art, and we also visited the Duomo where Anna explained things about the uncovered inlaid marble mosaic floor that our untrained eyes missed on previous visits to that building. Anna opened our eyes to art and architecture in so many ways, and my wife and I talked for days afterwards about what she said and what we learned. We now have a new and better understanding of late medieval art, so much so that we can never go back to the way we once saw it. Anna opened up new horizons for us, and for that we are most grateful. Anna is a delightful person and gifted teacher. You will be fortunate to have her show you around Siena and other parts of Tuscany.
– Michael S
Worth the wait!
“Just look at her! She is not only deeply knowledgeable about art history and the town of Siena, but she is charming and effervescent in her delivery. You feel like you've been her friend forever after you've just met. Our morning tour of a contrade and the town itself gave us all new appreciation for a town we had visited before, but only appreciated on the surface until seeing it through her eyes. We knew we wanted Anna to unlock the mysteries of Siena for us for a longtime, but the virus made the timing touch-and-go and take much longer as we would have liked. As we enjoyed our Anna-recommended gelato after it was done, we knew it had been worth the wait in every way. Thanks, Anna!”
— Grace M.
Highly Recommend!!
“Anna is the best! We had a group of 16, ages 4-74 and she made it such an enjoyable day. Every single one of our group enjoyed our day in Sienna. We wish we could have taken her every where we went in Italy! Her knowledge is incredible and she is an amazing story teller. Highly recommend!!”
— Michelle R..
Piazza del Campo, Siena, best classroom there is.
“Anna took us to her Contrada for a tour of their museum and chapel, and told us all about what it's like to belong to a Contrada. She was so enthusiastic and explained things in a way that an American could understand culturally. She knows the details that would be intriguing to an American. I knew about the Contradas but only in relation to the Palio, which is such a tiny aspect, just the most obvious one to the outsider.”
— Linda K.
Hey, who let this guy in on my tour?
Film Screening in the Contrada (oK, you got me - it’s our Palio victory!).
Learning about the Contrade of Siena with Rome Art Program students who visited for the day (there’s a map on the other side too, don’t worry!).
Visiting the Contrada della Lupa with a student group.
reviews of Virtual tours and online classes:
“The best!! I took my students on a virtual tour with Anna and they raved all the next class about it. They now all want to travel to Siena!”
“We just did a virtual tour with Anna. She was great! Super energetic and really informative. If she was this good virtually, she’s probably even better in person.”
“We’ve attended several of her online classes as well as the walkabouts she does in Siena and the surrounding countryside. She’s a great teacher, makes everything very fun, informative, and her personality is the icing on the cake. A fun way to spend the afternoon. Next best thing to being there.”
Follow me on instagram to see my artistic attempts!
Signs of life are returning to Siena…Jan 2021
Picture within a picture
“I went on a private virtual tour yesterday of lovely Siena, Italy, with my sisters, mom, nieces and cousins, who I traveled there with a few years ago. Nothing short of amazing thanks to @sienaitalytours.”
“A dozen of us, who have been missing the ability to travel, enjoyed an amazing virtual walking tour of Siena led by Anna. Rave reviews all around! We felt transported to the beautiful city. The experience exceeded our expectations. Grazie di tutto, Anna!”
“I booked a Virtual tour of Siena for a group of friends in 3 time zones in North America and we are dying to be there in person thanks to Anna! This tour was outstanding! She is an expert who tells the stories of the city, its history and its art in a way that everyone is drawn in. She let us peek in her favourite shop windows with her and we huffed and puffed up those steep hills too. She told us all about the contradictions and Palio and her laugh when we asked her to tell us about her contrada’s win was so delightful. Her love of the city is infectious! Such a wonderful experience!”
“Anna gave us a virtual 90 minute tour of Siena and we loved it. I had visited in the 90’s but she taught me so much more than I knew. After the we both want to go and see it all! Anna makes you laugh and teaches so much history. She adds her own history into the narrative which makes it even better. (I know that I too would have to live in the She-wolf contrada!). We both highly recommend Anna’s tour of Siena and when we are finally able to travel we’d love to take a regular tour with her.”
From “Flora & FAuna”
Visit the Church that never was on a virtual walking tour of Siena!
From “why Italian Art History?”
See where Saint Catherine of Siena lived!
“Excellent excellent sessions and well worth your time spent with Anna and all her knowledge and ability to tell a story.”
“We loved digging more in depth into the life and time of Leonardo da Vinci, and the presenter Anna made this fun and informative. And Zoom worked fine, and made us imagine (for a short time!) that we were there, seeing the Master’s work. In a pandemic!”
“Attended a fabulous online talk with Anna investigating Saints and Iconography. It was informative and entertaining. She is incredibly knowledgable! A great way to spend an evening and fuel our travel dreams.”
“I LOVED this live walking tour of Siena! it was SO much fun! She is a great storyteller! Thanks Anna! I can’t wait to take another one of your virtual tours, and Visit Siena with you!”
“For those who may have an interest in knowing more about Italy across the Pond, I invite you to learn more by a very dear friend who is an expert in art history in Italy, and more. Anna is a professional tour guide with the Rick Steves tour company and because of this pandemic she has had to reinvent herself to adapt to the new ‘not’ normal. And so she now offers a variety of personal and informative expert tours. You will not be disappointed. Anna attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY and received her doctorate PhD. in Italy. Anna now lives in Sienna and without question is one of my most favorite tour guides. Her infectious animated personality is only surpassed by her incredible knowledge of Italy.”
