L'Italo-Americano

" W h i s p e r s " r e f e r s t o t h e a u d i o a p p a r a t u s u s e d b y guides. "The visitors use 'aurico- lari' — like ear-buds — tuned i n t o t h e g u i d e ' s h e a d s e t m i c r o p h o n e , " F l o r i a n a explains. "So we can speak in a normal, quiet voice, and not disturb other groups or individuals." This is especial- ly useful at indoor locations l i k e c h u r c h e s and palazzi and some muse- ums, she said - and it's oblig- atory. How does one find a good private guide? "It's best to find a company that focuses on the specific area you want to visit," Floriana advises, "so that your guide is more likely to be well-versed in the local sites." Moreover, a big nationwide or international company means a lot of mid- dle-man percentages; a local company can offer a better price for a group as well as a local guide. Floriana has many inter- esting stories from her many the Sacro Bosco di Bomar- zo (also known as the Parco dei Mostri or "Park of Mon- sters") is fascinating and unique: "I incorporate new historical scholarship into the visit — some of it hasn't even been published yet. So people can see these fantas- tic sculptures in a new light." F l o r i a n a a l s o s u g g e s t s that tourists communicate with their guide in advance, to let them know about the a g e s a n d i n t e r e s t s o f t h e group. "I try to design a tour depending on each group of clients, and I keep up with d i f f e r e n t a s p e c t s o f e a c h site." With advance notice, she explains, a guide can change the presentation if i t ' s a g r o u p w i t h a l o t o f youngsters, or if it's a group of art historians. For many of the tourist sites in Italy, particularly those conducted indoors, guided groups are required by law to use "whispers." T h i s d o e s n ' t m e a n j u s t speaking in a quiet voice. years of leading tours. One has to do with tipping. Many tourists, of course, are from the United States, and they sometimes tip in US dollars. " T o u r g u i d e s a n d c o a c h (bus) drivers have a sort of network," Floriana says. "If someone is going to visit the US, other guides give that p e r s o n t h e i r d o l l a r s i n exchange for Euros. It's the only way many of them can a c t u a l l y e v e r u s e t h a t t i p m o n e y . " [ O u r t a k e a w a y : P l e a s e t i p y o u r g u i d e s i n local currency!] Another story she related was about guiding a tour to a winery visit on Lago Brac- ciano. It was a friendly, lively tour group of Americans. "As everyone was tasting wine and taking in the beautiful vineyards, one visitor asked me: what do you do when you're not leading tours?" Among several jobs, Floriana works teaching English; and s h e i s a l s o a s i n g e r — a soprano with a deep back- ground in classical music, including opera and musical theatre. "I told them I had just come from performing a concert at a castle not far away, singing opera arias with a tenor." Upon hearing this, of course, the visitors were very excited, and they asked her several times to sing. "I felt so relaxed with t h e s e n i c e p e o p l e i n t h a t beautiful place, and the wine h a d s t a r t e d t o p o u r — s o finally I sang a little bit of O Sole Mio." One woman start- ed crying a bit, she said, and the sun started setting over the vine-covered hillside. "It w a s a p e r f e c t ' I t a l i a n moment' — and they gave me a very generous tip after- wards!" A n d i n t h i s c a s e , s h e added happily, the tip was in Euros. About the authors: Zene- ba & Matt moved from the U.S. to Italy in 2019, where they live and work as per- forming musicians. They a r e a l s o a u t h o r s o f f o u r a w a r d - w i n n i n g t r a v e l guidebooks, and as Little R o a d s E u r o p e t h e y c r a f t itineraries for travelers who want to visit small towns and enjoy authentic experi- ences in Italy and Ireland. www.littleroadseurope.com says. "I can dig much deeper into the local history and traditions, and that makes a more interesting presenta- tion, I think." A t o u r g u i d e ' s l i c e n s e l a s t s f o r e v e r , b u t m a n y guides regard that as a mini- m u m k n o w l e d g e b a s e . Some, like Floriana, keep up to date on new scholarship and research about the his- torical sites they visit with t o u r i s t s . D u r i n g s l o w tourism periods (especially in winter), conferences and c o n v e n t i o n s t a k e p l a c e , where guides can learn and add to their base of knowl- edge. Many tour guides take their work as a labor of love as well as a livelihood, seek- ing out additional informa- tion about their area when- ever and wherever they can find it. What they relay in their tours reflects the extra r e s e a r c h t h e y ' v e d o n e , beyond what was necessary for the original exams. For instance, Floriana's a p p r o a c h t o h e r t o u r o f THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano D i d y o u k n o w t h a t t o u r g u i d e s i n Italy need to pass universi- ty-level exams in order to obtain a tour guide license? V i s i t o r s t o I t a l y o f t e n want a private tour of some of the historic and artistic sites throughout the country. W e s a t d o w n w i t h o u r friend Floriana Carnevali, w h o h a s b e e n a g u i d e licensed by the Italian gov- e r n m e n t s i n c e 2 0 1 2 , a n d asked her to tell us a little bit about this profession. "Guides must pass a sepa- rate test for each language," Floriana explains. "Some- times people have to take the test several times before they p a s s . " F o r t h e e x a m s , prospective guides have to d e m o n s t r a t e e x t e n s i v e knowledge in a particular province — for example, Flo- r i a n a i s a n e x p e r t i n o u r area, the Viterbo province north of Rome. Often called the Tuscia, this is an area r i c h i n E t r u s c a n ( p r e - Roman) history as well as R o m a n , m e d i e v a l , a n d Renaissance periods. "Guides have to have a deep knowledge of the geog- raphy, archaeology, art his- tory, and enogastronomia [ w i n e a n d f o o d ] o f t h e i r area," she says, "as well as a fluency in the languages they will use." Guides may only conduct tours in the lan - guages they are licensed in; the languages are printed on their government-issued ID badges. Floriana is Italian, fluent in English — she is also a Cambridge-certified English teacher — and she's licensed to conduct tours in Italian, English, French, and Spanish. Until recent years, a guide was only permitted to con- d u c t t o u r s i n t h e i r o w n province; that is, a guide licensed in Rome couldn't lead a tour in Florence, or vice versa. However, in an effort to enhance tourism, the government has relaxed and unified the certification requirements. Now, a guide like Floriana is an expert in one area, as the exams are still regional; but they can conduct a tour anywhere in the country. N e v e r t h e l e s s , F l o r i a n a p r e f e r s t o s t i c k c l o s e t o home. "I like to concentrate on tours in my area," she MATT WALKER & ZENEBA BOWERS LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Floriana at work with a group of tourists (Photo courtesy of M.Walker and Z.Bowers) Discovering Italy with an expert: a chat with Floriana Carnevali

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