Before entering the travel business, I was a professional art history nerd. I honed my skills as a tour guide at the Met Cloisters for 16 years, which made me very selective about the tours I chose for my travels. There’s a lot of junk out there, and it’s important to me that my clients invest their time and money well.
In this episode, I chat with Petulia Melideo of Context Travel about the overcrowding of the most famous sites in Rome and Florence and how to avoid it. It’s an honest, straightforward conversation that I hope will provide you with fantastic value. And if you want to ask me a question or hear me dish on the things I hold back from saying at the 4:07 mark of this episode, join our subscriber community, and we’ll work it all out there.
00:16 My Journey from the Met Cloisters and the Secret of the Unicorn Tapestries
00:53 The Art of Being a Tour Guide
03:19 Choosing the Right Tour
05:44 The Impact of Over Tourism in Rome and Florence
10:38 Exploring Off the Beaten Path in Ostia Antica
21:26 Traveling with Kids in Italy Is So Much Easier Than You Think
26:29 A Slice of Local Life Near the Pantheon in the Piazza di Pietra
29:24 Conclusion and Invitation
The crowds enter the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David.
Episode 3: To Tour Or Not To Tour