GET TO KNOW YOUR FLORENCE ENGLISH TOUR GUIDE A LITTLE BETTER.
Hello, my name is Ghislaine and I am an official tourist guide about Florence and its province. I live in the Santo Spirito district (Oltrarno) in the historic center of Florence, where you can ‘breathe’ the real life of the Florentines. I am a mother of a 10-year-old girl (Mia). I have been an official guide in Florence since 2007. More than ten years later, I am still happy to stroll around the city, curious to meet new people, and discover the details to understand new links between art and history, between the past and the present.
I am lucky! I do the job I love most.
My ‘office’ is unique and beautiful: my workplaces are the squares, markets, churches, palaces, and museums of Florence. To be a guide means accompanying you on a journey, offering you a sentimental and passionate experience for all the senses. I try to make my visits lively and attractive.
If I had to define myself? I am a relaxed and flexible person, looking for the silver lining of life. I put passion into what I do.
What do I love about Florence? Hidden alleys, morning and sunset lights, salumi, red wine, and cantuccini!
Why choose a certified tourist guide in a territory? Certification attests to the guide’s skills, knowledge of the territory, and passion, as well as the completion of a professional career guaranteeing quality service. According to Italian law, every official tourist guide requires, after passing the aptitude test for the profession, an authorization card and authorization to practice.
My background and education
I was born and raised in Venice (another fantastic city). Venetian Italian on my father’s side and French on my mother’s side. Thanks to her, I always maintained close relations with France, where I stayed regularly. Immersed in French culture, I learned and spoke French from an early age. After grammar school, I went to live in Parma (yes, the city of ham!), and I obtained a law degree after five years of study. But the Law was not my passion. It was only after university that I realized what I wanted to do: work in tourism with a special interest in art, history, and traditions. At the age of 25, I passed the Tourist Guide exam, which allowed me to enter the world of tourism and better understand what it means to be ‘at the service’ of customers and to adapt to their needs. This will be an important step that will allow me to acquire indispensable service and organizational skills as well as improve my knowledge of the area. But this was not enough for me: after various experiences abroad in contact with different cultures, I decided “to take the leap”, and in 2007 I prepared for the Local Tourist Guide exam. My dream now is coming true in Florence, whose beauty and richness make it the ideal city most suited to my interests. After years of study, travel, and experience, my clients have allowed me to deepen my knowledge through dialogue and exchange. Especially children because they are “my glasses”, eyes see so much that adults cannot see. Thanks to them I learned a lot and, little by little, I chose them as my preferred audience to familiarise them with beauty, history, and art and to make my visits an enriching and enjoyable experience.
Often I invite my daughter and her friends to discover and experience new things. Always a success!
I am a member of the Guide Association of Tuscany (AGT), the National Tourist Guide Association (ANGT), and the World Federation of Tourist Guides. I am active in the protection of my profession because the profession of tourist guide is regulated by the Italian State through examinations after years of studies, internships, and apprenticeships.