Unlock Italy Guided Tours

Casa
Italia
Florence
Unlock Italy Guided Tours

Ciao! We are Lauren & Luca: tour guides who curate privately guided tour experiences across Italy!

Lauren moved from California to Italy over ten years ago and Luca is from Tuscany. While we work in Florence, Tuscany & Rome, we can also connect you with guides in Naples, the Amalfi Coast & Venice. From vacation planning to skip the line tickets to guided tours, cooking classes, and interactive lectures, our aim is to show you the best parts of the country we love.

27/06/2025

My latest Substack - some Medici related, historic perspective on the protestors against the Bezos wedding in Venice. Thanks for reading!

05/05/2025

The last few months have been super busy with tours all things literary - I’ve been enjoying being a part of the numerous wonderful talks arranged by the Florence Literary Society.

is about to launch the early access sale for Florence Publishing Day and you don’t want to miss it! This one-day event will bring together four international publishing professionals to share their knowledge and experience about the current publishing industry with writers of all genres. We are also hosting an event this Saturday in Florence all about how to pitch your book with the perfect logline. If you’re into writing and publishing, you have to come (sign up links ). Hope to see you there!

26/03/2025

Yesterday was Dantedì! March 25th marks the original Florentine new year and day to celebrate all things Dante. This month the Florentine published my latest piece for my column Ink & Stone which was all about Dante, Beatrice and the church of Santa Margherita dei Cerchi. If you’ve been on a tour with me you’ve probably heard me question whether this should be called “the church of Dante” or if “the church of Beatrice” is more fitting (she is supposedly buried there after all!). In the course of writing the article I actually changed my own mind on the matter as I started to differentiate the real historic Beatrice from the symbolic Beatrice of Dante’s poetry. (Painting of Beata Beatrix by Rossetti.)

Last month’s Ink & Stone article was on Machiavelli and Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of democratic fragility.

Next month’s article will be out in the Florentine next week, this time about a 20th century author and a Renaissance painter.

The last photo is of “the rock of Dante” because who doesn’t aspire to have a rock labeled with their name?

03/02/2025

So pleased to finally be able to share the creation of on here with photos of the launch event at the end of January. FLS is an official cultural association resulting from the collaborative efforts of .e.hetherington , Libby Cataldi and myself over the last year. It started as the Florence writers community newsletter and now has grown into an association with the aim of organizing events with the English speaking writers community of Florence and ultimately bringing back publishing day this fall. For more info on events and how to become a member check out the link in bio.

Event photo shout out to - grazie mille!

28/01/2025

For part of my guide licensing exam I took years ago I had to create and explain a tour of the Vasari Corridor and last month I finally got to walk through it for the first time! After being closed for 8 years it finally opened to the public. I wrote about it for if you’d like to know more of the history of the corridor and how to make the most of your visit.

09/12/2024

This time in December of 2020 I was finishing the editing of the very first edition of which launched in January 2021. Now I hold issue number 6 in my hands! Over the years this little literary journal has grown with the help of volunteers (shout out to the tireless !), numerous guest judges, and of course the incredible submissions of people from around the world who contribute to making each issue of the magazine a treasure trove of artistic work. I feel so privileged to be able to work on this project and excited for many new Open Doors announcements coming soon!

If you’re in Florence this Thursday December 12th, please consider coming to the launch party of issue number 6 to say hi! I’ll be at Sotto al British from 5pm-8pm (more info ).

31/07/2024

Italian summer ☀️ it started slow but the heat has arrived! Also … where did July go? 😅

19/02/2024

POV: You’re a tour guide in Florence watching your spring calendar fill up but you’re chanting to yourself: balance balance balance! Trying to hit that Goldilocks goal of juuuust right 🤞 Other freelancers - can you relate?
*
Last year I made a major change in Unlock Italy. Since 2017 we have been offering private guided tours in locations all over the country. But last year we reached a combination of too many requests (a good problem to have!) and a huge change in the ticketing system for the Vatican and Colosseum that now makes individuals compete with bots and massive tour operators to get tickets.
*
So I decided to change.
*
Unlock Italy now offers trip planning services to book tours around the country alongside logistics advice and suggestions for how to best explore this beautiful country in a way that’s suited to you and not to the masses. Luca and I still offer “à la carte” tours but only in Florence and Tuscany where we mainly work.
*
It was so hard to make this choice and change the business model I’d been using for years and it’s taken me months to get used to this new normal. But the result is infinitely more space to grow in other ways (teaching, studying, writing) and to be more present on the tours I’m giving.
*
I hope this year brings me to more off the beaten track places, special experiences and the time to connect with people both in the world of tourism and without.
*
Today I stopped to watch the sunlight on Santa Maria Novella instead of just speeding by on my way to the train home and that in itself felt just right.

11/02/2024

Rain or shine, is there anywhere as magical as Venice? I’m always struck by how you can find a completely deserted alleyway just seconds away from the absolutely packed main thoroughfares in the city. It helps to have a local showing you the way like or I would definitely have been lost in the labyrinth!

31/12/2023

Auguri a tutti from Lauren & Luca! Thanks to all of you who spent time with us in Italy in 2023!

12/12/2023

‘Tis the season for vino rosso! 🍷 😍

Indirizzo

Florence

Sito Web

http://www.unlockitaly.com/

Notifiche

Lasciando la tua email puoi essere il primo a sapere quando Unlock Italy Guided Tours pubblica notizie e promozioni. Il tuo indirizzo email non verrà utilizzato per nessun altro scopo e potrai annullare l'iscrizione in qualsiasi momento.