Venezia Arte Guides
Venezia Arte was founded in 2009 by a group of Qualified Guides working in the cultural heritage and tourism sector, who have long been committed to promoting alternative itineraries for a mindful and sustainable tourism. We would like to introduce you to Venezia Arte Guides:
Federica Chiuch
Federica graduated in Oriental Languages and Literature from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. She has lived in Venice for almost thirty years and it is her ideal city. She lived in China and then worked as a tour manager and interpreter both abroad and in Italy. She is passionate about the history and art of Venice, and in 2000 gained her licence as an official tour guide to Venice and its lagoon. She works as a volunteer with the FAI and helps to create documentary material about the safeguarding of Venice. Her free time revolves around dance, travel and the discovery of culinary traditions from around the world.
Diana Cugola
This Venetian is a guide to Venice, the lagoon and the Veneto villas. Diana graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. She loves travel, cinema and visual arts, and has worked in the tourism and film sectors in various countries in Europe and North Africa, spending lengthy periods in Russia. For years she worked at the Venice Biennale (in the Cinema, Architecture and Visual Arts sectors) and for the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, as well as working as a consultant for ABC and National Geographic on their TV programmes about Venice. She loves her work and the extraordinary uniqueness of this city.
Emanuela Favero
Emanuela was born in Venice and obtained her degree in Oriental Languages and Literature from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. She has lived in Japan, where she perfected her Japanese and knowledge of its culture, becoming an aficionado of ceramics and tea ceremonies. On her return to Venice, she focussed on studying Western art. She has been a tour guide since 2000 and loves her work. She has worked for years with the FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) on safeguarding monuments. Her interests include cats, cooking and oriental issues.
Arianna Gambirasi
An authorised guide to Venice and Treviso, Arianna graduated in Art History, specialising in Venetian sixteenth-century art. As well as working as a guide, she is also an art historian: previously at the Correr Museum in Venice and now at the Culture Office of Venice City Council. She has been President of the Associazione Guide del Veneto-Guide di Marca for nine years, and continues to be involved in art history, organising training, conventions, conferences and lessons. She is keen on literature, anthropology and communication, and is also active on the web and social media as a blogger and youtuber.
Corine Govi
A Venice guide since 2000, Corine was born and grew up in Provence. On obtaining her university degree in History of Art and Tourist Techniques, she became an official guide in France before deciding to work as a guide in Venice. She has worked for many years with the most important cultural institutes in Venice (the Venice Biennale, Teatro la Fenice, Ca’ Foscari University), with French financial newspapers such as Le Point, and specialist guides such as Le Petit Futé and Rick Steve. She has worked with France 2/Secrets d’Histoire and France 3/Des racines et des Ailes on cultural programmes. Her vocation is to transmit the culture of beauty.
Cristina Gregorin
Cristina has been a qualified Venice guide since 1991, a long period of time in which she has been able to study in depth many aspects of this extraordinary city. She is particularly passionate about what is still alive in Venice today: the artistic craftspeople (about whom she has published a book and numerous articles), young designers and artists, as well as the city’s everyday life consisting of unique customs. She was part of a citizens’ association for a number of years and campaigned about various serious questions for the city and for the equilibrium of its lagoon.
Elisabetta Morelli
After graduating in Languages from Cà Foscari University in Venice, Elisabetta worked in the world of tourism, working with various agencies and cultural institutes (including the Venice Biennale) before becoming a tour escort. After obtaining her licence, she became a guide to Venice and its lagoon. Since 2000 she has worked with the Rick Steves US agency. Her passion for languages and art suits her job perfectly, allowing her to combine the history of the Serenissima with the everyday life of this unique city.
Caterina Nardin
Caterina lives in Venice, where she graduated in Languages and Literature from Ca’ Foscari University. After various jobs in the tourist sector, she obtained her licence as a professional tour guide. She focuses on Byzantine history and history of art, in particular Greek and Roman architecture and late medieval, medieval and post-medieval archaeology, with particular reference to Venetian archaeology and the origins of the city. For the last ten years she has been a volunteer guide with the FAI, taking visitors around the sites of major interest in her city.
Susanna Rodighiero
Susanna’s love of travel has led her to work in the field of tourism since she was at university. After graduating in Languages with a specialisation in American Literature, she decided to continue working as a tour manager and then became an official tour guide in 2005. Her passion for this job saw her return to university and in 2015 she graduated a second time, this time in History of Art specialising in Medieval and Byzantine Art.
Laura Sabbadin
Laura was born and bred in Venice, and she will never leave it. After graduating in Modern Languages, she worked as a teacher, translator and interpreter, before deciding to take the official tour guide exam. Laura has worked with organisations such as the Venice Biennale, the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel and the Fai, to name just a few, but since 2000 her main focus has been her work as a tour guide. It is a challenging job, which requires extensive research and a need to keep up to speed. Above all it requires indispensable communication skills in order to offer a memorable and enjoyable travel experience.
Hélène Salvadori
Hélène graduated in History and History of Art from Ca ‘Foscari University in Venice, after having spent a few months at Warwick University. In 2000 she obtained her authorised guide licence for the city of Venice, and since then has worked with tour operators, universities, institutes and private clients. As well as her love for art history, which she inherited from her family, she is also interested in contemporary dance and art, cooking and, above all, yoga. She has worked as a consultant with the BBC and ARTE on documentaries about Venice.
Rita Sartori
Rita is a guide of Venice and its lagoon. After graduating in Languages, Art, History and Civilization, and a second degree in Economics and Management of Arts, she is still collaborating with Maclab, a research centre of the Department of Management, at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, with a focus on redundant religious heritage. She is actually a member of the organization Future for Religious Heritage. She has worked as a researcher for RAI, National Geographic Television, BBC and RTI-Mediaset on documentaries on the history of Venice and the environmental issues of the Venice Lagoon.
Sabrina Scaglianti
Sabrina was born and grew up in Venice, but she studied and lived abroad in the USA, Germany and Japan. After graduating in Oriental Languages and Cultures from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice with a thesis on the Anthropology of Tourism, she has worked in this sector for over twenty years, first as a tour escort and since 2002 as an official tour guide to Venice. She works with visitors of all ages and nationalities, aiming to create dialogues between cultures, with a particular focus on younger visitors. Her leisure interests include singing, anthroposophy and travel.
Cinzia Trevisan
Cinzia was born and grew up in Venice. She lived for two years in the USA, in California, Texas, and Florida where she worked for a year in Orlando, at EPCOT Center (Disney World). She obtained her first degree in History from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, focussing particularly on Byzantine and Venetian history and art. Since 2000 she has been a licenced tour guide to Venice and the Veneto villas. For years she has devoted herself to initiatives aimed at promoting Venetian culture and safeguarding its artworks. She recently obtained her MA in Economics and Management in Arts and Culture, studying in depth subjects related to the international law and the protection of cultural heritage, UNESCO and sustainable tourism.
Francesca Zanatta
After obtaining her degree in Chinese Language and Literature at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Francesca’s love of the East led her to continue her studies in the relations between Venice and the Far East. Her studies strengthened her love of this city, which in time led her to become a guide, allowing her to take her guests around the intricate labyrinth of culture and cultures, history and stories, art and wonders which only Venice contains.
Giovanna Zane
Giovanna has lived in Venice since she was born, but she never ceases to be amazed by its extraordinary beauty. She graduated in English Language and Literature, and has been an authorised tour guide since 2003. She considers it an enormous privilege to be able to share her immense love for her city with the people she meets. For the last few years she has volunteered with the FAI as part of the Venice delegation, with the aim of making people aware of less famous, but no less significant places. Venice is a magical city and Giovanna feels there is nothing like getting lost in its streets and finding traces of its centuries-old history in every detail.