Pspeak one or more foreign languages. They know the history, geography and morphology of the territory. They know how to describe the richness of the artistic heritage, cultural and environmental, involving listeners. And they never deny a smile. They are tour guides who love their profession.
«You must always have the answer ready»
Claudia Baldin48 years old, tour guide specializing in cultural themes.
He lives in the Euganean Hills: «After graduating in Languages in Padua, I started working in a company, but being in an office wasn’t for me. I tried to be a tour leader, then taking the exam to become a qualified guide for the provinces of Padua and Vicenza, including the Euganean Hills and the Venetian Villas. I have been in this profession for 13 years now. Speaking German, I frequently work with tourists from Germany: people who often arrive already prepared and want to learn more. For people like me who love this profession, meeting curious people is stimulating. You never stop studying and updating. And then, before leading a group to a place, you need to check that everything is in order, sometimes you need to do an inspection.
The questions tourists ask us are of all kinds. There are those who want an address for their purchases, those who ask which council is in the city. You always have to have a ready answer. In recent years I have carved out space for other jobs related to tourism. In particular I tried to explain the places with the words of writers and poets. So much so that I got involved in the project of the Francesco Petrarca Literary Park and the Euganean Hillsrecently inaugurated.
Collaborating with experts and university professors, I participated in identifying where to place 57 plaques containing quotes from an author who talks about that specific place. As a guide, I was able to complement the academics’ vision by suggesting sites, for example along the cycle path or a path, creating different opportunities for use by the visitor. With other tourist operators, I work in synergy to enhance the offer of the Literary Park. A satisfaction? When the customer comes back and calls you back because he appreciated your professionalism, courtesy and smile.”
«A wonderful job, in contact with nature and people»
Lolita Gonzo50 years old, environmental hiking guide, vice president of Aigae (Italian Association of Environmental Hiking Guides).
He lives in La Salle (Aosta): «If you are born surrounded by beauty, you search for it your whole life. I am originally from Todi, in Umbria. I graduated in Natural Sciences and as a zoologist I was a researcher for ten years at the University of Perugia. I have always loved the mountains. When in 2007 I wanted to make a change in my life, I moved to Valle d’Aosta to stay for a few months. Instead, bewitched by Mont Blanc, I put down roots there. At first I was hired as a project manager by a company. But after a few years my love for nature resurfaced, pushing me to collaborate with an agency as a guide. Already at university I was involved in teaching, going out with students. It was just a matter of changing audiences.
I took a hiking guide course in Piedmontpassing the exam. Thus a new life began for me. As an Aigae guide in the Aosta Valley, in the summer I accompany tourists on excursions ranging from 500 to 2000 meters and above, in the winter I organize snowshoeing. My job is different from that of a mountain guide, who takes a client along a route that requires specific sporting skills. Trekking, on the other hand, is for everyone. During the trip, I talk about nature, history, culture. I know the names of plants and flowers, or animals. But I’m not interested in making a list. The environmental hiking guide provides nature education: knowing the environment helps to defend it. I generally accompany groups of 15 people and I never exceed 25. Then there are particular animal observation activities, for example during the chamois mating period, where the maximum is 10 people. Aigae requires constant professional updating, with the achievement of 20 training credits every two years. To young people who fear they won’t be able to support themselves with this job because it is seasonal, I say: try, focusing on quality. It is a wonderful profession, in contact with nature and people. The income is variable, but it allows you to live.”
«We are the ambassadors of our territory»
Tiziana Zamai41 years old, tour guide specializing in food and wine.
He lives in Trieste: «I studied English, German and Russian at the School for Interpreters and Translators in Trieste. I have always liked learning languages to discover other cultures. At the beginning I worked for a maintenance company in the port, then for the tourism promotion company. When there was the exam for a tour leader, I signed up and then I also took the one for a guide. It wasn’t a joke: the Region required attendance of a demanding course, and there were only 25 places. In July 2012 I passed the exam. Working in a company helped me, teaching me how to manage a group with an organizational spirit. I am lucky enough to be sensitive and empathetic, and if among the tourists there is some “grumpy person” who doesn’t like anything, I try to approach him and involve him. Having people’s trust is not a given, but we guides are the ambassadors of the territory, it is important to build a good relationship, and I like this human side of the job. I came to food and wine by chance: I was working a lot with German tourists and a tour operator specializing in trips with tastings asked me to create an itinerary for my area. The requests are many. In Germany there is interest in discovering Italian excellence that produce wine, oil, pasta, the Trieste coffee roasters. In one of the latest tours I added a producer who makes hams with pigs in the wild in the Karst. Many were surprised: they expect from us only seafood cuisine, but by traveling inland they understand how important the tradition of meat and the flavors of the plateau is. Last month I worked for a few days with a group of Germans and Swiss. When we said goodbye, they gave me a bottle of wine, with a thank you letter. I was moved and happy, because I had managed to make them feel the passion for my work.”
«My customers? From 5 to 80 years old. For everyone I look for the right path”
Marica Favé49 years old, mountain guide.
He lives in Campitello di Fassa (Trento): «Sport has always been at the center of my life. I started skiing when I was three and a half years old and was in the national alpine ski team for eight years. My father was a mountain guide and ski instructor, he passed on to me his love for the mountains. Upon leaving the national team, I stayed in the United States for two years and upon my return I was looking for a new challenge. I tried with the call for mountain guides. I was especially prepared for ski mountaineering, I knew how to climb on ice and for rock climbing I worked hard to succeed. Once admitted to the course, after the exam I became an aspiring mountain guide, a qualification that already allows you to work. After two or three years, there is a further test to become an international mountain guide. Obviously all these exams do not serve to demonstrate sporting and technical competence, which you must already have, but to certify that you are able to take clients to the summit safely.
About my job, I like the idea of being able to guide people to do something that they wouldn’t be able to do on their own. The age? From five years old – a little one who performed an easy via ferrata – to eighty. The first approach is important to evaluate skills and experience. If I have doubts, I always propose an itinerary that provides an easy way out. What matters is finding the right path for the person in front of you. Difficulties? An atmospheric change, or a customer insecurity. The mountain guide must know how to remain calm.
Women are few (until a few months ago, 25 out of around 2000 professionals in Italy) but they often have greater sensitivity. They understand if the client can’t make it because she is at the limit of her strength, and they look for an alternative. From a technical point of view, however, men and women have the same skills and are on equal terms: it is not a job based on physical strength. A special engagement? In Norway, for two weeks. By catamaran to go skiing on the fjords. She climbed up on our skins, then we went down the off-piste on skis.”
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED