[Photo: Basilica of San Luca, a symbol of Bologna and a beloved sight to the Bolognesi, who, upon seeing it from the highway, know they have arrived home. Local tidbits you can learn if you take a guided tour or book a travel consulting session with me!]

GUIDED TOURS

I’m a certified hiking/environmental guide and I offer guided walking and hiking tours in Bologna and Emilia-Romagna (both private and group tours). My tours are in the hills, in the countryside and in the Apennine mountains, and may include food and wine tastings.

[I rarely do tours in the city center, and if I do they’re more in ‘urban trekking’ style. If you’re looking for a tour focused on art and architecture, I can refer you to a colleague of mine, who is a licensed tour guide specializing in that.]

“San Luca – The Portico and the Hills” Tour of Bologna

*PORTICO ONLY + GLIMPSE OF THE HILLS [SHORT WALK OPTION]
We will walk up the Portico di San Luca, a landmark monument of Bologna, the longest covered walkway in the world, built in the 17th century with funds from Bologna’s citizenry who wanted a portico that would shelter the Madonna di San Luca icon during its annual descent into the city. The Portico di San Luca is a beloved walk for the Bolognesi, and porticos are a remarkable architectural feature of Bologna, which boasts 38 km of them, currently inserted in the Tentative List of Unesco’s World Heritage sites. During the tour, you’ll learn about both the history of San Luca and why Bologna is the city of porticoes. When we get to the top, I’ll take you to a fantastic photo op of the Basilica di San Luca. The tour ends at the Sanctuary.
Duration of tour: approximately 2 hours. Cost: €110.

*PORTICO + HILLS VARIANT [LONGER WALK]
For experienced walkers interested in taking a longer walk, I offer the option to do a loop that would take us around the hills of San Luca. We’ll walk up through a park that offers ever enchanting views of the Basilica di San Luca, the portico and the city of Bologna, then reach the Sanctuary and descend via the famous Portico di San Luca. This longer variant is approximately 10 km (6.2 miles).
Duration of tour: approximately 4 hours. Cost €165.

For details about these and other tours, please contact me at bolognauncovered@gmail.com.

TRAVEL CONSULTING

I offer one-hour travel consulting sessions via Skype of FaceTime to help you plan your trip in Bologna and around Emilia-Romagna. It can be overwhelming and time-consuming to navigate and select all the information that is available online; wouldn’t it be great to have your trip mapped out in an hour?

Why you should book a travel consulting session with me:

– I’m a local – born and raised in Bologna! I can tell you not just about the must-see sights, but also about gems little known to the masses.

– I love traveling and keep exploring my region regularly so I can share my latest discoveries with you.

– I have experience in the travel industry, having worked as a travel consultant for a U.S. tour operator, Visit Italy Tours, where I planned trips to Italy for American travelers.

– I share tips on places to see, stay and eat I’ve personally experienced and enjoyed.

– I love talking about my region! And I love it even more when travelers enjoy their visit to Bologna & Emilia-Romagna. Good planning goes a long way 🙂

When you contact me, please give me an idea of what you’re most interested in seeing/doing so we can make the most of our chat time.

Cost of 1-hour travel consulting session: €75, payable via Pay Pal.

“I think I hit a gold mine when I found you!  You were extremely helpful in our phone chat and I am impressed with your quick and thorough follow up both to my questions and your additional suggestions.  It was exactly the kind of help I needed!” (from an email I received from Sharon from Kentucky, who booked a travel consulting session with me.)

“I recently used Silvia’s travel consultation service to plan a trip to Bologna and the surrounding area.  She has an in-depth knowledge of the food, culture, and attractions of Emilia-Romagna.  Her consultation process was easy and quite enjoyable.  She developed an amazing itinerary that meets our travel goals perfectly. I highly recommend her services to anyone interested in having a highly personalized itinerary developed by a local expert!” (review by Dan from San Diego)

If you’d like to book a travel consulting session with me, please write me at bolognauncovered@gmail.com.

[In case you’re still wondering about the village above, it’s this one.]