Caterina Barcucci – Licensed Guide in Florence
I have been working as a tour guide in Florence since 1998, and yes for more than 20 years! I must admit that writing it gave me a somewhat peculiar feeling. However, it’s a good one for sure as I know that during these years I haven’t lost the passion for my job and I have acquired a unique baggage of experience.
Being a fluent English and Russian speaker I have helped visitors from all over the world discover Florence. This has enriched me greatly and deeply.
Through the years I have understood that knowing the city, its history and its cultural heritage is not all that there is to my job. Don’t get me wrong, I consider knowledge essential and I have never stopped studying and learning more about my city. However, I know for sure that a guided tour is not an art history class or a university lecture. I am not a professor, but rather a guide. If you decide to follow me you will see that I offer neither lectures nor tours, but rather guided visits. What is the difference? I will not just have you follow a route from point A to point C while making a list of dates and names. Together we will dive deep into history in search of the essence of Florentine architecture and arts. Together we will discover why so much beauty has been created and how it changed forever the world around it.
Furthermore, I don’t consider Florence to be just an open-air museum. It’s a city with a charismatic, charming and lively spirit, as described and narrated by many. Hence, I will share with you what one learns by living in Florence and experiencing it as a local. This means that I will make sure your visit goes beyond stereotypes and I will help you avoid the so called “tourist traps”
Last but not least: I am a traveler myself. I know how precious holidays are and how many expectations we all place in them. They are special days and I will do all my best to make them an unforgettable experience.
My background
I was born in Tuscany and Florence became my adoptive hometown twenty five years ago. Before moving here I lived in Rome and Saint Petersburg, as well as traveling a lot. I belong to the first generation of Italians that had the opportunity to expand their horizons by studying and living abroad. I graduated from La Sapienza university In Rome with a first-class honours degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures. Studying English, Russian – and additionally French and German – opened my eyes to the world around me and allowed me to work as a translator and interpreter for business meetings, congresses, talk shows and much more. Seeing how different cultures interact and communicate taught me how to listen and observe things from more than one perspective. Subsequently, I decided to combine my passion for languages and cultural exchanges with another substantial part of my upbringing: the love of the arts. My father was an erudite and author of several art history books devoted to the cultural heritage of his home town, Montepulciano. This definitely kindled in me the passion for the arts, a passion that accompanied me through my youth and adulthood. For this reason, when I obtained the tour guide diploma I didn’t see it just as a great work opportunity, but also as a true honor. I still believe this today and I am grateful to all those visitors that have made sharing my knowledge and my passion possible.
mobile phone +39 348 8700043
Partita Iva/Vat nr. 01040940528