One of the best goals in life is when you're able to turn your passion and hobby into a job, but it's even better when you meet amazing people as your clients.
About two weeks ago I was leading a tour in Venice and I had the pleasure to meet these two great guys, Jennifer and Jule from LA.

I immediately noticed that they were particularly interested about what I was saying, curious about Venice, its stories and beautiful spot and they also perfectly got my message about sustainable tourism in a unique city like this. After the tour I went home and couple of hours later Jen wrote me an email asking information about a Venice Photo Tour with me. I was so happy about it and the day after a met them again.
Jennifer is a freelance writer &a social media manager, Jule works as video assistant and we found many mutual interests, so the tour has been great. I love to explain technical things about photography and cameras to my clients and realize that they improve their skills in the end of the tour, and I love to bring them off the beaten track to show them places that they wouldn't have found otherwise, and doing it with clients like them is like to do it with your friends!
The thing that impressed me more was how they approached Venice, maybe it was because of Jen's italian roots, but they have been two of the best tourists that I have met. They showed a great respect about the beauty of this delicate city, that is rare to find nowadays (not even in the locals), a genuine interest about history, local traditions and set of problems that affect the city, and they truly liked the spots and glimpses that I let them discover during the Venice Photo Tour.

In the end i'm doubly happy because Jennifer wrote about me and Shooting Different in her blog writing also about how visiting a city with the help of a local makes the difference. So don't miss her article if you want to know a useful and positive way to visit Venice!
What are you waiting for? Do like Jen & Jule, visit the website, contact me and book your favorite Shooting Different - Venice Photo Tour!
Thank you again guys!
Cheers

Clearly if you decide to live in Venice you need also to deal with the fact that there are tourists, they will always be there. Without them the city dies.
There's no point in the useless daily complain of local Venetians that dream about an empty Venice because it won't never be like this.
There's a point instead in asking for rules and regulations to preserve an ancient, delicate, precious, priceless environment. The example should be Iceland with its about 300.000 residents and 2,3 millions visitors (2017). The government started to raise the prices, to preserve a particular context and to allow to visit the country just to the ones that are really interested in.
In Venice happens the opposite, 53.000 residents and 30 millions visitors every year, everyday in Venice there are more tourists than locals, in a city that is smaller than a neighborhood of London.
Why? bad government and bad residents that think they can to whatever they want just because they are Venetians but they're more than often worse than the tourists.
Savage Airbnb, number of the cruises increased, locals that sell their places to Chinese people for a lot of money (but then they are the ones complaining because there are too many Chinese, but complain with the pockets full of money is way easier).
The result is the almost complete loss of authenticity and tradition in the most beautiful city in the world and the daily damage of an amazing palace.
Why? Because too many cruises create an invasion, Airbnb and new hostels create an invasion making affordable to everyone to visit Venice, selling places creates an invasion making affordable to everyone to stay in Venice trying to spend always less and less. Invasion means damages to a delicate city that was born 1597 years ago, invasion means a lot of garbage, invasion means that nobody can really enjoy Venice.
This is simply crazy because in other cities like London, Paris, New York it's necessary to pay even for the air that you breathe, Venice instead became one of the cheapest city in the world (if you think the opposite you should reconsider your ability as a tourist) and it should be the opposite.
It would be possible to speak about this for hours but no. The only thing that i'd like to say is to respect this place, walk on the right, don't jump in the water, remember that there's a real life going on and this is not a luna park, come to Venice if you can afford it and if you can support the local traditions and economy and please, be better than the locals, so don't always scream and don't soil everywhere but also respect them and their activities.
Listen to Lorenzo Quinn with one of the most significative art pieces for Venice

If you want a good taste of this amazing reality through you hobby and passion, visit my website and contact me to enjoy your favorite Venice Photo Tour to bring back with you the nicest memories of your trip
Cheers.

It happens that  @jaykannon , who studied here and he obviously fell in love with Venice, comes here to visit his old friends and ask you to take a Venice Photo Tour together because with a local tour guide it's totally cool.
Nothing better than walking around with someone that share your interests, inspiration increases and good pictures are the natural result (soon on my website), but I found also a lot of nice couples sharing love or simply good time together in the perfect context offered by this magical city. So why not to take some pictures of them?

Basilica della Salute and Punta della Dogana characterize one of the most amazing spots of the city, beautiful scenery, breathtaking views of St. Mark's Square, San Giorgio and Giudecca. Don't forget about Festa del Redentore tomorrow, the biggest celebration of the city with an amazing 45 minutes fireworks show! We are going to celebrate the end of the plague that happened between 1575 and 1577, so you can't miss the walk (just 24hrs in a year) on the pontoon bridge connecting Venice with Giudecca Island in from of the wonderful Redentore's church designed by Andrea Palladio.



Obviously after a long walk and shooting session nothing better than a beer at the most appreciated place among the locals for aperitivo, Al Squero in front of the real Squero San Trovaso where the is preserved the tradition of the gondola's construction.
So come on, once in Venice book your Venice Photo Tour on the website and enjoy good vibes and love surrounding my beautiful city!

Cheers

Sometimes it's nice to leave a beautiful city for another, even just for a week end, the best chance to visit friends that you didn't meet since months or years and to breathe some fresh air before to come back to the daily routine.
Everything started with a pleasant randomness, a first class ticket on Italo, a comfortableand relaxing trip interrupted just by the incredible burp of a chinese traveler after biscuits and coffee offered on board. Once in Rome @valeriofitzroy was waiting for me at Termini train station, and there I definitely reconsidered the concept of crowd!

First stop Trastevere, one of my (pretty predictable) favorite places of the city, where I've been explained about few local activities like Bar S. Calisto, probably the bar preferred among the locals, with his unaltered charme from the '70's, here one thing won't never miss, Peroni.

Speaking about dinner you can just be spoiled for choice, it's enough to be aware about the many touristy places, and in this case being with a local makes the whole difference! Da Augusto is an authentic place with typical local cuisine and more than honest prices, Trapizzino instead is good if you like street food with its tasty pizza and supplì; then walking around is just..nice



I spent the night at Villa Ada wonderful place with an amazing park that is hosting a music festival, here I had the pleasure to listen to Ainé and Joe Victor , nice drinks, great music, amazing people.

I dedicated the day after to my favorite activity when in another city, walking around alone, in this case not to discover hidden spots but to take a look to the rooftop of Rinascente in Via del Tritone, nice terrace but not comparable to the one of Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice but with a great surplus, bar and restaurant.


The first floor anyway shows an amazing aqueduct inaugurated by Augusto in 19 b.C. that was used to power the main fountains go the city like Fontana di Trevi.
Then walking around I was definitely relieved noticing that overcrowding is not just a problem that we have in venice!

In the evening I did' resist to the appeal of Piazza San Pietro and the Vatican, in this case I don't think that pictures would be necessary! Last stop of the day at Guerrini dal 1958 for a deserved Gin & Tonic.

On Sunday morning, few hours before to leave I had time to visit other amazing places in the area around Ponte Milvio.

One in particular that I always saw just in books was Auditorium Parco della Musica designed by Renzo Piano, simply an incredible place.



Before a quick lunch I couldn't have gone for a touristy ride, but I can promise you that with a local the experience is completely different...

...in fact I had also time for a cheap vintage shopping, amazing second hand leather jacket at Le vesti di Messalina
Finally the best quick lunch that I could have imagined was at Ce Stamo a Pensà , Neapolitan food that speaks Roman = FRIED

After this I obviously slept all the time coming back to Venice, and actually once in my city I was pretty happy. Rome is obviously wonderful, magnificent and amazing, but it's too much, too chaotic, too much traffic, too dirty sometimes with many holes everywhere (yes it's definitely true), but I will go back soon because history speaks around every corner, the atmosphere is more than welcoming and there so many things that I didn't discovered yet.
So now it's time again to join many Venice Photo Tours, book your favorite one and let me guide you through the most amazing places of my city all summer long!

Cheers