Tour Guides:
Experience the traditions with TuscanTour's help

Photo by Diane, Arizona Tour guide Annie Adair explains the work of Volterra alabaster craftsman Roberto Chiti in his studio, Alab'arte. Alabaster craftsmen carve the local stone famed for its striking translucency much as they have done for the past 2,500 years. Roberto is about to carve a vase out of the block of stone Annie has in her hands. Alab'arte and many other local alabaster studios are happy to provide carving demos to visitors to help them better understand and appreciate this unusual stone which is found in Volterra and few other communities. About Tuscan Tour Owners & Guides: Annie Adair and Francesco Gronchi Location: Volterra Website: www.tuscantour.com Specializing in personal tours with an English-speaking tour guide as your “discover the hidden corners of the Tuscan countryside, its art-filled hill towns, its fascinating archeological sites of Etruscan and Roman origin, and its world-famous masterpieces of art and architecture,” according to their website. Annie and Francesco explain the history, traditions and culture of the region. They encourage you to ask as many questions as you like. You can choose from the cities of Volterra, Pisa, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Lucca to explore. The duration of the tour can be changed according to the time constraints and interests of the group. “We highly recommend using the area around Volterra as a base for your trip to Tuscany. We also suggest spending at least 1-2 days touring the city of Volterra as it is the perfect place to get to know Tuscany, its history, art and traditions while avoiding undue stress and fatigue,” they say.

Annie Adair loves to share her passion for Tuscany. The American left the East Coast nearly a decade ago to live with husband, Francesco Gronchi, in his hometown of Volterra. There, they own and operate TuscanTour. I suspect she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I like to show people things of historical importance, aspects of the local culture that they might not know how to approach on their own,” Annie says. “We like to mix history with cultural traditions. We’ll show you how to carve alabaster as they have for 2,000 years. We like to mix that with local color and pageantry. Every Tuscan town and village has something that relates to their tradition.”

Annie Adair is originally from Washington D.C., and earned her bachelor of arts degree from Brown University. She’s an authorized tour guide specializing in Italian art history and folklore.

Francesco holds a doctorate in political science from the Universita' degli Studi di Siena and is an expert in contemporary history and politics. Together, they make an impressive team.

That’s the opinion of respected travel writer Rick Steves who recommends TuscanTour in his guide to Tuscany. That’s a recommendation Annie is proud to receive.

“Many years ago, the local tourist board put together a project to invite niche and general guidebook writers to revisit Volterra,” Annie recalls. “We were asked to give Rick Steves a private tour for 3 hours in Volterra. He spent the entire day. Then he came back the following year to film for a DVD. He spent four more days with us.”

Annie is quick to say that a private tour is not for everyone. Travelers visiting Tuscany for the first time tend to survey many cities and attractions in a limited period of time, leaving themselves little time to immerse themselves.

“People think of tour guides as people who accompany bus tours,” she says speaking by phone from her Volterra office while sipping a late afternoon  espresso, “but  our clientele are people who like to travel independently and don’t want to be constrained to (bus tours’) one hour in each city.

“Many people with a guide book don’t think they need a (tour) guide,” she says. “If they want to treat themselves to something special on their trip, a private tour guide gives them a fast track into exploring local culture.”

When looking for a tour guide, it’s important to find someone who is licensed. By law, a tour guide must be accredited in each of Tuscany’s 10 provinces. Each province requires 800 hours of training during the course of a year. Typically, a tour guide is approved in one or two provinces – Annie is approved in the province of Pisa, which includes Volterra.

If a guide is needed in another Tuscan province, Annie refers on a network of tested, specialized tour guides and she makes a recommendation.

TuscanTour does more than take travelers to the landmarks. Packages may include workshops, special experiences that provide more depth and understanding to a specific aspect of Tuscan life. Not surprising, workshops center on two very popular area of interest - art and culture and food and wine.

“A workshop is something that complements a normal vacation that’s based on seeing the sites and culture,” Annie says. “People who are in Tuscany for their second, third or fourth times tend to try a workshop. They are looking for a level of understanding beyond being a regular tourist. They are invariably enthusiastic. Most of the time, they will refer to (a workshop) as the best experience of the trip.

“It’s not only about learning in a didactic way but it allows you to engage with the local artist, vintner or farmer in a way tourists normally don’t get to do.”