Trafalgar
The Gen XY Lifestyle
Discover Local Secrets In Italy: In Conversation With Giacomo Giamboi
We interview signor Giacomo, a travel director based in Italy on his viewpoints about the top attractions, stories and how to prepare for an Italian trip.
At its best, travelling to a foreign country or city, can be an uplifting and inspiring experience. Travellers tend to seek out the extraordinary in the mundane, to find that special photo opportunity in the daily going-ons or a revelation through the local culture or community.
At some stage, there is also the realisation that it is no longer viable to keep up with the somewhat-fondly-remembered “younger me”, and a shift towards the comforts of having choice, quality and “someone else” handling the coordination. Hopefully “someone else” that knows what they are doing and can do so well.
Trafalgar operates guided travel services across Europe, Great Britain, Americas, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The company prides itself on providing expertise on ground, more choices of destinations and passion from being a family-owned company.
We interview Giacomo Giamboi (GG), a travel director based in Italy for Trafalgar, on his viewpoints about the top attractions, stories and how to prepare for an Italian trip.
According to GG, one of the differences travelling with Trafalgar includes [being able to] tap on a huge network of people all around Italy to discover local culture.
Trafalgar offers Be my Guest services where local travel directors will share local secrets about the countries being visited. For example, on the Secrets of Italy trip, guests will experience a local community, enter a private estate with access exclusive to Trafalgar and meet with the owners to learn about the history and trivia of the region. Guests will also be introduced to the family, the cuisine and taste the local produce of the area.
Through the Insider Experience, guests on tour are offered a unique perspective of a city through their travel director and local city experts. These are interesting personalities such as GG, who combine community information with an in-depth, sometime academic outlook of the destination.
AA: What are the top attractions/cities in Italy for Singapore-based travellers in 2015?
GG: Singaporeans have broad interests and I believe that the top attraction for 2015 is Milan. The Milan Expo will take place from 1 May to 31 October. Milan is modern, efficient and the centre of the [Italian] world. Milan is undiscovered.
The second attraction would be Venice. This is a 100% man-made city built from scratch and [I believe] Singaporeans would enjoy the story of the city. I often bring my group on a trip to the lagoon to learn about what what we are doing to save the city. Mobile dykes are being built and deployed during high tide. The group can appreciate the engineering that goes behind saving a historic city.
The final attraction is Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. Did you know that the [current] Italian language was once a city dialect of Florence? This city was where Italy began, with writing, painting, culture.
AA: Can you share some examples of Insider Experiences that cater to Singapore-based audiences in Italy
GG: The Insider Experience is about hidden treasures that can be important but not well discovered.
On some of my trips, I like to show guests the Moses. This is a statue created by Michelangelo and housed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome also known as the Church of St Peter in Chains. We walk through the church and appreciate the statue. When admiring the Moses, I point out a marking on the knee of the statue and share a story. Apparently, Michelangelo had invited people to come see the statue after completing it. At this point, he brought a hammer to the knee of the statue, screaming “Why are you not talking to me?”. In his arrogance, Michelangelo expected the Moses statue to speak to him, such was the beauty and his belief in creating beautiful art.
For guests travelling with me to Assisi, we usually stay at a hotel nearby to the basilica where St Francis is interred. After dinner, for those who don’t mind taking a walk, we will head to the church. However, unknown to them prior, there is a treasure I show my group as we head down an old alley into a smaller church, protected by the main, big church. This smaller church is the exact one that St Francis rebuilt and restored himself and the centre of the Franciscan movement.
AA: How can travellers prepare themselves to have a fun holiday in Italy?
GG: Be a little prepared. Look at the itinerary and build a list of things you want to see. Research. Understand the culture of the country you will be seeing. If you can, read about Italy. I recommend the book “The Family that made Italy” for a beautiful introduction to the country.
Be open and aware that they will be cultural differences that might take some getting used to. An interesting point, while food is prepared differently, Italians and Singaporeans are similar in that they eat a lot of pasta (noodles) and rice. From my experience, Singaporeans tend to mix well with other cultures, so be open to meeting new people on the trip.
Learn to use a camera.
AA: What are some favourite experiences, cuisines to recommend for travellers heading to Italy?
GG: The Be My Guest experience as shared earlier. Any activities related to food and wine. In my opinion, food is comfort and when you are on holiday, you want comfort. If you are headed to Tuscany, take part in a cultural food experience through wine tasting or even an olive oil tasting.
AA: Why does travel interest and excite you so much?
GG: I believe that travel helps you to open your mind. Travel is one of the best educational experiences; it can help you appreciate how lucky one is and keep you down to earth. Travel can be a life-changing experience.
Interesting fact, my daughter took a year to travel by herself in Asia across four countries. She’s back home now and I believe that the holiday has helped her.
(All photos courtesy of Trafalgar)
