Italian Connection | 1.800.462.7911 | www.italian-connection.com
Anita Iaconangelo founded the Italian Connection in 1993, and designed our walking and cooking tours throughout Italy. She is an avid walker and is passionate about all things Italian. She survived 16 long winters in a romantic, though freezing cold house in Tuscany, and considers herself an expert on Italian furnace parts. Anita, together with Emanuele, lovingly restored an old stone house in Sicily, which is Italian Connection's new base, complete with a luxurious herb garden and the slowest internet connection on earth. She looks forward to hosting our tours to festive home-cooked meals and cannoli making in our kitchen. Her special passion is southern Italy, and Anita accompanies many of our walking and cooking tours in Sicily.
Emanuele Lorusso is our food and wine expert. He takes planning our wonderful meals very seriously, and personally tastes all the wine he recommends. An Italian native, and a former chef and restaurant owner, Emanuele acts as our private cook on some tours, and his sumptuous picnics are legendary. For a true Italian experience, he sometimes drives our van.
Marie Marko is our North American office manager and Anita’s sister. She has over 25 years experience in the travel business and knows our tour routes very well, and is great at helping you choose the best trip for you. A font of useful advice on traveling in Italy, Marie frequently tests out her own advice in a jet-lagged state, and has survived to tell about it. She would be pleased to assist you with your tour reservations.
Peter Blackman is a long-time resident in Italy, with years of tour experience and a thorough knowledge of Italian art and history. He divides his time between keeping our Italian office in order and leading our groups in many areas of Italy. Peter’s gentle manner and amazingly long stride are complemented by a wry sense of humor much appreciated by our groups.
Daniela Bigatti is a native of Bologna and our art history expert, and she leads our tours in Piedmont and Tuscany. She is exceptionally good at planning cultural and historical itineraries, and is a licensed guide in the cities of Florence and Bologna. Daniela amazes our guests with both her extensive knowledge and her ability to consume astonishing amounts of pasta and salami without gaining an ounce.
Expert Guides Our guides are an integral part of our tours, which is why we select experts who are based in Italy. They are specialists in diverse fields, yet they all have a passionate fascination with Italy and an eagerness to share their knowledge with our participants. Our guides are the vital elements that make each of our tours a positively wonderful vacation.
