Ciao, I'm
Orsola C.
Born in Milan, I've been living in Venice since 2012. With Venice it was love at first sight, I moved here to study at the university and never left!
- Venice, Italy
- Guide since 2018
About Me
Q. What inspired you to become a guide?
My aunt inspired me! She’s a guide herself and she is so passionate about her job. My siblings and I were kids and she would always take us around and tell us amazing stories about art, history and secrets of our hometown.
Q. What do you love most about Venice?
What I love the most about Venice is the fact that you need to be really curious to get to know the hidden corners of the city off the tourist paths.
Q. What's your favorite story to tell on tour?
I love telling my guests about the Venetian cuisine and how some traditions came to be. My favorite is about how the wine culture spread so much over here. Incredibly, the reason is very simple: water around here was never really good!
Q. Tell us about one of your favorite memories on tour?
Once I had a family with two kids, they were so interested in the legends of Venice and particularly in ghost stories. So, on top of the bell tower of San Giorgio, I told them about the stories of the haunted island in Venice, Poveglia! You should have seen their face—they were thrilled! Making their day gave me a lot of satisfaction.
Fun Facts
-
I love walking, so Venice is really the perfect place for me. I feel so lucky to live here and have to walk all over the place since I hate going to the gym.
-
I’m really passionate about art. My husband is my travel companion and we love visiting ancient sites and amazing art museums all over the world.
-
My “nonna” was Sicilian and she made great food for the whole family, so I can say I grew up as a foodie!
My Insider Tips for Venice
Q: Best time of year to enjoy Venice?
Winter time is my favorite! During this time of the year, Venice is very quiet. Also, it’s all lit up with Christmas lights and on sunny days the boat tours are just incredible since you have a wonderful view of the Dolomites from the lagoon!
Q: What do you tell your visiting friends to see in Venice?
If it’s your first time here, of course there are some spots you can’t miss: St. Mark’s Square, the Basilica, the Rialto area, Punta della Dogana and the Jewish district. For those having a few more days in the city, I would highly recommend having a boat trip across the Grand Canal, to admire the ancient palaces, or to the islands. If you are torn, pick Burano Island! It’s an old fishermen village painted with stunning colors.
Q. What part of the culture in Venice should people not miss?
Well, if you want to feel like a Venetian, you should definitely start with a “bacaro tour”. That’s how we call our bar hopping evenings! So, the first place I would go to is the Misericordia area or the Rialto area for a nice glass of wine and some cicchetti, our local delicious tapas! If you want to discover some of my favorite bacari, join our Venice at Sunset: Cichetti, Food & Wine tour.
Q: What are some unmissable foods and drinks?
Cicchetti is a must. They're very diverse snacks, including fried fish, baccalà mantecato (creamed cod), tramezzini (very rich sandwiches). At restaurants, try some fish lasagna, the typical Venetian liver, and of course end with some tiramisú! Venice is the homeland of the Spritz and there are several types including Aperol, Select, Campari and Cynar. Make sure you try them all!
You might see me on these tours
