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About Me

My name is Brad and I am originally from the United States, as you can probably tell by the name. People tell me it's very American.

For several years I have been living in northern Italy in a wonderful town called Padova, or Padua, which is a short train ride from Venice. Being in a town off the tourist trail has given me the opportunity to experience authentic Italian culture every day along with the locals. Recently I have been working as a kind of local tour guide, welcoming visitors and pointing them in the right direction - off the beaten track.

Real Italian food and drink is something that I am particularly interested - I know some great hidden gems. Of course, for some people its important to see the main historical sites but for others perhaps a day living like a local is more their thing.

There were so many things that I got wrong when I first came to Italy. So with this in mind, I am here to give you the right local information and make your trip here as easy, exciting, and unforgettable as I can!

Some unique local travel experiences I can help you plan are:

- Finding the ever elusive "Home Cooking" family run restaurants off the beaten path - particularly hidden in Venice!
- Organizing day trips out of the city for wine tastings, hikes, drives, or to visit a smaller, quieter Italian retreat.
- Scavenger hunts through well-known Italian cities to see a different side of these popular places

I can also help you with:
- General trip ideas, where to go, what NOT to waste your time and money on.
- Make your trip and trip itinerary unique to you and 1 of a kind!
- Working as a liaison between you and the Italian people to make sure there are no hang-ups.

Additional things are always available, a fee may apply depending on the service that is requested such as local bookings. Email me for additional information at any time using the Tripbod message board, if you prefer to talk 1 on 1 then we can chat over Skype!

Ask me about these local experiences or anything else about my area, I'd love to help you plan the perfect trip, locally!
See you in Northern Italy soon...

My Links

Overindulge at Christmas Time: Weekend Shopping in Venice

The Christmas season in Venice is exciting, there are so many things to see and do that are not related to the actual "shopping" aspect that sometimes you can get completely sidetracked and have literally no idea where the afternoon went. But I'll get to that, for now, let's concentrate on the shopping. Italy in general prides itself on having some of the best outdoor Christmas Markets in all of Europe (read more...)