As a Study Leader / Tour Manager with a variety of cultural and academic institutions in Italy for more than thirty years, I have had occasion to experience a great number of Florentine guides. Most have proved quite informative and sensitive to the idiosyncrasies of the group at hand. Recently, however I was privileged – and thrilled – to be treated to an entirely “new” type of Florentine guide in the person of FRANCESCO CASALINI.
Sig. Casalini is extremely well-read, intelligent and charming. A natural educator and gifted story teller, he skillfully develops a coherent and fascinating line without needing to barrage guests with facts. And yet he is not chintzy with information, frequently making reference to literature, artists and other scholars. Casalini is as facile talking about works of art as the history of Florentine families, or early Renaissance wine traditions. Perhaps most importantly, he has a fine sense of humor and reads the personality, and stamina, of a group as a true professional. I look forward to working with him again.