Meet Dania, your expert in Italy!
🌍 Lives in: Palermo and Trapani
Regions of expertise: Countrywide throughout Italy - everywhere in Sicily, Rome, Tuscany, Umbria, Venice/Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Bologna/Emilia Romagna, Puglia, Naples & the Amalfi Coast, and beyond!
Experience: 25 years as a guide and tour leader throughout Sicily and Italy
Languages: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Português
Dania’s Specialties:
Get to know Dania!
A note from Dania:
“Hi, I’m Dania, a licensed tour guide living between Palermo and Trapani and working as a tour leader and guide since 2003 in Sicily and all over Italy. I am originally from northern Italy, and I was born in the city of Udine, but Sicily has been my home for over two decades.
My father is from Tuscany and my mom is from Slovenia, so I grew up bilingual, and after I graduated at the University of Bologna School for Translators and Interpreters (in German and Russian), I started traveling a bit around the word: In the late 90’s and early 2000’s I spent 3 months in Mexico, a couple of months in Boston, and then a year in Brazil, traveling around the country.
In 2001, I returned to Italy and I’ve been living in Sicily ever since. Of all the places I’ve lived or visited, Sicily is my favorite. It’s home!
I have spent the last 20+ years exploring every corner of Sicily and leading tours all over it, and I genuinely think that I know everywhere, even the tiny little places that no one goes to.
Read more
Never content to stay in just one place, I also work as a tour leader all over Italy, leading trips from the far south all the way up north and everywhere in between. From Puglia to the Amalfi Coast and Naples, on up to Rome, through Tuscany and Umbria, and continuing on to Venice and the far north, I’ve got you covered!
During my free time (what little of it I have!), I love to travel and explore more of Sicily and the world. In the winter time I cannot wait until it snows so that I can head north to the Alps with my partner for some skiing (maybe I’m still a northerner at heart). We also love the Opera, the movies, and we are both also Argentinian tango dancers, which means we love to travel to take part in tango festivals, marathons, and parties.
So, whether you’re planning to Sicily and/or anywhere else in Italy, I would love to share everything that I know about this special country with you, and help you plan the perfect vacation. I’ve got a lot to say about Italy and I’d like to think that I have wealth of knowledge to share, so let’s chat and start planning your adventure here!”
Italy Travel Consultations
Plan a better trip with some help from Dania
Sit down with Dania for a one-hour planning session to get her expert advice and the best local tips and recommendations.
Our travel consultations are the perfect solution for do-it-yourself travelers who want to plan on their own, but could use some expert local advice. Each consultation is personalized, and Dania is available to help in whatever way you need.
From working on your itinerary and advising on routes and transportation, to ideas for off the beaten path destinations and truly authentic experiences, she's got you covered.
For the best local advice, go ask a local!
Why plan with Dania
Spend 60 minutes tapping into Dania’s hyperlocal expertise to plan a better trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Consultations cost $150 USD.
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Consultations are held over Google Meet. Once you’ve scheduled your call, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing the link for your video call. On the scheduled day and time, just click that link to join.
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Each consultation is different, but here are some common things that our experts typically help with:
Itinerary planning
Transportation, driving routes, and tips for how to get around
Practical travel information; culture, safety, weather, language, money/tipping, etc.
Suggested hotels/accommodations and advice on where to base yourself
Local recommendations for restaurants, activities, and unique experiences
Advice on reputable tour guides, tour operators, and excursions
Pro tips on how to best visit popular sights and attractions
Ways to avoid overcrowded destinations and tourist traps
Insider ideas on off the beaten path places, authentic experiences, and ways to connect with locals
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What you can get done in an hour depends on your goals for the consultation and how organized you are coming into it.
In most cases, an hour is ample time to create a solid itinerary, answer your major travel questions, get practical advice on how to travel in your destination, and discuss lots of great local tips and recommendations.
To ensure that the hour is used efficiently, when you schedule your call, our pre-consultation questionnaire will ask you what your primary goals for the consultation are. Prior to the call, your Local Expert will review your questionnaire and prepare detailed information addressing those goals.
They’ll come into the call ready to share specific advice, recommendations, itinerary ideas/revisions, and useful links and resources for you to review together.
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Yes! Each consultation is guided by a comprehensive pre-consultation questionnaire that you fill out immediately upon booking.
We’ll ask you a series of 30+ detailed questions that really dig into you, your trip, your interests and travel style, and what you want to discuss with your Local Expert.
The questionnaire will cover things like: the dynamics of your group, the things you enjoy while traveling, your budget, how early you want to start your day and how late you want to end it, whether you want to hit the highlights or roam the back streets, and even what types of restaurants you want to eat at.
Your Local Expert will focus only on your interests and travel style.
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Our Local Experts are seasoned travel professionals who have spent decades working in their countries/regions. While their personal interests may be different from yours, they’ve worked with thousands of travelers and have recommendations and advice for every type of individual.
They know their destinations in-depth and can help plan a trip for every traveler and taste.
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No, this is not a part of our service. Your Local Expert will share lots of links, notes, and other written resources via the Chat Box during the call, but they cannot provide post-call notes, documents, or ongoing planning assistance via email.
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No. Our service is geared toward independent, do-it-yourself travelers who intend to make bookings on their own.
Our goal is not to plan your trip for you, but rather to help you plan a better trip independently. To that end, our Local Experts will give you all of the information that you need to confidently put your trip together yourself.
When Local Experts recommend things like restaurants, hotels, excursions/activities, tours, drivers, etc., they’ll provide you with contact details and links so that you can make the final arrangements on your own.
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Almost every Go Ask A Local expert has at least 10 years of professional travel experience as a guide or trip planner in their country/region.
We work with a vetted team of seasoned professionals who know their destinations inside and out.
Unlike other companies, when you book a call, you’ll always be connected directly with your chosen Local Expert. We never pass anyone on to a junior sales associate or some anonymous back office team. With us, what you see is what you get.
Ready to plan with Dania?
Here’s how to schedule your consultation:
