Meet Giorgio, your expert in Sicily!
🌍 Lives in: Palermo
Regions of Expertise: All of Sicily - anywhere and everywhere on the island
Experience: 20 years as a tour operator, 10 years leading tours
Languages: English, Italiano
Giorgio’s Specialties:
Get to know Giorgio!
A note from Giorgio
"Greetings from Sicily! My name is Giorgio and I'm a local guide and travel planner based in sunny Palermo!
I deeply love my country and my island, so I have always tried to instill this love in my fellow travelers. As a guide and travel planner, my first aim is to help travelers get beyond stereotypes regarding Sicily and to show how rich the Sicilian culture is - thanks to the many people that have passed through over the centuries, leaving signs of their own societies. You can find those traces in our monumental heritage but also in our language, in our habits, and finally in our cuisine.
I have been working in tourism in Sicily for the last 20 years, as a Tour Escort first, then as a tour operator, and finally as a guide and travel agent. Over that time, I took a degree in Cultural tourism at the University of Palermo, deepening my understanding of our history, art history, archaeology and Sicilian folklore.
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I have a deep knowledge of both the main and less visited Sicilian sites, and I am always on the hunt to find new hidden gems to show to my guests. When I am not touring Sicily with travellers, I am exploring the island with my friends!
Thanks to my fully licensed minivan I can take my guests everywhere in Sicily, visiting beautiful cities or admiring natural beauties, both for one day excursions and for multi-day tours. I am based in Palermo but can move all around the island.
I especially enjoy ancestral tours, so if your roots are in Sicily I will help you find them! Together, we can visit your ancestral hometowns and even look for family records at local offices, churches, cemeteries etc.
No matter what you're looking for in Sicily, it will be my pleasure to help you find it. Just decide where you want to go and what you want to do, and we'll make it happen!"
Sicily Travel Consultations
Sit down with Giorgio for a one-hour planning session to get his 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 Giorgio 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, he's got you covered.
For the best local advice, go ask a local!
Why plan with Giorgio
Spend 60 minutes tapping into Giorgio’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. 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 Giorgio?
Here’s how to schedule your consultation:
Private Guided Tours
Giorgio is also a fully licensed tour guide who offers day-tours and multi-day excursions all over Sicily.
All of Giorgio’s tours can be fully customized. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, send him a message to discuss what you could cook up together during your time in Sicily!
Please note: the tour links below will take you to our sister platform, Guides of Italia. It’s the same Giorgio, just on a different website!
Tailor-made Trips to Sicily
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In addition to offering Sicily Travel Consultations, Giorgio is a licensed local travel agent who can plan and organize every aspect of your trip.
If you’re looking to go beyond the highlights and want to discover authentic Sicily, Giorgio is your man. Every trip that he plans is unique and is completely customized according to your interests, travel style, and budget.
Based out of Palermo, Giorgio has been helping travelers discover Sicily for more than two decades. He is both a guide and local travel agent, so when he’s not planning trips, you’ll find him out on the road traveling all over Sicily. He knows his island like few others can claim to.
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To start things off, we’ll connect you directly with Giorgio by email to begin discussing your trip.
Here’s how it works:
We’ll first ask you to submit a short form with some basic information about you and your trip. Giorgio will review that and will then reach out with some initial ideas and questions for you.
From there, you can continue emailing, or can arrange to connect with Giorgio via phone call or video call.
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After you’ve discussed the basics of your trip and Giorgio has a good understanding of your travel style and what you’re looking for, he’ll send you an itinerary outline and a price quote.
If you like what you see and decide you’d like to hire Giorgio as your Sicily travel advisor, you’ll be able to continue working with him one-on-one to collaboratively plan and book your trip.
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Travelers who like to be involved in their trip planning, but want an expert to manage the specifics.
Giorgio will take care of the itinerary creation, bookings and arrangements, transportation & logistics, tours/activities, etc., so that you can focus on the fun stuff.
Learn more about the tailor-made trip planning process here.