ABOUT ME TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS TAILOR-MADE TOURS TOUR PROPOSALS NETWORKING - INTERNET PRESENCE CONTACTS
ABOUT ME
ABOUT ME
“I am an Art Historian on loan to Leisure, Travel and Professional Tourism ” I was born in Mantua in 1978. After attending a secondary school focusing on humanitarian studies (where I learned Latin and Ancient Greek) I moved to Venice where I studied in Ca’ Foscari University, and graduated in History of Art with top marks and honours. The topic of my thesis was Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua. During my University years I joined the “Classical Tradition Seminar”, and with my colleagues and professors I founded the on-line magazine “Engramma”. With the same group of scholars I also published the book “L’Originale Assente”. After the University, I came back to Mantua, where I won a study-award and a scholarship, allowing me extend my research. Since 2006 I have an Italian State license as a Professional Guide. In 2008 I acted as Scientific Curator for the exhibition “Classico Manifesto” (Milan, Triennale), dealing with the relationships between Art and Advertising. In 2009 I was engaged by Skira Publisher and “Il Corriere della Sera” (one of the most well regarded and popular Italian
newspapers) to write guide books of Italian cities (Mantua, Siracusa, Catania and Bari) as well as a book on Giulio Romano. I also write for one of the most renowned and bestknown Italian Art Magazines: “Art e Dossier”. In 2010 I was commissioned by the local Council to train Urban Stewards of Mantua (assistants for tourists). At the moment I am commissioned by the Council of Mantua to do a survey on the decoration of Palazzo Te. During my educational background, I attended summer English courses in Dublin, Durham, Norwich, Plymouth and Chester. After my degree I started to have private language lessons. Thanks to the meetings with my tutor (a British operasinger), I have improved my knowledge of artistic terms in English. In my career I have guided many tourist groups – including very specialized ones, like those organized by the International Seminar Design INC. I’ve also shown celebrities – including MPs, writers (Karen Essex, Michel Faber and Alexander McCall Smith) and music stars (Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes) around Mantua. So, if you are planning to pay a visit to Mantua, I am your perfect point of reference. You can count on me to make your guided tour a day to be remembered. Lorenzo
BUSINESS YOU MIGHT NEED…
ABOUT ME
to deal with a professional, who actually leads your groups around Mantua. to save your money from incidental charges.
… AND I CAN OFFER YOU
to save your time.
to keep everything under your control.
I do my business by myself, without employees or subordinates. I am the real and actual guide, who escorts your group. You will pay just my fees without any additonal percentage for any association, agency or cartel. Any assistance in organizing, booking and realizing your tours, both prior to and during the visit. Punctual feedbacks regarding ticket bookings, quick information about special openings or closing times in the Mantuan Museums, changes in opening times, admission fees and so on.
ABOUT ME
MAIN CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
Specialized International tour operators, focusing on cultural trips (like the "International Seminar Design Inc" or the "International Biking and Barging Tours") Museum Groups and Alumni Associations (like the "Oakland Museum of California", "Dryton Hall", "Stranford Alumni") Italian Tour Operators, dealing with major international T.O. (like "Motivation Mettings Incentives Conventions Events" and "TRAVCOA") Italian Universities and Schools, dealing with international projects (like the "Institute of Advanced Studies" of the University of Bologna) Small groups of DIY tourists planning their itineraries through specialized web sites (as "Tour by Locals")
Individual tourists planning their visits prior to their arrival in Mantua
Individual tourists planning their visits when in Mantua
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
My most frequent clients from foreign markets are specialized groups, who are usually art lovers, university teachers and students, museum members and donors. Their visits to Mantua are mostly part of extended tours to Italy, discovering Renaissance cities or following itineraries dedicated to art, food and wine. I act as a local point of reference for the Tour Operators, taking care of every organizational detail (booking tickets, checking opening times etc‌ )
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
According to the “Guide Requirements for Italy” I am allowed to guide tours in Italian and in English, so my clients are mostly from English-speaking countries (such as USA, UK, Canada and Australia). However I have also had some experience with Asian travellers. For example in September 2011 I guided a group of students from Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan, in English. They were attending a class at the Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of Bologna.
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
I deal both with groups and individual tourists. This is an example of a tour I conducted for a Canadian woman, who was travelling through Italy alone, following an itinerary designed by TRAVCOA. In this case I paid special attention: she had a celiac disease, so I took care to find her a restaurant with a gluten-free menu.
EXAMPLES OF TAILOR-MADE TOURS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
TAILOR-MADE TOURS
This year I am doing business with the "International Barging Tours". I am dealing with a project for four 'Museum Groups', coming to visit Northern Italy in springtime and in fall.
TAILOR-MADE TOURS
TYPE OF CLIENTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
Although the itinerary seems to be the same for every group, I will customize the tours, depending on where each group comes from.
TAILOR-MADE TOURS
EXAMPLES OF TAILOR-MADE TOURS
For example, the first group is from the Kimbell Art Museum of Forth Worth, Texas. That Museum owns a stunning terracotta bust of Isabella d'Este, by Gian Cristoforo Romano. According my suggestions, the tour itinerary has been changed to include a visit to "Palazzo San Sebastiano" in Mantua, where a terracotta bust of Francesco Gonzaga, Isabella's husband, made by the same artist, is kept .
TAILOR-MADE TOURS
EXAMPLES OF TAILOR-MADE TOURS
Another group travelling via "International Barging Tours" is from the New Britain Museum of American Art. That museum focuses on American Impressionism. Therefore, I've suggested to add a visit to the collection of impressionist paintings in Palazzo Te to the schedule of the tuor.
TAILOR-MADE TOURS
EXAMPLES OF TAILOR-MADE TOURS
In July 2011, I was involved by the “International Seminar Design Inc” in a customized tour for the Stanford Alumni Association. This was a group of Music Lovers, travelling to Italy to attend the Music Festivals in Spoleto and Verona. For this specialized group, I’ve planned a special itinerary in Mantua, focusing on the places connected to the History of Music.
TAILOR-MADE TOURS
EXAMPLES OF TAILOR-MADE TOURS
We visited the palaces where Verdi set his famous “Rigoletto”, the Basilica of Santa Barbara, for which Claudio Monteverdi composed some exquisite music for Masses and Vespers, and the Bibiena Theatre, thought to be the place where the Opera was born.
TAILOR-MADE TOURS
EXAMPLES OF TAILOR-MADE TOURS
I gave another customized tour to a group travelling via ISDI, from the Dryton Hall (South Carolina). This project was focused on the Palladian Villas in Veneto (being the Dryton Hall an American neo-palladian building). In our “on the footsteps of Palladio tour” we paid great attention to the architectonical forms invented and used by Giulio Romano, copied by Palladio in his buildings.
TOUR PROPOSALS
THE DUCAL PALACE OF MANTUA
TOUR PROPOSALS
The Ducal Palace of Mantua A fascinating journey into the court of the Gonzaga family
TOUR PROPOSALS
ITINERARY:
The Ducal Palace of Mantua has more than 500 rooms. Obviously not all of them are open to the public: the visitor’s route includes about 40 spaces, and it
stretches over three and a half kilometres (2 miles). The proposed tour includes a visit to the Mantegna frescoes in the Bridal Chamber (Camera Picta aka Camera degli Sposi). Inside the Palace you’ll be able to admire paintings by Pisanello, Giulio Romano, Rubens and wonderful tapestries
designed by Raphael. This tour lasts about one and threequarter hours.
Old Court: The Duchesses’ Staircase; Domenico Morone’s “Battle between the Gonzagas and the Bonacolsis”; Pisanello’s Arthurian frescoes. Ducal Apartment: Room of the Archers, Rubens’ “The Gonzaga family adoring the Holy Trinity”; Gallery of the Mirrors (ballroom); Vincenzo Gonzaga’s flat. Castle of St. George: the Bridal Chamber (Camera Picta aka Camera degli Sposi) frescoed by Mantegna. New Court: Apartment of Troy designed and frescoed by Giulio Romano; Cortile della Cavallerizza (Horses courtyard) Old Court: Zodiac Room, Hall of the Rivers, Hanging Garden (if open), Tapestries by Raphael.
THE PRIVATE ROOMS OF ISABELLA D'ESTE
TOUR PROPOSALS
Isabella d'Este in the Ducal Palace of Mantua
TOUR PROPOSALS
Discovering the private rooms of the First Lady of the Renaissance
Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua, is one of the most notorious women in history, and her spirit is still living within her private rooms. Although most of Isa-
bella's art collection has been dispersed amongst the most important museums in the world, some pieces still remain in Mantua. And the fine frescoes, the precious wooden inlays, the gilded ceilings and Isabella's secret garden still tell us a lot about the woman, who - even during her lifetime -
was named "The First Lady" of the Renaissance.
ITINERARY:
The proposed tour also includes a visit around the rest of the Ducal Palace, where Isabella's relatives used to live in the splendor of the Renaissance.
Old Court: The Duchesses' Staircase; Domenico Morone's "Battle between the Gonzagas and the Bonacolsis"; Pisanello's Arthurian frescoes. Ducal Apartment: Room of the Archers, Rubens' "The Gonzaga family adoring the Holy Trinity"; Gallery of the Mirrors (ballroom); Vincenzo Gonzaga's apartment.
This tour lasts about 2 and a half hours.
Isabella's Rooms: Room of the Scalcheria, Studiolo, Grotta, Secret Garden.
St. George Castle: the Bridal Chamber ("Camera Picta" aka "Camera degli Sposi") frescoed by Mantegna. New Court: Apartment of Troy designed and frescoed by Giulio Romano; Cortile della Cavallerizza (Horses Courtyard). Old Court: Zodiac Room, Hall of the Rivers, Hanging Garden (if open), Tapestries by Raphael.
PALAZZO TE IN MANTUA
TOUR PROPOSALS
Palazzo Te in Mantua A privileged view of the masterpiece by Giulio Romano
TOUR PROPOSALS
ITINERARY:
Giulio Romano was Raphael's most talented pupil: he was both architect and painter and he is the only Italian Renaissance artist mentioned by Shakespeare as
"that rare Italian master". This tour offers you the opportunity to discover his masterpiece, Palazzo Te. This stunning villa was designed, built and decorated by Giulio between 1525 and 1535 for his patron, Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. The Hall of the Horses, the Chamber of Cupid and Psyche
and in particular the Room of the Giants are some of the clearest examples of the Italian Mannerist style. This tour lasts about 1 and a half hours.
Ovid Room, Room of the Devices, Room of the Sun and the Moon, Hall of the Horses, Chamber of Cupid and Psyche, Room of the Winds, Room of the Eagles, David's Loggia, Room of the Stuccoes, Room of the Emperors, Room of the Giants, Secret Garden and Grotto (if open).
TOUR PROPOSALS
TOUR PROPOSALS
Ducal Palace
Ducal Palace + Isabella’s rooms
Palazzo Te
Ducal Palace +
Ducal Palace + Palazzo Te
Isabella’s rooms
+ Palazzo Te
20-25
150
200
140
290
340
people
euros
euros
euros
euros
euros
26-30
170
220
160
310
360
people
euros
euros
euros
euros
euros
31-35
190
240
180
330
380
people
euros
euros
euros
euros
euros
Admission fees NOT included. After the third group booked, I will consider you a recurring client, and I’ll offer you 20% discount on any further bookings.
TOUR PROPOSALS The proposed tours are examples, of course I can customize your tour on demand,
TOUR PROPOSALS
adding:
a walking tour of historic centre
a visit to the Sant’Andrea Basilica
a visit to the Santa Barbara Basilica
The Bibiena Theatre
The Palazzo San Sebastiano
The House of Mantegna
The Church of San Sebastiano by Leon Battista Alberti
Please feel free to ask for a customized tour.
NETWORKING & INTERNET PRESENCE
NETWORKING - INTERNET PRESENCE
NETWORKING
I do love to stay in touch with the tourists I've met in Mantua. So I am using the most wide spread social networks. VisitMantua is on Twitter and Facebook. The statistics of my blog describe the nature of my users and clients in the International Market.
INTERNET PRESENCE VISITMANTUA - Networking Statistics
NETWORKING - INTERNET PRESENCE
(Feb 2011 - Jan 2012)
USERS
INTERNET PRESENCE VISITMANTUA - Blog Statistics
NETWORKING - INTERNET PRESENCE
(Feb 2011 - Jan 2012)
FOREIGN USERS
INTERNET PRESENCE VISITMANTUA - Blog Statistics
NETWORKING - INTERNET PRESENCE
(Feb 2011 - Jan 2012)
EUROPEAN USERS
INTERNET PRESENCE VISITMANTUA - Blog Statistics
NETWORKING - INTERNET PRESENCE
(Feb 2011 - Jan 2012)
EXTRA EUROPEAN USERS
CONTACTS
Lorenzo Bonoldi via Teze 34 46040 Cavriana - Mantova Italy +39 347 4022020 lorenzo.bonoldi@gmail.com visit.mantua@gmail.com skype: lorenzo.bonoldi
CONTACTS
visitmantua.blogspot.com @VisitMantua Visit Mantua
THE VISIT MANTUA EXPERIENCE
Lorenzo Bonoldi visit.mantua@gmail.com lorenzo.bonoldi@gmail.com +39 347 40 22 020 @VisitMantua visitmantua.blogspot.com