Genius Loci Travel is not ‘just’ a professional tour operator, our geographer’s background shows also in the information you get on our tours.
On our independent ‘self-guided tours (which you can do with whom you want, at the pace you want, at the time you want) you are the guide!
But you will get our exclusive set of “Route Notes & Maps”, with which you will be able to walk any route. This pack contains:
- 1 Set of our exclusive ‘Route Notes’, i.e. the description of all walks ‘step by step’; these include written route directions, all necessary information on the daily organisation (including arrival & departure information), as well as tips for sightseeing, dining etc.
- Copies of the best available maps (scale 1: 25.000 or bigger), with your selected route clearly indicated. Mostly you get a map in the handy A4-format for each day (2 for some days).
- Original, very detailed maps (up to scale 1: 5000), when these are available;
- Small guides to the area, its sights & monuments.
- Timetable of public transport services (boats, trains & buses), where necessary.
- Extra info about the area.
Independent does not mean unsupported, though! On independent tours it is nice to know that our local staff is always available, and just a phone call away.
And if I book a group tour ?
Then you can of course rely on our well-trained local guides. All our guided tours, the ‘small group adventures’ are led by our own Expert Tour Leaders. They are among the best connaisseurs of the region you are travelling to. Italy is a big and varied country and this reflects also in the choice of our tour leaders: wherever possible your tour will be led by somebody from the area. So in Tuscany, you’ll be guided by our Tuscan guides, in Sicily by a Sicilian, and on the Amalfi Coast, the ‘couleur locale’ will be assured by our ‘Neapolitan’ guides. As our guides live in the regions you walk, they can facilitate ‘insider access’ every step of the way. They open doors wherever you travel and present a local’s perspective on the people, places, and regional cultures.
Our Tour Leaders come from a myriad of professional backgrounds, but all have a profound knowledge of the area where they guide our tours. All are professionals and adhere to the national association of nature walking guides, the ‘Associazione Italiana Guide Ambientali Escursionistiche’, AIGAE. Some are geologists, some are biologists or art historians, and can you tell all the details in their fields, but above all they all have the special ‘local knowledge’ about their country, Italy and their region. Including the best ice cream shop or the nicest restaurant in town, Italian soccer & politics…
Also, Genius Loci Travel Tour Leaders have two other things in common: the ability to ‘connect’ with each and every guest and the desire to facilitate the most unforgettable experience for each guest in their area, time after time. Their goal is to help provide a fun, safe and unforgettable experience for our guests.
But we know that many of our clients like maps, to keep track of the route and to take a copy home. Therefore we provide all clients on our group tours with general maps of the area you are visiting.
One more word about maps….
Many books have been written on Italy, and many tourist guides are available to plan your journey.
Maps are another story though! For many regions of Italy simply no good walking maps are available. The national geographical institute (IGM – yes, still military!) does indeed publish good 1: 25.000 maps, a scale perfect for walking & hiking. The only problem is that in many regions these haven’t been updated for the last decades… In the Alps private companies have published a number of very good maps, and also some national & regional parks have published some good material, but especially for many southern regions the perfect map has yet to be published. Moreover, many existing so-called ‘walking maps’ (also those published by official bodies such as National Parks) are just not reliable….
We therefore prepare our maps on purpose for each specific walking tour, basing ourselves on the best available walking maps of the area, on which your itinerary is clearly visible. Our maps are usually in scale 1: 25:000, the best scale for walking tours, while for cycling we also use maps in scales 1: 50.000 to 1: 200.000.
Be assured that you get the best available maps for your tour! We are map makers ourselves !
