Paola Salvato

A licensed Venice tourist guide

ABOVE: Paola Salvato on a pier near Venice. INSET BELOW: Paola at the captain's dinner on La Bella Vita and at a vendor's stall in the Chioggia Fish Market.

By Durant Imboden

If you're looking for a private or group tour guide in Venice, Paola Salvato should be on your short list of candidates. Paola speaks four languages (English, Italian, French, German, and Spanish), and she's licensed to lead tours and visits to local landmarks such as the Basilica di San Marco.

We met Paola in May, 2013, when she was our tour leader during a six-night cruise from Venice to Mantua on the European Waterways hotel barge La Bella Vita. We were impressed by three things:

• Paola's academic credentials (among other things, she has a degree in French and German literature and is working on a second degree in anthropology);

• Her personal warmth;

• Her friendly, unflappable manner.

Venice has many capable licensed and unlicensed tour guides (we list several on our Tours and Excursions page), but after a week on a barge with Paola Salvato, we feel comfortable in giving her a top recommendation based on our own personal experience.

For more information:

You can reach Paola by e-mail at:

Or by phone at: +39 347 831 2730

Credit: The JavaScript e-mail link on this page is adapted from a free script at JoeMaller.com.