Stephanie Foulkes

I’m British by nationality with an Italian mother.

I was born in France and grew up in the UK and Luxembourg. I studied History and Spanish at Middlesex University, London. I moved to Naples in 2003, then moved to Jesi, in the Marche in 2005 before moving to Casalecchio in 2007 to work as an English teacher and translator.
I speak Spanish, French and Italian and can do guided tours in all these languages. Now I am working as a special needs teacher, and live near the city centre.

Why I decide to become a tourist guide?

Italian culture is endlessly fascinating, and I feel very lucky to be living in Bologna, a city with an incredible heritage. I love studying the local and regional history, art, architecture and traditions, and decided to take the tourist guide exam so that I could share my knowledge and enthusiasm with as many people as possible.

What makes me different from other guides?

I am very well-informed about the political scene in Bologna in the 1970s and can give tours on this subject. I’m your ultimate Jewish history of Emilia Romagna guide and am always very happy to provide tours for people with physical disabilities.
I also try and make tours as environmentally friendly as possible.

What do I like about my job as a tour guide?

I really love meeting new people and I really love Emilia Romagna. Every city in this region is uniquely fascinating, with its specific local history and culture.

What do clients usually ask me?

They ask what do l need to bring: In the summer, cool comfortable clothes and shoes, and sun cream.

An experience I’d like to share?

I took some student refugees from Nigeria, Mongolia and Syria on a tour. My friend from Bologna Refugees welcome organized it all for me, and it was a wonderful experience for all of us. Many years ago I took two classes to the Turin Egyptian museum where we had a guide, in just one day. Exhausting but very interesting, as you can imagine.