2023 ends today and it’s time to take stock. How did my 2023 as a Local Guide go? In many ways I could say that it was an incredible year, a year that brought surprises and many meetings.
Jan 2, 2023
2023 began with a Big Bang, and the surprise visit of a friend who arrived, as he likes to say, from a country at the End of the World: @FaridTDF .
Dec 30, 2023
The year ended with the visit, again a surprise, from @uavalentine , who arrived in Treviso just yesterday to spend a few hours together.
There are a lot of different things between the two dates, which I have tried to summarize in the cover photo of this post.
Travel, snow, mapping, food, contributions in Maps, meetings, stories, exploration, but above all unshakable friendship, as those four hands intertwined in the center of the photo are intended to symbolize. Four hands and four orange rope bracelets, which alone can tell a story.
A Year in Meeting
In 2023 I had many meetings with Local Guides from other countries. In addition to those already mentioned with Farid and Valentine, @Stella2 and @YuliiaZa also passed through Treviso. In April 2023, Stanley arrived, who radically changed my way of describing the world (if you haven’t read his posts, let me know), and in October I attended the Moderators’ meeting in Tokyo.
I’m sure that in 2024 I will have a lot to write about this. Some posts are in preparation and are just waiting for time to be completed and published
A Year in Food
Trying new foods, and above all publishing our gastronomic experiences in Maps is one of the things that Local Guides love most. Of course this is also the case for me, and 2023 has been a fantastic year, during which I have had the opportunity to try many different foods and cuisines. My friend Flat Stanley and I have a lot to tell about this too
A year in Travel
Thanks to Google, and the fantastic moderators meeting in Tokyo, I had a completely unexpected trip this year. A trip that allowed me to get to know Japan. A special thank you to @KarenVChin and her excellent organization, which allowed me to spend an absolutely incredible two weeks. I traveled in all possible ways: Plane, subway, Bullet Train, local trains; Taxi; cableway; funicular; ship. I haven’t posted much so far, but expect a very active 2024.
A year in Mapping
As a Local Guide my contributions to Google Maps this year have been far beyond what I expected. More than 14 thousand streets added in Maps from April to today, and an increase in photo views which will lead me to exceed the 100 million views threshold at the next update of the counts
Happy New year
With this post, while it is almost midnight in Italy, I want to wish everyone a happy New Year, and a fantastic 2024 that will lead us to new and surprising goals.
And you, how was your 2023?
What plans do you have for 2024?
dad bought a red Vespa 125 Primavera, so I can growth with a Vespa at home.
. I thought you were starting us on a mission to post 2023 recaps!
I love how you were able to meet so many different Local Guides and attend meetups.
- it reminded me Tushar (one of the Moderators) mentioned possibly being in Arizona in March- so maybe there can be an in person meet up then for the all the Arizona Local Guides like 
…and this hermit crab (me) will have to come out from hiding too lol.