What does the Local Guide program mean to me?
Helping people finding their way into art and food is something I have been dedicated to in the last fifteen years and more. It’s some kind of a mission for me. In my early childhood, I was raised inside the kitchen of a restaurant/bar located upon the sea, on the North Coast of the Tuscany region. During my summers there, I woke up smelling from hundreds of meters of distance the scent of the approaching confectioner, bringing fresh pastries to the bar. It was 6 am in the morning. My father and my uncle had just returned from fishing. They were seated in the sun unraveling their nets to pick up the fishes and start to cook for the customers to come.
So here I am now. 38 years old, working into communications. Since my adolescence I have been an active digital prosumer, being clear since the beginning that the real potentiality of the internet relies not only on the acts of seeing, getting, downloading but also in the possibilities to upload, share, let other people see.
I have enjoyed the Local Guides program as something that has always been existing in my life. I am a curious person, who always pays attention to his surroundings. I notice before the others when a new restaurant is opening, or an ice cream shop is preparing new delicious seasonal flavors. Testing, reviewing, giving bits of advice about food is something natural for me. In addition, since 2008 I have been working as an art blogger. Going to exhibitions, interviewing artists and curators, I found my way into the art world.
When Tripadvisor turned from the great forum it was to the review aggregator website it is now, I was a bit scared. Giving reviews is exciting, but a big part of the value achieved was going to be lost. That sense of community defined in its own forum rules and objectivity was going to disappear. In response to that, in 2013 I have launched a blog (www.tumangia.it), a web magazine devoted to food experiences. I was trying to go deeper, not just looking for short reviews or quick recipes, but trusted narrations created by real correspondents.
When the Local Guides program appeared in 2015, I was excited. Finally, Google was building a secure environment where foodies and art lovers like me were able to express themselves through the things they see and do. After five years we can see that this platform has grown throughout our efforts. Each contribution attracts another and increases the overall reliability.
When we go out to eat on weekends, sometimes my girlfriend complains about the time I use to spend on Google Maps, to upload photos and give reviews. ‘What about your time on Instagram?’ I answer her ironically. But, that’s it.
I live in Florence, but I come from Viareggio, a coastal town in the Lucca county. I have traveled a bit across the world, but since there are many places here in Tuscany I still want to visit, exploring every day the Tuscan landscape is my personal delight. The Local Guides program is something that goes with me on this journey.
