In addition, in 2016 I was awarded the title of Official Olive Oil Taster from the AICOO ( Associazione italiana conoscere l’olio d’oliva) and in 2023 I became an AIS ( Associazione Italiana Sommelier) professional wine sommelier.
My family has owned the property Villa Santa Chiara since the early 1900s, and I am deeply involved in running the family business, including the production of olive oil and the renting of holiday apartments located in the Villa.
We had a fabulous 3 hours with Claudia and wish it could have been longer. We’ve been to Siena before, but it came alive in new and charming ways as Claudia talked about the Contradas while weaving us through back streets, slipping into a special church just before it closed, took us wine tasting in an ancient Etruscan cave and more. She’s gracious, speaks perfect English and knows her stuff!
We just finished the most magical tour today! Claudia was incredibly knowledgeable and very engaging. I am traveling with my twin 9 year olds and they were so engaged the whole time. She did a great job personalizing the tour so that all ages could enjoy! I truly would have missed so many hidden gems without her guidance. It’s a must do. Incredible value to have such a knowledgeable guide and to have such a private tour. It was amazing to have someone born in Siena who can really share the history, arts and fun city secrets! I could not… read more »
Claudia is fantastic! She is very knowledgeable about many aspects of Sienna culture and history! Her English is perfect! She showed me all the highlights of her beautiful city. You will be happy you booked a tour with her! She is very kind and also very interesting!
I visited Siena with my 75yr old mother who doesn’t get around very well. I’m so thankful that Claudia was available for a private tour because it was a highlight of our trip! She is kind, knowledgeable, and exactly what we needed. I highly recommend Claudia and I hope our paths cross again!
We had the great fortune of a day-long tour with Claudia in Siena.The love she has for her hometown is evident, and translates into deep knowledge that she shares so enthusiastically. We visited San Domenico, Siena’s magnificent cathedral, among several other stops, met a living legend at his marble workshop (Mr. Emilio Frati), and learned in wonderful detail about the neighborhood traditions and Palio (the Aquila museum was spectacular). Being from the city, she knows things about Siena that you don’t get to learn otherwise (like where a hidden Etruscan tomb is!). Her art historian background really adds wonderful color… read more »
26/09/2024….My husband and I had the pleasure of meeting Claudia for our tour in Sienna. Claudia was a wonderful hostess and tour guide. She was professional, informative and extremely wonderful to be with. Her presentation showed her true passion for her city, community and heritage. We had a wonderful tour of the Duomo and surrounding area. We highly recommend her !! *****
Earlier today, my sister, brother in law and I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Claudia. She was our guide not only of the Duomo but of other parts of Siena. It was so informative and interesting. She is so knowledgeable and delightful to be with. She helped us see and learn about the Duomo *although we need many more hours with her to really ‘know’ the magnificent place. After two hours inside the church she took on to see where her grandparents had lived and where she had spent a great deal of time while growing up.… read more »
My wife and I had a fantastic time with Claudia as our guide in Siena. We visited the Duomo and learned about a lot of different and interesting facts that many people would overlook. She took us through the streets, showed us the sights and we even got to visit the Aquila (eagles) contrada museum. It was very cool and special. Claudia is personable, interesting and knows so much about her hometown you’ll be very happy if you select her as a guide.
We were a group of 5 adults and took a 2.5 hour tour with Claudia. She was a wonderful guide, and I wish we had booked a longer tour. Her pride and passion for her home city was abundant as she spoke with us about the history and the traditions of Siena, some that are still current to this day. I would highly recommend her, and I cannot wait to return to Siena and take another tour with her.
Claudia was the perfect guide for Siena. You could not have a more knowledgeable guide who was also someone you want to spend the day with because of her kindness and generosity. I highly recommend booking a tour with Claudia, you will have a fantastic time and you will learn a lot.
We were a small group of 5 staying at the beautiful Villa Santa Chiara and we took a 2.5 hour tour with Claudia. She was a wonderful guide. So passionate about Siena and the history and traditions that are still alive in Siena. I wish we had booked a longer tour as there is so much to see and learn about in Siena. I would highly recommend her and we will definitely use her again when we return to Siena.
We did a 2 hour tour of Siena with Claudia and had an amazing experience ! She had so much local knowledge and the level of detail was very high. I wish we could have spent more time with her! We would recommend her highly.
Claudia toured my wife and I around Siena. She was great and very informative, especially about the different Siena neighborhoods and art. She clearly has a passion and love for Siena. Good experience, and was worth the price.
Claudia was a terrific guide for our group of four adults. She was very engaging and showed us a several “hidden jewels” in Siena that we would never have heard about or seen had we not been touring with her.
She took extra time with us and made a number of introductions to shops, restaurants and other things to do while we visited Tuscany.
We stayed on her family’s estate Villa Santa Chiara Villa Santa Chiara – Holiday Apartments in a Tuscan Villa in Siena (villasantachiarasiena.com) just outside the city walls which made our experience even more special. Grazie Mille!
We love working with Claudia, she has looked after lots of our clients visiting Siena over the past few years. The time they spend with Claudia is often a highlight of their trip to Italy. Grazie mille!
Abbiamo trovato il nome di Claudia su una guida della Lonely Planet che la consigliava come miglior guida per visitare Siena. Per raccontare la nostra esperienza con lei poche righe non bastano. Si capisce subito che conosce bene la sua città con la sua storia e la sua arte. In quello che fa non c’è solo conoscenza ma tanta passione. Ci ha accompagnato tra le contrade ed i suoi vicoli raccontandoci la storia di Siena e del Palio. Grazie ancora Claudia per questa bella esperienza che ci ha fatto apprezzare Siena anche nei giorni che l’abbiamo visitata da soli.
As a young backpacker on a tight budget, I was uneasy spending money on a private tour, however my goodness it was the best decision I made all trip!! Claudia is absolutely fantastic. Her depth of knowledge and charisma made the experience so engaging and she covered so many intricate details across the town that I feel other guides would not even know about. Her network of connections she has with people here in Siena also made for spontaneous little cameos into private workshops and spaces that I will never forget. Kudos to Claudia, 10/10!
We challenged Claudia with a 3 generation family tour of Siena that included a 2 year old, as well as an unexpectedly heavy rain a few days before the Palio. Nonetheless, she persevered with energy and enthusiasm and easily transmitted her knowledge and love of the city. We especially enjoyed seeing the history brought to life by visiting her Aquila contrada museum and church. She recommended a local restaurant that worked well for the 2 year old as well. Grazie, Claudia!
I can’t say enough good things about Claudia Cesa! She was the BEST tour guide and gave our group the most informative and passionate history/tour of beautiful medieval Siena. Her knowledge of the walled historic city comes from a long family history in Siena. My whole family is looking forward to streaming the Palio races in July and August because of Claudia’s description of what this race means to all of Siena. I am looking forward to my next trip to Tuscany, and of course will be calling Claudia again for more tours!!
Our time with Claudia was truly one of the highlights of our two-week trip throughout Italy! She is an outstanding Guide with a deep understanding of Siena and Tuscany, history, culture, and so many other aspects which she skillfully shared. Claudia didn’t just pass on facts, she brought Siena to life, including the unique aspects of the Palio and the art in the Siena Cathedral. Her English is flawless and she communicates skillfully. I only wish that we had more time with Claudia, and the next time we’re back in Italy, we’ll plan to meet up with her again. Thank… read more »
Claudia is fantastic! She’s so knowledgeable, engaging and held the attention of our young children too. We enjoyed learning more about the contrade with her deep Aquila roots, a truly special experience with someone that also loves her beautiful city and rich history. We took her tour after my parents and sisters raved about the experience.
Claudia e’ una guida bravissima preparata e professionale. Trasmette il suo amore per l’ arte coinvolgendoti e trasportandoti nelle meraviglie più conosciute e sconosciute.Io e mia figlia siamo state onorate di aver trascorso del tempo con lei visitando il duomo di Siena.Grazie Claudia!!!
Claudia was a wonderful guide for our tour of San Gimignano! Her knowledge of the town’s history, as well as Tuscany in general, was evident during our time with her. I definitely recommend Claudia as a Tuscan tour guide!
We spent three weeks in Italy, and the two hours we spent with Claudia on walking tour of Siena was a highlight of the whole trip. Claudia has extensive knowledge, history and enthusiasm and her tour was excellent. We saw and learned things that we would never have done on our own. The tour far exceeded our expectations. Thank you Claudia!
“Touring Siena with Claudiatuscanytours.com was like stepping into a fairytale! We wandered through ancient streets, learning cool stuff about the city from our guide. We saw awesome places like Piazza del Campo and Siena Cathedral. She even told us about the Palio, this famous horse race they have, and the rivalry between the different neighborhoods called contrade, like the iquila one. It was a super fun and educational adventure!
You will love this tour with Claudia!
My friends and I booked Claudia to tour the Duomo and Siena. She was very informative and passionate about the history of these fabulous places. I highly recommend her services.
We had an incredible tour with Claudia. I would recommend her tours for anyone visiting Siena. She is very fun and knowledgeable about all things related to the Siena architecture and history. She is from Siena and thus provides great insight to the culture of this great city and what it is like to live here. She also provides many very good suggestions regarding activities beyond her tour – wine tasting, dining, etc.
We spent a morning with Claudia a couple of weeks ago and she gave us a very personal tour of Siena. As she describes on her website Claudia’s family has lived in Siena for many generations and she is passionate about her heritage. This was evident as she showed us many parts of Siena that are not part of the standard tour of the city, laced with many anecdotes. In particular, her description of the Contrade of Siena, their history and the competition between them for the famed Palio races must be second to none and was enthralling. We could… read more »
Claudia brought her passion, knowledge, and story telling ability to our tour of Siena. She kept the pace and information flowing in a way that worked beautifully for our three generation group. Both my mother and teenage daughter’s interests were met as we toured the lovely city. Claudia was able to take us down side streets that were virtually empty and tell stories that brought the history of Siena, and the places we visited within the city, to life. We enjoyed meeting Claudia’s friends along the way as we went to shops and restaurants owned by local friends of hers.… read more »
Nel weekend della Pasqua 2024 io e la mia compagna abbiamo avuto la fortuna di incontrare Claudia . È stata tutta una piacevolissima sorpresa trovare una guida di Siena così preparata coinvolgente e competente . Oltre al tour di Siena storico ci ha fatto conoscere un mondo incredibile dietro alla storia del Palio di Siena . È carinissima e coinvolgente , la consiglio veramente a chiunque !
Guida eccezionale. Gentile, informata e simpatica ci ha fatto conoscere aspetti sconosciuti della città. Anche i ragazzi sono stati rapiti dal racconto di Claudia
I am a Humanities teacher in the US. I brought a pack of students studying Dante, the Medicis, and Tuscan culture to Florence for two weeks to continue the academic part of our 4-week intensive. For one of our days, we went to Siena, where we met Claudia for our tour of the cathedral, Palio, the city, and many other aspects of Siena. There is one phrase I’d use to describe the experience: A TREAT! WHAT A TREAT! My students have raved about it. From her deep knowledge of all things Siena, to the time and care she gave us… read more »
Con un gruppo di ragazzi abbiamo visitato il Duomo di Siena assieme a Claudia, che si è dimostrata estremamente competente, preparata, empatica e disponibile con tutti noi per domande e approfondimenti! Visita ricca di piacevoli curiosità, all’insegna del calore che è riuscita a trasmetterci durante il tempo assieme. Grazie!!
Il 2 gennaio, insieme ad amici, ho avuto la fortuna di conoscere e apprezzare la competenza e la professionalità di Claudia, che ci ha guidato all’interno del Palazzo Pubblico di Siena. Abbiamo ascoltato con vero interesse la storia e le complesse dinamiche del Palio, che Claudia ha fatto rivivere con passione e coinvolgimento. Grazie davvero! Giovanni Petrina
Ieri,io,mia moglie e mio cognato, abbiamo visitato il Duomo e le zone limitrofe con la guida Claudia Cesa. Il percorso fatto è stato sempre caratterizzato da professionalità e simpatia. Claudia, senza mai annoiare con inutili descrizioni, ha saputo sintetizzare gli aspetti salienti e, magari poco conosciuti, sia del Duomo sia della città riuscendo a dare una visione chiara ed esaustiva in tutta la visita. Inoltre ha saputo suscitare curiosità ed interesse anche parlando del Palio spiegandoci l’importanza che assume, nella città, nei rapporti tra le contrade. Pertanto ritengo che una visita guidata con Claudia sia la migliore cosa se si… read more »
Oggi, io e la mia famiglia abbiamo avuto il piacere di visitare il Duomo di Siena, Piazza del Campo e vie circostanti con Claudia Cesa, impagabile guida che ci ha illustrato anche la complessa preparazione del Palio e l’importanza delle Contrade! E’stata una visita molto interessante e piacevole!
Brava Claudia! Alla prossima visita!
Hello. My wife and I met Claudia during a personalized tour of Siena. She was very outgoing and knowledgeable of her city, its region and the history involving the two. Not only did we learn a lot from her about this, but also about daily life in Siena, its people, local shops and customs. We look forward to visiting Siena again to take another tour with Claudia and to stay in the beautiful home/apartment that she runs with her family.
Claudia totally exceeded our expectations by leading us through an intimate tour of Sienna that truly bought the city to life, its history and culture. We highly recommend Claudia and thoroughly enjoyed our time spent with her!
Quando avrete la fortuna di visitare Siena, considerate una grandissima fortuna poterlo fare con Claudia: sorridente, precisa, premurosa, è la quintessenza della senesità più solare. Non c’è must see, curiosità o posticino di pregio che le sfugga. Sa davvero tutto. Di recente, poi, ha persino in serbo qualche sorpresa molto… contradaiola. E vi farà pensare che, forse, trasferirsi a Siena… e perché no?!
We SO enjoyed our tour with Claudia. It was the highlight of our visit to Sienna. Claudia’s knowledge of the art, architecture, and history of her hometown was deep, personal, passionate, and fascinating. She is an extraordinarily talented guide and made us feel that we were welcome in Siena.
Con un gruppo di 11 amici abbiamo prenotato la visita guidata al pavimento del duomo di Siena tramite Opera laboratori e guide siena incontrando Claudia Cesa che ci ha introdotti alla storia e meraviglie delle tarsie ed altre straordinarie opere d arte del Duomo che ci ha molto emozionati ! La sua grazia competenza e passione ci hanno incantati! L abbiamo invitata a venirci a trovare a Genova per i Rolli days, perche’ la sua amicizia ci rende orgogliosi. Grazie di cuore! Patrizia & friends Genova With 11 friends we met Claudia Cesa for a guided tour of the splendors… read more »
I have been on two wonderful day tours of Siena with Claudia and she is just amazing!! So full of knowledge, passion and love for her city and work. I could not recommend her more highly. You will get a real insite into the true Sienese people and their amazing heritage that still now plays a big part of everyday living in Siena. This is an experience not to be missed.
We traveled to Italy with friends of ours in Sept 2021. We stayed at the Villa Santa Chiara and had Claudia as a our tour guide for two days in Siena. We can not say enough good things about our stay or our time with Claudia. Her local knowledge is unbeatable, as she was raised and still lives in Siena. Her grace, humor, charm and friendliness were amazing. She is a wonderful lady. We would highly recommend using her for tours of Siena and the surrounding region, and we are already planning our return trip and hope to be back… read more »
My husband Jim and I took a tour of Siena with Claudia. She is such a wealth of knowledge and so passionate about her city, her people and her culture. It was absolutely infectious. She is so knowledgeable about Italian and specifically, Sienese history. We only had a few hours but we will be back. Her family roots run deep in Siena and her goal is to share the beauty and magic of this captivating city with all that she comes in contact with. Thank you Claudia! We look forward to spending time with you again – hopefully hiking in… read more »
I visited Siena in August of 2021, and Claudia was our guide for the day…what a lovely and brilliant young lady, and so willing to share all of her knowledge! I even asked to purchase some local honey from her when I discovered that bees were kept at her family villa, and so kindly and generously, she delivered them to the hotel where I stayed. I remembered this gift recently while reviewing some photos from the trip, and contacted her to thank her, as I was not present for the honey delivery…better late than never. You will love doing business… read more »
We had a wonderful day with Claudia in Siena. Fun , interesting and very knowledgeable of the City and its history. Highest marks!
Famiglia Accame
Abbiamo avuto la fortuna di avere come nostra guida per la città di Siena Claudia.
é stata una guida preparata e professionale.
Abbiamo fatto un giro molto interessante e Claudia è stata disponibile a farci vedere posti più insoliti e particolari per il turista.
La consigliamo vivamente!!!
I have been meaning to put this review from an email I sent to you in May on your website! My husband Steve and I had a private tour with you on May 5th. We had a wonderful day. Your knowledge and expertise was truly a highlight of our visit to Siena! We would have never known about Siena’s Palio Contrada Neighborhoods & the Horse Races (July2 &Aug16) as an example! We went back and purchased a box of the delicious Almond Cookies from IL Magnifico. Many thanks again for a great day. Would love to come back and stay… read more »
Would highly recommend Claudia! She was great with our elementary age kids. Because of her tour Siena was one of our family’s favorite spots!! It was such a great experience. Thank you!
From the moment we met Claudia, her passion for Sienna’s heritage and Il Palio was evident. She greeted us with warmth and enthusiasm, immediately setting the tone for what turned out to be an unforgettable adventure. Her in-depth knowledge of the city’s history and traditions was impressive, and her genuine love for the members of her community was beautiful. She went above and beyond to help organize an experience for us to eat dinner with her contrada the night before Il Palio. It was an experience my family and I will never forget!