Meet our Trip Leaders
Brett
Brett is the founder, owner, and general manager of Customwalks. Brett started guiding back in 1990 for Butterfield and Robinson and after a three year stint with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs he decided to head back to Europe to follow his passion for adventure, beautiful places, and superb food and wine. He established Customwalks in 1996. A fortuitous relationship was forged with REI Adventures in 1997 which saw Customwalks supply REI Adventures for 23 consecutive years with several different tours in both France and Italy. Brett pursued other B2B relations and supplied CIT Australia with walking tours in Italy for many years. A bon-vivant and avid hiker and cyclist Brett still leads some of our tours to keep his finger on the pulse of the company while overseeing all other aspects of the business. If you contact Customwalks you will be speaking directly to him. He divides his time between homes in New Zealand and Tuscany. Languages: Canadian-eh, French and Italian.
Francesca
Francesca was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, and loves music, books, and good food and wine. She believes that travel is an essential, life affirming experience and she loves nothing more than setting off to explore new places and meet new people. Clearly she was destined to guide our tours and her enthusiasm for what she is doing is infectious. After finishing a degree in Classics, she worked in a press office for cultural events in Arezzo, and then worked as production manager for music and theater festivals in Tuscany. She also managed an arts center in Arezzo and writes reviews for an online music magazine. Languages spoken: Italian, English and Spanish.
Dennis
Dennis grew up in Italy, but spent his summers on the Isle of Man, with the result that he is perfectly bilingual and bi-cultural. Perhaps because of his mixed parentage he has a passion for intercultural experiences and completed postgraduate studies in international cooperation and development. He has left his footprints in the deserts of Morocco and the jungles of Peru, climbed the Pyrenees in Spain and volcanoes in Mexico. He has settled down in his home region of Tuscany and guides our tours in the Dolomites, Tuscany, the Cinque Terre, Andalusia, Amalfi and Piedmont. Dennis is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and Manx.
Sara
Sara is deeply devoted to her home town of Arezzo, so much so that she became a licensed city guide for the historic city and its province. She loves helping people discover the beauty, history and traditions of Tuscany while guiding our Tuscany tours, as well as out tours in Puglia and Sicily. Andalucia is also close to her heart as she studied in Seville while in university. She is also fluent in Spanish and loves to guide our Andalusia hike. Languages: Italian, English, Spanish.
Dimitris
Dimitris oversees our Greek programme from his home in Athens. He looks after all the operations for our Greek tours and he has guided tours in all the destinations that we offer in Greece, and then some. His passions are rock climbing, traditional Greek music (he is a mean Bouzouki player) and Greek cuisine. Our guests always appreciate his laid back style, his obvious care and concern for everyone, and his ever present smile. Languages: Greek and English.
Licia
Licia grew up in the Puglia port town of Taranto. However, she left Puglia at a young age to study in Siena where she graduated with a degree in pharmacy. She has been living in Tuscany ever since, first in Siena, then Grosseto, and now in Gaiole in Chianti. After many years working as a pharmacist Licia decided to spread her wings and travel. A three-month trip to New Zealand in January of 2020 turned into a year-and-a-half stay during the pandemic. She used her time well to perfect her English and to explore New Zealand's fabulous landscapes. Since 2022 Licia has been taking care of many of the administrative tasks that allow the rest of us to guide our tours knowing that all our special events, hotels, transfers, and restaurants have been pre-paid. Besides being a keen hiker Licia also enjoys sketching and painting watercolors. Languages: Italian and English.
Rachele
Rachele was born and still lives in the beautiful lakeside town of Como, in northern Italy. At the young age of 16 she went to Australia and lived with a family while she attended high school. She returned to Italy and studied management, tourism, and languages at university in Milan. She has lived in Spain and Greece, travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as in Central America and India. A licensed trekking guide in Italy and she guides our Dolomites, Tuscany, Cinque Terre and Lake Como walking tours. Languages: Italian, English, Spanish plus a little German, Russian and Greek.
Marco
Originally from Florence, Marco now lives in the hills above Lucca in a restored 12th century watch tower with his partner and their two children. His love of travel has taken him on hiking adventures all over the world, including the Sahara, the Amazon and Nepal. A man of many talents and interests he has worked in the fashion industry in Florence, as a chef on a super-yacht, and as an artist and mosaicist from his home studio. He guides our walking tours in the Dolomites, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast and Sardinia. Languages: Italian, English, and Spanish.