We were lucky to catch up with Stefano Paris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stefano, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Travel has always been a huge part of my life. Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of reaching distant lands. The Internet wasn’t yet available at home, and hasn’t been for many years. I imagined traveling far away consulting world maps and atlases!

In the years immediately following obtaining my degree in Political Science in Rome, I decided to follow my instincts and wander the world. London was my first major foreign metropolis. Then in 2013, I moved to Chicago to teach Italian at a private school. The United States had always fascinated me, and in Chicago I spent the best year and a half I can remember! When it was time to leave Chicago, I thought it was time to move to an even farther land. Bangkok was a rather improvised choice and for this reason truly fascinating. I lived in Bangkok for a year and a half. An absolutely magical place and so different from anywhere I had ever lived. I have developed a huge love for Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and my favorite country, Vietnam. After this experience in Southeast Asia, I had the chance to move to Los Angeles for a few months, before I was hired for the best job I’ve ever had: CEO for G Adventures. Contrary to classic terminology, in the language of G Adventures CEO meant Chief Experience Officer, or simply Tour Leader. After years of dreaming of discovering the world, and never returning home, I suddenly found myself doing a job where I had the chance to introduce travelers from all over the world to my wonderful home country: Italy!

Before now Italy had always been a “cage” for me. The place from which to constantly emigrate to try new experiences. But working as CEO gave me the opportunity to completely change my perspective on my country. Showing my home country to dozens of travel enthusiasts opened my eyes to the enormous beauty of the place where I was born. I became so passionate about my work and my country that I began to look for unique and authentic experiences, in order to offer my travelers ever more special travel adventures! G Adventures groups averaged around 10 people, giving me the ability to create truly intimate, unique experiences. Once I even took a group to my hometown, Frosinone. My mom cooked a delicious Italian lunch for everyone, including the drivers who were taking us from the Amalfi Coast to Rome! It was an unforgettable experience for me, the travelers, and my family!

In 2020, all of this was interrupted by the pandemic. To me, beyond the tragedy of this moment, it was a period of enormous rebirth. I decided to take this moment to map out my future. I had the idea to create a Virtual Tours concept that G Adventures used to keep its community connected during the early stages of the pandemic. I had created Virtual Tours with the idea of giving colleagues from all over the world the opportunity to continue doing what they loved even if traveling wasn’t possible at the time. Tips from virtual travelers would have given a helping hand to the many tour leaders who had found themselves out of work at any moment.

I decided to use my own idea to found I for Italia. I for Italia was born with the mission of offering virtual travel experiences to travelers from all over the world. In particular, the idea was to connect virtual travelers with authentic Italy, the one I knew growing up and living in my country. While doing my job as CEO, I realized something very interesting. Many travelers had a very partial image of Italy. Many knew the usual wonderful places, but they didn’t know many other areas of my country which were even more fascinating and above all, much less impacted by mass tourism. Furthermore, I realized that many travelers did not have a great knowledge of the cultural, linguistic, historical and even food and wine diversity of the various Italian regions. So, when I moved to Charleston, SC in 2021, I decided that I would found a real tour operator, and that I would aim to introduce American travelers to the real, authentic Italy! During my years as a guide for G Adventures first, and then for National Geographic, I had developed many personal relationships and contacts with locals for my groups. I decided that I would use my knowledge of Italy, and my contacts to offer something truly special.

I noticed how very often, those who promoted Italy here in the USA did not have the necessary knowledge to guide travelers in planning a trip to Italy that truly gave them the opportunity to connect with the locals, and to understand the Bel Paese from the perspective of Italians.

Today with I for Italia we offer authentic travel experiences for private clients and small groups, with the aim of making Italy truly known, discovering its myriad of beautiful, very rich, yet unknown destinations. With I for Italia, I thought I would build a bridge between the United States and Italy, to connect American travelers with the authentic side of my country, ensuring I could continue to exercise my passion for my country even from the United States, a country that loves Italy perhaps much more than the Italians themselves!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

When I was working as tour leader, I felt like that was not just a job but a vocation. Educating and guiding travelers, while creating a safe, welcoming environment for everyone is what I love more than anything. As a National Geographic Journey Tour Leader I was always looking to find unique experiences in each destination, from experiencing Gregorian chants in the beautiful San Miniato Abbey in Florence to delving into the Grassi family and their Ospedale delle Bambole project in Naples. Returning to the country of my birth made me appreciate the special feeling of calling Italy home. In 2019, I was honored to secure one of the 12 prestigious spots reserved for top global CEOs at G Adventures’ Leadership Camp in Kenya. When the pandemic struck, I pioneered the concept of Live Virtual Tours, allowing me and my former colleagues at G Adventures to continue doing what we love. I’m a curious, adventurous individual always looking to furthering my knowledge, and preparation. When leading a small group of travelers, my main goal was to give all I have to allow everyone to have the most unforgettable travel experience.

I took this very spirit to I for Italia. As a tour operator owner, my main goal is to establish a deep and genuine connection with our clients and educate them on the true, genuine side of my country. Every day, I think of ways to make their travel experience in Italy even more unique and special. We connect our travelers to our very own contacts so that they can truly understand Italy.

Rather than planning a vacation in Tuscany, we suggest our clients to consider planning a trip in a lesser-known, gorgeous region such as Umbria. The Amalfi Coast is gorgeous, but it leaves little place to authenticity, therefore we suggest traveling to Sicily or the stunning region of Puglia! We have planned visits to local festivals (known in Italian as “sagre”), and local artisanal shops. We have booked clients in ceramic workshops, or buffalo mozzarella making experiences. We have planned trips in regions such as Piemonte, Liguria or Basilicata. In May 2024, I will personally take a group of senior students to explore Southern Italy. We will be visiting areas such as Cilento, located in southern Campania, and Matera, a stunning, 7,000 years old city in the region of Basilicata.

Differently from the majority of tour operators and travel agents, with I for Italia we focus on just one country, one we know so well. Our interest is not into “selling” travel, but to provide our clients that have a desire to visit Italy with the cultural tools and knowledge to truly understand it. And that’s what differentiate us from everyone else.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’m all about being genuine and truly passionate about what I do at I for Italia. Our reason for existing is rooted in our deep love for Italy. When you’re genuinely passionate, it’s not just a job—it’s a calling. We don’t just talk about Italy; it’s a vocation for us.

Personally, I’m deeply involved in the local Charleston Dante Alighieri Society. I have presented many events to an exciting audience of Italophiles. I have organized and led Virtual and in person events for the local College of Charleston. I have created the “Sip and Learn” event concept, a wine tasting + travel based storytelling focused on some specific Italian region. Along with a group of travel enthusiast, we had fun tasting regional wines and appetizers, while I would guide the audience through the beautiful areas and activities they could have experienced in those specific regions.

For me, giving my all to what I love isn’t just about personal fulfillment—it’s about building a reputation that resonates with our clients. Travel should be fun, educational, and planned with someone as passionate about it as you are. That, I believe, makes all the difference in creating unforgettable experiences.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

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Contact Info:

• Website: www.iforitalia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_for_italia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iforitalia/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanoparis1987/

Image Credits
Irmante Sungailaite