We found ourselves once again back in the wonderful Siena in the heart of Tuscany in Italy for the Palio or (Il Palio as the locals will call it), the most amazing traditional bareback horse race that happens in the Piazza del Campo (the main square) twice each summer.
This festival is tribal with each of the 17 contrade (regions of the city) battle it out for bragging rights until the next time.
This was our 7th time coming to Siena for the Palio, so you can imagine we knew the beautiful city quite well at that stage and we had pretty done and visited almost much everything in the region.
We stumbled upon what felt like a really upmarket boutique store on one of the main streets called “Dear Guests” which we had not seen before.
Upon entering we realised it wasn’t a store at all but in fact a visitor centre of sorts which had been styled as a really upmarket store.
The layout was superb with books and brochures, there was a reception desk with a number of well dressed staff, and what really blew us away was the store was decked out floor to ceiling with digital screens with superbly shot footage of so many places to go and see in Siena and in the surrounding area.
Without having to chat to anyone we excitedly took note of Volterra, Gaoile in Chianti and Montalcino, some of the places we hadn’t been to before and our itinerary was done for the week. Each place lived up to the spectacular images and footage we saw on the digital screens.
I thought this form of “tourist office” was the best I had ever experienced and in particular I loved the language used – we weren’t tourists, we were guestsl!
This perspective makes a huge difference.
A tourist is someone visiting, someone to marketed or sold to, someone to extract some business from.
A “guest” is a totally different ballgame – treat the guest well and they may become even more valuable than a tourist!
From the website it doesn’t look like a national tourism organisation but rather an initiative by a number of passionate locations in the region including Florence, Siena, Assisi, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Montalcino, Pienza and Venice.
This is how the organisation behind the initiative describe themselves:
Travellers open themselves to those who welcome them, while hosts embrace the diversity they encounter.
This is the concept behind Opera Hospitality, a portal that encompasses the finest accommodations selected by Opera Laboratori for your stay in Siena and its province.
It’s a project that blends hospitality, food & beverage, and experiences with the museum and cultural offerings of Dear Guests.
In truth, the description doesn’t do what we witnessed justice – it was amazing.
You just have to visit…(try to go when the Palio is on)
Greg
Greg Canty is the Managing Partner of Fuzion and he is the Head of Digital Marketing.
