About Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours

Mission Statement

As your favorite resource for Italy travel, Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours offers the widest selection of possibilities. We search for hidden gems that meet our exacting standards-the best-instructed classes and charming, yet centrally-located preferred hotels.

With over 80 years of combined experience, we excel at creating Italy vacation packages that spark your interest. You can rely on your friends at Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours to help you take the trip of your dreams by bringing the best in all things Italy directly to you.

We add comfort, convenience, and competitive pricing to all our services including tours, packages, transfers, and hotels to ensure your Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours trip will become one to remember for years to come. Visit our testimonials Page to see for yourself what some of our clients are saying about our exceptional services.

Guido D'Ugo
Managing Director North America

Hello, and welcome to Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours.

An Italian by birth and by heritage, Guido specializes in Italian travel partly due to his knowledge of the country, but it was his passion for Italy and all things Italian inspired him to create Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours. After years in the travel and hospitality industry as an employee of Alitalia Airlines, the owner of a travel firm, and the co-owner of a boutique hotel near Rome's monumental Spanish Steps, Guido launched Ciao Italy Travel in December 2006. In his new role, Guido put his knowledge of Italy and tourism at the disposal of the most demanding American and Canadian travelers, using Italy-based suppliers to create clients' ideal itineraries at the lowest possible prices.
Since its creation, Ciao Italy has experienced great success and has established a solid reputation in the travel and tourism market by continuously offering its services to travelers and travel agents directly. In order to make that easier, Guido partnered with his preferred Italian supplier, Carrani Tours of Rome, in 2009 to create Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours. This match made in heaven now results in endless benefits to not only travelers but to the entire community of travel agencies as well, offering exceptional pricing and efficient and fast service, supported by teams in both New York and Rome. All of the tours and packages Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours offers have been hand-chosen through Guido's humble, life-long love affair with Italy. Guido is proud to share his fondness for Italy with fellow travelers.

IN THE NYC OFFICE…

Alison Busone
Manager, National Sales & Customer Relations

Alison, who is of Italian-American heritage, developed a love for Italy as a child while making extensive family trips across the Atlantic. Upon entering the workforce, she dreamed of getting a job in Italy - or something that would get her there as much as possible. With little knowledge of the travel industry, Alison came on board with Ciao Italy in September 2009. Now she is respected and praised by even the most demanding travel agents with years of experience. Over the past two years, Alison has made multiple trips to Italy in order to learn even more about the country, the destinations we visit, our preferred hotels, and various suppliers. In November 2011, she was promoted to her new managerial position, in which she will continue to interact with clients and lead the Ciao Italy team as an invaluable asset.

Carmela D'Amato
Coordinator, Sales & Suppliers Relations

Carmela spent most of her life near the beautiful Amalfi Coast, having been born and raised in Salerno. Before entering the travel industry, Carmela worked in the Italian food world-two ventures that have let her share the love of her homeland with the world. Carmela has been charming travel agents and clients alike while catering to their needs and negotiating deals for them with our suppliers-with whom she has built a strong relationship in a short amount of time. Despite being in New York City for over 10 years, Carmela has kept true to her Italian culture and traditions. Talking to Carmela will make you feel like you're already in Italy!

Natacha Maldonado
Coordinator, Sales & Online Marketing

The newest addition to Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours, Natacha is Italian and Argentinian. With extensive experience in the travel and hospitality industries, Natacha has worked for hotels in the NYC area as an assistant manager and as a manager. Now Natacha is helping to take Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours to the next level as our Coordinator of Sales and Online Marketing. An expert in online marketing, she is very passionate about her job and has excellent customer service skills. Natacha is scheduled to travel to Italy extensively to learn first-hand about the destinations we offer and to meet our top-notch suppliers.

Jennifer Appel
Accounting Coordinator

Jennifer has been with Ciao Italy almost since the beginning! As the Accounting Coordinator, Jennifer takes care of the company's accounting duties and helps out the sales team, dazzling them with her expertise and organizational skills. Jennifer has traveled to Italy several times to see the sights and absorb the culture, enhancing her knowledge about Italy and therefore our team. An important asset to Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours, Jennifer makes sure that all of the numbers add up!

ON THE FIELD…

Connie Duckel
Regional Sales Manager
New England and Upstate New York

Connie has been a highly-respected member of the travel industry for 28 years, working in sales, travel education, and networking organizations that offer support and destination knowledge. Her lifetime of traveling has taken her to 112 countries (including Italy eight times) and six continents, plus on more than 45 cruises. Connie is thrilled to be a part of Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours team, adding to its outstanding reputation of service to its customers through both independent and escorted tours, knowledge of travel, professionalism, and deep understanding of Italy.

Dan Harbert
Regional Sales Manager
Northwest USA

Dan has spent many years serving diverse travel suppliers within the travel agency community, and he's happy to be connecting travel agents and their clients with Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours as destination specialists, something the market has truly embraced. Dan is helping Americans experience the "wow" factor while discovering the popular destination of Italy-something the Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours always provides by their passion for Italy and treating every client request like a work of art from start to finish.

Ann Andreas
Regional Sales Manager
New York metropolitan area (Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island)

With over 30 years of experience selling to travel agents, Ann is the owner of an independent sales company, AMA Travel Marketing, and has represented a wide variety of suppliers, including a tourist office, tour operators, and hotels. Ann has helped Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours grow over the past four years, sharing her network and knowledge, acting as a reliable source for her agents to get current and updated sales support, information, and special touches for their VIP clientele.

Deborah Traussi
Regional Sales Manager
Manhattan and New York tri-state area (Northern New Jersey, Westchester, and Southern Connecticut)

Information to come soon.

Richard Bromberg
Regional Sales Manager
Mid-Atlantic USA

Richard Bromberg brings over thirty-five years of travel industry experience to Ciao Italy Tours. He's worked in the hospitality and travel agency segments and has traveled extensively. He's particularly fond of Italy. "Ciao Italy Tours impressed me with the quality of their tours as well as their staff, website and brochure and I'm proud to be a member of their sales team", said Bromberg.

IN ROME…

Carrani Tours

The Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours experience wouldn't be as memorable or enjoyable without the unwavering service provided by Carrani Tours of Rome. With its 80-plus years of experience, Carrani Tours is one of the most established tour operators in Italy, running their own tours and maintaining outstanding relationships with other Italian suppliers. Under the guidance of President and third-generation owner Paolo Delfini and General Manager Chiara Gigliotti, the Rome contingent of Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours allows us to deal directly from Italy to you, the client, as an Italian supplier with an office in both New York and Rome, whereas other travel companies need to go through third-party suppliers, which inflate their costs. With Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours, you have the convenience of dealing directly from New York with one the most historical and prestigious tour operators and travel wholesalers in Italy.