An experienced and passionate party of professional wine lovers

Mario is a certifiedItalian Sommelier (AIS) and Master Cheese Taster (ONAF). His background also includes a degree in the Science of Food Production from the University of Bologna. Mario, a native of Milan, has lived in the Veneto for 35 years, and his grandmother was from the Canareggio sestiere of Venice.
He is an experienced wine educator, and particularly enjoys the wine tasting seminars he regularly organizes for the U.S. diplomatic corps in Italy. In the past Mario led a seminar on Italian wine and food for the undergraduate students of Boston University studying in Padova. He also works as a travel consultant, specializing the wine and food of the Veneto, Friuli and Trentino Alto-Adige.

I was born in Florence in 1962, and after completing my studies, my first encounter with the world of wine was through the Professional Sommelier Course in Florence, where I gained a comprehensive understanding of this exceptional product.

After earning my AIS Italian Sommelier certification, I worked as a publisher at Demomedia, writing wine guidebooks. My background is in wine tasting as well as food and wine journalism. My deep knowledge of wine has also been enriched by my travels across Italy, including Chianti and Tuscany.
Thanks to my experience, I have built a vast network of wineries, from world-renowned producers to small, family-run farms hidden away from mainstream tourism—what are often called 'boutique wineries.'
From the very beginning, I felt a strong calling to share wine culture with fellow wine lovers from around the world. This passion led to the creation of the Florence Wine Academy, a place dedicated to those who appreciate Italian wine and want to deepen their knowledge.

Then came Italy and Wine, where I have been crafting and leading exclusive wine tours since 2004, and where I cannot wait to meet your for your next, memorabile, wine experience.

I’m a half-Italian, half-Austrian certified sommelier with a strong passion for wine, food and travel. The four languages I speak have brought me around the world to meet different cultures and follow my inspiration, and then to Australia and France, where I’ve been recently working for some of the region’s finest Châteaux. Now, back in Florence, I passionately guide Italy and Wine’s wine tours all over Italy and cannot wait to be your host, since, as the French proverb says: 'In water, we see our own reflection; in a glass of wine, we see someone else’s heart.'