Joseph Walker's Bio - Italy Expert

Joseph Walker grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and is an alumni of West Georgia University (M.A. History) as well as the University of Maryland - European Division (B.A European History) and the University of Laverne, California - European Division (A.A. Italian Cultural Studies).

Joseph's life experience however stemmed from having lived abroad for more than half of his life. Heading off to Europe at the age of 19, Joseph served honorably in the US Navy and then worked diligently on achieving several University degrees. Early Travel experiences to more than 40 countries and the knowledge gained by this, led Joseph to later live in Italy for a total of seventeen years and Brazil for another five.

Joseph honed his "Italian skills" by first serving as a Tours escort for US and UK groups visiting Italy, later becoming a Tour Guide, followed by a Tours and Product Manager, and finally to managing all of the USOs of Italy including an extensive Travel and Cultural Program. All told, Joseph has escorted or personally guided in more than 1,400 separate tours in Italy for at least 3 major companies and 7 Universities. His travel experience has included the following destinations:

Rome, Vatican City, Gaeta, Florence, Siena, Chianti Wine Region, Pisa, Lucca, Venice, Verona, Vicenza, Milan, Como, Turin, Brescia, Bolzano, Turin, Genoa, Bologna, Ravenna, Rimini, Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, Todi, Spoleto, L'Aquila, Pescara, Bari, Brindisi, Taranto, Naples, Caserta, Pompeii, Salerno, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Procida, Ischia, Matera, Bari, Taranto, Gargano Peninsula, Cosenza, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, Syracuse, Agrigento, Enna, Trapani, as well as more than 200 other major and minor locations within Italy.

In addition to his extensive travels in Italy, Joseph's experience and insight have been featured in dozens of newspaper and magazine articles he wrote or co-authored between 1992 and the present day (Panorama, Campania Magazine, Nero sul Bianco Newspaper just to name a few). Joseph has also assisted TV productions with his special and unparralled knowledge of Italy in the creation of documentaries for networks that include, but not limited to, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, AFN Italy and AFN Europe. Joseph has also authored a shopping guide of Italy and a "do-it-yourself" Tour of Naples.

Joseph has a unique love and insight of Italy owing from his vast field experience on the ground there. Joseph is happiest when he is sharing his love of Italian culture, history, and with his fellow travelers. He still travels extensively and visits Italy with his family or with small tour groups wishing to reveal the magic and culture of this intriguing country.