When you would rather get to know Venice Italy in-depth rather than just over drinks, skip the regular tourist options and find a good ecotourism company. Not only will this let you experience this great city on a more personal level, it will also help protect a culture and environment overtaxed by tourists.

With a genuine love of Venice combined with a professional’s eye toward good service, LivItaly delivers tours in Venice that are thorough, well-planned, and so friendly you’ll think a family member is leading them. Focusing on responsible tourism, the company employs several methods designed to reduce the negative impacts tourists have on the city while at the same time supporting the local economy in a meaningful way. Tour groups are kept to around six people so large buses are not needed to move people around. Reservations and information are all transmitted electronically, reducing paper waste and litter. Even the on-the-ground guides carry IPads. And when it’s time to find some, buon cibo, good food, LivItaly finds amazing out-of-the-way restaurants where you can get a real Italian meal bursting with old world flavors. All of these practices not only help protect the city, but also gives folks on the tours a more authentic experience. You’ll see the graceful architecture on your feet rather than through a bus window. You’ll taste and smell the wine and pasta as you get to know a restaurant’s proud owner. You’ll hear the lone violinist playing his personal concerto on the corner, and when you catch his eye and bow, you will have created a priceless connection. All of this lets you foster a forever bond to this place rather than just put a check mark on your bucket list.

The City of Venice struggles to manage the 25 million people that come to visit each year. This influx threatens an environment already seeing impacts from rising waters and increased pollution. Efforts have begun to minimize the impacts, while still welcoming guests and benefiting from tourists’ spending. One organization guides local homeowners in fairly renting out space in their home in contrast to properties owned by people living outside the city. Tackling the waste generated by those millions of extra people is another thorny issue being addressed in a number of ways. Some hotels are banning plastic while local groups are mobilizing to create a more efficient waste collection and recycling system. Finally, other groups, like LivItaly are focusing getting more tourists to spend their money with neighborhood merchants, and practice good stewardship while in the city.

Venice is a fascinating, historic, beautiful, sometime haunting place. When you visit, you want to make your time count and finding a company that support eco-tourism is the way to do that. Then, you get the touch and taste and feel the authentic City of Water, and she gets to maintain her beauty and gracefulness for years to come.