Italian Tours by Diana - Our Staff - ITALIAN TOURS AND TRAVEL BY DIANA

OUR STAFF

Piacere! Pleased to meet you!

Fluent in English, Italian, and French, Diana understands the needs of the International traveler. Creative, enthusiastic and always having one foot on each side of the Atlantic, Diana divides her time between private residences in both the U.S. and Italy. As a child, Diana was captivated by the wonders of Italy. Returning frequently to visit family and friends, her love for this country compounded with each and every visit. Eager to share this joy with others, personal and family trips often included friends from the states. Each journey built upon her knowledge of the art, the history, the culture, and the simple day to day life characteristic of La Bella Italia. With 40+ years of experience, Diana is truly an expert on the wonders of this magnificent country.

Diana Maiola

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT

As a first generation Italian American, Angelica is passionate about everything Italian, particularly its exquisite food, rich history and vibrant culture. With a 15 year retail buying and marketing background, she has always aspired to work with Italy in some way; she is thrilled to now be able to assist others in experiencing all of the wonderful things that Italy has to offer. She studied abroad in Rome for a semester in college and has been fortunate enough to have traveled to Italy many times throughout her life to visit family. She is extremely grateful for the countless warm memories of being in Italy and for the many opportunities she has had to fully experience the Italian culture.

Angelica
(Di Lalla) Gauntner

SENIOR TRAVEL PLANNER
Cleveland office

Carla is a native Clevelander with family roots in northern Sicily. As a graduate of The Ohio State University, Carla double majored in Communications, in hopes of pursuing public relations, and Italian, to reconnect with her heritage and family in Italy. After studying for five months in Rome, she ignited her passion for all things Italian (especially gelato!) and enjoyed visiting relatives. Carla earned a Master's Degree in Organizational Communication in 2021. She loves being in a career that combines her fields of expertise and giving others the opportunity to experience the “la vita bella” she so adores. In her free time, Carla cheers on the Buckeyes, hangs out with her pup Apollo, and loves exploring new places - recently she honeymooned in French Polynesia!

Carla
(Mazzone) Gentile

SENIOR TRAVEL PLANNER
CLEVELAND OFFICE

Carol (Carolina) is a first generation Italian/American. She was
3 ½ years old when she took her first transatlantic voyage to Italy with her mother, father and brother. Her younger sister, Diana (yes, THAT Diana) was not born yet. Carol has traveled back to Italy many times since then, visiting family and friends abroad. She brings years of experience from her positions with large corporations in their business and finance departments. She joined Italian Tours and Travel by Diana in January of 2016 as the Manager of Finance & Accounting. Carol’s passion for Italy is expressed in her stellar cooking and baking with authentic recipes. She enjoys spending time with her family and her granddaughters, Ella, Abagail and Olivia.

For the past 22 years, Stacey had been working as a Kitchen & Bath Designer, bringing her clients' visions to life. Now, with a change in careers, she is still able to bring ideas to life- but in the form of amazing trips to beautiful locations that her clients will remember for a lifetime. Since her first visit to Italy with Diana in 2003, Stacey has been captivated by all things Italian! In her spare time, she loves to cook and bake, read, and travel with her son, friends and family. Although not Italian by ancestry, she is thrilled to be a part of her adopted family at Italian Tours by Diana!

Nancy (Nunziata) has been associated with, and a huge cheerleader for, Italian Tours by Diana since its inception. She is a first generation Italian American. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Nancy grew to embrace travel and her Italian roots. She counts herself blessed to have traveled numerous times, in particular to Italy, to visit family and friends. She brings over 30 years of experience in marketing, strategic planning and relationship management. Nancy also serves on various charitable and faith-based boards and committees, and considers herself a student of life. Her favorite pastimes are cooking, reading, art, and most of all – time spent with family and friends.

Carol Pulito

MANAGER OF FINANCE & ACCOUNTING
CLEVELAND OFFICE

Stacey "Anastasia" Pratt

Business Development Director
AND TRAVEL PLANNER
CLEVELAND OFFICE

Nancy DeSantis

CLIENT RELATIONS Director
AND travel planner
CLEVELAND OFFICE

D. Marie was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She has family in Rome and Sicily. She had a career for 32 years in Customer Service and Management. Her passions are her faith, travel, interior design, and a love for helping all animals. It's no wonder she has had a small pet care business since 2014. She also spends time on a faith-based committee. When she is not working, you can find her shopping for home décor and rearranging her house (again!). D. Marie's passion for planning travel started 30 years ago when she planned a month-long trip for her and her parents to Europe that included 4 countries and 9 cities. With her love of travel and Italy she feels blessed to have transitioned her career to planning travel and living out a passion.

Enrica is a native Italian, from the city of waters, Venice. She has followed management studies and developed a strong understanding of travel design, as she has worked in the industry for the past fifteen years. Due to this experience, she was able to visit many places and sites of interest all around Italy. Recently Enrica moved to Rome but still holds on to her Venetian roots. Her passions are travel, art, reading, cooking, and having a great time with her puppy and friends. She also likes to have shopping time with friends and at the end she enjoys drinking a spritz, as is the tradition in Venice.

Alessia was born and raised in Rome, but is very attached to her origins, half Apulian and Sicilian. She enjoys spending free time with her family or doing charitable work for children with her church. After her scientific studies, she followed her passions, including writing, photography and pastry making. Alessia loves traveling a lot: visiting new cities and tasting typical products of each place, but above all she loves discovering places immersed in nature to admire the beauty of God's creation.

Jackie is a first generation Italian American. Both grandparents and parents are from Italy. Her first language was Italian and grew up with one sister and big extended family with 23 cousins. While others went to Disney, Jackie was very fortunate to spend several summers as a child in Italy and returning as an adult, she fell in love with Italy even more. Her given name is Giacomina named after her grandmother. With many years of customer service, Jackie is excited to assist others in experiencing the beautiful things that Italy and its culture have to offer. She loves traveling and spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite pastimes include cooking and exercising. Jackie is also a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor. She loves teaching fitness classes and makes it fun for all ages and fitness levels.

Luca is a native of Rome, where he has spent most of his life. After completing his hospitality management studies, Luca has built his career in 4* and 5* hotels in both Italy and Switzerland, handling both front desk and reservation duties. His enthusiasm, work ethic and unique approach made him a highly sought after professional. Luca proudly considers himself a history and geography geek, six-language polyglot, and music sommelier and spends his free time with his wife and little daughter Ellen.
He loves being part of ITBD's reservation team!