about us
Ciao amici! ❤️
We are Jean Rivaldi – a bilingual, dual citizen of the U.S. and Italy and Francesca Peretto – a multi-lingual Italian teacher based in Bologna, Italy.
We met in Bologna in 2021 at language school. I was a student in school for a year and Francesca was the ever-patient teacher encouraging everyone to speak a little more Italian than we did the day before.
During that year we found that we shared a love of travel, a love of meeting people and a love of discovering what’s around the next corner. One day, over a spritz we discussed our dreams for the future. We both wanted to share the things we loved most about Italy and its language, food and culture from an insider’s perspective. And a very different perspective than most tourists experience on a point-to-point tour.
From that moment Vero Viaggio took shape. Now we’re on a mission to redefine your Italian travel and language experiences. We invite you to see what’s around the next corner with us!
Jean Rivaldi
“I’ve been deeply, madly in love with Italy for more than 25 years and have traveled all over this beautiful country. Ever since my first moment at Roma Termini station, navigating the happy chaos of the taxi line, I knew that I was going to fall head over heels for il bel paese, its food, culture, language and most importantly, its people. Fast forward to the present – I am living a dream as a dual citizen of Italy and the U.S., splitting time between Bologna and San Diego and speaking Italian as much as possible.
This love affair (obsession?) hasn’t ceased and I’ve never stopped wanting to discover every little nook and cranny of Italy.”
Originally from Nebraska, Jean’s travel résumé began as a child when she spent summers camping with her family in a VW van. She’s been to every state in the U.S. (except Alaska), the UK, all over Europe and has lived and traveled extensively in Italy. With a bachelors degree in journalism, she’s held a variety of roles in the higher education, software, toy and game and real estate industries, before getting into the travel industry. She finds real joy in learning something each day, discovering hidden places, meeting new people and hearing their stories.
Founder of Vero Viaggio / International Tour Management Institute certified Tour Guide & Director / Speaks English and Italian
Francesca Peretto
“Where are we going?” is the question I have loved most ever since I was young. Each time we returned from a trip my parents would start planning the next one — and thus began my passion for traveling at just 6 months old and I haven’t stopped since.
For 20 years I have been teaching Italian to foreigners who want to discover Italy. I always try to not just teach the language, but also the finer points, like: when ordering gelato you should always try more than one flavor; cappuccino is only for breakfast, and that there’s so much more to Italy than just Rome, Florence and Venice. I am here to show you the hidden gems of my country and to continue to ask you, “Where are we going?”
Born in Bolzano, Italy, Francesca graduated from the University of Bologna with a masters degree in Italian language and literature. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching foreigners to speak Italian and divides her time between Bologna and Cefalù. She’s traveled extensively all over Europe and North America and needs little more than an idea, a plane ticket and a backpack to embark on the next adventure. She takes great pride in helping people see Italy from an insider’s perspective and her enthusiasm for life and everything that makes it so beautiful is infectious.
Italian teacher and linguistic expert / Speaks Italian, Spanish, German and English