Hi, I am Iris. I was born and raised in one of the most beautiful places in the world – Sorrento.

I have a big family, half Italian and half Ecuadorian, and because of my mixed background I have always been extra curious and inquisitive.

I studied languages at senior school and university, to nourish my passion for foreign cultures and travelling. Then to pay for my studies I started tour guiding – this job became a passion and vocation. 

In 2009, I moved to the UK following my heart, after meeting my husband on the Amalfi Coast.

Nowadays I own and direct Fresco Travel, where I can combine my 20 years plus experience as a tour guide together with my first hand knowledge of over 32 countries. You can get in touch with me via iris@frescotravel.co.uk.

I consider myself lucky because I followed my passions, which I am so blessed to share with the people I love the most: my husband and my daughters who are in Years 2 and 5 at The Abbey Junior School.

As a ‘castaway’, here are my Desert Island Disc selections:

Music

1. ’Girls just want to have fun’ – Cyndi Lauper
   I like the rhythm; the song represents the enjoyment and empowerment that can come out of female solidarity.
   
2. ’The prayer’ – Celine Dion and Bocelli
   I love its spiritual lyrics; it is a song that always moves me. It was the theme song of my wedding day. 
   
3. ‘Don’t worry be happy’ – Bobby McFerrin
   It always puts me in a good mood and motivates me to avoid overthinking or worrying too much, especially for those things we can not change.
   
4. ‘Happy’ – Pharrell Williams
   For similar reasons  this song makes me joyful, with the additional factor that we usually sing it all together as family. It is our soulful feel-good anthem.
   
5. ‘Caruso’ – Lucio Dalla
   The song is a dramatic love story set in Sorrento.  The music and the lyrics lead me straight away to the colours, the views and memories of my hometown in Italy. It was also my dad’s favourite song; I lost him to cancer and he was completely in love with Sorrento. 
   
6. ‘Man in the mirror’ – Micheal Jackson 
   Many Micheal Jackson’s songs are part of my life; though I like to dance to most of them, the melody and the text of ‘Man in the mirror’ are dear to me. It reminds me to be open to everything I see and everyone I meet in my travels and how to be a better person at the end of my journeys.
   
7. ‘La Vida es un Carnaval’ – Celia Cruz 
   This song reminds me of my Latin roots; my mum is Ecuadorian and it is a prompt to be positive and optimistic though the ups and downs  that life has.
   
8. ‘Count on me’ – Bruno Mars
   The song is all about true friendship. Friendship is important and rare; i have many friends but some of them are really special to me. They have been in my life since school time and I do my best to keep in touch even when we are apart.

Book:

‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ – Khaled Hosseini

This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, a gripping tale and at the same time a powerful portrait of amazing women.

Luxury item:

A watch

When I was in college my dad tried to set a goal, at the end of my educational journey he would gift me a luxury watch.  Dad was over promising, he could have never afforded this luxury watch, which was his passion and for him a symbol of achievement and success.

When I delivered my second daughter, my husband combined Christmas and my birthday, gifting me with the same luxury watch my dad was passionate about.  This watch is connected to my dad’s passion, to the birth of Sofia, to the happiness of becoming a mum and more over it marked my biggest achievement and success: my beautiful family.