Specialtours Team

Susie Orso joined Specialtours in 1987 and has arranged and accompanied numerous tours for The Art Fund and specialised American groups, including museum, alumni and garden societies. She lives in Florence and has developed many private contacts in Italy over the years, along with a faithful following. Susie is bi-lingual in Italian and also speaks fluent French and German, and some Spanish. Although she specialises in her adopted country, Susie is at home in most parts of Europe and particularly enjoys taking tours to the cities and art collections of the US.

Frances Roxburgh joined Specialtours in 1990. She had previously worked in guidebook publishing and the art world and led walking tours in Italy for The Alternative Travel Group. She has a degree in French, Italian and History of Art and has accompanied many tours for the Art Fund, as well as other European and American garden groups, museums and private clients. In addition to Italy, she finds less well-explored destinations such as Poland, Portugal and the Caucasus very rewarding, as expectations are so often exceeded.

Nicola Howard lived in Paris, Barcelona and Rome before joining Specialtours in 1997. She has a degree in History of Art and a background in photography. Nicola speaks fluent French, Italian and Spanish and has specialised in these countries, as well as in Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East. She has a particular interest in the Islamic world, while Georgian Ireland is another area of expertise and enthusiasm. Nicola has arranged and accompanied tours for the Art Fund and many other art and garden groups, mostly from the United States.

Harriet Landseer lives in Prague (with occasional stints in Ireland and Andalucia) and, having led tours all over the world for Specialtours since 1996, now concentrates on Central Europe as her main area of expertise, Fluent in Czech, with excellent contacts, she is also at ease in German, French and Spanish. She studied History of Art at Yale University. Harriet has created a number of highly specialised tours for American and European clients, including itineraries devoted to libraries, contemporary art and equestrian events.

Antonia Lloyd Owen joined Specialtours in 2002 with a degree in History of Art & Architecture and a good understanding of the Decorative Arts. Having lived in Spain and worked in Germany and Austria, she feels comfortable in these countries and has since widened her interest to Scandinavia and the Baltics. She has organised tours for The Art Fund and several American museum and garden groups.