Hi, I'm Marina 👋

My story

Guide, teacher, mother, housewife

I was born in Dubrovnik in 1979 on a warm, August afternoon. I spent a carefree childhood in my hometown — playing with my friends and running through the streets of the old city. While my parents were at work, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and my great aunt. They were telling me many stories about how life was when they were little girls.

In 1991, a more serious period began. That year started the war in Croatia. My city was severely damaged. Nevertheless, we survived.

When I finished high school in 1997, I went to Zagreb to study Italian and Spanish language at the Faculty of Philosophy. I finished my studies in 2003 and have been a professor of Italian and Spanish ever since.

Becoming a guide

In 2002, the tourists started to come back to my hometown. My first contact with tourism was when a local agency employed me to accompany their groups. A few months later, I passed the professional exam and became a licensed tourist guide.

For the rest of my time, I am a happy mother of four boys. I am never bored, as you can understand. Often I run into them while I guide guests — normally, they do not even notice me. They just continue playing with their friends.

Why guiding?

People often ask me: "Don't you get bored telling the same stories all the time?" No, because I tell them to different people. And I tell them in different languages — English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French and Croatian.

When somebody decides to visit my city, I feel proud. When the tourists feel nice in Dubrovnik, I am happy. In the end, if they come back to their countries satisfied, a wonderful memory remains.