I am a social and cultural anthropologist, historian, and licensed tour guide.
My name is Barbara. I am a barbarian—but I am also Roman.
A barbarian is a stranger, an outsider, someone who comes from elsewhere. It’s a person with a different way of seeing and being in the world, someone with an alternative perspective. In contrast, a Roman is a citizen, an insider—someone born into inclusion, for whom home is a natural state.
We are all barbarians to someone else. The Romans were barbarians to the Greeks, the Goths to the Romans, the Saracens to the Goths, and the Franks to the Arabs. When studying history—the events that have shaped our world and the people who drove them—we must consider every voice. To be truly impartial, we need to examine both the insider’s and the outsider’s perspectives.
From great universal upheavals to intimate family anecdotes, history is composed of countless voices.
Only by listening to all of them can we truly understand a place, a time, and a story—and fall in love with it.
This is the philosophy behind The Barbarian Guide: telling the complete history of a place by embracing the broadest point of view possible. Every traveler becomes a little bit of a barbarian in a foreign land. My role as a tour guide is to act as a translator—a mediator between the images and expectations in your mind and the intricate reality of the place where I was born.
I was born a Roman, but I carry barbara (barbarian) in my name and in my heart.
Places, like people, are complex. They reveal their best sides while concealing their flaws, showcasing triumphs while burying their darker moments. It takes courage to truly know a place, and that can only happen by falling in love with it completely. This journey requires not only courage but also indulgence, lightheartedness, and a sense of humor (including an appreciation for the ridiculous and absurd).
History is created by people—who have always embodied both light and shadow. My motto as a good Roman-barbarian guide is:
"They may take our lives, but they’ll never take away our…
– gift of critical discernment,
– ability to understand history from multiple angles,
– respect for facts,
– awareness of the intricacies of human nature,
– respect for the losers and skepticism of the winners,
– beer at the end of the tour,
– carbonara made without cream,
– romantic love,
– the dream of owning a home,
– mom…
– Etc., etc."
Welcome to my home! Come in and make yourselves comfortable.