Hi All, I'm Your Rock & Metal Host in Venice, Italy
Hi all at Metal Academy !
I found your website thanks to a post on another forum and liked it so much !
I'm Ludo from Venice (Italy); born and raised in a small town in the Dolomites (Italian North-East Alps) my "rock life" started in the Summer 1986, I was 13 and one older friend gave me Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album. My "metal life" started immediately after that, when I bought a cassette that captured my attention in the only "electricity and music" shop of my place: it was Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind (still nowadays my favorite Maiden album).
From that day I was haunted and enslaved to everything Rock & Metal! 
I've been to more than 300 concerts and festivals all around Europe, from BB King to Nirvana, from The Rolling Stones to Mayhem, from Scorpions to Faith no More, from Page & Plant to Pantera. I simply love everything is good rock, hard rock, heavy metal.
Like everyone of us I guess, I miss my previous life both as concerns our concerts and also my main job which is Hosting and Guiding Solo Travelers and Small Groups of Tourists, mainly Rockers and Metalheads, in Venice and surroundings !
Travel and Music are both at "year zero" now... therefore I decided it was time in my life to merge these 2 passions as one!
After the first lockdown I decided to dig into rock history, in search for hidden gems I've never had the time to discover and listen and I started my Youtube Channel just to collect and remember all these gems, alternating them with footages of my hosting activity in Venice.
I also recently opened a Telegram Channel called "Venice Rocks", where I publish daily relevant dates and places in the history of Venice, Italy and Rock music.
I will surely enjoy this website... and when travel will be possible again, if someone of you (staff and members) intend to come to Venice... I'm your only Rock & Metal Superhost in town
Ciao
Ludo
Hi Ludo! Welcome to Metal Academy. I must admit that I'm intrigued about what metal related sites and events you might take a fellow metalheads to in Venice. We have very little to offer in Sydney when it comes to metal. In fact, Daniel and I pretty much see the same crowd when we go to extreme metal gigs at various locations around Sydney. Not a very big scene at all.
Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son were my first Iron Maiden albums, and while I'm reluctant to say that they're their best albums, they will always be the ones closest to my heart. It's funny how those early experiences have such an impact on us.
Hi Ben, thank you for your welcome!
Wow, Sidney, I had some guests from there in the... previous life.
Metal scene is not much here too, we had a big rock festival for some years which took here Iron Maiden, Slayer and the like. A couple of small venues in the mainland that I don't think will be able to re-open, a restaurant run by friends metalheads and some past local bands that from time to time reunite... therefore it looks like that the only metal related attraction remained in town... it's me !
Since rockers and metalheads love to travel as everyone else, I thought it would be nice for them to be guided in town by a fellow music mate, while talking about the uncountable mysteries of Venice or the life of figures like Casanova or Vivaldi who today would certainly be Metal!
How true when you say: "It's funny how those early experiences have such an impact on us." I totally agree !
Welcome to the Academy Ludo. I think I speak for all of our senior members when I say that we're very pleased to have you. We have a very diverse group of passionate metalheads here at MA, many of which I feel a very strong bond with after sharing so many intimate details over the years. I'd like to encourage you to contribute as much as you feel like because we're a completely inclusive & non-judgemental community that's genuinely interested in hearing your thoughts on all things metal. We have a huge variety of features too, some that you won't find at any other metal-related website. So take a look around & don't be shy if you have any questions.
Thank you Daniel for your warm welcome!
I won't be shy and I'll try to review all the albums I own (excuse if my English sometimes won't be correct) and, yes, I realized that this website has some features I didn't find anywhere else before!
My warm congratulation for Metal Academy :-)