Rainer Metzger is wild about history, culture, and bringing people together through travel. And food. He has led groups of various kinds throughout Italy for 20 years, from the Dolomites to Sicily. Rainer lives for the art of teaching while experiencing the eye-opening thrills of travel.

Rainer has a Master of Architecture and has studied and taught architecture in Rome and Seattle. His background informs his tours, where the experience of moving through architecture and the built environment is the basis for learning history, culture, and politics.

Rainer began leading tours for Rick Steves’ Europe in 2002, curating travel experiences for groups of 25 people. While teaching, connecting travelers with locals, and deftly managing logistics behind the scenes, Rainer infuses an adventurous yet easy-going manner in his groups.

In 2018 he started Rainer Travels, a travel company offering custom experiences in Italy. In 2019 Rainer began a collaboration with Imprint Tours to organize trips to Morocco. In 2020, Rainer started Guided By, a tour operator platform for independent guides to design and run their own tours.

When he isn’t leading tours, Rainer lives in Seattle, WA and works on historic preservation projects around town. Follow him on Instagram @rainer.metzger.