Last updated: July 20, 2026

​

This Privacy Policy explains how Ana's Secret Guide to Italy ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses and protects your personal information when you visit www.anassecretguide.com ("the Site"). References to "the Site" include www.anassecretguide.com and any associated purchase or checkout pages operated by AppyGuide Sàrl, including appyguide.com. By using this Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

​

1. Who We Are

Ana's Secret Guide to Italy is an independent travel media platform dedicated to Florence and Tuscany, operated by AppyGuide Sàrl, a company registered in Switzerland. For any privacy-related enquiries, please contact us at info@appyguide.com.

​

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly: When you subscribe to our newsletter, submit a contact form, complete an enquiry form or make a booking, we may collect the following personal information: full name, email address, phone number, travel dates to Italy, group size, and the number and ages of any children travelling with you. Where you provide the ages of children in your group, this information is given to us by the adult making the booking and is used solely to plan and adapt the experience appropriately. We do not collect children's names or contact details, and we do not use this information for marketing purposes.

​

Information collected automatically: When you visit the Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing behaviour through cookies and analytics tools, including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on pages and referring URLs. Non-essential cookies are set only where you have consented to them — see Section 4.

​

Payment information: We do not collect or store any payment card details directly. Digital maps purchased through the Site are processed securely by Wix Payments. Audio guides are purchased through a Stripe checkout window hosted on appyguide.com. Tours and experiences are processed via Stripe, through a payment link sent directly to you by email. Both Wix and Stripe are industry-standard secure payment processors and handle all card data in accordance with PCI DSS standards.

​

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to send you our newsletter and editorial updates, respond to your enquiries, process and coordinate tour bookings, confirm purchases and send booking information, improve the Site and its content, analyse how visitors use the Site, and communicate with potential and existing partners. We will never sell your personal data to third parties.

​

4. Cookies and Analytics

This Site uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to enable core functions, improve your browsing experience and understand how our guides are read.

​

We use Usercentrics Consent Management to obtain and record your cookie choices. When you first visit, you will be asked to choose which categories of cookies you allow. Cookies are grouped as follows:

​

• Essential — required for the Site to function. These cannot be disabled.

• Functional — remember your preferences and how the Site looks or behaves.

• Analytical — help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve our guides.

• Marketing — track browsing behaviour across websites.

​

Only essential cookies are set unless you consent to the others. You can change or withdraw your choices at any time through the cookie settings on the Site.

​

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with the Site; these cookies are set only with your consent to the Analytical category. Some pages contain embedded content from third parties, including Google Maps and YouTube, which may set their own cookies when loaded.

​

5. Newsletter and Email Communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter, your email address will be stored and used to send you editorial updates, travel guides and occasional partner offers. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send you. We use Wix's built-in email marketing tools to manage our mailing list, and your data is stored securely by Wix in accordance with their privacy policy.

​

6. Payment Processing

Map purchases. Digital maps purchased through the Site are processed by Wix Payments. We do not have access to your payment card details — all card data is handled directly and securely by Wix in accordance with their privacy policy and PCI DSS standards.

​

Audio guide purchases. Audio guides are purchased through a Stripe checkout window hosted on appyguide.com. We do not store, process or have access to your card details at any point. Stripe handles all payment data in accordance with their privacy policy and PCI DSS standards.

​

Tour and experience bookings. Payment is collected via a Stripe payment link sent directly to you by email. We do not store, process or have access to your card details at any point. Stripe handles all payment data in accordance with their privacy policy and PCI DSS standards.

​

7. Third-Party Links

Our Site contains links to third-party websites, including partner sites, booking platforms and experience providers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

​

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy. Newsletter subscribers' data is retained until you unsubscribe. Contact form and booking enquiry data is retained for up to 24 months. Tour booking data may be retained for longer where required for legal or accounting purposes.

​

9. Where Your Data Is Stored

We are based in Switzerland, which the European Commission recognises as providing an adequate level of data protection. Some of our service providers — including Wix, Stripe, Google and Usercentrics — process data outside the EEA, including in the United States. Where this occurs, transfers are made under the safeguards those providers have in place, such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses and the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.

​

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data: the right to access the data we hold about you, the right to request correction of inaccurate data, the right to request deletion of your data, the right to withdraw consent at any time, and the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@appyguide.com.

​

11. GDPR — European Users

If you are located in the European Economic Area, our legal basis for collecting and processing your personal data is your consent (for newsletter subscriptions and for non-essential cookies), the performance of a contract (for processing and coordinating your bookings), and our legitimate interests (for responding to enquiries and for partner communications). You have the right to withdraw consent at any time.

​

12. CCPA — California Users

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal data we collect, request deletion of your data, and opt out of the sale of your personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us at info@appyguide.com.

​

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

​

14. Contact

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at info@appyguide.com.