Seatrade’s 2027 cruise conference will be a little less colorful … and my LinkedIn feed just a little less unique … with the passing of the stylish, sensat
Impero “Perry” Schiavo | Photo: ITC Italian Travel Consultant
ional presence of Impero “Perry” Schiavo.
He had one of those personalities that filled a room, even if it was a cruise ship atrium, or a travel industry convention hall. When Perry walked in, people noticed. His son, Marco, has taken the reins of the company he founded, ITC – Be Unique in Italy, in 1969, and would occasionally, post photos of his father in an airport or out and about in the world, always dressed impeccably and unlike anyone else around him. Flamboyant pocket squares. White pinstripe suit with tennis shoes … or custom-designed tuxedo slippers in a rainbow of colors.
“In Rome, everyone knows me for colors,” he once told an interviewer.
Around the world, everyone knew him for his influence on the industry. For more than 50 years, he and his company turned destinations into personal experiences. ITC orchestrated the first private dinner in the Vatican Museums in the 1980s, and, in 2023, the first-ever opening of the Vittoriano, Rome’s massive monument to Italy’s first king. He pioneered solutions to access challenges in Venice at the height of the covid pandemic, making travel safe, sustainable, and open to as many people as possible.
He would say, “Impero is ‘emperor’ and Schiavo is ‘slave,’ and in the time of the Romans, I could have been either. But since school, people called me ‘Perry,’ like Perry Como.”
He brought a sense of music and design to building genuine experiences for travelers.
RELATED: A Toast to Italian Excellence with Italian Travel Consultant Be Unique.
Today, the Schiavos announced that, “After a long battle faced with courage, Perry passed away surrounded
Perry’s sense of fashion and fun. | Photo: ITC Italian Travel Consultant
by the love of his family.
“He leaves an immense void in the lives of his loved ones, his friends, his colleagues, and all those who were fortunate enough to know him.
“But he also leaves behind a life richly lived: full of love, laughter, stories told and lived, journeys, friendships, and memories that will remain with us.”
The funeral will be held on September 29 at 11:00 AM at the Church of San Salvatore in Lauro, on Rome’s Piazza San Salvatore.
We at Porthole Cruise and Travel will always remember Perry’s colorful contributions to the world of travel.
