Kit Burns in Tuscany

Dear Friends,

Two of our most popular villas—Villa del Barbaro and Villa Cardinale—are located on the Buonvisi Estate, just south of Lucca. The owners are two of our best as well. Gianna and Joe Dini are renowned for their warmth and generous hospitality. Now, quite astonishingly, they will begin renting their own magnificent villa, Villa Buonvisi, starting next spring—exclusively through Doorways.

I always feel a little like Alice in Wonderland when I enter the 1,000 square-foot living room with its fifteen-foot ceilings and massive fireplace. There are ten beautiful bedrooms with gleaming marble bathrooms, as well as full air-conditioning and many, many amenities, including full staff. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, the location is convenient for daytrips throughout Tuscany, and the range of possibilities for family activities—swimming pool, hot tub, beach cabana, billiards table, fitness equipment, painting/craft studio, home theatre, office with WIFI, ancient wine cellar, and tennis club nearby—make Villa Buonvisi the ideal setting for weddings and large family reunions. Five hundred years of Italian family history have been celebrated here, and the villa glows with it.

This newsletter highlights Villa Buonvisi and also the adventures of the Cody family, three generations who came together on the Buonvisi Estate last summer to celebrate a very special anniversary and to spend time together in a way that rarely happens anymore. Cousins met cousins and forged bonds. One of the youngest grandsons lost his two front teeth and one of the older ones got engaged.

We invite you to celebrate special days in Italy in a warm, relaxing, welcoming atmosphere, and enjoy Italian life as it was meant to be savored.

Ciao, Kit

FLY DIRECT TO PISA: New Delta flight #136 departs JFK at 8:15 nonstop to Pisa, arriving 11 am. This is a great flight for anyone going to Tuscany, especially if you are going to Lucca. Eurofly has a direct flight JFK to Bologna—great for Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, since Bologna is just one hour north of Florence.

FREQUENT TRAVELERS: A new program designed to speed travelers through security lines is being testing at six US airports and will soon cover more than 20 major airports around the country. To become a Registered Traveler (RT), passengers pay a one-time fee of $100, go through a background check and biometric iris scan, and use the expedited RT lanes.

PASSPORT RENEWALS: Start early on passport applications and renewals. The new requirements for travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean caused a huge backlog. We've heard things have greatly improved, but to be on the safe side, allow plenty of time.

STAFF NEWS: Doorways is happy to welcome Betsy Kalish, our new European Specialist, and to congratulate Monica Contrisciano, our Web Designer and Marketing Specialist, on her recent wedding. Monica and Gary spent part of their honeymoon on the Buonvisi Estate!

Gary and Monica at Villa Buonvisi