In celebration of International Women’s Day we are spotlighting five of the remarkable women we have had the honour of working with over the years here at Tuscany Now & More. From in-villa chefs to winemakers and wedding planners, our villa owners take on a number of different roles that go above and beyond ownership. Keep reading to get to know their unique roles, what they love most about running their luxury villas in Italy and what it means to them to be able to share their beautiful homes and heritage with you.
Elisa at Santa Dieci
“It is a life project that goes beyond ownership”
Elisa, the owner of Santa Dieci, an enchanting 1000-year-old tower and guesthouse overlooking Siena, has been gradually restoring the family estate with the help of her partner, Gianni since the 1990s.
“Santa10 has been a part of Gianni’s family for generations. We moved to our little hamlet in 1996 and started renovating step by step. Our first challenge was our own home — we also live on the estate — followed by the Limonaia, which we opened to guests in 2011 and then the Tower in 2014”, Elisa tells us. Yet, they are not just in the business of hosting; in 2003 Elisa and Gianni began replanting the vines on the estate and have been producing their own superb organic red wine ever since, which is available for guests to try. “It is a life project that goes beyond ownership”, says Elisa, and you do not have to look hard to see just how much energy and passion has gone into making Santa Dieci a success.
Hosting feels like second nature for Elisa now, who remembers growing up in a house full of people from all over the world. “A sign hung in my mother’s kitchen” Elisa recalls, “It said: Amo trasformare i sentimenti in minestra — I love to turn feelings into soup.
“That way of being is also ours, mine and Gianni’s, we like to share our stories with empathy. We transform feelings into genuine warmth and welcoming hospitality.” These days Elisa is on hand with Gianni to welcome guests and cook for them when they request it.
The villa itself is a testament to Elisa’s warmth, her immaculate eye for design and respect for the surrounding natural environment. Interiors ooze warmth and sophistication with contemporary finishes and stunning resin floors, all the while maintaining its medieval flavour. Elisa exists in every part of the project, having designed different parts of the villa, overseeing the renovation and furnishing it with objects and art from her and Gianni’s personal travels around the world.
“The villa absolutely reflects our way of being, we treat it with care”, she tells us. The restoration was based on the principles of bio-architecture: natural resin flooring, walls with cork insulation, a ventilated roof, lime walls. “It is a home that breathes,” says Elisa.
What do you feel is the most important aspect of your role?
“I was and am a mathematician who is always on the move, curious and travelling. Mathematics is a creative process, as a great mathematician says, and like all creative processes, they can't stand never changing. My role has always been to bring my creative and pragmatic energies together and to be able to adapt them over time.”
Marina at Villa Zambonina
The Palladian villa near Verona has been run by four generations of women
For Marina, Villa Zambonina has always been, first and foremost a family home. “I began working in hospitality 25 years ago,” Marina recalls. “But we initially only rented the villa for a few weeks a year. Zambonina was my mother’s summer home, and rightfully, she wanted to enjoy it. It meant a lot to her, she was very devoted,” she tells us. You don’t have to spend long at Zambonina to see why it is so special either. The sublime Palladian villa sits on the family’s private farming estate just outside of Verona, and has all the old-world grandeur of a Venetian palazzo. Beautiful frescoes adorn the interiors and elegant loggias open out onto an Italianate garden.
The villa has been in the family for four generations. “It is amusing to think that it has always belonged to women,” Marina observes. “I have a daughter, and one day Zambonina will pass to her, and it will still be a woman guiding it.
“When I inherited Zambonina, I dreamt of honouring my mother’s legacy by keeping the villa as she did, with the same passion, love and dedication”, says Marina. But with all historic houses, this comes with its challenges. “The constant ordinary maintenance also comes with extraordinary requirements” Marina tells us. It was this that led her to Tuscany Now & More and a full-time commitment to hospitality and conserving her beloved home. “So much goes on behind the scenes,” Marina says, “I am grateful for the wise and loving guidance of Simon, Barbara and Jasmine Boni-Ball.”
Crucially though, Zambonina is not just a beautiful country villa, it is also part of a working farm. “I especially love the fact that Zambonina is part of a farm where I mainly cultivate Carnaroli and Vialone Nano rice”, Marina muses. “The property has retained the essence of a historic working farm. There was the land, and then there was the villa; it was a residence where you would live throughout the summer in order to ensure the smooth running of the estate.
“Unfortunately, many properties have sold off the land and our ancient customs are lost as a result.” Sharing the villa and creating luxury experiences for guests has allowed Marina to preserve a massive part of her family history, but also the heritage of the Veneto region.
What do you feel is the most important aspect of your role?
“As a host, my focus lies in seamless operations, ensuring guests feel pampered and cared for. The challenge lies in assembling a qualified and cohesive team; it's important that everyone, from the gardeners to the chef, the housekeeper to the wedding planner, blacksmith to agricultural workers and everyone in between, all feel part of a team. I like to think of it as a well-oiled machine, echoing the precision of a Ferrari.”
Susanna at Torre della Duchessa
“I adore the gardens here, with plants and flowers from all over the world.”
Susanna, the owner of Torre della Duchessa may live in Rome, but she says, “my family roots will always be in Umbria.” The villa, a magnificent 17th-century home, is set on an idyllic ten-acre park near Perugia, with a classical Italian garden, fountains, a large private swimming pool and even an amphitheatre.
When her father passed away in 2017 after living at Torre della Duchessa for 38 years, Susanna made the decision to restore the home. “I felt that giving the villa a new lease on life would also be a new beginning for him as well”, she tells us. Since then, Susanna has thrown herself into the world of luxury hospitality, organising and planning events from weddings and pool parties, to corporate retreats and family holidays.
“My role is to welcome guests and help them to feel at home, feel pampered and carefree. When you are on holiday you want to be focused on relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends,” Susanna remarks.
“I love being able to offer my services to guests, whether that is arranging cooking classes and wine tastings or truffle hunts and visits to wineries and local cultural landmarks”, says Susanna. The villa is just a 10-minute walk into the nearby village of Pila, with shops, restaurants and bars, while Todi and Assisi are equally easy to reach. “I like to be able to offer something different,” she says. “Umbria is still so little known and it is full of fascinating villages, castles and natural sites just waiting to be discovered.”
What do you love most about Torre della Duchessa?
“I love the villa’s ancient and fascinating history and being able to share this with guests when they arrive. Also, I adore the beautiful gardens here at Torre della Duchessa, with plants and flowers that come from all over the world.”
Cristina at Villa Atena
Bringing her event planning expertise to the Mugello countryside near Florence
Villa Atena, a beautifully restored hilltop villa in the Mugello north of Florence, belonged to Cristina’s father-in-law before her husband inherited it in 2002. “It was a home much beloved by our family, but especially by my husband,” she tells us. The house has always been a holiday home, in one form or another, blissfully off the beaten track with spellbinding views.
“I worked in events for many years before we decided to renovate Villa Atena,” says Cristina. So, the challenge of renovating the home with her husband was one she was glad to accept. Cristina now hosts intimate destination weddings at Villa Atena, with wraparound gardens and a dedicated forestry event space that she helped to create.
The most important aspect of Cristina’s role as a host is to build a relationship with her guests long before their arrival. “By the time they check in at Villa Atena, we already feel like we know each other,” she says. It is this kind of warm welcome you can expect to be greeted with when you stay here. An expert in event planning, Cristina is on hand to make sure everything runs seamlessly, “whether it is a simple birthday dinner or a wedding celebration” she tells us.
What do you feel is the most important aspect of your role?
“We offer guests a fully-staffed experience at Villa Atena, so it is really important for me to have great working relationships with the staff, to ensure we are always working as a team and communicating with one another. This way, everything is already running perfectly by the time our guests arrive.”
Cristina at Santa Gelsa
“We take care sharing our traditions, describing our territory, our art and culture.”
Cristina, the owner of Santa Gelsa, started working in the hospitality industry around 22 years ago, but the villa has belonged to her family for several generations. The grand 18th-century residence is set on a private estate on the edge of a quiet medieval village near Montepulciano. A lot of care has gone into making this a comfortable home for guests to enjoy, from the lofty Tuscan yellow interiors and the pristine pool terrace to the staff on hand for the duration of their stay.
“Ours is a family-run business”, Cristina explains, “So we take a lot of care of all aspects of hosting, especially welcoming our guests, sharing our traditions and this beautiful territory, our art and our culture.” Not to mention the fact that historic buildings come with their own particular demands and restoration requirements.
Cristina is not just a hostess however, Santa Gelsa is also a working farm, producing Chianti, Merlot and Syrah wines, as well as Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a variety of grains. It is a really special experience for guests to try the produce created on the estate.
“It is so rewarding to make people fall in love with Tuscany!” Cristina exclaims. “We are here to create experiences that not only live up to their vision and wishes, but also will leave a lasting impression and lifelong memories.”
What do you love most about the villa?
“Everything: the colours, the beautiful views from the pool terrace. Perhaps, above all though, I love the location. We are a part of a small village, yet with all the peace of being in the Valdichiana countryside.”
Contact our Villa Specialists for more inspiration
At Tuscany Now & More, we pride ourselves on the personal connections we make with the people we work with and the places we share with you. Whether you are dreaming up a fully-staffed villa escape or have fallen head over heels for a particular region in Italy, our Villa Specialists know each villa by heart. We hope these stories from our villa owners have provided some fresh inspiration, so please do get in touch to start planning your next trip.