DOGANA TEAM

I am Lucia

I am lucky to have inherited this fantastic estate which has been in my family for generations. It was my great grandmother who made her money from being a successful scientist who originally bought La Dogana and developed her entrepreneurial vision of creating an agricultural business. 

Her daughter, my grandmother, was also an entrepreneur and was the first woman to learn to be a pilot in Italy!

La Dogana was originally the Customs house between Tuscany and Umbria and many famous people passed through it’s doors including Michelangelo, Hans Christian Andersen and Lord Byron.

I continue the line of female entrepreneurs of my family and after university I decided to return to the family Estate and develop it further into family holiday apartments and a wedding venue.

I love the countryside and my animals and each year I adopt more furry friends who need a home! I love welcoming guests and making them feel that la Dogana is their Italian home and become part of its history. 

Discover my behind-the-scenes life!

My incredible father:

Emanuele

 

My father, Emanuele, was 23 when he finished studying law at university; but becoming a lawyer or a judge was not his dream.

He spent a lot of his childhood in La Dogana between the workers’ families when it was his grandmother’s farm estate and he always felt a special love for the place.

My father knows every inch of La Dogana, all its secrets and its history; he built alone the stunning 26 meter pool, transformed the ancient mill into what is now our amazing restaurant and faced many more challenges that gave me the possibility today to do my dream job.

My super venue manager & Chef:

Elisa Cardinali

 

Elisa is a wonderful cook who is super passionate about wine from small local producers and herbs growing in her garden. Curious by nature, she has always been amazed by the beauty and complexity of the wonders of nature, trying to grasp the nuances of biodiversity.

She studied at the University of Florence and was a professional restorer of wooden pieces for 10 years and a teacher for 5 years. She has always been passionate about cooking and pairing food with wine, so she decided to transform this passion into her job, working for many years in the catering field, 

In January 2022 she met Lucia at la Dogana and from that moment she has been completely absorbed by the management of the facility’s gastronomic side, including food retreats and wine club.

La Dogana is the perfect place to satisfy her diverse passions and working on these projects is her way of reminding others that carving out moments of slow living is the only way we have to allow life to amaze us.

My super wedding planners:

Eleonora & Samuele

Eleonora and Samuele are founders of Il Cerimoniere Weddings designing international weddings since 2007.

Samuele’s work has been noted in such respected U.S. magazines as Style Me Pretty and You and Your Wedding.

Eleonora Giorgi graduated from the University of Florence and is at the heart of organising each wedding. She comes from two generations in the travel business and has a degree in Tourism.

They are the official wedding planners of our venue and design all our bundles. Together we are super unite team that will give you the most professional work but also will always put that extra love and caring in each detail.

 

 

My magical retreats colleague and friend:

Elisabeth Arthur

Lizzy was born in Italy to British parents (and for this she is very grateful to them). She grew up working in tourism alongside her father from whom she inherited some of her greatest passions: history, food and wine. 

As a young teen she started traveling the world whenever she got a chance which opened her mind to other cultures and experiences. After high school she lived in California, Holland and Cyprus before moving back to Italy to become a historical tour guide and work in tourism.

She has a splendid daughter called Silvia with her longtime partner Leo and together they live in the countryside. Her passions include hiking, traveling the world, natural remedies, cooking, reading and everything esoteric.