Tinvito was founded by Emma Hopkins in 2005. After working between Italy, the UK and the USA for six years, Emma settled in Tuscany in 2002, having fallen in love with a particularly charming corner of this famously beautiful part of the world. With a degree in Italian and many years of learning the importance of understanding the cultural idiosyncrasies that could otherwise represent obstacles, she decided to exchange the stress, constant travel and interminable hours of the typical corporate lifestyle for a business adventure in an area that is off the tourist track and yet an ideal gateway to the wealth of attractions Tuscany has to offer.

Tinvito’s base is the medieval village of Palaia, in the heart of the Tuscan hills just 35km from Pisa (the major airport hub for visitors from abroad). Florence is only 45km away, San Gimignano 40km, Volterra 30km. The landscape has remained largely untouched by the passing of time, village traditions are very much alive, and tourism reached Palaia only recently.

Emma got to know the places, the people and the history that make the area uniquely attractive and intriguing. She soon saw that there was a vacant niche in the market: an opportunity to help people explore the lesser-known side of Tuscany, assuring discerning, well-travelled visitors of the levels of service they have come to expect while they experience the authentic culture, beauty and hospitality of the region.