published Tue, Aug 14 2012 10:38 GMT
I stay in hotels almost exclusively when I travel, occasionally invading the guest room of a kind friend. But lately, my mind has wandered to France, Italy and visions of my friends traveling together, opening a bottle of wine, and cooking a huge dinner from items we picked up at a local farmer's market. We'd watch the sun set over the Tuscan hills or flower-dotted fields of Provence. This is the ultimate villa sales ad.