The couple has since gone from bringing an Italian flavor to their own property to sharing that distinctive flavor with others through Tuscan Gardens, a landscape design business they began earlier this year with Los Gatan and longtime friend Lori Morris.

"We're founded on the idea that spending time with family and friends is the most important thing in one's life," says Nancy, a 1982 graduate of Lynbrook High School. "We believe that family, food and friends—'the three Fs', as we call them—hold the key to helping people in the Bay Area get back to the basic values that are important for a good quality of life."

The Dell'Aquilas learned to appreciate "the three Fs" after a 1996 trip to the small Italian village of Caserta-Vecchio. Although they both returned to their jobs in the high-tech industry, Nancy chose to become a homemaker a year or so later, after the first of her two sons was born.

Now, using her own Tuscan-themed backyard as an open-air "showroom," Nancy works with clients throughout the Bay Area, including Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, who want to bring similar Italian elements to their homes or businesses.

Among those elements, all of which can be seen at the Dell'Aquila residence, are wood-burning pizza ovens crafted from imported Tuscan bricks; fire pits for outdoor barbecuing; sandy bocce ball courts with outdoor lighting; pergolas and trellises covered with flowering vines; family-sized wooden tables for outdoor meals beneath the trellises; herb gardens growing Italian seasonings like basil, rosemary or oregano; and personal vineyards that produce both table grapes and wine grapes.

"The Italian style emphasizes wine, food and family, and the culture is so warm and friendly," she says with a smile. "People around here love to entertain and find new uses for their yards. Whether they're Italian or not, we've been finding that more and more people are drawn to the Italian theme."

Morris is one of those people. Although her Los Gatos home on Azalea Way doesn't have a particularly large backyard, she does have a rustic chiminea, an outdoor eating area and firepit, a vine-covered trellis and some Italian herbs. She and her husband enjoy using the backyard to host wine parties.

"You may have a small backyard like mine, but you can still incorporate some of the Tuscan feel," she says.

Her biggest contribution to Tuscan Gardens, however, is her proficiency with a digital video camera, which she uses in her home-based business, Lifetime Productions. She is currently working with the Dell'Aquilas and their clients to put together an informational video on Tuscan Gardens.

"There are so many people in this immediate area who are remodeling or expanding their homes. Instead of moving, they're investing. If you have a home as an investment, you might as well make the most of it," she says.

For more information, call 408.768.5114 or visit www.tuscangardens.com.