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……………..When ever I’m not sure of what to post….I look through my old pictures for inspiration……..Some of my most cherished memories are those of the times I spent with Andrea Pfister and Jean Pierre Dupre at their villa in Praiano, Italy…….Andrea, or Andy as Jean Pierre called him, was an incredibly talented, brilliant shoe designer, with stores in Paris and Milan, and Jean Pierre or JP as we all called him, was his business partner and Andrea’s life partner. They had been together for over 50 years!……I collaborated with Andrea on the Anne Klein Couture Shoe Collection for over 15 years!….At my wedding in Las Vegas, which was Andy’s idea, they were our witnesses!……Twice a year, summer and fall, I would make the trip to Praiano, on the Amalfi coast, right next to the famous Positano, to work with Andrea designing the shoes. I would usually go a week before the rest of the AK team arrived, which actually consisted of two people, Phyllis Footer and Arthur Swartz….It would be a week of relaxing by the pool before the work began….laying in the sun, and drinking cold white wine…..eating wonderful meals….and laughing and laughing and laughing….Many times during my summer visits Jac would either come with me or meet me there depending on my schedule……It was the best of times!!!!!….To say their villa was spectacular would be an understatement!!! It was 250 steps down from the main road to there house….and it was the last house on the cliffs…with nothing below but rocks and water!….It was extremely private….We didn’t make that trip up too often….only if we went out to dinner at their friends hotels or a local trattoria. Andy and JP were best friends with the owners of the Sant Pietro and Le Sirenuse Hotels….two of the most famous hotels on the entire Amalfi coast, and both located in Positano…10 to 15 minutes away….depending on the traffic!…..We always had at least one dinner at each of the hotels….Some evenings the care taker of their villa, Jean Carlo, would have a PIZZA NIGHT!!!…..He would cook many different pizzas in Andy’s large outdoor pizza oven located in the back of the villa…..They were OUTRAGEOUS!….but most of the time we just laid out by the pool and swam, and ate and drank….often JP cooked the most scrumptious meals……Every year, at the end of the summer season, Andy and JP used to give a HUGE party for 100 to 200 people! They were infamous!…Often celebrities, and movie stars who were friends of theirs or friends of the hotel owners would “stop by” for a drink and the incredible view…..When the work did start on the second week when Phyllis arrived…..the three of us, Andy, Phyllis and I would go to Andy’s studio on the second floor of the villa and work. It was a long, large all white room with four large arched windows facing the Mediterranean Sea. There was a very long white work table where we sat and a few white directors chairs scattered about…Andrea always had beautiful music playing,…….It was an idyllic place to work…..except…. there wasn’t any air conditioning ANYWHERE in the entire villa, and the office could get VERY HOT….we used to work in just our bathing suits!…..Needless to say we took very long lunches, and went back to work at 3-3:30 until we had to get ready for dinner which was usually about 9 or 9:30…..In the mean time Jac and JP would be by the pool, or take themselves off on excursions….JP would call the driver and Jac and JP would climb the stairs to the main road, meet the car and off they would go. I think these were some of the most fun times Jac had during her visits….She adored JP!……Andrea and JP eventually had to sell the villa….it changed hands, but today it is a LUXURY RENTAL…..called….”VILLA LILLY”…….You can google it….”VILLA LILLY, PRAIANO, ITALY”…..and take a video tour of the entire place….Surprisingly very little has changed. The villa and the ancient tower, which Andrea converted into a bedroom on the second floor and a bathroom on the first…is exactly the same….Jac and I used to stay in the tower….the two photos at the upper left. It was very private and away from the main house….When I was alone I stayed in the main house….The pool area and the main outside terrace where we had our meals is exactly the same….even the furniture….Andrea’s large office has been divided into 2 rooms from what I can tell…1 bedroom and a game room with a pool table….The kitchen area has been opened up to include a dining table. The main “white” living room, which had 4 French doors leading to the terrace, looks pretty much the same even though the furniture is different. They kept the same mood and feeling with the white slip covered couches and chairs….The bath rooms are the same….They added one, but the one I loved and used was on the same level as the pool….It is completely covered in fancy geometric black and white tiles, and the sunken tub/shower with the huge glass arched window over looking the Mediterranean…..was in a word….WOW!…….I know Andy and JP would be happy to see very very little has changed.. Most of the details, and all of the improvements they made over the years to the house and property are exactly the same…..down to blue ceramic and tile benches, and the hearts carved out in the staircase……..When ever I am feeling nostalgic….and missing “the boys”……we were “The Three Musketeers”……………I google Villa Lilly and it all comes back to me in living color….Andrea’s sister Barbara….took both of their ashes when they passed away within a year of each other, and poured them into the sea…..right in front of the villa…I know they are happy……..If you enjoy looking at beautiful places and homes….give it a look……………you will be transported to a wonderous place most of us only dream of!…..I was lucky enough to spend lots of spectacular times there…..and live the dream.