Have you ever caught yourself daydreaming about owning a little stone villa nestled among rolling vineyards or a rustic townhouse in a cobblestoned village where time seems to stand still?
📩 The message from the agent was only two words long. "It's sold." Just like that, the house we had already started calling The Marigold—our imagined Italian home, B&B, cooking school and retirement fantasy rolled into one—was gone.
🏗️ Could it really be done in 90 days? Finalising the purchase of our little slice of Italy had its challenges. But in truth, that was the easy part. The real question was this: how do you fully renovate a three-storey house you've never inspected, in a village where you know no one, when you don't speak a word of...
One of the most joyful parts of owning Il Ritiro, our holiday villa in Vignale Monferrato northern Italy, is hunting for the perfect pieces to make it truly special for us and our guests. Every Sunday, armed with curiosity, a keen eye, and a wad of euro, we set off to explore the antique markets of Casale, Alessandria, Asti, and Nizza Monferrato...
We've finally landed, the keys are in hand, and the adventure has officially begun. Welcome to the first chapter of our "what on earth have we done?" story — or, as we prefer to call it:
An Italian Adventure and Blog of Discovery 🍷🌻
