By now, we had explored many parts of Italy, from the north to the heel of the boot: Piedmont, Liguria, Tuscany, Apulia, Campania, Le Marche, Sardinia, Sicily, Lazio, and Umbria. Umbria held a special place in our hearts with its medieval towns, wonderful wines, beautiful nature, rich history, and all of it untouched by mass tourism.

In 2019, an idea started to take shape. What if we changed our lives entirely and sold everything to start a B&B in Italy? We had often talked about this dream, and both felt that if we were going to do it, now was the time.

Of course, we thought about the other side of the coin—what if it failed? By then, Minke had been working for 25 years as a secretary in accounting, and Jacco had over 20 years of experience as an employment coach. Giving up a stable life for a dream wasn't easy. But our daughters were now independent and thrilled about our plans. With their support, we decided to take the leap.

For two years, we viewed countless houses in Umbria. Finally, we found a large, old farmhouse in a fantastic location in Massa Martana. After many twists and turns, we became the proud owners of the property in April 2022.

Meanwhile, we had already sold our house in the Netherlands and spent over a year camping, with our belongings stored in a barn.

A month after the purchase, we set off and immediately began the extensive renovations. This was the beginning of our adventure!