My First Week in Italy: Signing, Sweating & Starting the Dream at il Ritiro

Ciao from Vignale 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 🍷🌻

✨ How It All Started (20 Years Ago and Half a World Away)

It's funny how one small decision can change everything. For me, it started over 20 years ago in Noosa, Australia, when I helped some friends fit out a retail shop. To say thank you, Fiona & Sebastian surprised me with an envelope that contained… a return ticket to Italy and an invitation to go sailing on their yacht.

That trip — Livorno, Capraia, Corsica, Elba — changed everything. I fell completely in love with Italy: the people, the food, the wine, the chaos, the warmth, the history, the way the air seems to hum with possibility. Everywhere we went, we were treated like family (and frequently refused when we tried to pay). From then on, I knew: One day, I'll live here.

💭 Fast-Forward 20+ Years: When "One Day" Became "Why Not Now?"

Life has a way of shaking things up. After a difficult year — both personally and professionally — I found myself at a crossroads. The wrong side of 60, a heart attack chalked up, wondering what was next, and realizing I didn't want to waste another moment.

That's when Ainslie came into the picture — equally adventurous, if slightly more sensible (and younger, lucky for me!). Together, we dreamed up a plan: spend the summer of 2025 in Europe, maybe scout a few properties, and see what happens.

Of course, anyone who knows me knows that "see what happens" is code for "let's move now."

At first, we looked at Tuscany — as everyone does — but then we discovered Monferrato in Piedmont. Rolling hills, vineyards, medieval villages, better value, and slightly cooler summers. A hidden gem!

And then I saw the house, now known to us as il Ritiro (The Retreat).

🏠 The House I Bought Without Seeing

Yes, you read that right. I bought a house in Italy sight unseen. No floor plan. No clear photos. No legal disclosures. Just a few grainy exterior shots and an agent who took two months to reply to my WhatsApp message.

But something about it — a freestanding stone house in the heart of Vignale Monferrato — just felt right. It was charming, full of potential, and the price was so low it seemed almost rude not to buy it. So, with a deep breath (and a small deposit), I did it.

Was it brave? Foolish? A little of both? Time would tell.

🚗 Arrival in Piedmont: The Dream Meets Reality

Early in the morning on the day after arriving in Italy I finally made the 30-minute drive into the Monferrato hills. The road wound past sunflower fields and vineyards, through sleepy stone hamlets. Then suddenly, there it was — Vignale Monferrato — perched proudly on a ridge of ochre and terracotta, crowned by its 18th-century church spire.

As I parked in the small piazza, I spotted a group of old men playing cards. I ordered a coffee, pulled out Google Translate, and learned that one of them was my new neighbour — and that there is also another Australian couple living here too. A good omen (though I was slightly concerned that two of the men were already on red wine… at 10:30 a.m.).

🔑 The Big Reveal: Opening the Door to Il Ritiro

Finding the house was like navigating a maze — the streets in Vignale are delightfully (and maddeningly) narrow. When I finally stood on Via Massimo d'Azeglio, it felt oddly familiar, thanks to the hours I'd spent wandering it on Google Street View.

The house looked even better than expected. The ornate stone fence stood proud, and behind the tall iron gates lay a jungle of weeds as tall as me. But beneath the wildness, there was beauty.

Inside, it was exactly what you might imagine of a long-shuttered Italian home: cool air, terrazzo floors, crumbling plaster, and a faint scent of time. Piles of furniture, bric-à-brac, and family mementos filled every room — a lifetime of memories left behind.

There were leaks, patches of mould, and a bathroom ceiling that will definitely be meeting a roofer soon. But there was also sunlight, charm, and — to my delight — a fireplace that hadn't even been shown in the agent's photos.

We didn't buy a disaster. We bought a project — and a soul.

☕ The Town: Where Time Takes Its Time

Vignale is the kind of place where the bells toll on the quarter hour, the shopkeepers know your name by day two, and no one rushes — especially between 12:30 and 2:30, when the whole town eats and naps (including the banks).

It's also breathtakingly beautiful. Vineyards, hazelnut groves, and fields of sunflowers ripple across the hills. The Palazzo Callori — home to the Enoteca Regionale del Monferrato — offers sweeping views of the valley, and the Church of Saint Bartholomew stands proudly in the piazza like a watchful guardian.

🌻 Finding "Ken"

I needed a gardener and rubbish removal. Desperately. So I went to the 'stampa' to ask where to find one. The store owner told me, via Google Translate, to drive to the nearby town of Fubine, go to the bar, and "ask for a gardener."

So I did. I found a bar, walked in, and asked with my phone held high on google translate. One of the men smiled and said, "That's me."

Meet Ken (full name Krenar - Ken's Albanian) and his trusty offsiders. Turns out Ken is actually a builder — handy! — and tomorrow he and his team are starting the great clean-up.

❤️ Reflections from Week One

It's been a whirlwind — exhausting, exhilarating, and at times completely surreal. Buying a house unseen in a foreign country might sound crazy, but standing here among the vines and the bells, it feels like the best kind of crazy.

The house is far from perfect — but neither am I. And that's kind of the point. We're restoring something old and full of character, turning it into Il Ritiro: a place of rest, warmth, and welcome for travelers who, like us, fall in love with Monferrato.

There's a long road ahead (and a lot of rubbish to remove), but every creak, every crack, and every sunset reminds me why we're here.

The dream has begun — and Il Ritiro is waiting to be filled with new stories, laughter, and life again.

Stay tuned. There's so much more to come. 🍷✨

— From the new owners of Il Ritiro, Vignale Monferrato