We are Henk-Jaap and Mieke. In 2019, we started feeling the itch.
We had a few good reasons to think about where we actually wanted to live. Some of them were what you might call “luxury problems”: our garden in the Netherlands was full of plants and wildlife, but we couldn’t find another place in the country that truly appealed to us. Other reasons were more serious. Mieke was increasingly suffering from allergies, which made her ill for several months each year.

Even before our move in 2022, we were already living as consciously and seasonally as possible in the Netherlands. We were partly self-sufficient and had a large garden where we grew much of our own food. Mieke was (and still is) working at a university, while Henk-Jaap was busy with various projects and tasks around the house and garden. Still, the question kept coming back: Do we want to keep doing this? And for us, if we can’t think of a good reason not to do something, we go for it.

That’s how we ended up choosing central Italy. And we haven’t regretted it for a moment. Here, we found not only more space to live but also a much healthier climate—Mieke’s allergy symptoms virtually disappeared.

Finding our house was quite the adventure. Through Umbria, and right in the middle of the COVID pandemic, we eventually ended up in Le Marche—a beautiful region that hasn’t been overrun by tourism. Italians themselves love vacationing here precisely because it still feels so authentic. That’s exactly what we were looking for: among the locals, comfortable enough, but still truly Italy.

And then we found it: a house on a hill, overlooking a valley dotted with small villages. Peacefully located, but not too remote—shops are close by. The house had once been a country house, complete with seven bathrooms. We transformed it into a small-scale B&B with four guest rooms, a spacious portico, multiple terraces, and plenty of cozy spots to enjoy the sun and the views.

After a year of negotiations, paperwork, and lawyers—and another year and a half for permits and renovations—we were finally able to make our dream come true. Now we live in a place where not only we can find peace, but which we can also share with others.

By now, many people here call Henk-Jaap “Enrico”—it’s just a bit easier for most Italians. Together, we enjoy the peace, the nature, the food, the rhythm, and the people every single day. And we love sharing that with our guests.