Stories

Stories from the estate: the harvest, the renovation, life among the olive trees and the most beautiful places in Umbria. Follow us on Instagram too.

· Olive oil · Video

Harvest is coming

Everyone in our valley is talking about it: the harvest is coming. Almost, almost, quasi, quasi. Checking the trees daily as if they were caring for children…

· Estate

He knows me too well

“Do you know how to connect the wells?” my husband says. “No.” “You have to know this. Come here, I’ll explain it.” I look down in…

· Estate

A party under the oak tree

Yes, we’re married but we never threw a fuck-off party. Maybe now is the time to start with ours. Preferably under the 300-year-old oak tree.

· Our life

The robins have landed

“No gifts, I don’t need anything,” I’ve been saying it for years on birth- and holidays. And then there are people (in this case my mother-in-law)…

· Our life

Different as night and day

Yesterday I joked about it but it really is quite something when two headstrong types start a business. One makes decisions real fast, the other researches…

· Our life

Dear Deidre

Dear Deidre, I have a new co-worker and he drives me crazy. After lunch he leaves his peels on the counter and never puts the lid on it…

· Our life

Serious maid skills

Queen of ducking out, bone idle, always on the loo when something needs to be done: my eldest knows how to slack like a champ. Until…

· Our life

Choosing the Italian school

They have to choose a school: an international school with hardly any Italian children or an Italian school with hardly any foreign children. We visited quite…

· Our life

Writing on the porch

The girls are still snoring, Roeland is doing his manly farmer things and I’m on the porch working on my second novel. Don’t I have other…

· Our life

Learning Italian

Learning Italian must be easy for you with your language skills. If only my language skills unfortunately don’t stretch beyond Dutch and English. All the other…

· Our life

Isn’t this just his dream?

Isn’t this whole adventure just his dream? You could think that considering the stats. I was born and raised in Amsterdam. Always claiming I would…

· Estate

Machete night

Monday night was for-I-don’t-know-how-long my flamenco practice evening. Now it’s walk-through-your-forest-with-your-machete-to-clear-the-paths-evening. I didn’t see that one coming.

· Our life · Video

The bird flew out of the cage

For ten years he came home five days a week wearing a suit that always looked like a clown’s costume. Working for a bank, while his…

· Our life

Is it what I expected?

Sooo? It’s brilliant which doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park. The positives first. It’s what I teach my girls so practice what you preach,…

· Estate

We are not buying an olive grove

“We are not buying an olive grove. It’s way too much work.” We can still hear ourselves saying it when we started looking for a place to…

· Estate

Welcome to Casa Tre Pettirossi

Casa Tre Pettirossi is a place where the energy calms your nervous system straight away. La natura magica. Our casale sits on a hill in a…

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