About Us

We first visited Cortona in the summer of 2012 with our three younger boys after years of being invited multiple times by our dear friends. After initially spending our first 3 days upon arrival in Rome, we rented a car and drove up to Cortona with a stop in Orvieto. Upon turning off the autostrada and into the commune of Camucia, we were greeted with the magnificent view of this beautiful Italian town rising up the mountainside before us. Cortona! Awe inspiring!

The following week brought us immeasurable experiences and feelings which evoked emotions in us that we had never felt before. Thea (Thea Rosa Cagliari), who has Italian blood running through her veins from both sides of her family for multiple generations felt at home. And it wasn't just the sites...or the food...or the wine. The people welcomed us with open arms and frequently very little English but that did not stop them. Whether it was inviting you for a coffee, aperitif or inviting you to join them for a meal, it didn't matter. They wanted to get to know you (and practice their English!). 

It was on our second visit to Cortona that really "set the hook". The people remembered us even though it was a few years between visits. And they welcomed us again and shared more of their lives with us. We also met more foreigners, like us, who were visiting Cortona for the umpteenth time or had a place here. The story was repeated; Cortona was special. Take Rome, or Venice, Florence, the Amalfi coast, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Sicily...all wonderful places to visit and explore. But Cortona had a vibe or an aura that made us want to be here again and again. Wanted to be part of the community. A neighbor. A friend. It was time to speak to a realtor but finding the right place takes time.

Then, in 2020, the pandemic forced us to cancel our trip where we intended to spend a sufficient amount of time looking for a place to buy. We would have to wait. But then in June of 2020, our realtor called us with an "opportunity"! An estate wanted to sell their property regardless of the timing. Gianluca Passerini and Gianluca Caneschi (Cortona Immobiliare) set up a WhatsApp video call to show us the place. We saw potential but asked a local friend of ours to visit the property to get their opinion. They confirmed that it was a fantastic location, had great and unique features, and was a great price...but it needed a lot of work. With a knot in our stomachs, we said "yes", site unseen and trusting our friends and realtors.

We closed on the property in December 2020, started renovations in September 2021 and completed during the summer of 2023. That, in itself, is a whole other adventure and story.