How many of us dream of living in a villa in the Umbrian countryside... but how many of us would quit our jobs and move abroad (not to mention do all the work) to actually make it happen?

Today we are joined by Kaila Merrill, native Vermonter and now owner of gorgeous Poggio Belvedere, a 17th-century farmhouse deep in the Umbrian countryside that she and her husband Ludovico have lovingly renovated from the ruin it had been reduced to. It's now a luxury boutique hotel and villa-for-hire.

Kaila talks about the imagination it took to be able to visualize what their new home could become, and the endless Italian bureaucracy that had to be waded through to make it happen.

She also shares the struggles of having a child abroad and learning how to be a mother at the very same time she was opening her boutique hotel and learning to be a business owner. Another challenge? Creating community and getting social interaction when you live in the middle of nowhere—no matter how gorgeous the surroundings are, you still need human connection.

Don't miss our first intevriew with Kaila, when she was just emerging from the renovation process and at the same time going through the grief of losing her mother: Episode 523 Legacy and Loss (with Kaila Merrill)

Find out more about Poggio Belvedere (or book your stay!) here.

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Episode 563: How to Renovate a 17th-cent...