About the Vreelands

Kitchen – before

Kitchen – after

Terrace – before

Terrace – after

Cantina – before

Cantina – after

Midge & Stew VreelandStew & Midge Vreeland
About this site and its creators

We have both been ardent italophiles since our college days and have lived and traveled there consistently ever since. I’ve studied at the Universita’ per Stranieri in Perugia. Midge and I have traded our Maine home for a seaside villa in Calabria, had an au pair from Torino, a foreign exchange student from Padova and traveled up and down the length and breadth of Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. We even brought a troupe of costumed flag throwers from Cortona to Maine. But, our biggest “bonding with Italy experience” came when we took the leap of faith and bought and restored a house in Umbria. We’ve been averaging three or four trips a year there ever since and enjoying every minute of it. I will admit our friends all thought we were crazy when they found out we were thinking of buying a house in Italy, but they’re lining up to come and stay there now!

Our business here in the US is marketing. When we were asked if we would tell the Italian real estate story we said "Ma Certo!" We relished the idea of sharing the dream of home ownership in Italy with all our friends in the English speaking world.

Check out some ‘before and after’ photos (right) of our renovation. They may give you an idea of just what is possible. Not easy. But possible. Some patience required.