Roger and Mirella Bloomingdale had always wanted to move to Italy for the “easy” pace of life it affords.
They bought a “moldy” abandoned Italian villa for 200,000 euros—and are spending another 200,000 euros renovating it to its former glory.
The couple started looking for homes and stumbled across the three-story villa in Cupra Marittima, Italy, two years ago and fell in love.
After visiting the huge home—boasting 2,000 square meters (approx. 21,528 square feet)—they bought it for the equivalent of $216,000.
They now plan to transform it back to its original state with a ground floor living space, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and a library.
The couple estimates the huge project will take three to four years and cost another 200 euros, but they say it is a “wonderful opportunity” for a “new life.”
Roger, 49, a freelance consultant from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, said it was “a complete mess” when they arrived.
“There were still birds living there—lots of lizards,” he said. “Instead of painted ceilings, we found moldy walls.”
They’re not afraid of cleaning, he added. Neither are they certain they'll turn a big profit—or any profit.
“But we want to go and live there,” Roger said. "It can be a wonderful opportunity to have a new life.
“We want to give it the feeling it had originally.”
Mirella, 54, also a freelance consultant, started searching for homes online in 2022 for “inspiration” and found the villa in the Italian region of Marche.
“[It] looked gorgeous on the outside,” Roger said.
They booked a viewing and, despite the “moldy” walls and lizards and birds living there, put an offer down.
They bought the home, which had been abandoned for 25 to 30 years, for 150,000 euros and bought the land, including an annex and barn, for another 50,000 euros.
The couple have been saving up money to renovate it ever since—and say the roof will need to be completely redone.
“The main cost will be fixing the roof,” Roger said. “We’ve been saving for that.”
Roger and Mirella hope to get out to Italy soon to start work on the barn, which they aim to turn it into a tiny home they can live in while they renovate the main villa.
Eventually, they hope the barn will become a pool house.
Apart from structural work, such as roof repairs, they plan to complete as much of the renovation themselves as they can.
“The ground floor is for living,” Roger said. “The first floor will be two suites—two bedrooms and two bathrooms—and a library.
“The top will be three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a communal room.
“It’s a huge project.”
The couple had been hoping to find “treasures” in the villa but have had to throw out most of what was left behind.
They have kept some love letters from the 1950s and wartime magazines, which “gave a connection to the house and its history.”
The villa, just a five-minute drive from the beach, will become the couple’s retirement home.
They hope to complete the renovation over three to four years so they can “go and live there and have an easy, early retirement.”
“What’s really nice about Italy is it’s about easy going,” Roger said. “People enjoy making a cup of coffee.”
Italy boasts a sense of enjoyment in life, he added, calling it “very nice and welcoming” and “less rainy and more sunny.”
