It all started in 2005 when we purchased our first property,
Podere Palazzo, in Italy. It was a dilapidated stone house in
the countryside of central Italy with amazing views and an
undeniable charm, in an area that we had visited many
times before and really fell in love with.
Our interest in vacation rental properties began in the late
90’s before our first purchase, after Patrizio had moved to
the Unites States and we started traveling to Italy to visit
friends and family. We would choose a beautiful destination
every year and invite everybody to join us, from Europe and
the US.
While the homes we picked were always in beautiful places,
the decor, the interiors and the grounds left a lot to be
desired and it was hard to find a place that had it all and
felt “wholesome”.
Renting a home for an extended stay allowed us all to enjoy
a special time together in a communal setting to share with
good friends and family, cooking and dining together after
having shopped at local markets, laughing till late at night
drinking local wines, chatting and catching up by a
poolside or on a beach.
So when the time was right we decided to venture into
purchasing a place that we could call our home away from
home; a place we could also rent to other people who like
us appreciated “slow traveling”; a home to spend an
extended amount of time and from which to explore the
area around without having to sleep in a different hotel
every night.
From the successful remodeling of Podere Palazzo, came
a second home in Mexico and then a third and a fourth
as our passion became a business. Now, a few years later,
our collection keeps growing steadily and each home we
purchase and restore represents a true labor of love where
our dream of uniting the experience of traveling to that of
soulful architecture, good interior design and sensible
landscaping all in one place, is being realized.
We believe that all our homes are in special places where
the historic, natural and cultural contexts are intrinsically
tied to one another to provide a unique experience. Each
home becomes a destination of its own and inspires and
creates better vacations for all our guests who love Italy
and Mexico.
Complementing all these homes with the best staff possible
has always been a must for us as we strive to give each
one of our guests a memorable experience and the best
care and support they want and deserve when they travel.
“Mark is the ideal business partner” says Patrizio. “Every
time we see a new property together we start dreaming
about what we could do with it and what its potential is.
While I mostly get very excited like a child in a candy store,
Mark stays cool and collected and evaluates the pros and
cons. The synergy of our different enthusiasm usually
develops into a vision for an exciting new adventure.
Despite the financial challenges, working with banks and
lawyers, the travails of renovating a home away from
home, we come out of each project excited, energized
and happy.”
“Patrizio is endlessly enthusiastic about beautiful places
and beautiful spaces and his enthusiasm is contagious"
says Mark. “He easily falls in love with properties which
have seen better days but still retain a special grace.
The magic and the mystery of a home fallen into disrepair
is always very enticing to him and challenges his
creativity. He’s a talented designer and architect who
gets great satisfaction in bringing these properties back
to life to share them with others. It is his gift to me that
he helps me see these special places through his eyes.”