Our story

Hi, we are Theo and Irma, your hosts at BB Casale di Oto.

We opened the doors of our Bed & Breakfast on June 2, 2024.

Our dream of emigrating to Italy to start a B&B took a serious turn when we realized that it seemed feasible for us.

After evenings of discussing, calculating, philosophizing, and browsing the internet, the conclusion was: WE’RE GOING FOR IT!

The plan was implemented in the Italian region of "Le Marche." This area is referred to by Italians as "The best-kept secret of Italy" and "Italy in one region." It is a region that borders the Adriatic Sea on one side and the Apennines and the Sibillini Mountains on the other. In terms of tourism, Le Marche is on the rise yet still remains virtually untouched. The people here are friendly and hospitable.

Our story of departure. Off with a realtor.

We fell head over heels for the third house she showed us. Yes, you read that right! Right from the third viewing, our hearts started racing. This could certainly be a potential option. It was an old farmhouse on a plot of 3,000 m², with stables (still occupied by animals) on the ground floor and 2 living quarters on the upper floor. A thorough renovation would be required to convert the farmhouse into a B&B. And we didn't just fall for the building with all its possibilities but also for the location. Fantastic, in one word! A phenomenal view over the Marchigiana hills as far as the eye can see. A glimpse of the sea. All in peace. Lots of nature and space. But also close to the town of Senigallia (3 km) and the beach. The Italians call Senator Senigallia's beach ‘Spiaggia di Velluto’ — the velvet beach. A wide beach with soft sand that gently slopes into the sea. Lovely!Spiaggia di Velluto' .

Anyway, this found gem needed to be investigated further as soon as possible. A lawyer and an independent attorney were going to look into the property, land registry, and other matters for us.

The liberating phone call came on a late Wednesday evening. The documents are in order, with the note that the plot is not 3,000 m² but a whopping 6,000 m²! Our intuition was correct. Additionally, there's an extra challenge: we’re not dealing with just one seller! We have to come to an agreement with four owners.

The first obstacle is overcome.
Are we going to push forward now?

The first obstacle is overcome. Are we going to push forward now? The realtor gives us two weeks to make a decision. Are we going for it or searching further? We feel this is THE place to be! We see so many possibilities here. It exceeds all our expectations. This is our dream house in a dream location! ! !

We are going to make an offer. Incredibly exciting all round. The estate agent is quick to let us know. All 4 sellers agree!

Horde two; Putting our house in Geffen, Brabant, up for sale.

Of course, this is a thing. We have lived here for almost 30 years. Our three daughters were born here. This house from 1911 was rebuilt by Theo himself at the time and is all our own. Geffen is our home, our village. Many of our family and friends live here. It feels good here.

Although we have everything that makes us happy here, we are also incredibly looking forward to taking that big step after all. Emigrate to Italy. It is a choice from our hearts. We don't want to think back later and say; If only we had...!

Even before our house in Geffen appeared on Funda, it had already been sold. The housing market is overheated. Several interested buyers made generous bids, well above the asking price we had in mind. That made the decision quick and easy for us.

What did get a lot harder was sharing the news of our emigration with our parents, family and friends.

The reactions varied: from a lot of commitment and admiration, to genuine regret of leaving. Our plan did raise some eyebrows. But in the end, everyone was enthusiastic and positive about our amazing challenge. That gave even more confidence in our choice.

Everything gained momentum or rather; we ended up in a rollercoaster of tying knots, making decisions, organising, preparing to move and finally sorting and packing the contents.

In the space of barely three months, we emptied our house. We got rid of a lot of stuff. Sometimes with dilemmas and choice stress, but more and more this sorting gave us a tidy feeling. Man, man, man, what a lot of stuff a person collects! We bought a container in which we would transport our household goods.

A low-loader brought household goods and also a lot of building materials that Theo thought he would need for the renovation to Italy. We drove behind it ourselves with bus and packed trailer.

Before dawn, it was still pitch black, in the early morning of 5 January 2022, we left at 5 a.m. towards our new residential destination. It was a big surprise for us when all the family, friends and acquaintances waved us goodbye at the roadside. Fierce and emotional was the moment we drove between the crowd. So many who took the trouble especially for us to stand there already at 4.30 am in the cold, with flags and balloons touched us deeply. It was an unforgettable farewell!

Horde three; We wanted to start rebuilding as soon as possible.

Italian bureaucracy put a proverbial thumbs up to that. Thanks to our dear Italian neighbours, who were previously in the construction business, we soon got the right people around us. They referred us one to good reliable Geometra. This is a construction superintendent your Italy is obliged to hire. He arranges all the permits and communicates between us and the municipality. Other professionals such as an electrician and plumber were also referred to us by our neighbours.

Horde four: Apply for residency in our new home town of Senigallia.

Off to the town hall there. That turned out to be not so easy. Language is the big barrier. We had taken some Italian lessons in the Netherlands, but speaking in full sentences is another thing altogether. Then this document was missing and then that form. Then the relevant official was not there and then they did not have time. Every time we visited the town hall, we took a city map with us. By now we had quite a stack! Until Anneke called. Anneke was Dutch but had been living in Italy for 40 years.

Anneke heard from the official about our application problem. "If you need help with translation I'm here for you!". Our happy response was; "very happy!!!" So we went to the town hall together with Anneke. And then you experience how important speaking the language is. At the town hall, we were allowed to stand in front of the iron bookcase. The official took a picture with his own mobile phone and signed and stamped our form of residency. How easy can it be! And how can it run? Anneke is now our best friend and often comes to visit us.

Horde five: Getting all the noses of the Geometra and consorts in the same direction.

Our plan which was in our heads was presented to Geometra. He was not entirely convinced at first. We soon discovered that in Italy you sometimes have to push a bit and not just say 'yes' and 'amen'. You have to make it clear exactly what you want, and only then does the redeeming answer come: "OK, make it!"

Horde six: A huge delay, but we filled the time well.

When we wanted to start the rebuild, our Geometra and engineer suggested participating in the Superbonus 110%. We swept that right off the table. Yet they tried to convince us again and again that this would be very lucrative for us. We could even rebuild for free! Too good to be true. Let's dive in. What about this Superbonus? We soon found out that the renovation was going to take much, much longer. That there would be double standards. That is to say; if you get building materials from the hardware store under the guise of the bonus, then the prices for materials are much higher than if you remodel without the bonus. Geometra and Engineer also charge 2 or even 3x their fees. We have to abide by many strict and unnecessarily costly rules. It went beyond all proportions.

We were advised to wait to renovate. That wait would really pay us back in double. It would be well worth it. What doubt those men brought to us say!

So we started building the pool first. Sitting still is not an option. Meanwhile, we were getting more and more negative information about the bonus 110%. Our negative gut feeling we had from the beginning became more and more real. The snags got bigger and bigger. It was too good to be true. Instead of getting money out of it, we would be put to enormous expense. Until Italy's government fell and Giorgia Melonie ascended the presidential seat. She immediately drew a big line under the whole Superbonus story. Many Italians filled their pockets heavily in all kinds of illegitimate ways. It could not be stopped! But there were also many tears shed. Dreams were shattered, and many were left empty-handed or even heavily in debt.

A burden fell from our bodies. No more participating in something that would have an unclear outcome for us. And not participating in all that grabbing and bureaucratic stuff. Well, that's what we called it from now on. And just as well. We should have been very, very, very patient.

Fortunately, we made good use of the time we were waiting. Meanwhile, our swimming pool was all ready! We also planted the garden and laid terraces all around. Not for a moment did we sit still. Just when the garden project was finished, we got the green light from our Geometra to start working on the farm. We were going to start. WITHOUT Superbonus 110%.

We ended up spending 2.5 years demolishing, renovating and rebuilding. We did everything ourselves. From foundations to drains and a whole new roof. We even renewed the intermediate floor. We built the entire garden with swimming pool ourselves. Fortunately, we did have some help from friends and family from the Netherlands. Only the electrics and plumbing were done by Italians. But by and large, the two of us did the renovation together. So we are quite proud of that!

Horde seven: the civil service mill is showing some arrogance.

In the final months of the renovation, during which we went up another gear, we started setting up our Bed & Breakfast. We sometimes jokingly compare the renovation to a pregnancy. With occasional pregnancy discomforts, the renovation went as we hoped. We enjoyed the results. And then the delivery, which in the end also went well with some contractions. Arranging all the necessary papers, documents and numbers for our own business and B&B, where you end up in the bureaucratic 'maternity bed', was not too rosy. We turned out to have a lot of after-effects and the stitches were also pretty tight. In other words, the person behind that desk thought it was more important to take a quick trip to the theatre and make her desk weekend-proof on Thursday morning, than to help us give that number with the accompanying code so that we could officially start receiving guests.

Anyway, finally we got all the official papers. We could start. This was what it was all about. The prosecco could be uncorked. Our 3 daughters cut the ribbon at the opening of BB Casale di Oto. All our neighbours and some Italian friends were present. What a party!

The B&B gets its name from Theo's old tractor of the Italian brand Oto. It stands at the front of our yard and is cranked regularly.