We met at London Zoo where Andy was a zoo keeper for 20 years, and soon found we had something in common – a love of travel and sunshine (as well as animals). Over the years the idea slowly formed that it could be possible to swap life in the City for one in a warmer setting.
Once our minds were made up, the question of where we could live was our first dilemma. While we spent time researching the different areas, we sought financial advice on how best to fund this new venture, and found ourselves featured in The Times.
A keen diver, Andy holidays with a friend every year to take in some diving and 2004 took them to Puglia. Taken by the countryside strewn with olive trees, the beautiful Adriatic coast and the friendliness of the locals, Andy returned full of hope that this was where our destinies lay. Less than a month later we flew back to view properties and on the last day we found what we were looking for – an old farmhouse and stables set in five acres of land with stunning views of the surrounding Itria Valley. We knew this would be our new home!
We bought the property through a local Cisternino-based estate agent, Gruppoinvest D’Amico. The staff speak English and are extremely helpful. Our excellent project manager who oversaw the renovation whilst we were still living in the UK was Pietro Semeraro who can be contacted by email for all aspects of property purchase and renovation on magicpuglia2@alice.it.
