Nattiel Fontaine
I'm Nattiel. We sold our businesses and our house in Denver, moved our family to a valley in eastern Tuscany, and lost the farmhouse we had waited nine months for, three weeks after we got the keys. I write the honest version of what starting over actually takes: the property lessons, the paperwork, the language, and the slow rebuild of a life. New field notes, straight to your inbox.
All three guides, one shelf
Quick one today, and useful. Most of you found me through one guide. The red-flag checklist, usually, or the permesso checklist. Which means most of you are missing the other two. We finally put all three free guides on one page of the website: The area guide, for choosing where in Italy your life actually works. The red-flag checklist, for vetting a property before you make an offer. The permesso checklist, for the paperwork season that follows. One shelf, all free:...
The month Italy closes
This week our town started its slow August shutdown. The hardware store taped a hand-written sign to the door with its reopening date. The bar is running on the owner's nephew. Half the shops just say "ci vediamo a settembre," see you in September, like the whole street agreed on it. Our first August here, this made me genuinely twitchy. In Denver we ran two businesses. August was a quarter like any other quarter. Watching an entire country set the work down, on purpose, all at once, felt...
We blew up our life and moved to Italy 🇮🇹
Hi Reader, I'm so glad you're here. If we haven't met yet, I'm Nattiel. A little over a year ago, my husband and I sold our businesses, packed up our two girls, and moved from Denver to a small town in Tuscany. On paper, it looked brave. In real life, it came after some of the hardest years we've ever lived — grief, burnout, and a quiet voice that kept whispering this isn't the life you're meant for. For a long time, I ignored that voice. I worked harder. I told myself I had everything I was...