Each morning for the past month, Brian has been waking to the deep peace of the Italian countryside and a view through the olive trees of a hilltop village in the distance. It is a very different start to his day than his previous routine when he lived in Oregon. Along with his wife Beth, Brian is realising a dream that has been a long time coming.

The retired couple have bought a property in rural Sicily and have set to work transforming it into their future home. They’re only two months into their renovation project but it has already been eventful.