As they walked through the stunning palazzo and gazed up at its frescoed ceilings, Kelly and Jesse Galloway, originally from Australia, knew that their lives were about to change. The pair, who’ve been divorced since 2013, decided to purchase the historic property, situated in the village of Stimigliano in the central Lazio region of Italy, almost instantly. 

“The agent led us through this covered walkway, opened the door and brought us into this beautiful big kitchen,” Kelly, a former furniture manufacturer, tells CNN Travel. “Then [we went] through the kitchen and into the main entrance, and I stood and looked up the staircase and began to cry.”