We (Alastair & Sara) have been traveling together for a year prior to making the move to Italy. We were actually moving to Bali, Indonesia when we heard House Hunters International were looking for a fun, adventurous and outgoing couple to film their house hunt. We auditioned for the show and to our surprise were accepted! We were originally going to live in Bali however our plans changed and we decided to move to Italy at the last minute, as it would be a better move to expand our current businesses. We contacted the show and they were happy to change the location to the very beautiful Riva Del Garda on Lake Garda, in the north of Italy.
Our back-story was filmed in Brisbane, which is where we lived before deciding to escape the rat race and embark on an adventure. We have a passion for traveling and with the prices in Australia we did the sums and worked out it would be cheaper for us to rent out our property and live abroad. Alastair is an Internet marketing evangelist and we are lucky enough to be able to work anywhere in the world as long as he has Internet connection. Together we are starting an online business wwwministryofvillas.com, which showcases stunning villas around the world.
The Show
House Hunters International is a popular reality program that follows real individuals, couples and families changing their life and searching for property in other countries. The show films behind the scenes of the challenges people are faced with and the emotional experience when moving abroad and looking for a new home. The show follows house hunters and real estate agents checking out different styles and architecture of houses to rent or buy.
Why Riva Del Garda?
Riva Del Garda is situated on the northern end of Lake Garda, Italy. Al has a love for the water and has been sailing for almost 20 years. Here on Lake Garda we would be able to create a fun and active work-life balance. We are both very active people and Riva Del Garda is the perfect location offering so many different outdoor activities including rock climbing, sailing, wind surfing and mountain bike riding.
Riva Del Garda
When we first arrived in Riva Del Garda we found a cheap hotel to stay at using our own web site www.ministryofhotels.com Our site comes in handy when we need to book accommodation as it compares thousands of different hotels around the world searching out the best deals. Well we are a new business so we had to give it a little plug.
We started filming the show only one week after arriving in Italy. The crew were so much fun to work with and made it easy for us to just be ourselves, which isn’t always that easy when you have a camera following you around. Now we can’t tell you too much about the filming process or the show until it airs, as we don’t want to ruin the surprise and which house we eventually picked. But what we will tell you is what we love about Riva Del Garda and Torbole plus a few things we have learnt about living in Italy.
Eating Out
Italy is famous for pizza and pasta and also coffee. The food is truly incredible and yet very simple. See the ingredients have such incredible flavous that you only need one or two when cooking. Gelato is EVERYWHERE! If you love ice cream you will love Italy. I think between Al and I we have had every flavor they sell.
