Aileen and Tom Winter were in love with Italy before they fell in love with one other.
Over the years, the US couple—who have been married for around 18 years—have spent a lot of time in the European nation, both individually and together. Aileen frequently makes month-long trips back there.
“I just had a passion for Italy,” Aileen tells CNN Travel. “I have a lot of Italian friends across the nation.”
Based in Boulder, Colorado, the couple had long-standing fantasies of purchasing a home in Italy, often staring longingly through the windows of real estate agents during their travels.
However, they didn’t start taking this opportunity seriously until about 2016, concentrating their efforts on the area in the Piedmont region.
