For the last three months I’ve featured expat-owned businesses in Italy and today I’m offering up a double feature.

Baur B&B is owned by not one, but two expats in Italy-Diana and Michael-who moved from the US to Acqui Terme, Piedmont in 2003 to open their full-service bed and breakfast.

It is an incredible story and one I am happy to share with you today at My Bella Vita. Without further ado, I present to you my recent interview with Diana of Baur Bed and Breakfast.

1. You say on your site you and your husband “gave it all up to follow a dream.” What inspired you to do that?

Several things came together at the same time.  We had done several corporate moves, either for his job or mine, the last being the largest — we moved from Philadelphia to Hamburg, Germany for Micha to become the Geschaeftsfuehrer (fancy German word for president) of Staples, The Office Superstore’s German division.  I gave up my career in hotel and restaurant design and dove into the King of all Expat Professions – I taught English for seven years. I ended up as an Executive Language Consultant helping top business people prepare for job interviews and presentations in the UK and the States.  But at the same time I did a pottery apprenticeship, since it was the first time I actually had time to develop my creativity.

Neither of us was crazy about all of the stress or travel involved, although living that life in Germany was a fantastic opportunity.  We always said,  if it gets to be too much, we would do something else.  The point came when the company wanted to centralize and move us to Brussels – new culture, new language, not where we wanted to be.  It was enough.  We had been long thinking about getting a vacation home in Italy and switched that gear over to finding a permanent home. We wanted the next big move to be our choice, not the company’s.  When thinking of how we might want to support ourselves, the idea of renting rooms for international guests grew organically.

2. How did you choose Piedmont? Do either of you have ties to the area?

My family comes from Emilia Romagna.  All four grandparents immigrated to New York from the hills of Bardi and Berceto between 1915 and 1920. We also both have always had a deep affinity for this country.  But we looked in several regions before deciding on Piemonte.  Piemonte had everything we were looking for – beauty, an undiscovered culture, food and wine, good infrastructure, good proximity to both the Mediterranean (one hour) to the rest of Europe, good major airports, and three great Italian cities, all very diverse, within 2 hours:  Torino, Milan and Genoa.

3. I see your B&B is a work in progress. What other projects do you have in the works?

We are presently constructing a third room.  A few months ago we finished a beautiful wine cellar, the year before that a gourmet kitchen and pottery studio.  We have a couple of additional renovations after the one we are working on, but have become philosophical — we will get done what we can get done and not stress about the rest.  The Italian way of thinking has started to rub off on us.

This is definitely a ” work in progress “.  Construction is evident; we don’t try to hide it (although we come to a grinding halt as soon as our season starts). I always worried about how the guests would view this — but in reality, they love that aspect of it.  We have had people come back five and six times now over the last five years, always excited to see what new thing we have done. The guests feel part of our lives and part of the process of this project, which they clearly are.

4. I know people think the life of a innkeeper is glamorous, but tell us the nitty gritty. What is not so fun about running a B&B?

We’re a full service B&B, and provide the guests with lots of individualized attention. We do day long wine tours which end with dinner here at the B&B, we have cooking classes, I offer pottery classes, and we spend lots of time each day with guests on itinerary planning, reservation making, and other concierge functions.  I bake every day.  Our breakfasts are 5 to 6 different dishes, each prepared as the guests would want them, taking into consideration dietary requirements as well.

We find that in order to stay “fresh” for our guests, and to deliver the level of service that we do, it is key that we get our rest and a bit of downtime during the season — meaning blocking out a few nights off every month — if we don’t, then we do get exhausted.  Since this was a post mid-life change for us, we have to watch our energy level.  We would rather have a little less income but enjoy the process more, and be raring to go when the guests come.

If you would ask me mid-season, I think that I would say that ironing sheets would be the thing that puts me over the top sometimes:)  We have 100% linen on our beds and each sheet can take up to 20 minutes to iron.  I am thinking of investing in one of those awesome Miele “Mangle” roller ironing systems next year to cut down on that task.

5. You and your husband obviously adore your jobs, but what is the one thing you love most of all?

Oh, it would absolutely be the guests.  We have unbelievably interesting people come and stay here.  The discussions get philosophical; we end up talking about everything and more.  We have had guests from Italy,the US, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Brussels, Norway, Sweden, Australia, China, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, England, Canada, Tunisia… I am sure I am forgetting a country or two.  What a gift that is for us!  The guests enrich our lives every single day.

For more information on staying at Baur B&B, visit their website or read Diana’s blog, Creative Structures. Other expat-owned businesses that have been featured here at My Bella Vita include:

Bella Baita B&B: An Italian Vacation in Piedmont

Bella Vita Italia: An Italy Travel Concierge

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