About us
Originally from the Netherlands, we were living the urban laptop life—but found ourselves craving less screen time and more connection to the land.
Annemarie, finishing a PhD on sustainability in agriculture, wanted to bring her research to life. She started growing food, herbs, and flowers in a city allotment, while Tom deepened his skills in cooking, fermenting, and curing.
It felt like the right time to turn our shared dream of a more sustainable life into something real.
When we came across this slightly forgotten agriturismo in the hills, we knew: this was our place, and our moment to begin.
Work in progress
End 2020, we moved to Italy—right in the middle of a lockdown and expecting our first child.
Between 2021 and 2025, we fully renovated the house, making it both sustainable and future-proof, while working the land: producing olive oil, starting gardens, and planting trees, shrubs and flowers.
Along the way, our sons Sam (2021) and Timo (2023) were born, and we have fully embraced life in the Italian countryside.
Scala
When we found the agriturismo, it had been empty for a few years, but it was once called La Scala di Seta (“The Silk Ladder”), after the Italian opera. We decided to keep part of that name.
Scala is also the name of the famous opera house in Milan. In English and Dutch, it means “range” or “variety,” which fits the diversity of things we do here — from olive oil to cosmetics to hosting guests.
In Italian, scala means “staircase” — and as you arrive at the farmhouse, a beautiful stone staircase leads you up to the B&B rooms. We liked it so much, we made it part of our logo too.