A Rosie Life in Italy: Move to Italy. Buy a Rundown Villa. What Could Go Wrong?

by Rosie Meleady

Accidentally buying a derelict 22-room villa in the Italian countryside? What could possibly go wrong?

When Rosie Meleady's landlady doubles her rent in cold, wet, overpriced Ireland, she packs up her family, her two dogs, and all her possessions into a camper van and sets off across Europe to sunny Italy, where she plans to grow her destination wedding planning business. 

Even though it has been a dream she attempted to follow several times, Rosie and her family soon find out moving abroad to start a new life is not all sunshine and gelato.

Between a hurricane, a global pandemic, and accidentally buying a massive villa—that has definitely seen better days— from eight cousins in the middle of a long-standing family dispute, Rosie pulls back the curtains on the less glamorous side of moving abroad. 

Lighthearted, uplifting, and utterly escapist, A Rosie Life in Italy is HGTV meets Under the Tuscan Sun—a delightful peek under the covers of what it's like to throw caution to the wind, take a risk, and build a life you once only dreamed of having.

Genres: Travel, Memoir, Nonfiction

365 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

Irish author Rosie Meleady, has been a magazine publisher and editor since 1994. She won the International Women in Publishing Award 1996 at the ripe old age of 24. She couldn't attend the award ceremony in London as she decided it would also be a good day to give birth.

In her 'A Rosie Life In Italy' series, Rosie writes about buying a 22 roomed derelict villa in Italy by accident, renovating it and existing in Italy.

Her favourite board game growing up was Cluedo, and as an adult she started a Missing Persons Agency. Her love of solving mysteries led her to start writing her 'Deadly Wedding Cozy Mystery' series.

She now lives happily ever after in Italy while renovating the villa and writing long into the night.

Follow Rosie on social media to say hello, see photos of life in Italy and her renovation project.

http://www.facebook.com/rosiemeleadya...
http://www.instagram.com/arosielifein...

Follow Rosie's blog on www.rosiemeleady.com

Reviews

[Diane Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advance electronic copy of this title.

I'm not sure what drew me to requesting this book. It really isn't my usual genre, but I did enjoy it. Rosie is an excellent writer and brings humor to some difficult topics, covid, addiction, and death. These were not the primary topics of the book, but they were certainly relevant to the story.

I enjoyed reading about Ireland, as I plan to visit in the coming year, and I did visit Italy in my childhood, so I felt a connection to the locations. I somehow missed that covid was going to be part of the story, so when it reared its ugly head, I was immediately transported back to the early days of the pandemic, when we were shown footage of Italians on their balconies serenading each other.

I expected the villa in Italy to be the primary story line--apparently this book is just the beginning of the story. Will I read the rest? Perhaps. I do intend to look the author up on social media and hope to find photos of the villa!

[Colton Kopcik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable read from start to finish, though at times I found it frustrating to follow along with the family's many "mistakes"—but hindsight is 20/20. I often questioned Rosie and Ronan's unusual life choices, of which there were plenty, but the story allows the reader to learn and grow alongside them.

Initially, I was irritated by how long it took the family to get to Italy, and it’s worth noting that this isn't a book about life in Italy but about the journey to get there. Despite this, the charm of the story shines through, and you can’t help but root for the family to succeed and achieve their dream of a true home in Italy.

It was also fascinating to see the shared experience of COVID-19 reflected in the narrative. Being several years removed from 2020, reading about life during lockdown now feels oddly nostalgic.

I particularly enjoyed Part 2 of the book, which was surprisingly funny. I’m excited to read Rosie’s follow-ups and see where her journey leads next.

[Leau Macy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equal parts joyful, soulful, and hilarious, A Rosie Life in Italy: What Have We Done? offers reflections on home. Rosie’s honesty, humor, and beautifully imperfect adventures make this memoir irresistible as she bounces between Ireland and Italy with her family. Perfect for fans of Under the Tuscan Sun, or anyone who dreams of a life filled with pasta, creativity, and a few slightly outrageous leaps of faith all told with the wit and emotional depth the Irish are known for.

Full disclosure: this is a reread (a relisten, actually), and I'm already rolling onward through the other five books in the series. Who couldn't use some laughs, some wisdom, and some escapist Italian adventures during the holidays? 100% recommend. This author is an autobuy for me. And lucky for me, she has romcoms and cozy mysteries, so her catalog should keep me busy for a while!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in a series. This is the story of Rosie (who develops a business as a wedding planner), her family (including the untimely death of her sister), marriage to Ronan (professional photographer) and their family (two kids and two dogs) together up to the time they actually take possession of said rundown villa near the end of the pandemic tight restrictions. Theirs is a peripatetic and somewhat chaotic lifestyle that is also way too much fun! I laughed my way through it and plan to read the rest as well!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof copy from Sourcebooks via NetGalley. Thank you!
#ARosieLifeInItaly by Rosie Meleady #NetGalley @Sourcebooks #Nonfiction #Humor #Relocating

[Kate Laack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll round up to four stars because there were moments this book made me laugh out loud.

However, what you see is not exactly what you get. I wanted the story of moving to Italy and restoring an Italian villa. This isn’t a spoiler alert because you’ll figure it out VERY quickly when you start reading - the book ends when they’ve JUST purchased the house and no renovation has been completed yet. Turns out there are at least 4 or 5 more books that document that. This one is mostly stories of their bad decision making, inability to afford life in Ireland, questionable business practices, and Covid.

I laughed…but it wasn’t what I thought I was getting.

[Tonya Bryant Gillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute story about the trials and tribulations of finally finding home. It was a long trip across many countries with many moves. Yet it was so worth the trips.

I found this scenes well developed and the characters a lively bunch that made me smile and laugh. I really enjoyed this book

I want to thank NetGalley and Spurce Books for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest opinion.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet and bittersweet

This was a lovely memoir. Knowing Covid lockdown was coming for them all as Rosie tries so hard to pull everything together, it was a bit like “don’t go in there!” as you watch a film. Frantically turning pages as I knew what was coming. Such a great family to read about and I’ve learned much about them and myself in the process. Looking forward to the next adventure! Andiamo!

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the title indicated it would be about the house they purchased from the subtitle: move to Italy. Buy a Rundown Villa. What could go wrong? "
Instead, they don't actually get the villa until the very end of thr book. She is a delightful yet frustrating character (yes teal life, non-fiction) and she does impetuous things abd he husband just stands back most of the time. But she is endearing and NOW I WANT to MOVE TO ITALY! ❤️

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made living in Ireland sound terrible and living in Italy wonderful. Aside from the financial aspects it's all about the weather. Rosie and her husband live a little to on the edge for my personal comfort, but it seems to work for them. This was a very interesting look at how they achieved her long time dream. This definitely would appeal to HGTV fans and fans of Under the Tuscan Sun.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It has wonderful humor, with several laugh-out-loud parts, but also some poignant memories of Covid times. Before I finished, I bought a copy of the book for a friend, so she could enjoy it as well.

[Hannah Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, just what I needed. Well-peppered with joy, tears, and laughs. I like that it didn’t take the stereotypical “moving-abroad memoir” outline (even though I love those too). I can see reaching for this as a re-read.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book. Loved descriptions of Italy and of the characters she dealt with in a zany, but believable, lifestyle change. Even the descriptions of COVID lockdown brought a grateful smile that most of that is a fading memory.

[Diane DeMeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, especially learning more about the Italian life. Glad she had the courage to follow her dreams and write about it.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author comes off as kind of an awful human.

[anklecemetery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meleady's tendency to make major life decisions at the drop of a hat is medium-to-high stressful for me to read about, but she seems like she's having a good time.

[Lorien · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun quick read for the summer.

[Sofía Ruggiero · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is too much going on, it seems they do not dive into the situations deep enough. Didn’t like it to be honest.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So delightful! Laugh out loud while you follow this Irish family through the ups and downs of life. Addiction, moving to another country, Covid, and home renovations make for a great story and Meleady manages to find humor while she continues to work hard to make sure her family is happy and healthy. Released Oct 15, a great memoir!

[Jules The Book Junkie Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought A Rosie Life in Italy was going to be a fictional escape, but it was a nonfiction/memoir. Author Rosie Meleady’s tale is not so much about buying and renovating a dilapidated house in Italy, as much as it is the story of a free-spirited family who make impulsive and not fully thought out decisions. They travel back and forth from Ireland to Europe multiple times as their mediocre business/economy acumen leads them further and further into financial muck.

While their life skills are in question, their love of family is obvious and abundant. Every choice they make is in hopes of making the family’s situation better. Rosie is a wedding planner and Ronan is a photographer, so together they venture into the destination wedding scene. Along the way, they meet interesting people, their children have great experiences, and they fall in love with Italy.

After a bit of time in Italy, they start looking for a home to make the transition more permanent. So, they didn’t truly “accidentally” buy a house. They sort of tripped over themselves in the half-hearted attempt to buy what seemed like the best home and best business opportunity on the market. The biggest problems being crazy, convoluted ownership of said property, the ridiculous amount of repair and renovation needed, and CoVid19 as the pandemic got in the way of all everyday life.

Ms. Meleady has me intrigued enough to start following her blog, and I wish them all the best in their original endeavors as destination wedding planners with full package plans.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. For more reading recommendations, visit Book Junkie Reviews at
www.abookjunkiereviews.wordpress.com

[Erika P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting read! I really appreciated the author's ability to make a non-fiction memoir feel more like fiction - she had a really wonderful way of weaving her own story into a beautiful, chaotic journey.

Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy.