- 9 hours ago
A New Life in the Sun - Season 11 - Episode 21
Category
đź“ş
TVTranscript
00:01From the glistening waters of the Med to the mountainous Alps,
00:05all across Europe, brave Brits are chasing new beginnings.
00:09Let's get this show on the road, huh?
00:11I mean, just look at this backdrop here.
00:13Essex was nothing like this.
00:15The stakes are high.
00:17This is definitely a gamble. I put everything in.
00:19All my life savings.
00:21We've got a lot riding on this.
00:22Our futures, our children's futures.
00:24We need to make some money.
00:25As they launch B&Bs.
00:27Service.
00:28And pubs in France.
00:30We're very new at this.
00:31Wow.
00:32Good job the wines, Chi.
00:34To wellness retreats and holiday parks in Bulgaria.
00:38It's not big enough.
00:39We measured it. I don't understand.
00:41It's a journey into the unknown.
00:44That's cool.
00:46Boo!
00:47But we're joining them for the ride.
00:51As they tee off...
00:52Oh!
00:52..their new lives in the sun.
00:55I just walk around with a smile on my face all the time.
00:58Best life ever!
01:01Today, in France...
01:02We're heading into the Grand Salon.
01:05It reminds me of a mini Versailles.
01:07..a couple from Lincolnshire
01:09prove it's never too late to chase a dream.
01:12It was my idea, really.
01:14Come on, let's go and let's have an adventure.
01:17He eventually said yes.
01:18Of course, I should have known.
01:20In Italy, we meet a former soap star setting out on a new path
01:25away from the spotlight.
01:26It's about being in nature.
01:29It just feels so good.
01:30But will red tape ruin his dream business?
01:34The bureaucracy is really complex.
01:37And these new rules only came in in March, like last month.
01:41Also getting off to a shaky start...
01:44You can hear it's moving, you can feel it's moving.
01:47Why were they building like that?
01:49..a couple have to dig deep
01:50to get their Bulgarian retreat business off the ground.
01:54It's a much bigger job than we expected in the first place.
01:56Money, money, money, money, money.
02:10The Haute-Vienne in the heart of France
02:13is a land of quiet beauty and untapped potential.
02:18Its time-worn chateau, not always just relics of the past,
02:22but sometimes keys to a new future.
02:25Yeah.
02:26It's so nice, we can sit outside and eat.
02:28It is. The weather's beautiful, isn't it?
02:30Yeah.
02:30So much different to England, eh?
02:32Yeah.
02:34And the latest owners of the impressive Chateau Les Villettes
02:38standing to the north-east of the city of Limoges
02:41are David and Sharon from Lincolnshire.
02:46Cheers, darling.
02:48Santé.
02:49Santé.
02:51It was my idea, really.
02:53I kept pushing Dave to sort of, um,
02:56come on, let's go and let's have an adventure.
02:59I'd gone around most of France looking at different chateaus,
03:03but Dave wasn't so forthcoming at first.
03:07Some of the chateaus, they needed so much doing to it.
03:10Oh, gosh, yeah.
03:11But I pushed and pushed, and then saying to Dave,
03:15oh, you've got to come and see this one, come with me.
03:17And he eventually said yes.
03:19I was looking forward to retirement, but of course I should have known.
03:26David, who'd run a packaging business for over five decades,
03:30was right to suspect their move across the channel
03:33wasn't solely to put their feet up.
03:36Now we're heading into the Grand Salon.
03:39It reminds me of a mini Versailles.
03:41As Sharon, who'd worked as an air stewardess
03:44and more recently a private dining host,
03:48wasn't quite ready to take off her hospitality hat.
03:54In the house in UK, you had the...
03:57The Moroccan restaurant.
03:58The Moroccan restaurant, which was really popular.
04:02So then when we moved over here, it carried on, really.
04:06Well, this is one of the reasons I wanted something like this,
04:09where we could share with other people.
04:12The hospitality, I like that.
04:14That's me.
04:15Absolutely, yeah.
04:17The couple paid €680,000 for the chateau,
04:22which is set in 62 acres of land,
04:26boasts grand reception rooms
04:28and 12 deluxe bedrooms,
04:30which they hire out on a B&B basis.
04:33Just going into Louis XIV room,
04:36I've named all the rooms after the French Revolution.
04:40It's just something I was very interested in, the history.
04:43But with high maintenance costs,
04:46this season they're hoping to expand their business
04:49to run events and weddings.
04:51I think for a bride to come down
04:53and sort of have photographs here,
04:55this house was just the ideal place.
04:58With their first wedding booked for August,
05:01the pressure's now on to deliver,
05:03falling heavily on Sharon's shoulders,
05:06while David recovers from treatment
05:08after an unexpected cancer diagnosis.
05:12I wish I could help more,
05:15having an illness six months after we'd arrived here.
05:21But I feel guilty often.
05:24But friends have helped
05:26and we have a full summer coming ahead,
05:30so we'll keep our fingers crossed, you know.
05:35It's now mid-February,
05:37and in preparation for a busy season...
05:44Further renovations are underway at the Chateau,
05:47with help from friend Kevin.
05:49We're starting to knock the bedroom through
05:52to make an en-suite,
05:54because that room just had no bathroom whatsoever,
05:57and we find with our guests
05:59they want to have an en-suite.
06:01However, as Kevin works on carving out
06:03a connecting door between the bedroom
06:05and its new en-suite,
06:08the Chateau's old walls throw up a hidden surprise.
06:14As you can see, I've broken through into next door.
06:18OK.
06:18What I wasn't expecting to find is a void.
06:21Oh.
06:22Here.
06:25When you say void, do you mean a big hole?
06:27A big gap.
06:28So what does that mean?
06:29Well, it means that we'll possibly have to shift
06:31the whole door that way a bit.
06:33Oh.
06:34Because the lintel's got something solid.
06:37Oh, gosh, yeah.
06:42All these things you plan and then it just changes.
06:45Yeah.
06:45The challenges of a chateau.
06:56Across in Italy's far north, Piedmont is a place where unspoilt nature spots meet majestic alpine peaks.
07:04It's also where Stephen from London is trying to come good on his own dream,
07:09one he hopes will bring a deeper connection with the land.
07:14As you walk, you're literally crunching on hazelnut shells everywhere.
07:21Being up here is about the forest.
07:26It's about being in nature.
07:29It just feels so good.
07:31The canopy of trees providing a calm haven away from life in the capital, but also his career in the
07:38spotlight as an actor.
07:40Well, I've been an actor for 35 years, most famously in Braveheart, Hollyoaks, Coronation Street.
07:48He was a guy called Greg Kelly.
07:50It was actually a lot of fun to do.
07:53And then lots of other, perhaps a little less famous things.
07:58With nature calling and hoping to live closer to his Italian partner,
08:02he's now decided to trade auditions and stage lights to pursue an unscripted path,
08:09after buying his own woodland on the outskirts of the town of Asti.
08:13That includes two large detached properties.
08:17Well, I loved the farmhouse, the red house.
08:21That's my home.
08:22Then it had the white house as well, which was just a shell.
08:26And I saw that as a perfect opportunity to build a B&B business.
08:33And it's a new venture he's going all in on,
08:36having invested the money he got from selling his London apartment
08:40into buying the properties and starting the renovation of his guest rooms.
08:46I'm certainly daunted by whether the business will go or not,
08:51because that's always an uncertainty.
08:53And until it's up and running, I will have feelings of kind of nervousness about that,
09:02because it's so important to me, because I need to make it work,
09:07because it's, you know, really do or die.
09:10It's like, I don't have any other options, frankly.
09:17It's now early April, and Stephen's working on the finishing touches to his guest accommodation.
09:23The bed will go up against here.
09:26I'm going to hopefully put this above the bed.
09:31Where possible, making use of items left behind by the property's previous owner to reflect the history of the farmhouse.
09:41It's all Giuseppe's homemade tools.
09:44He made the window frame.
09:46He made the saw.
09:48And all I'm doing is spraying them with woodworm spray and then staining them.
09:54And suddenly they just popped.
09:57They just look amazing.
09:58And it gives me such pleasure to bring the old house,
10:04bring the feel of the early 19th century into this modern space.
10:10Finding items he can reuse has also helped his bank balance,
10:15as the renovations are running over budget and over schedule.
10:19I imagine that that's going to go up there somewhere.
10:23Plus, progress keeps being interrupted by Stephen being forced to return to the UK every three months,
10:30as he's still in the process of applying for a residency permit.
10:36I came back two, three weeks ago after spending my 90 days out of the Schengen zone.
10:44It's been frustrating at times.
10:46I can't run a business like that.
10:50I need it to work.
10:51You know, I need to start earning money from it.
10:54And it's fundamental.
10:55If I don't get these units open for this summer, then...
11:02Yeah, I'm in trouble.
11:10Like Piedmont, the Gabravo province in central Bulgaria is also hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the big
11:18cities,
11:19offering the opportunity to take a step back from the pressures of modern life,
11:24and rediscover your own path.
11:30Easy, easy, easy.
11:32Don't damage the 400-year-old swing.
11:35Which is exactly what Essex-born Nino, his Bulgarian wife Valentina, and their young family are hoping to do.
11:45I like the slower pace of life here.
11:47It feels nice.
11:49It's really peaceful.
11:50I don't think I can live back in England again.
11:53The couple met 13 years ago when their paths crossed, while both working for the London Underground.
11:59And it was love at first sight.
12:02She has a great energy about her.
12:04That's one of the things that first attracted me to her.
12:06Apart from her gorgeous looks, obviously.
12:11Well, the first time when we met, it was really funny.
12:15And when we shake hands, you know this electricity that goes through your body.
12:20I was like, hmm, okay.
12:22And it was like my soulmate.
12:24A big part of their love story so far has involved family trips to Valentina's home country.
12:30So when they began searching for a holiday home in 2022, Bulgaria was the obvious choice.
12:37Before I met Val, I didn't really know what Bulgaria was like.
12:41But when I came here, I was amazed.
12:43It was such a beautiful country.
12:44Mountains, beach, nature.
12:46So I loved it from day one.
12:48Now, after two years of holidaying in their three-bed property, with a separate two-bed guest annex,
12:55located in the hills above the village of Slavakovo,
12:59they've decided that they want to put down further routes in the region.
13:04It's always been our dream to live abroad, somewhere hot.
13:08Swimming pool, some villa somewhere.
13:10We thought, let's make the move.
13:13This is freedom.
13:17This is freedom.
13:18Their plan to sustain life here is to launch a new venture offering residential wellness retreats guided by Valentina.
13:26And based out of a second property, they've bought 10 minutes away.
13:31So the dream here is to make this place a really nice retreat center where we can have up to
13:3920 guests.
13:40I'm going to teach about well-being, breathing, and try to teach them how to connect with themselves.
13:48We want this place to be somewhere people can come and relax and really step off the hamster wheel and
13:54come here and change their lives.
13:58It's now March, three months since Valentina and Nino got the keys to their new business premises.
14:06However, the renovations required to get the building guest ready have not been moving at the pace they'd hoped.
14:15It was really good, we thought, but when the builders came, they wanted to change the sockets and everything started
14:21falling because the roof tiles was broken and all the water was coming down, so everything fell down.
14:27It was moldy, so we have to replace everything, retail, reseal everything, everything has to be changed, painted again.
14:35Now that the leaky roof is fixed, they're turning their attention to creating wellness spaces, which will be used for
14:43meditation and Reiki healing exercises.
14:46We're not going to have any furnishings because we're going to be on the floor mainly with the white mats
14:51and everything is going to be like white curtains because we don't need to get high, we need to get
14:55low to get high.
14:59While outside, they want to update the swimming pool and terrace and also build extra treatment rooms.
15:07It's going to be a long time sorting it all out and getting rid of all the rubbish, digging up
15:12all the old tree stumps.
15:13The outside is what's going to take a lot of the work, most of the money. It's a lot to
15:19do here.
15:22Coming up, Sharon's chateau renovations catch heat.
15:28We've had a bit of a setback. We lit a fire at the weekend and I went upstairs and I
15:33thought, gosh, I can smell fire.
15:36There was fumes everywhere.
15:38And in Italy...
15:41Stephen's new business faces an inspection.
15:45I think he'd be pleased.
15:46Although he's not going to compliment me or anything like that. I don't expect that.
16:02On the outskirts of Limoges, with a crucial season ahead, launching events at their chateau, Sharon and David are upgrading
16:10some of their facilities.
16:12Their friend Kevin having now almost bricked up the void after the discovery of a hidden chimney shaft while building
16:20a new en suite.
16:22When they're butted up against them, it's going to create a nice strong pillow for the lintel to sit on.
16:29Ah, that's perfect.
16:32It's getting there.
16:34Yeah.
16:34I've made the door a little bit wider.
16:37I've got vision now.
16:39Yeah. So this will come down on Monday.
16:40OK, yeah.
16:42If all goes to plan.
16:43OK.
16:45However, a week later, the chimney issue is rumbling on and has put a stop to their plan entirely.
16:52We've had a bit of a setback.
16:54We lit a fire at the weekend and I went upstairs and I thought, gosh, I can smell fire.
17:00There was fumes everywhere because it was leaking from the chimney.
17:06It's not a chimney that just goes straight up.
17:09It was actually going across the doorway.
17:11So we've now thought of another way of actually putting the en suite bathroom inside the bedroom.
17:17It's taking up a bit more room than what I anticipated, but it's the only way that we can do
17:23it.
17:24Now, not only do walls have to be built, but a bathroom suite also fitted from scratch,
17:29adding extra pressure to an already tight deadline.
17:34The 9th of March, I need it all finished, but I don't just mean the room finished,
17:38I mean the dressing of the room, everything, because my guests arrive.
17:43I just get the whip out and start saying, come on, guys, get going.
17:49But as March rolls round, the work is still ongoing.
17:56The men have been here since 8.30 this morning and they're getting on with it,
18:01but we're actually still waiting for more tiles to arrive.
18:04Fingers crossed they'll be here later today or tomorrow.
18:07I've been feeling very much under pressure.
18:11While the bathroom works continue, Sharon begins prepping the other rooms.
18:18Because it's easy to miss just a little thing like not enough coffee, not enough tea.
18:25So in each room, I have a different fragrance.
18:29This room, because it's quite a masculine room, the Napoleon, we have a teak and tonka, which is really beautiful.
18:37I am feeling a little bit nervous, I think, yes.
18:41You know, when you've been closed and you've been renovating, to welcome your guests, it's a lovely feeling,
18:46but also, are they going to enjoy it? Are they going to like it?
18:52The following week, Sharon's nervous wait is over.
18:56With the new en-suite room finally complete, her guests are arriving soon.
19:03They're going on the top floor.
19:05They are going in the new bedroom and the twin room.
19:09OK.
19:10And to ensure she provides a five-star experience, she's hired in some extra help.
19:16Sammy mainly does the luggage and Jade helps in the kitchen.
19:22They did it last year for me. It works quite well.
19:26With everything ready for a warm welcome,
19:30her first guests of the season are here.
19:34Bonjour.
19:34An American tour group of six.
19:38Hi. Hi. Pleased to meet you. Would you like to come through?
19:42New cases will be taken to your rooms.
19:45After drinks in the Grand Salon...
19:49..and an introduction to the chateau...
19:52A lot of the things are original. It's like this room.
19:54We haven't touched anything in here.
19:57..everyone is shown to their accommodation.
20:00Wow.
20:01Oh, it's Darwin. Look at that.
20:03Beautiful.
20:04Oh, gosh, yes.
20:07So, this is Napoleon.
20:10Refugeot!
20:11Oh, my heavens.
20:12It's such an artist.
20:14Wow. This is amazing.
20:17But as the guests refresh after a long coach journey,
20:21a problem arises with the new en suite.
20:24Whereabouts?
20:28It's leaking into the room below.
20:34Oh, no.
20:37Oh, no.
20:37So, how's it come in through the ceiling?
20:39Now threatening to put a dampener on the group stay.
20:43I'll go and get a bucket.
20:52Back in northern Italy, after a three-month hiatus while in the UK,
20:57due to visa issues.
21:00This afternoon, Stephen's awaiting a visit from his architect
21:03to run through progress on his new guest accommodation.
21:09Alessandro's done all the design on the B&B units.
21:13He's here to basically inspect the work that I've done on the units over the last couple of days.
21:19I think he'll be pleased.
21:21Although, you know, he's, you know, he's not going to compliment me or anything like that.
21:27I don't expect that.
21:29Hello.
21:30Ciao.
21:32How are you?
21:33Good.
21:34Good.
21:35How are you?
21:36How's it going?
21:37Good.
21:39The downstairs unit, which Stephen's made fully accessible, is the first he'd like an opinion on.
21:46I wanted to frame the bed somehow, and so that's why this kind of darker block.
21:52So the bed will go up against here.
21:56I've stained this.
21:58Who gave you that great idea?
22:00You did.
22:02Or probably, actually.
22:03I think it's better like this.
22:05There, like that.
22:06With a treasure trove of old artefacts and tools left behind by the previous owner,
22:12Stephen's never short on new decorative ideas.
22:15So like these swords as well.
22:18Revival.
22:18Yeah.
22:18That's cool.
22:19So I was thinking...
22:20And you know what that is?
22:23Yes.
22:24It's a wood sword.
22:26I couldn't see it.
22:26So I was like, what that is?
22:28Is that?
22:28Oh, actually, that's the way around.
22:31Yeah.
22:33There's so many of these beautiful things around.
22:36Bedroom is wood and saws.
22:41Yes.
22:42And nails.
22:42It's very good at receiving ideas and developing his own within the general frame.
22:49And he's been giving a lot of inputs himself.
22:52So, yeah, it's a very good partnership, I would say, and it helps.
22:59I think we do work well together.
23:01He tells me what to do and I do it.
23:03You know, it's...
23:03Well, that's pretty perfect.
23:05It's as simple as that.
23:06It's as simple as that.
23:09Along with trying to secure an Italian residency permit,
23:12before Stephen can let out his accommodation,
23:15he also needs to officially register his new B&B business.
23:20I'll show you what I've done upstairs.
23:23So not only is he leaning into Alessandro's eye for design...
23:28And what do you think about these little bedside tables that I made?
23:32Yeah, they're cool.
23:32You made them?
23:33Well, they came flat packed and I stained them.
23:36Yeah, yeah.
23:38But he's also advising on some of the more practical points.
23:43Or inside. Did you check if they're inside?
23:45I never imagined that they would actually be in the fridge.
23:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:50Oh, well.
23:51They're to attach the door to the fridge.
23:56I'm definitely more interested in the overall usability of the building.
24:00But, yeah, I think you've been doing a really good job.
24:03Well, I'm relieved, you know, that he likes what I've done.
24:07Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:08No, I was... I'm very happy about how actually you put those.
24:13And confidence is running high that he's ticked all the boxes
24:17for a smooth business registration,
24:19so that the units can be advertised soon
24:22to fill a gap in the local market.
24:25It's so beautiful.
24:28It's close to a big city.
24:31It's really, really reachable.
24:34And still it's quiet as most of the villages in this area.
24:38So, yeah, good job.
24:39You know, in this area there aren't that many.
24:42In this immediate area there's lots over in the Lange,
24:47there's in Monferrato as well,
24:51obviously towards Turin and in Asti itself.
24:54But this particular area isn't yet a destination.
24:58I've spoken to the mayor about it.
25:01She knows that I'm creating a B&B business here.
25:07So then registering with the local community,
25:09that should be a formality.
25:15Coming up...
25:16This is...
25:17Wonky.
25:17Wonky.
25:18Three-legged donkey.
25:20There's a call to arms in Bulgaria.
25:23We need some muscles.
25:25Even more than that.
25:27And can Sharon keep her cool to get her chateau stay back on track?
25:33I'm really stressed at the moment.
25:36I think it's because I've got the food to do.
25:38I'm worrying about the shower.
25:41These things happen, eh?
25:50I'm really sorry.
25:53In central Bulgaria it's now mid-April
25:56and Valentina and Nino are continuing with their efforts
26:00to renovate their new business premises.
26:02This is...
26:03Wonky.
26:04Wonky.
26:05Three-legged donkey.
26:08Which they want to be the base for their new wellness retreats.
26:13Well done.
26:15Of course.
26:15Very nice.
26:17After fixing an unexpected leak in the roof,
26:21they're hoping to get their schedule back on track.
26:24And today they've rallied the troops,
26:26leaning in to help from a team of local cleaners
26:30and DIY assistance from Valentina's dad, Georgie.
26:35You're going to do yoga on my retreat?
26:39He's already in a...
26:41I don't know how to go in this position.
26:43He has that.
26:44He's in assembly mode.
26:47We need some muscles.
26:49Even more than mine.
26:52Having recently got a new en-suite bathroom fitted,
26:57and now bedroom furniture assembled,
26:59it's a relief to finally see some of their guest accommodation
27:03taking shape.
27:05Oh, look at that.
27:07Ah, it looks different.
27:09And it's well done.
27:10Good job.
27:11Well done.
27:12No, the guys did a really good job.
27:14Really, really happy.
27:16Aw.
27:19Very happy, really.
27:20And there's similar excitement about the progress next door
27:24in Valentina's office,
27:25which has now been decorated ahead of her starting
27:29to host online wellness courses and tutorials.
27:35We've got the chair, we've got the tables today.
27:37This site is going to be for me making the broadcast,
27:39the record, the teachings.
27:41I'm going to cleanse it with sage
27:42and I'm going to put my energy
27:44and, yeah, it's going to be just my sacral space for work.
27:48The room just looks really nice.
27:49Now they've put the flower wall in,
27:52I think it looks really good.
27:53It's a good background.
27:54It'll be a nice place to work from.
27:57While things are blooming in here,
28:00the same can't be said for outside.
28:06The gardens are still a long way off the relaxing haven
28:11that the couple envisage.
28:13As commitments in the UK recently have kept them away from sight
28:17and the unexpected roof repairs have severely dented their budget.
28:24We've been travelling to England,
28:26coming back here travelling to England,
28:28so a lot of travelling,
28:29checking on the guys what they're doing here.
28:31Ideally we'd obviously like things to be done as quickly as possible,
28:34but there's more work than we anticipated.
28:38We did have some money set aside,
28:40which went very quickly,
28:41so now we have to wait for a bit more money
28:44and, like I say, really prioritise the jobs that we need to do.
28:50A month later, however, like their garden,
28:53Valentina and Nino's to-do list continues to grow,
28:57as now there's an issue with the central heating.
29:06While local tradesman Tanjo is here to start the landscaping,
29:11he's volunteered to take a look.
29:14He straight away comes, he contacted a really good company,
29:17which he's recommending,
29:18and they're going to come and see it next week.
29:20They can tell us what is the problem with the heating
29:22and sort it out eventually.
29:26It's another frustrating delay.
29:28But with an appointment now scheduled
29:30with a heating engineer for next week,
29:33Tanjo can crack on with a job he was booked for.
29:44The garden is very overgrown.
29:47It would be nice to see actually what we have
29:50because everything seems to be up and down,
29:53and there's lots of plants and weeds and rubbish here.
29:56When it's cleared, once this building is down,
29:58it would be nice to just clear everything to see what we have.
30:01Their dream is to construct extra retreat facilities
30:05to replace the old outbuilding.
30:07That's why we've done sorted out,
30:09because it's very, very wobbly.
30:11But the pressure's on as they need the work finished by summer.
30:15They've just started to put the vegetation,
30:18all the cuttings into a pile, they're burning it,
30:20and then start to maybe level out the garden.
30:23As you can see, it kind of slopes down.
30:24Yeah, now it's mids of May,
30:26so we're expecting the first try of people to come,
30:29like, end of August.
30:30So we've got a lot of time for the guys to finish,
30:32to see how it's going to be,
30:33and then to start building it.
30:43Across in France, Chateau owner Charon is also under pressure,
30:47after her new en-suite bathroom sprung a leak,
30:50just as she welcomed her first guests of the season.
30:55There's a leak in Louie,
30:57and it's coming from the new bathroom.
31:00One of the ladies has just come to tell me
31:03it's coming through the ceiling.
31:07And this is one of the beautiful ceilings that's original.
31:15So, er...
31:16Hello.
31:17How is it?
31:17It stopped?
31:19Did you stop making a shower?
31:20I think she has, yeah.
31:22Oh.
31:23I can't see where it's coming from.
31:25I can either.
31:26There's no dark spot or anything?
31:28At least it doesn't look damaged.
31:29No.
31:30I'll just put a bucket here if that's okay with you, is it?
31:33That's fine, yeah.
31:34Okay.
31:35Sorry about that.
31:36Plenty of space, don't worry.
31:37Sorry.
31:39Due to the time of night,
31:41Sharon's unable to book a plumber on a call-out,
31:44so all she can do is hope the leak doesn't get much worse.
31:50We've put a bucket there,
31:52but, I mean, I can't imagine
31:54she's going to have a shower in the morning.
31:56She's had one now.
31:59What he reckons is something to do with the trap.
32:03He thinks maybe the seal's not sealed enough.
32:07I'm just hoping she doesn't shower tomorrow.
32:13I'm really stressed at the moment.
32:15I think it's because I've got the food to do.
32:18I'm worrying about the shower.
32:20These things happen, eh?
32:23And it's...
32:24I'm in the middle of cooking.
32:26With the meal prepped, it's time to call everyone down for dinner.
32:327-4-7-30.
32:33You can come down to the bar if you wish.
32:35Fortunately, the plumbing issue hasn't taken away from the grandeur of the chateau.
32:42It is amazing and magnificent.
32:44I am so impressed by her.
32:47Really, what an unbelievable undertaking.
32:50I have the Madame Pompadour room,
32:53which is really, truly like a ballroom.
32:57It's huge.
32:59I find this place absolutely incredible.
33:03I've been to many luxury places around the world, and this is right up there.
33:09As the group sit down for dinner, with Sharon joining them too...
33:13What I've actually served is chicken in a white wine and tarragon sauce.
33:18Mmm.
33:20Her home-cooked food is well-received.
33:22Your background is in hospitality?
33:24And they chat long into the night about the chateau.
33:27When you've decorated a room, everything just coordinates with each other.
33:32I try to, actually.
33:33But I also try to keep a lot of the things very original.
33:38Cheers, everybody.
33:41Many, many thanks to you.
33:45Wonderful.
33:50The following morning, Sharon's up early on breakfast duty.
33:56Just trying to get everything organised for the breakfast for the guests.
34:00Because they will be coming down in about 15 minutes.
34:04Last night, I think I went all out under the circumstances.
34:08I couldn't do any more.
34:10I did feel really unhappy about the shower situation.
34:14But these things happen.
34:15All well and good in the end.
34:17You know, everybody enjoyed it.
34:19They enjoyed their dinner.
34:20They felt relaxed and they liked the chateau.
34:24After breakfast, the group soon hit the road to their next stop.
34:29Lovely to meet you.
34:31Till next time.
34:31OK, till next time, yeah.
34:34Leaving Sharon to jump straight on to room changeovers ahead of her next guests arriving.
34:40It's sometimes hard getting it all ready for the next guests.
34:46In fact, it's not hard.
34:48It's so difficult.
34:52We need more staff.
34:54I just can't carry on like this forever.
34:57Along with the extra expense of fixing the bathroom leak, with an important season ahead, Sharon will also need to
35:05find a solution to her staffing shortage.
35:08And soon.
35:13Coming up...
35:14I'm just going to go and get the bleach.
35:16Stephen's business also hits a setback.
35:19There was a mouldy patch there.
35:21That's the thing with having to be away for three months.
35:24Things like this occur and you don't know that there's a problem building.
35:29While in Bulgaria, Valentina and Nino's finances feel the strain.
35:35So this is going to end up roughly ÂŁ9,000 to ÂŁ10,000.
35:38So the budget has been blown out of the water.
35:48I'm just going to go.
35:50Thank you, sir.
35:51In Northern Italy, there's now just a week to go before Stephen hopes to officially register his new B&B
35:58business.
35:59But he's discovered some damp in the downstairs unit.
36:04I've just seen that now, because there was a mouldy patch there, which I treated.
36:10That's why I'm making sure it's dried out.
36:13The hill's quite steep.
36:15And when it rains, not that it's rained for a couple of weeks, but when it rains, it really rains.
36:23And it just kind of flows down the hill.
36:26Long term, Stephen will need to add additional drainage to ensure he can rent the accommodation out in all seasons.
36:33I'm just going to go and get the bleach.
36:35But as pressure's mounting to get the business registered and open for the summer, a quick fix will have to
36:42do for now.
36:43It's concerning.
36:44I mean, I know it'll get dealt with.
36:46I just...
36:47I need to look right at the moment for photographs.
36:52That's the thing with having to be away for three months, is things like this occur and you don't know
36:59that there's a problem building.
37:01Just getting these little spots of mould off.
37:05Erm, it doesn't take much, just a little rub, does it?
37:09As you can see, they just disappear.
37:11It's a setback he could do without, though, and an hour later, as Alessandro pops by for one last visit...
37:19Really cool again today.
37:21What happened?
37:23There's nothing to do with me.
37:25HE LAUGHS
37:27He notices another issue with the same wall.
37:31Because this is, like, tilting a bit.
37:34Is it?
37:34Now that I see it, yes.
37:36Is it?
37:36It is.
37:38Look at this.
37:40This corner.
37:42Yes, it is.
37:43Slightly.
37:43Slightly going back.
37:44Yeah, it's quite a bit out.
37:46I can paint that as well today.
37:49Yeah, yeah, definitely.
37:50Yeah.
37:50Yeah, it's just messing with my head a bit.
37:54Erm...
37:55Which is fine.
37:58The following week, Stephen sorted out his B&B accommodation.
38:03And the crucial time has now come to get permission from the local mayor to open his new business.
38:10We're at the Commune of Montgardino, which is the mayor's office.
38:15And we're here to get registered for tax purposes.
38:23That then enables us to get a code that licenses the B&B.
38:30So, yeah, it's kind of a fundamental step.
38:34Architect Alessandro once again by his side for support.
38:38Ciao.
38:40Personal relationships count for a lot here in Italy.
38:44And, you know, it's important to have someone on your side who knows the right people.
38:53Ready?
38:54Yes.
38:55Let's go.
38:58Heading inside, the mayor is waiting for them.
39:01They've got the plans out of my property and the work that we're doing.
39:05And the meeting gets off to a promising start.
39:08They are, like, organising, like, a sort of pre-Easter aperitivo or, kind of, a small party.
39:17And you're invited.
39:19Oh, fantastic.
39:19Feel free to join.
39:22But as they sit down to go through more of the details...
39:27A recent rule change means more paperwork is needed before a business licence can be granted.
39:33Now, just to be clear, the updated...
39:38..Cadastro.
39:38Yeah, Cadastro.
39:39Where do I get that from?
39:40Oh, we do it.
39:41OK.
39:42Bene, grazie.
39:43Grazie mille.
39:44Grazie mille, grazie.
39:46Grazie.
39:46Grazie a voi.
39:47While the appointment has been largely positive...
39:52See you soon.
39:53Yes.
39:54OK.
39:55Ciao.
39:56Stephen's left to battle more red tape.
39:59They're really friendly in there and they really want my business to work.
40:03But the bureaucracy is...
40:05I don't know.
40:06It's not only is it really complex, but it changes all the time.
40:10And these new rules only came in in March, like, last month.
40:17Everything's always a lot more complicated than you think it's going to be.
40:21And with his visa issues also unresolved, his future in Italy remains uncertain.
40:33Back in Bulgaria, it's now July.
40:38Yep.
40:39All overgrown.
40:41And things aren't looking much brighter for Valentina and Nino either.
40:47They've just returned to their new retreat venue with son Constantine after another trip
40:53to the UK, but have walked back into what looks like a jungle.
40:58A couple of months ago, we paid some workers to completely clear all the garden and vegetation
41:04and tree stumps and everything.
41:07Because we've not been here and carried on the work because we don't have the money at
41:12the moment and the time really, it's all completely overgrown again.
41:17So all that money we spent is basically wasted.
41:19Yeah, it's frustrating and, you know, at times you think, I wish I'd never started this.
41:25The couple having to dig deep in more ways than one, as inside fixing the faulty heating
41:31system has also turned into a much bigger job.
41:36The boiler in the corner, 80 litre combi.
41:40Our plan is to use this house as a retreat house and to have maybe up to 20 guests here.
41:46So a boiler that lasts for one shower is not obviously sufficient.
41:50So we were advised to buy a bigger boiler, 180 litres, which we've ordered and that will
41:55be installed.
41:56But obviously there's a lot of work, pipe work and finishing to do in this room.
42:00Fitting a new boiler is a big ticket item to finance.
42:04But it's not the only issue putting pressure on their purse strings.
42:09The heating guys, they find out that actually nothing works.
42:12We don't have a proper electricity.
42:14So another extra job that has to be done, which it hasn't been on the list.
42:18All the room nails have to get stripped or the floor has to be removed.
42:23That is going to end up roughly ÂŁ9,000 to ÂŁ10,000.
42:26We plan to spend maybe ÂŁ900 in this room to fix everything.
42:30So the budget has been blown out of the water.
42:35The electrical issues mean that while large parts of the property are rewired, Valentin is forced to move her office
42:43back home to run her online courses from there to bring in crucial income.
42:48Hi. How are you? How many of you are today? 23. Where are the rest?
42:53Needed more than ever as the final blow to their ÂŁ20,000 renovation budget is that safety concerns have also
43:02been raised over one of their downstairs bathrooms.
43:06This wall is really, really thin and can you hear? You can hear it's moving, you can feel it's moving.
43:15Why would they build it like that? It's not even one inch thick, is it?
43:18No. It's not safe for people, it's not safe for us, it's not safe for anybody. It has to be
43:22changed.
43:23So we have to make sure that the outside wall is stable, the house is stable and this whole bathroom
43:28is stable.
43:29And then we have to replace the wall, replace the tiles, replace the floor and replace the pipework.
43:34So it's a much bigger job than we expected in the first place.
43:38Money, money, money, money.
43:42With their dream property now turning into a money pit, Valentina and Nino have no option but to press pause
43:49on their venture until they can raise more finance.
43:53Meaning their retreat plans for the summer are now cancelled.
43:57It's just every time when we come it's extra work and extra work and extra work.
44:01It's just wasting of money. We really have to set and prioritise what we're going to do next.
44:07Determined this will not be the end of the road, can Valentina and Nino find a way to turn their
44:13fortunes around and get their new lives in Bulgaria back on track?
44:21Next time, Sharon rolls out the red carpet for her first big event at the Chateau.
44:30I love entertaining, I love making people happy.
44:33Finally, Valentina and Nino take their Bulgarian retreat business in a new direction.
44:39This used to be a hunting lodge, so hopefully we can change the decorations a little bit.
44:44And in Italy...
44:45This is waiting hell.
44:47Steven faces a battle to keep his dream alive.
44:51I've had several crises of confidence.
44:55Am I capable of doing this?
45:27It's always happy to have been brought to you by the
Comments