Help! We Bought a Village!

Help! We Bought a Village is a popular British documentary television series broadcast on Channel 4. The lifestyle and renovation show follows "intrepid Brits" who purchase cheap, abandoned, or decaying historical settlements across Europe—including villages, hamlets, Italian borgos, and Spanish cortijos—and work to restore them from the brink of collapse

Documneted for over 4 years, a family with heritage, vision and nostalgia for the roots in ground and the roots from I Ciacca that walk around all over the world today since 1500 Picinisco is the centre of the universe... you’ll see”

Help, we Bought a village...

In Help! We Bought a Village, the coverage of the I Ciacca project in Lazio's Val di Comino details a multi-generational homecoming led by the Di Ciacca family.

The program documents the complex restoration of the abandoned hamlet, the high-stakes revival of the native Maturano grape, and the socio-economic revitalisation of the local community.

Cesidio di Ciacca....

Who he is: The visionary patriarch, a former corporate lawyer born in Scotland to Italian emigrant parents.

What he does on screen: Cesidio acts as the emotional and strategic anchor of the project. The cameras follow his meticulous—and often grueling—process of consolidating the property, which famously required tracking down and buying out over 140 different co-owners across the global Italian diaspora just to secure the deeds to the land. On screen, viewers see him navigating complex Italian bureaucracies, coordinating heritage architects, and passionately defending the historical accuracy of the stone hamlet’s physical reconstruction.

Sofia di Ciacca Tana

Who she is: Cesidio’s daughter, who left her life in Scotland to help manage the family's expanding Italian operations.

What she does on screen: Sofia is shown handling the daily, high-stakes logistics of turning a collection of ruins into a premium hospitality brand. The cameras capture her managing the build and launch of Sotto Le Stelle, their eco-friendly boutique albergo diffuso (scattered hotel) located in the historic center of Picinisco. Viewers see her dealing with practical renovation snags, designing the guest experience, and running their "social farm" initiative, which hosts educational market-gardening events for children and special needs groups.

Luigi Tana

Who he is: Sofia’s husband and an experienced wine importer and exporter. from Glasgow, now based in Picinisco.

What he does on screen: Luigi's television arc focuses heavily on the agricultural and commercial survival of the village. The program documents his literal "in the dirt" trials of managing 25,000 native Maturano grapevines. On camera, Luigi leads the viewer through the high-stakes realities of rural farming—including installing heavy-duty fencing to protect the precious vines from local wild boars and bears. He is also filmed managing the stressful annual harvest deadlines and working inside the cellar alongside expert consultants like Alberto Antonini to oversee fermentation in their distinct, unlined egg-shaped concrete tanks.

Our Mission & Philosophy

As the family reclaims its ancestral estate, untouched for over a century, we have embraced the Organic protocol, achieving certification in 2017, leveraging the pristine, uncontaminated nature of the land. The Maturano grape, though not widely recognised, presents an opportunity for profound exploration and innovation. Our mission is to uncover the most authentic expression of this ancient varietal, positioning ourselves as pioneers in its cultivation and vinification here in the Comino Valley of Lazio.

Our philosophy is grounded in minimal intervention, allowing the inherent qualities of the grape to shine through. Utilising indigenous yeasts derived from our own grapes, we have meticulously studied our soils and terroir for over a decade. This scientific approach ensures that each vintage not only reflects the unique characteristics of our environment but also contributes to the broader understanding of Maturano's potential. We are committed to a continuous cycle of learning and sharing our discoveries, leading the way in the evolution of this remarkable grape.

Picinisco & Val Di Comino

Picinisco, lies in the Val di Comino, half way between Rome and Naples and in 2017 celebrated it’s Millennium from 1017 AD.

At 725m, Picinisco's Medieval Castle is built on the slopes of one of the highest mountains in central Italy - Monte Meta - and the only one where on a clear day you can see the Adriatic and the Tyrhennian Seas.

Renowned for its cheese, olive oil, wine and fruit, Picinisco enjoys its fresh air, proximity to nature, traditions and especially it’s links to its sons and daughters to be found throughout the world, but especially Scotland. Like Scotland, this land was occupied by an ancient people, the Samnites, who finally after 3 wars were defeated by the Romans. After the economic and political problems resulting from the unification of Italy, nearly 40% of the southern Italian population emigrated. Many still return ‘home’ regularly to meet friends and relatives, who come back to meet friends and relatives from all over the world.

Many young people continue to leave for University or to find work, but a growing number are choosing to return. In fact, Val di Comino remains uncontaminated and will soon be officially recognised as the first “Organic District” (Biodistretto) in Lazio - thanks to the efforts of its young farmers.