Leaves Zurich and decides to change her life by moving to a small village in Molise, strong of the ties of her maternal grandparents with Castelbottaccio, among the most desired villages by foreigners for buying houses in the region.

And in the nearby town of Lupara, a couple of kilometers away, she opens a food shop where she prepares pizzas and traditional German pastries.

Today, on the hills not far from the Adriatic Sea, Maria Giovanna offers the Sacher, the 'Black Forest' cake with sour cherries and chocolate, apple strudel, and vanilla mille-feuille.

'The choice to live in Molise and open a business in Lupara was courageous, driven by the desire to have a better quality of life,' says Maria Giovanna Colaiacovo, 56 years old, granddaughter of Castelbottaccio and daughter of Lupara, villages in the province of Campobasso today with 245 and 400 inhabitants respectively. 'The city gives you a lot in terms of work and services, but it also takes a lot away: stress, the daily rush with schedules, pollution, in the long run, affect your health. The last ten years in Zurich have been tough, and I decided to completely change my life. Returning to the family home in Castelbottaccio and opening a small artisan shop in Lupara with food products made by me every day: it's my passion and it's something I needed.'

'Here we also work more,' continues Maria Giovanna, 'even during the holidays, but I feel satisfied. Stress does not exist, and the quality of the day is much higher. I feel better here.'

Many foreigners are attracted by the simple life and choose the small towns of Lower Molise to move to; several families have already bought properties.

'Castelbottaccio,' adds Colaiacovo, 'is a very clean and well-kept small village. They have sold many houses to foreigners who have chosen villas and residences in the middle of nature. Many are from Belgium, children of emigrants, and there are also those who come to these places and choose them for the tranquility. In Lupara, there are Americans and Poles. Even people from Rome choose to invest here.'

The only downside to these small villages is the fragile road connections, in some cases interrupted by landslides, like the provincial road that connects the state road 647 Fondo Valle del Biferno, the so-called 'Bifernina', to Lupara. 'We hope that everything will be resolved as soon as possible,' concludes Colaiacovo.

© ANSI - Translated Source: https://www.ansa.it/molise/notizie/2025/02/06/lascia-zurigo-e-apre-bottega-nel-paese-molisano-della-famiglia_7a7ab61e-aa85-4f83-85b6-cde39040bdc1.html