British couple spends 17 years refurbishing medieval Italian palazzo after earthquake

A British couple has spent 17 years renovating a medieval Italian palazzo in the Abruzzo countryside after it was devastated by a deadly earthquake, part of a broader effort to revive a historic village. Andrew Miles and Katja von Schweitzer fell in love with Abruzzo on a ski trip in 2005 and, in 2008, decided to relocate from Brighton with their two children after touring about 100 houses. Their target was a 15th-century palazzo that also encompassed an eighth-century fortified building and a watch tower, a project they hoped would anchor the restoration of San Benedetto in Perillis, a small village in the region. The property spans roughly 1,000 square meters and includes a 50-room palazzo that the couple has gradually begun to furnish and adapt for living and rental purposes.

Just one year after they decided to invest in the palazzo, disaster struck. A 5.8-magnitude earthquake, with its epicenter near L'Aquila, Abruzzo's capital, caused widespread damage and claimed hundreds of lives. The event left a deep mark on the village and on the couple's plans: the watch tower collapsed, and the house was placed in the red zone. While the rest of the building sustained less dramatic damage, the home was effectively unusable, and the couple faced steep costs and bureaucratic hurdles. "Time stopped in its tracks," Miles recalled, describing the moment when they realized they could not live in the property or count on immediate government assistance to fix it. The house was declared a historically important property, complicating the redevelopment timeline and transferring much of the exterior work beyond the couple's control for more than a year.

In the years that followed, the couple pressed forward with renovations while adapting their plans to the new realities of Italian bureaucracy and funding. Their 2018 move to the country and their appearance on Channel 4’s Help! We Bought a Village offered viewers a window into the challenges and ambitions behind the project. By June, 18 months had passed since they finally received permission to begin proper works on the palazzo, a milestone that brought renewed momentum to their efforts. Katja, reflecting on the journey, said that the plans they had when they first started remained the same, even as they endured setbacks and delays. She added that they remained committed to the village and to the project, expressing confidence that living and working in the palazzo would be worth the effort.

The couple have expanded their hospitality footprint beyond the San Benedetto palazzo. In Sulmona, about an hour away, they operate The Poets’ Retreat, a collection of holiday flats housed in a 16th-century palazzo. The project serves multiple purposes: it provides a source of income to support ongoing restoration and it connects visitors with the region's history. In addition to renovations, the Miles–von Schweitzer family has begun offering genealogy tours, inviting guests to explore ancestral roots in the area. Katja described this effort as a meaningful extension of their mission, noting that it appears to be gaining traction with international visitors seeking to rediscover their own histories in the village.

The early weeks of the television series offered viewers a taste of the logistical challenges involved in modern restoration. A scene highlighted the difficulty of navigating a wardrobe delivery up a ramp for a bespoke staircase, illustrating how even routine tasks can become complex when working on a centuries-old site. The program also documented the first wave of guests to arrive at the couple’s venture, signaling early signs of financial relief and the potential for tourism-driven revenue to underwrite future work. As interest in the project grows, Miles and von Schweitzer remain hopeful that their combined efforts will not only preserve Palazzo San Benedetto but also revitalize a once-sleeping village.

In public remarks and on their GoFundMe page, the couple described the long, winding road of restoration. They noted that parts of the palazzo date back up to 1,200 years and that some components, including a portion dating to the 8th century, loom large in the structure’s history. The newest elements trace to the 16th century, underscoring the palazzo’s layered chronology. They also explained that funds previously allocated for restoration projects in Italy were pulled by the government, complicating timelines and raising questions about sustainable funding models for heritage sites. Despite these obstacles, the pair has reiterated that their work is driven by passion for the village and its cultural heritage, not personal gain. They also stressed that they do not receive payment for appearing on the television series and that donations or sponsorships would support ongoing preservation efforts rather than personal profit.

Even as they press forward, Miles and von Schweitzer remain mindful of the financial realities of such an undertaking. They have asked supporters to consider partnerships and sponsorships that could help sustain the project over the long term, noting that without income from the rental venture, maintenance of a 50-room palazzo would be difficult to sustain. Yet, they remain optimistic about the broader impact of their work: restoring a historic property and helping to bring life back to a small, historically significant Italian village. In their words, the project is not just about restoring a building but about preserving a living piece of culture that can educate and inspire future generations, while also providing a model for how private stewardship and community engagement can work in tandem to safeguard heritage.

The couple’s ongoing narrative—rooted in a love for Abruzzo, a commitment to restoration, and a willingness to adapt to challenging circumstances—reflects a broader trend in culture and entertainment coverage of heritage preservation. It highlights how individuals, communities, and media collaborations intersect in efforts to save historic places that might otherwise fade from public memory. If their current plans unfold as hoped, Palazzo San Benedetto could become a sustainable example of how centuries-old architecture can be repurposed for modern use while maintaining its historical integrity for decades to come.