About the Team
Meet the Team Behind Authentic Umbria
Four people, two countries, one shared idea:
Helping you explore Italy in a way that’s honest, human, and actually doable.
Authentic Umbria is a small partnership between two couples who became good friends first—and only later realized we could do something genuinely helpful together.
Craig & Cindi are Americans who’ve done the “what if we really moved to Italy?” thing and lived to tell the tale.
Matteo & Loredana are Umbrians with deep local roots, professional experience, and a real love of sharing their region with people who truly appreciate it.
We didn’t set out to build a business. We just kept seeing the same need from two different sides.
Craig and Cindi met countless Americans who were enchanted by Italy but overwhelmed by the realities: visas, where to live, how to avoid expensive mistakes, and the ever-present, “are we crazy to even be thinking about this?”
Matteo and Loredana kept meeting visitors who wanted more than a quick tour—but didn’t know how to connect with real life here, or who to trust for the serious stuff.
At some point, it clicked: our perspectives fit together naturally. The friendship was already there. The combined experience was already there. So we decided to put it to work in a way that could make this whole journey easier for others.
Because when you bring the two sides together—
American perspective + Umbrian insider knowledge = a smoother, calmer, more confident path for people like you.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."
- Mark Twain
Why we work as a team
Relocating—or even seriously considering relocating—to another country isn’t just logistics. It’s emotional, practical, cultural, and financial all at once.
So we each stay in our lane:
- Craig & Cindi help you think through the big picture from a U.S. point of view:
your timeline, finances, fears, hopes, and questions like “do we actually want to do this, or do we just want to want this?” - Matteo & Loredana help you understand how things really work on the ground in Umbria: towns, neighborhoods, daily life, small cultural details, and the network of trusted professionals you’ll eventually need.
Together, we:
- Keep the process human and sane—not salesy, rushed, or sugar-coated.
- Give you space to “try on” the idea of living here before you decide anything permanent.
- Help you build a realistic plan if Italy still feels like a “yes.”
We’re intentionally small and high-touch. You won’t be passed from department to department. When you work with Authentic Umbria, you work with us.
"Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow."
- Anita Desai
Four perspectives, one shared goal
When you put the four of us together, here’s what you get:
- American experience of making the leap
- Umbrian experience of living here every day
- Practical guidance
- Emotional support
- Deep local knowledge
All focused on one thing: helping you figure out whether an Italian chapter belongs in your story—and if it does, how to move toward it with clarity, confidence, and a lot less stress.
If that sounds like the kind of team you want in your corner, we’d love to meet you.
