We've lived in Northern Italy, in Santa Barbara, and - since 2023 - in San Diego. Each of our homes reflects a commitment to quality, comfort, and cultural authenticity. Nocciolina is the one we built around the hazelnut groves of Alta Langa.
Finding Nocciolina
In August 2020, during the first summer after lockdown, we rented an apartment in Castiglione Falletto, a small village above Barolo, to get out of the city. We were driving around and spotted a stone building on a quiet road, with a view to the valley and no sign of anyone around. The agent picked up on the first ring. By the end of the afternoon we had a deal.
Renovating Nocciolina
We named the house after the hazelnut trees in the garden. Renovation ran from 2020 through 2022, mostly on weekends, often with us driving up from two hours away. We did the basics first - roof, floors, bathrooms - and let the finishes catch up slowly. An attached storage room became an outdoor kitchen. A patio took shape under the pergola. By the end of 2022 the bones were done.
The outdoors
The garden grew in stages: a small deck, a jacuzzi, a wooden cabana. We built a modest pool after a guest confused the hot tub with one, and realised we had a stronger business in rentals than we expected. A couple of returning families turned Nocciolina into a place we wanted to share.
Goodbye and welcome
We moved to San Diego in July 2023. Nocciolina stayed, and so did the idea of making it available to other families. If you stay here, we hope the house feels like it was built for the way you'd want to spend a week in the Langhe: slow mornings, dinners on the garden table, a drive to a winery one afternoon and nothing the next.
Say hello: info@casaway.it.