Feature: Two love stories with Italian countryside

"All of my college friends are in big cities or abroad, some have had good careers. Sometimes I think it was a pity that I remained here," said Elena Pennacchi, owner of a farm stay in central Italy, on the top of hills overlooking the valley.

"But then I look out the window and I tell myself that I have the most beautiful office in the world," she added.

Pennacchi, 33, was a 21-year-old economics student at university when her family decided to renovate an old country house surrounded by farmland and olive trees, where her father was born in the heart of Umbria region.

"At the beginning we considered this as a sort of hobby, but then things changed. It became my life. My father fell ill more and more gravely, so that I started to take care of the country house's activities until, both for duty and passion, I took over the whole business," she explained to Xinhua.

"We opened our San Giovanni al Monte agritourism in 2006. Now I run it with my mother and in case of need we also temporarily hire other people. We have an organic orchard where we cultivate different types of fruits all year, and also produce extra virgin oil. Recently we have a bit broadened the food processing, and we offer both catering and stay in seven rooms," Pennacchi said.

"Yet, I also managed to complete my studies and take a degree in economics," she also added.

The San Giovanni al Monte farm stay mainly hosts foreign tourists. "Most of them are from northern Europe, especially Norway and Finland. They love the countryside, nature and genuine food. Actually I have gradually realized that they not only desire healthy food, but like to listen to the stories of the ingredients and of all the work behind the world of agritourism," Pennacchi said.

"During the summer we especially host families with children, but on average our clients are aged between 40 and 60 and are frequent travelers. They are not only in search of relax but also of a cultural holiday here. We have never had Chinese so far, but we had some Japanese who had already visited Italy," she also added.

The prices at the farm stay are 65-70 euros (around 71-76 U.S. dollars) per night including breakfast and dinner. "We promote ourselves through the internet and especially the word of mouth, and are also planning to take part in some international fairs for the promotion of agritourism," Pennacchi told Xinhua.

It is not simple, however, to carry out such a business in times of economic troubles. "In the first years it was easier, and we also got support from the local authorities who encouraged young people not to abandon the countryside for the city. Then with the economic crisis I lost my Italian tourists. Traditional hotels have significantly lowered their prices so that competition is also high," she pointed out.

"However, I look around and I have no walls, I have not a computer screen in front of me all day, I have no stress. I might be poor compared to my college friends ... but actually I would not be able to live somewhere else now," Pennacchi highlighted.

Life at a farm stay has not been easy also for another woman business owner of an agritourism named Le Piagge, placed in a high hilly area close to the Ligurian Sea in the northern region of Piedmont.

"My dream started to come true when I saw this country house for the first time. I came to these hills in search of my ideal place," writes Stefania Grandinetti on her agritourism's website.

Her story is an amazing one. "If I had thought rationally, I would have never made such a decision," she told Xinhua. Grandinetti was born in Italy's financial capital Milan and graduated in economics and business.

"I worked in the commercial office of a bank in the city center. One day I started to look for a house in the surroundings of Milan. I was 30 and had just had my second daughter so that I wanted to find a place outside the city, maybe with a small garden," she recounted.

But she could not find the place she wanted near Milan. In the end, she fell in love with a country house that, however, was not 10 minutes but two hours ride from Milan. "At that point I needed to make a decision, and in a moment of pure folly I told myself: ok, I will take it," she said.

However, when Grandinetti moved to the countryside she found a different world from the bucolic vision that she had in her mind. "The burden of work was huge. I cannot hide the fact that during the first two years I used to cry secretly in the bathroom because I wanted to go back home," she told Xinhua.

Fifteen years have passed. Grandinetti has four children, though she has recently separated from her husband who remained in Milan.

"I have a one-hectare vegetable garden and around 20 free range pigs ... I mainly offer stay in eight rooms, as catering is more difficult due to the small size of my agritourism. In fact, our clients often eat with us, we are like an extended family," she said.

Grandinetti is also trying to present her farm stay to tourists from other parts of the world, including China. "We have never had Chinese tourists, but I am following a program of courses to understand their needs," she explained to Xinhua.

"Presently I especially work with families and children. During the summer, I hold educational camps for 25-30 children also with English courses, and I hire young workers who help me with the farm school," she went on saying, noting that she was proud to show her achievements to her old director who came to visit the agritourism recently.

"Many colleagues of mine have lost their job following the economic crisis, and I am hiring people instead," she stressed.

"Actually you do not become rich with this kind of activity," she also highlighted. "This year my turnover was about 150,000 euros, which after expenses means an annual income of around 36,000 euros ... I manage to make a decent living, but this is not a business," she said.

"When I was in Milan I had an easier life, but I desperately missed the contact with the ground, I needed to get away. Now I live here in a splendid environment with my children. This is my beloved home," Grandinetti told Xinhua. (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollars) Endit