Dalip and Amber Tibb, hailing from North Carolina, buy a home and open a restaurant in Giove, Umbria. How? We'll tell you all about it here.
The story
They had always dreamed of owning a house in Italy, but opening a restaurant there, wasn't part of their plans. However, Dalip and Amber Tibb, originally from North Carolina, ended up doing both. Married for 18 years, they claim that their love for Italy blossomed almost twenty years ago when they took a trip to Venice. However, it took a long time before they could seriously consider the prospect of purchasing property in the country. "It all unfolded naturally over the years," says Amber, who organizes group trips to Italy, in a recent interview with CNN. "We had children. Dalip ran a medical practice in California. We were leading a busy life. But we always dreamed of Italy, deep down." So, the Tibbs began exploring different regions to find the right place at the right time.
In the end, they settled in Umbria. "We wanted to narrow it down to be close to Fiumicino Airport because that's where we land," explains Amber. The couple says they began seriously looking for a place in 2019, and in the spring of 2020, they came across a listing for a furnished three-bedroom penthouse in a small town called Giove. During COVID, the Tibbs couldn't travel to Italy to view the apartment in person. But even though they had never been to Giove, they knew it would be a good fit for them. Dalip, originally from the UK but a resident of the US for nearly 30 years, managed to secure Italian residency (the sale happened before Brexit was finalized), which would allow the family to stay in Italy for extended periods.
The Tibbs finally got to visit the property in June 2021 when travel restrictions eased – it was even better than they expected, especially for the views over the Tiber Valley. The town was buzzing during that first visit, in part because of extensive renovation work on the Castle of Giove, and it occurred to them that some family and friends might also be interested in buying property in the area. The couple asked a real estate agent to show them other properties and ended up seeing an apartment that would later become the restaurant. Dalip was aware that there were several businesses in the area at that time, but he felt this would be a great place to create something new. "In the back of my mind, I was thinking about a restaurant, but I was a bit embarrassed to tell people," he admits.
Feeling inspired, he met with an architect who agreed it would be the ideal spot for a restaurant, emphasizing how much Giove truly needed one. A few months later, they learned that the adjacent space had a wine cellar that could be connected to the main building, and the owner was willing to sell it. "We weren't too worried about renovation costs; things are relatively inexpensive compared to the US," Amber says. "So, we knew it wouldn't be a huge financial risk." They later found out that the building likely dated back to the 1600s. "They removed many layers of oldness and restored some original wooden ceilings. In the end, it turned out to be even more challenging work than I expected," Dalip continues. As renovation work progressed, the company found some old wooden beams containing wine bottles from the 1960s, discovering that the wine storage space was actually a renowned wine cellar decades ago.
While initially they had planned to rent out the restaurant once it was ready, the Tibbs changed their minds when they found out that a longtime friend, chef Antonio Leo, wanted to embark on a new path. "He's a brilliant chef," Dalip explains. "He's owned and operated his own restaurant for years. And he's Italian, so it made sense for him to be there." Eager to make the most of this opportunity, they worked out an agreement to make him a partner in the venture. Then it took some time to find the right balance. "This was the challenge: giving it a modern look while maintaining the presence of the old," observes Amber. After many months of work and anticipation, La Chiave dei Sapori, bearing the same name as Leo's previous restaurant in Tuscany, opened in May 2023.
The final cost of the renovation? €170,000, including most of the furniture and the bar. "It was exhilarating to actually open it, complete the project, and get all the permits," says Dalip. "We've received phenomenal feedback on the restaurant's appearance. So, I think overall, people are happy." The Castle of Giove, closed for many years, has also reopened for tours and events, giving an additional boost to the area. The Tibbs, who have detailed their progress on their YouTube channel Our Little Jupiter, have recently relocated from California to the East Coast to be closer to their home and Italian restaurant, but they plan to move to Italy once their 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter are older.
While the couple feels very at home in Giove, they say that the language barrier has been one of their biggest challenges, "as many people don't speak English" in some parts of the region. "People are very patient with us," Amber adds. "But some of the local youth can sometimes get a bit frustrated and make comments like, 'Hey, you need to learn the lingo.' Because they want to talk to you. They want to invite you over to their grandma's house. They really want you to embrace their culture." Since opening its doors, La Chiave dei Sapori, which serves a mix of Tuscan and Umbrian cuisine, has welcomed locals as well as tourists from the area and beyond. The Tibbs are enthusiastic about the hospitality they're receiving and say that the support of the local community has meant a lot. "One woman had tears in her eyes. She hugged me tight and said 'thank you,'" Amber says. "Our town deserved a nice restaurant for once."
