Ever since embracing house renovation life in Italy, I’ve had a dream—to build a rustic outdoor kitchen complete with a warm, live-fire log-burning pizza oven, where slow-living summer evenings turn into unforgettable memories. This video chronicles the beginning of that dream becoming reality.
Despite trying conditions—scorching summer days and sudden storms—I’m pushing forward, laying the foundations of a supporting wall section by section. As any expat or DIY lover in Italy will know, August is a challenge—with Ferragosto and holiday slowdowns, progress stalls unless you’re super organized. Thankfully, I scheduled material deliveries just in time to dodge the usual delays.
Beyond the renovation, this summer has filled my heart: reuniting with old friends, embarking on a wild family adventure, and soaking up the magic of Italian summer nights. The dream of merging food, friends, wine, and home has never felt more tangible.
On a side note: I promise the wine reviews are making a comeback soon—so stay tuned! 🍷
Cheers everyone—get ready to be inspired. This isn’t just construction; it’s a slice of the Italian dream.
What You’ll See in This Video
• Beginning stages of the Italian outdoor kitchen build
• Crafting the log-burning pizza oven base
• Battling the Italian summer heat and unexpected storms
• Navigating Ferragosto delays with smart planning
• Capturing the essence of slow living and Italian summer vibes
• Moments of travel, friendship, family fun, and immersive local culture
• A heartfelt promise: wine reviews are coming back
This is more than just a build — it’s about embracing the pace of life here, the beauty of the seasons, and the dream of creating a home in Italy.
Cheers everyone, I hope you enjoy this one. What a summer!
Richard 🌞🍷🍕
🇮🇹 Contact me
Feel free to contact me or help support me and my channel.
👉★ https://buymeacoffee.com/threeacresofmarche 🙏
https://www.threeacresofmarche.com
https://www.instagram.com/threeacresofmarche
👉 use this link https://uk.hitway.eu/products/bk35?ref=TAOM
★ use this discount code : Richard30
👉 the eSim I always use MAYA Mobile https://maya.net/?pid=WM5unK9NFfC1
👉 Books that I mention https://amzn.to/3JkEV2x
All music that I use on my channel is from my paid subscription with Epedemic Sound.
I edit myself and use the Studio edition of Davinci Resolve.
=========
CHAPTERS
00:00 Sunflowers of Le Marche
01:13 Pasta & Drone
04:17 Outside Kitchen Plans
05:08 The best summer so far
08:55 Everything is closed
10:56 Log-burning Pizza Oven
11:45 what a city this is!
12:44 Olives trees are doing well
14:18 Summer Heat
18:13 Snakes
20:08 Am I hooked?
=========
I enjoy reading your comments and am finding that there is a lovely group of like minded people starting to enjoy this and get involved. It is always great to hear from where you are watching in the world. Thank you for the subscriptions and all the support. I tend to read the comments once or twice a week and will reply or ❤️ when I can. 🙏
Best wishes,
Richard.
PS: The links in some descriptions are affiliate links meaning I may get a small kickback if you make a purchase. 😊
34 Comments
nice pace on that video….
Bali is so special! Makes for a magical third base. Check out the Remote Worker Visa 🤓
Damn son you are getting good at this………….opening sequence, fire.
Just a note from experience, as your daughters get older, holidays with them become even more enjoyable.
Don’t try and analyze this guy, he has his own way of doing things, some make sense, some don’t. But he does make some good videos.
Glad you had a beautiful holiday in Bali, Richard. Your daughter is also beautiful! Great video, I always get excited when I see a notification from you.
Hey, what's the name of that tent
Perhaps DIY doesn't necessarily mean you have to dig each hole by hand. Have you considered renting a small digger for a day or two to finish your outdoor work on kitchen, patio, landscaping, etc. quickly so work on the house could start again?
Sky wasn't phenomenal it had been chem trailed heavily and was starting to disperse.
Love your outlook on life you always make me smile 😊
vipers are poisonous!
like the lizard running about behind you at 2.40 … Kitchen lizard needs a name 🦎😁
I went back to Bali 2 years ago, the first time was 15 years earlier. It was a shock, it changed so much, so many tourists now, starbucks, mcdonalds, etc. I was there during high season and there were crowds everywhere (not the best kind of crowds either). Other Malaysian and Indonesian islands close by still feel "normal" though, a lot cheaper too (Philippine's islands too).
Like minded people from all over the world sounds like la dolce vita to me 🤩💯 And those sunflowers, wow✨🌻
Haha. Man takes long break, then proceeds to talk about breaks 😂
Hey, how do you deal with mosquitos and midgies, we are eaten alive in Liguria by them, especially when working outdoors.
Cheers Richard, glad you had a good time with your daughter in my part of the world (Thailand), I've never been to Bali even though it's not too far away but maybe one day before I get too old. Love the little sunflower patch you have going there. All the best mate
Oh my, there really are a lot of us. It's uncanny, I love my house in Italy, but I'm kind of in the same boat with the 90 in 90 out (Aussie) and have also been having a very close look at Bali as my out option (or Albania). Bali would be a lot closer to Australia both are uniquely beautiful, tough to have to make these choices lol. Really look forward to your videos
Is your well metered?
If so, it might be worthwhile putting in a cistern to collect winter runoff for your irrigation system (I'll be burying a 3,000 litre rainwater tank under the drive on my new build).
I do love your vids Rich. Keep it up mate. 🙂
Have you thought of renting an auger to dig those holes, then square up the corners. Might save you some time.
I love Bali. Lombok is a great choice too – probably what Bali was like 30 years ago.
The field of sunflowers was stunning!
I like a tuk-tuk….I doo…I doo!
Great video, we need to upgrade and redo some of our outside kitchen so nice to see how you have started things..
Also i dont mean to be negative & and this is nothing on you, but its just because i care 🥺 please let the luwak coffee be your first and last time trying/ drinking it, but also for others.. they catch and cage wild civets and keep them in cruel conditions, so they can use their poop to make the coffee…. Its awful and its a massive tourist attractive because of how “unique” it…
Again no hate, just wanted to educate and would do so to any body else i saw drinking it if they didn’t know how it was harvested/made.
Soo jealous you got to see Oasis, your holiday looked amazing. Good neighbours are worth their weight in Gold.
After 4 trips to Bali, it's different every time, but it's always awesome. Glad you got to release turtles 🐢, aren't they soo cute.
Thanks for your videos, really enjoy them. We’re from New Zealand, on a Europe trip for 6 weeks, just had couple nights in Mondavio & visited Corinaldo after seeing your videos, beautiful region, thanks for sharing your time in that part of Italy. What’s not to like in Italy lol.
Great video Richard
What a beautiful holiday you and your daughter had
Bali is a very beautiful place 😍
Outdoor kitchen will be so wonderful to have
You work so hard on your home and progress is amazing Take care and prayers for your safety in all of your travels
See you in the next video ❤❤❤❤❤
Hey Richard, thanks for posting these videos, they are very inspiring!
For the pipe in the backyard that you found, what did you use to backfill it with? Large gravel would work ok, but sand and smaller grain materials can get silted up easily and clog the line. Honestly gravel can too.
I wouldn’t worry too much about it if the pipe is not critical for drainage, but I it could cause problems if it is.
Also, since nearly all snakes in Italy are non-venomous, it is a great thing to have them around a rural property. They help suppress the rodent and pest populations, so I wouldn’t try too hard to drive them away. Otherwise you may end up with a larger rodent problem in the winter.
This is just a heads up from someone who lives rurally, but we don’t have all the info s just do what’s best for you!
Richard Ashcroft is talented
Finally pulled the trigger on a restoration property in Italy myself! North, closer to Switzerland… but still Italy 🤌
Cheers my friend, may make it down south one day and lend a hand if you need it!
What a beautiful and peaceful interlude from a world going nuts! Love it. 😘
If I was you and if you have the money invest it in a little digger. It saves time and you back. And the hard work wil be more fun to do. I lover it how you do everything fantastic, thanks for showing👍👍👍