OUR STORY

AN EXCITING FAMILY LIFESTYLE ADVENTURE

APPASSIONATA WAS BORN FROM THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR MICHAEL HOBBS AND THE HIGHLY TALENTED HOBBS-MAUGER FAMILY.

The Appassionata business was created as a way of sharing our joint love of Italy with a discerning and select group of people. The extended Hobbs- Mauger family all love Le Marche, its authenticity, beautiful countryside, local produce and the truly amazing people.

Travelling to the beautiful Le Marche region of Italy in 2004, the Hobbs family discovered a combination of unspoilt countryside, sea, mountains and an incredible quality of life – we instantly knew that we had found a part of the world that we wanted to call our Italian home.

Part of the family are permanently based in Petritoli and Michael splits his time between the UK and Italy. India, Charlie and Sebastian have made their permanent home and business life in Italy and Michael’s two grandchildren, Lucas and Millie-Mary were born in Italy and are fully integrated into Italian life. They go to the local schools, play football (soccer) and volley ball for local teams and flit from Italian to English without even thinking. The quality of their life is what all parents dream of for their children. This is authentic Italy and the reason we stay local.

We do not want be a large corporate entity, managing the bottom line to please our shareholders and financiers, we are self funded, family run and on hand.

We share a vision to create something magical, reflecting our life experiences and incorporating traditional family values.

Our family is close, and love spending time together, enhanced by the fact Le Marche has so much to offer, and the seasons bring new experiences and opportunities.

Over the last 16 years our business has developed and adapted to the changes taking place in the world, and have recognised people’s desire to find places and experiences that are authentic. We wanted to create beautiful homes for people to share, but in a place that enhances life and that we are fully invested in ourselves. We may concentrate our efforts in a small part of Le Marche but our owners ‘get it’, they have embraced the visions and dream that brought us here in the first place.

Taking professional business skills and marrying them with style, creativity and passion, Appassionata offers you something unique; a boutique and luxurious, family owned co-ownership business.

Michael says “I could not be more proud that we are creating a generational business, one that is moving forward with my children and their families, they all embrace the original dream and want to perpetuate it, we share common values and desires, which is why we want to remain a small, boutique family business…. that is all about fulfilling your Italian dreams”

Meet the Team

Michael Hobbs CHAIRMAN

Michael is an experienced and successful entrepreneur, with over 40 years business experience.
Whether running large international retail businesses, mentoring and coaching other business leaders, driving his tractor around the truffle plantation, or riding motorbikes through India he never seems to sit still.
His international business experience has been a great foundation in helping him develop the Appassionata business model. This coupled with being family centric has provided the ideal work life balance, and a recognition that we have to ‘live life’.
He is now primarily focussed on the Appassionata business but still undertakes roles that allow him to coach and mentor other entrepreneurs and young people.
In his spare time Michael is often found hanging out with family, watching rugby, cycling, entertaining, riding one of his motorcycles or pottering around the truffle plantation.
He loves the open road and visiting new countries, adventuring through rarely visited parts of the world, where he enjoys pushing out the boundaries and living life to the full.
Michael provides the leadership, entrepreneurial, financial, strategic, marketing, sales, planning and legal expertise for the business.
India Hobbs-Mauger

India is a natural and engaging communicator, easy going, efficient, and a wonderful young mother.
She has been working with the business since it started when she and Charlie came to Italy back in 2007, chasing their dreams of an exciting life together, in a place they would be happy to raise a family.
Her communication skills, and passion for Appassionata and Le Marche, make her the ideal person to lead our sales function. She is honest, knowledgeable, passionate, authentic and has so much experience in supporting owners through the sales process.
India also provides ongoing owner liaison and runs the management company that overseas all of the properties. Her aim is to ensure you have the best possible experience as an Appassionata owner and is a wonderful asset to the business.
She has a busy life but manages to balance it up with relaxing, entertaining, supporting the local community and spending time with her family and friends.
Charlie Mauger

A key strength of the Appassionata model is that we not only create the homes we also look after them.
Charlie is an experienced builder who, overseas the development process, managing all the building functions and coordinating the timetable and finish of all the properties. He also runs the maintenance team and ensures that the houses are always in great condition.
Always on hand to make your holiday experience as stress free as possible. He oversees the renovation projects and works with a group of local artisans and builders to ensure the most beautiful homes are created.
Everybody loves Charlie. He’s generous, funny, active and a wonderful husband, father and friend. He and India both speak perfect Italian and have an extensive group of local friends.
He loves keeping active and you will often see him on the local tennis courts with Sebastian, or the local golf courses showing Michael how it should be done.
He has also managed many private building projects for other clients and has extensive contacts and access to local services and materials.
He recently managed the project for Michaels new house in Petritoli. Michael was delighted and Charlie is still recovering.
Sebastian Hobbs

Sebastian is our creative powerhouse. As a qualified Graphic Designer, photographer and videographer he is going to ensure we have the best design, images and videos to present Appassionata to the outside world.
He has recently joined us after working in the UK and Australia for a number of marketing and design agencies.
At 14 he came to Italy with the family and attended both school and university in Fermo, Florence and Milan. He showed incredible strength of character to learn Italian and now speaks like a local. As a dyslexic this was no mean feat and he is one of the strongest characters we know.
He and Charlie aren’t just brother in laws, they are best friends, a joy to see and two of the funniest people when together.
Sebastian is very focussed on health and his well being and spends time playing tennis with Charlie and working out. He loves his family and is a wonderful uncle to his niece and nephew.
He has also just adopted the latest member of our team, Winston, a puppy he recently rescued after being abandoned. He has a big heart and is strongly independent, another integral member of the team.