Rachael Ray Purchased A Home In Tuscany After Losing Her Passport In Her House Fire

Rachael Ray has achieved her ultimate life goal: purchasing a home in Tuscany, Italy.

After losing her home last August due to a devastating fire, the Food Network star will now be calling Italy home. Announcing the news in the Fall 2021 issue of her magazine Rachael Ray In Season, she wrote in her editor's letter that she loves it in Tuscany and that she has missed it. Rachael then goes on to explain that while she's just now moving into the new villa—which was just "two structures" that needed a large amount of repairs—it was actually purchased about three years ago.

"My husband called it a war zone," she said: '"Honey, don't you want to look at a…house?' he asked. But I fell in love with the fields and the views and I thought for the money we'd pay for a house, we could build something that's really, truly ours."

While three years may seem like quite some time to do repairs on a villa, there were a few factors that prevented the couple, who actually wed in Tuscany in 2005, from being able to move into their dream home sooner. For one, both A&E and Facebook wanted to create a show based on their new renovation adventure shortly after they began work on fixing it up. The couple also experienced a devastating loss when their dog fell ill and passed away not too long after. In 2020, the onset of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the closing of the Italian borders prevented them from being able to travel to give their villa the attention it deserved. And, of course, the unfortunate fire that took their home in upstate New York caused further complications for the couple.

"We lost our passports in the fire, so even once travel was possible again, replacing them took longer due to COVID restrictions," the author revealed. "But finally the work started and the passports are here and we'll be wheels up in a few days to go see what by now should look less like a war zone and more like a villa. If all goes well...maybe you'll understand why I fell in love with it."

Kudos to Rachael and her husband John for living out their dream. You can find the new issue (aptly titled "The (Mostly) Italian Issue") on newsstands now. For exclusive pics of the villa, you can head to PEOPLE.com.

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