-Hunting for houses in Europe has long been a British passion.

-We're building our dream, and it's looking pretty good.

-But some of us dream of more than just a holiday home.

-What this gives us is an opportunity to build something fantastic.

♪♪ -In this series, we're following the village saviors... -We definitely feel like we're custodians.

-...intent on resurrecting Europe's long-lost communities.

[ Metal detector beeping ] -The metal detector's going off right now.

-We've discovered that the original Art Deco floor is still underneath.

-They're breathing new life into borgos, quinta, and hamlets... [ Goose honking ] -Aaah!

-Aah!

[ Laughs ] -[ Laughing ] Look at her.

[ Clatter ] -That's how we open the door.

-...and walking in the footsteps of history.

-There are three skeletons in there.

-But will they be scaling new heights?

-No, I've had enough.

I want to get down now.

[ Laughter ] -Or will they crash and burn?

Will it end in tears?

-[ Sighs ] I want to sell.

I still don;t know what to do.

-I knocked that all down.

Never done this before.

-Or will they triumph against the odds... -Yeah!

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

...as they restore the past to build their future?

-Oh!

-Oh!

-We bought a village, and all your dreams are coming true.

-[ Chuckles ] ♪♪ -Today... -So, we are on a bit of a mission now.

-...two village owners in France cook up a business plan.

-And then we can start getting some money into this project.

-In Italy... -They broke in there.

It must have been a couple of them.

-...heartbreaking news for an Anglo-Italian couple at their hamlet in Puglia.

-They stole all our farming equipment.

We never see them again.

[ Chuckles ] -And after a tragic start to their adventure as village owners... -Oh, Lord.

-...we catch up with Steve and Sarah with some good news.

-I am very excited.

-We are, because it means that we can actually see some building work start.

♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ -Normandy is one of the great historic regions of France.

Its cities are dotted with monuments from the past, with great cathedrals and impressive Gothic structures.

But while these buildings stand tall, other pieces of Normandy history are left to crumble.

♪♪ 140 miles from Rouen, the little hamlet of La Buslière was once a bustling rural settlement, teeming with life.

It was abandoned at the turn of the century, and no one lived in its cottages for over 30 years.

But now that's changed because Paul and Yip are making it their mission to bring it back to life.

♪♪ -I suppose it's overwhelming, isn't it?

In a short space of time, all of a sudden, we've got this that we own.

-[ Laughs ] -It's like we've just been picked up and just dropped off somewhere really lovely.

[ Both laughing ] It's just -- It's amazing.

It is just a dream come true.

So we're just so grateful for it and for everybody that's helped us on our journey here.

You know?

-Yeah.

-The couple bought the hamlet for the price of a hatchback.

And as well as creating a home for themselves, they're now pushing forward with their dream of turning La Buslière into a business, renovating the cottages into holiday lets, and opening outside glamping facilities.

♪♪ -We feel so privileged to be here in this spot.

And there's a balancing act.

We want to preserve the tranquility of this place, but we do need to raise money and have a business -- create a business -- that's going to bring in funds to help us complete the restoration.

[ Birds chirping ] -It's the end of November, and as the days get shorter and colder, the work on La Buslière is going at a slower pace.

Having made their most derelict structures safe for the winter, the boys now need to complete their glamping facilities, which will bring in some much-needed income.

♪♪ -So, we are on a bit of a mission now to get this utilities building done, because, obviously, in spring we want it, you know, fully operational for people staying in the lorry.

-Yeah.

And then we can start getting some money into this project.

And start moving forward with the project.

-Yeah, it'd be really exciting.

We're really looking forward to it, aren't we?

[ Tool whirring ] -While Yip layers the repurposed wooden window for painting, Paul starts repointing the stone wall with lime mortar.

[ Tool whirring ] -Some of the gaps in these stones are quite big, so I'm having to build it up, um, yeah, bit by bit.

So I'll do a little bit, and then I'll return to it when it's dried a little bit and all that sort of stuff.

Just build it up.

It's just a bit easier than trying to do it all in one go.

I love the look of it.

I love the look of it.

When it's dried, it's amazing.

♪♪ -Traditionally, the farm buildings of La Buslière were built using local clay and stone, with timber frames for windows and doors.

Paul's hoping, by using modern building methods and materials, that they'll be better equipped to stand the test of time.

-A lot of these old buildings are literally just mud and lime.

When the rain comes in on the top of the stonework, it just washes all the stuff out.

That's why they all fall into bits.

But, obviously, you know, what I'm doing now will last -- hopefully, last many, many years.

[ Tool whirring ] -Both the pointing and the painting are progressing nicely.

-It's got to be done.

We've got to -- Every dry day, you know, we've just got to do something.

But it is a priority of ours to get it done, because it is going to earn us some money.

Hopefully.

That's the plan.

That's what it's all about.

We don't expect to get rich here, but we just want to, um, you know, put some money back into the restoration.

That's what it's about for us.

♪♪ [ Cow moos, birds chirping ] ♪♪ -For most of its long history, agriculture has been the main driver of wealth and jobs in Portugal.

These days, though, it accounts for less than 3% of its economic output, and the countryside is dotted with hundreds of abandoned villages.

Places like Chumbaria, about 20 miles from the Atlantic coast.

Originally, it was home to a farming community, but it had been empty for more than 40 years when it was bought by Steve and Sarah from Eastbourne.

♪♪ -As soon as I saw it listed online, I knew that that's where we needed to be.

And as soon as we came here, I felt like I'd come home.

♪♪ -This place should never have been derelict and -- and just sort of soulless and empty.

Our lovely neighbors over the hill there, just the other side of the valley, they're really happy that it's not going to be a ghost village for too much longer.

-Steve and Sarah paid just over £200,000 for Chumbaria, which has 10 buildings and 7 acres of land.

They want to turn the buildings into holiday lets and live sustainably, using permaculture.

♪♪ -It's going to be a little bit of a money pit for a while, but if we invest some money in getting a couple of the properties renovated, then we can start to get an income.

[ Traffic passing ] ♪♪ -After moving over, in 2020.

Steve and Sarah faced some challenges.

Their water was cut off.

-I thought maybe he'd switched something in the manhole, but actually, he'd taken the actual meter.

-Their permaculture site was attacked by goats.

-They're eating all this roughage!

Go, go!

-And they fought a constant battle against eucalyptus.

-And it grows so quickly that anything trying to grow around it doesn't get a chance.

♪♪ -But learning from the farming methods of the past, using the natural slopes of the village to irrigate their crops from rainwater, the farming side of the business finally started to work.

-Wow!

Look at the potatoes.

-We're doing amazing, aren't we?

-Wow!

-Their dream life really was coming together until disaster struck.

♪♪ [ Aircraft whirring ] ♪♪ In July 2022, wildfire spread across the countryside, killing over 200 people and consuming forests, buildings, and land.

As the flames reached Chumbaria, Steve and Sarah were forced to evacuate and were only able to return when the fires were out.

-Oh, Lord.

Oh, look over there.

Oh, my God!

Look!

[ Sobbing ] ♪♪ [ Wind blowing ] [ Birds chirping ] -It's now two months after the wildfires which threatened to destroy their village.

Their buildings were luckily unaffected, but there are still reminders scattered across the village grounds.

-That's the fig.

That's a fig tree gone.

-This one's just about survived, but it's not doing so well.

A little apple tree.

I think that the saddest thing for us to deal with here, with the fire, was that a result of the fire was losing so many of the baby trees that we put in.

We probably planted 150.

I think we probably lost about 100 fence posts, as well.

There's the backside of it.

That's all that's left.

-Sometimes coming down here can be a bit demoralizing, when you're looking at stuff that it's just charred and destroyed.

♪♪ -And it's not just the plants which suffered because of the fires.

-Sadly, all of our worms died in the fire.

So, luckily, I'd handed some -- gifted some to a friend, and luckily, they've done really well.

So, now they've given us some back.

So, these are the descendants of the worms that we had in the first place, and they seem happy enough.

-So, thanks to their hard work and to some recent rain, it looks like Steve's permaculture project is back up and running.

And there's great news for Chumbaria's buildings, too.

For the moment, Steve and Sarah have settled in this two-bedroom house in the middle of the village.

But their plans to turn two derelict buildings into their new home and a house for rent have finally been approved by the local authority.

-I am very excited.

-We are, because -- because it means that we can actually see some building work start.

And we've been planning this for such a long time.

I mean, if you think about the beginning of this being a pipe dream to actually happening, it's pretty good.

♪♪ -In the far southeast of Italy stands the region of Puglia, known as the land of the trullis, stone houses with conical roofs that are unique to this region.

♪♪ They're built without mortar or cement, and were once used by farm laborers who lived in them while they worked the land.

♪♪ These days, they survive in little pockets and 100 kilometers south of Bari, a small trulli hamlet named Cotogni has recently been bought by an Anglo-Italian couple, Ivano and Tracey, who moved here from Lincoln, hoping to save these buildings for posterity.

♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] -This is completely different to what we've ever had before.

We lived in the middle of a city in England and, um, had a nice house.

-Yeah.

-But it was a red brick house with gardens front and back, but absolutely nothing like anything like this at all.

We had heating for a start, but... [ Both laugh ] -Up to a hundred years ago, a self-sufficient community of four large families lived in Cotogni, Ivano and Tracey have begun their mission to turn this old barn into their home, then renovate the three trullis to rent out.

Trullis are protected in Italy, so only specialist builders are allowed to do work on them.

Unfortunately, their builder's availability has been scarce, and Ivano and Tracey have spent the winter camping out in one of the trullis.

-The issue is that there's no heating here, apart we've got the fire.

-We're wearing lots of layers.

I think I've probably got maybe six layers on.

Six layers, two pairs of socks.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Two pairs of trousers, leggings underneath.

-It's about 2 degrees.

But with the wind, it felt like it was minus-6.

-To escape the cold, Ivano and Tracey booked themselves on a short holiday recently.

But now they're home to find their hamlet has been burgled.

-Two days after we were -- we left, they broke in there.

Anyway, they stole all our farming equipment, which, you know, we just bought most of them, as well, for the harvest of the olives.

And, um, so that's it.

That's it.

We never see them again.

[ Chuckles ] It must have been a couple of them, because, uh, they took a lot of stuff.

You know?

♪♪ -Despite the knock and the lack of builders on site, Ivano and Tracey are trying to stay positive and to carry on doing jobs outside.

Once this hamlet would have been buzzing with the sound of animals.

And keen to bring that back, Ivano and Tracey have started by building a brand-new chicken run.

-Pretty proud of the door we built.

Look at that.

Even opens.

-So, today they're off to a nearby farm, where Tracey first takes a fancy to some hens with blue feathers.

-The -- The middle one.

-Until she learns the price.

[ Rooster crows ] -£50 each.

Because they do blue eggs.

-Yeah, I'm not paying £50.

-No.

This is beautiful.

-Unless it was a gold egg.

-They are -- Yeah.

But they are £50 each.

-If it was a gold egg, I would get it, but, no.

-So, instead, they settle for a couple of grays.

-Oh, I like the gray one.

We're getting a gray one.

They're lovely.

Ha!

-And two white hens.

-[ Speaking Italian ] -Attenzione.

[ Speaking Italian ] ♪♪ -After a brief journey back to Cotogni, it's time to let the birds see their new home.

-There we go.

Close the door.

Beautiful.

Yeah, they'll be very happy, I think.

-So today the little hamlet of Cotogni has earned seven brand-new residents, settling in nicely into their new home.

But with builders still nowhere to be seen, how long will it be before Ivano and Tracey can settle into theirs?

[ Birds chirping ] Coming up, in Italy... -We've been hoping for this kitchen for at least two years.

-...work starts to make this reborn village ready for functions and events.

-What would we do without our kitchen, without any functions happening?

-Well, that's true.

-And Ivano and Tracey make unexpectedly quick progress.

-Everything kind of seems to happen at once, doesn't it?

And then you get 10 people all in one day.

-One day.

♪♪ -In the late 1800s, poverty and political unrest led huge numbers of Italians to look for new life elsewhere.

They flourished abroad, but many of the villages they left behind began to wither on the vine.

Situated between Rome and Naples, the village of I Ciacca once had about 70 residents.

They used to farm the land surrounding the village and grow olives and grapes.

Mass emigration started about 150 years ago, and among those who left were Cesidio Di Ciacca's grandparents.

They went to Scotland to open an ice cream parlor and a chip shop.

But their family never forgot the allure of I Ciacca.

-We're fortunate enough to be part of one of those families that went away but somehow kept a connection.

[ Film projector whirring ] We have photographs of my grandparents picking grapes here and drinking wine here, picture of my father drinking wine here, with my parents being here on honeymoon.

They didn't come often after that, because with an ice cream shop in Scotland and eight children, that wasn't actually very possible.

-By the early 1970s, the last few residents of I Ciacca had passed away.

And the village could have died, too, if it wasn't for Cesidio, who is now its guardian angel.

♪♪ Over the last 12 years, lawyer Cesidio bought all the buildings and financed the complete restoration of this village.

He also replanted olive trees and vines because he wants to preserve not just the buildings but the way of life which his ancestors led for over 500 years.

-So, sustainability was something inbuilt into our lives.

And frankly, in our generation, we've chosen to abandon it all to industry, to say, "You can look after us."

♪♪ We mustn't forget that we're here because of what others have done.

♪♪ -It's November 2022.

One of the ancient practices Cesidio and his family have resurrected is olive oil production.

This ancient grove had been abandoned along with the village, but through pruning and restorative work, this year it has begun producing olives again, which Cesidio and son Giovanni have just brought into the small mill for pressing.

-What you're really good at doing is actually selling it to your aunties.

-Yes.

Two of them.

One of them is Helena, and one of them is Maisie.

-And where do they sell it?

-In Imola.

Stoned and with stones.

-And do the people like it?

-Yes.

-Saving the buildings is just the first battle for our village saviors.

Keeping them alive is another matter entirely.

Cesidio and wife Selina already run a diffused hotel in the neighboring village of Picinisco, but now they need to make I Ciacca profitable by attracting events and tasting sessions.

So they've decided to invest in a new commercial kitchen.

♪♪ -Well, we've been hoping for this kitchen for at least two years.

-And what would do without our kitchen without any functions happening?

-Well, that's true.

Luckily, we've got the functions booked for next year, and this is a positive day, [Chuckles] hopefully.

-Cesidio is installing the new kitchen in the heart of the village.

There's an ancient oven here where bread used to be made.

The new kitchen will be modern but will cater for dozens, helping Cesidio and Selina with their dream to keep the village alive.

-I wanted to bring warmth of a sort of family kitchen, to sort of blend in with the colors of the borgo that we've gone for -- the ambers, the ochers, the yellows.

And everybody who knows me knows that my favorite color in the world is yellow.

[ Laughs ] So, I think -- I think the next time we see this kitchen, once all the wood comes in next week, we're going to see nice wood and nice yellow ocher-y colors.

-Four hours into the job, all the metal components are unloaded, but worktops and panels couldn't be transported to I Ciacca today, so the installation will need to be postponed.

-They didn't have as many people as they needed this morning to help load the van, so there were two hours late arriving here.

But we've started.

That's the important thing, So, we're now putting the kitchen in one of the old kitchens.

Um, and looking forward to seeing it finished.

♪♪ -Back at the trulli village of Cotogni, it's March, and Ivano and Tracey have made unexpectedly fast progress with the construction of their new house.

-Everything kind of seems to happen at once, doesn't it?

It's kind of like you get nobody for sort of like 3 or 4 days, and then you get 10 people all in one day.

Everyone's working, and then it's like they all disappear again.

And it's -- it's kind of like it's an ongoing thing.

-Yeah.

-Their specialist builders turned up in great numbers over the last few days, which means that the conversion of this old garage is nearly complete.

To build Ivano and Tracey's new home, the builders have used salvage stones called Cianci These stones were dug by builders more than 200 years ago, right underneath the trullis, to create underground storage space, and used as building material throughout the hamlet.

♪♪ -We like the original stone because it's beautiful.

We had, obviously, a fireplace built there from the original cianci stone and everything.

-Considering their new home was a storage facility that had been empty for 40 years, it's a stunning transformation, and the first battle to save this village has been won.

♪♪ -And this is the bedroom.

Our bedroom, which is lovely and light.

We're waiting for the shutter to come, still, and they have to do the outside, obviously.

-The trullis are full of character, and this was sort of like a white plastered box.

-[ Chuckles ] -And I was so worried that it was not going to have any sort of, like, homely feel.

So, yeah, so we're super happy.

-The majority of the building work is done, but there are still some finishing touches left to do.

♪♪ -Somebody came to measure the kitchen, and -- -They got it wrong by one centimetre.

-And then they took the door away to cut it to size.

-And then they chucked it in the bin.

So now they reorder a new door.

[ Sighing ] Ah.

♪♪ -But after months of squatting in the trullis, this is a landmark moment for Ivano and Tracey, who can finally move out of their temporary accommodation.

-So the plan today is that we're going to move the rest of the boxes into the house, or go through some of the things that we've still got in the trulli, and unpack some of the things.

We need to clear the trullis out so that they can start work in the trulli.

And we've got lots of boxes in there.

♪♪ -What's in this one here?

[ Sighs ] Yes.

Glasses.

Yes.

-Ivano and Tracey's belongings have been stashed in the trullis since August, and the break-in proved they're not yet secure.

At least now their stuff will be safe.

♪♪ -Surprise!

Oh, oh!

This is from, uh -- -13 wedding anniversary glasses.

-Oh, yeah, 2000, last year.

No, two years ago.

-How long have we been married?

-No, I know, but I'm saying 2001, obviously.

2021.

[ Both laugh ] Excellent.

Nails, Thermomix, and nails.

[ Nails rattling ] -Oh, [Speaking indistinctly].

I labeled every single box with every single thing that I put in.

And then Ivano came along and kind of, like, chucked everything.

So... ♪♪ -After two hours of lugging boxes, at least the kitchen items are back in their place.

Being able to move into their house is great news, but elsewhere in the hamlet, there have been some not-so-positive developments.

A fox has broken into Ivano and Tracey's chicken coop.

-Look at that.

Poor chicken.

There is the grey and the white, definitely.

And then there is the white one.

I think the boy, probably.

-It's not just trulli that were victim of a break-in.

-The fox went here from under here.

She push it out, and went down and killed the chicken.

A couple of chickens have died, another four have disappeared.

I guess I don't know if they -- they go take it or if they run away with, you know, because it was open, if they got scared.

-Ivano isn't going to let the fox put him off.

Now that he's made the house safe, he's going to restock.

Renovating ghost villages can feel like one step forward and two steps back.

But like the rest of our village saviors, Ivano and Tracey are not going to give up.

-Now we got four left at the moment, and I'm going to go and get another three or four.

♪♪ -Coming up... -Our friend Trudy is coming over from England today, so we're just going to prep the lorry for her.

-Paul and Yip rush to prepare for an unexpected guest.

-If we ask her for honest feedback, she will give us honest feedback.

-I Ciacca's kitchen nears completion with the arrival of some bespoke tiles.

-It might break, but, hopefully, that will not happen today.

-But will they make it onto the wall?

-The tile cracked, and we don't have another spare.

♪♪ -Back in the hamlet of La Buslière in northern France, it's December, and owners Paul and Yip have an unexpected visitor on the way.

-So, the big day today.

Our friend Trudy is coming over from England today, so we're just going to prep the lorry for her.

-Paul and Yip made their move from England to La Buslière in this 1980s horsebox.

The boys have worked hard to transform the lorry and this old piggery into glamping accommodation, and their friend Trudy will be their first test guest.

-The good thing about having Trudy here, as well, is she will be honest.

You know, if there's things that is needed -- -If we ask her for honest feedback, she will give us honest feedback.

-Bringing La Buslière back to life takes time.

So Paul and Yip are not quite where they want to be.

-Unfortunately, the utility building isn't quite ready for Trudy's visit.

But it will be ready for paying guests in March, so we've still got a fair bit to do on that.

♪♪ -With Trudy due to arrive in only five hours' time, the couple sets about making their horsebox feel like a home from home for their first guest.

-Do you think that will look right out there?

Obviously, not in the box.

♪♪ Wonder if we could fix that, Paul, with a panel pin or something.

-But as the power supply hasn't been connected to the horsebox yet, today a makeshift supply will have to do.

-When did that hole get drilled, then?

-Oh, there you go.

Look at that.

-[ Whistling ] -This is all very temporary for the -- for the moment, just for Trudy's visit.

So, you know, because, obviously, we don't want cables on show and all that sort of stuff.

-This is a temporary electricity supply, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And on this occasion, it certainly does the job.

♪♪ -Ready?

Yay!

♪♪ -With fairy lights added to the courtyard and beds made... -Really getting there.

We're really getting there now.

-...they just need to bring in the furniture.

-Well done.

Uh, the other chair.

♪♪ -And it's job done.

And Trudy's horse carriage awaits her.

♪♪ -Look at that.

Oh.

-Later that evening, Yip and Paul arrive from the airport with their first-ever guest.

And even in the dark, Trudy is bowled over by La Buslière.

-[ Laughs ] -So much.

[ Chuckles ] We said this would happen.

[ Both laugh ] You know, we're all -- You know, we're all from similar things, aren't we?

You know, this is the dream for... -You've done so well.

[ Laughter ] You own a whole village.

[ Laughter ] -I know, all we could live in, an England, was a caravan.

-Couldn't even afford the caravan we lived in.

-No.

-It is mad.

-And as they head into the twinkling courtyard, Paul and Yip hope Trudy will be equally impressed by her accommodation.

♪♪ -Oh, look.

-Ohh.

-[ Chuckles ] -That's beautiful.

-Isn't it?

Cozy bed, hopefully.

-Aww.

-Yeah.

-Oh, it looks gorgeous.

It's just blowing my mind.

-[ Chuckles ] -It's a great first impression, and it's looking like Paul and Yip's horsebox glamping could be a runaway success and could be the key to keeping the wheel turning on this massive renovation project.

-It feels exciting to have someone staying in the lorry, doesn't it?

-Mm-hmm.

-You know, our first guest, albeit a friend, to be staying in the lorry is just amazing.

-Yeah.

-The future is bright.

-Yeah.

♪♪ -Back at the I Ciacca, its December.

Village owner Cesidio and his family have taken a trip back to Scotland, but the construction of their new industrial kitchen carries on, thanks to another Brit, Antonio, who also has strong ties with this land.

-I was born in this area, and I do remember this village when people lived here, and there was probably roughly 30, 40 people lived in this village.

Each one or two rooms was a family.

And that's in very old days, of many, many years ago.

And things have changed drastically since then.

In a better way, of course.

-Antonio is putting the finishing touches to the kitchen.

The main components have been installed.

So today he's laying the beautiful but massive tiles that Selina has chosen to give this kitchen a homely feel.

But laying tiles in this old building isn't so straightforward.

-On the wall, I installed a plaster panel, because, of course, being very, very old houses, the walls are not straight and are very, very slanted.

So we had to straighten them slightly.

Otherwise, the tile would never, never go onto the wall.

-As Antonio begins the work, the first tile lands perfectly.

And it's now time for the next tile to be cut.

-With tiles sometime, depending on how they've been cooked, how well they've been cooked.

When you're cutting the holes for the sockets, then they might break.

But, hopefully, that will not happen today.

[ Tool whirring ] ♪♪ [ Snap ] Now, let's just pick out...

The tile cracked.

So this tile, we cannot use it.

We need to -- We need to get another one.

Can't use this tile.

-The cracked tile is bad news for Antonio, as he may not have enough now to complete the job.

-We need to order another one for it.

And we don't have another spare.

It will only be one tile missing at the very top.

That's providing that no other ones break.

-Luckily, the rest of the installation goes without a hitch, and two hours later, the kitchen is as tiled as it can be.

-Okay.

Okay.

♪♪ Okay.

-Time to show the results to Cesidio.

-Hi, Cesidio.

How you doing?

-Hi.

How are you?

-Well -- Well, we're here.

I just want to show you part of the kitchen done.

I don't know if you can see it.

Can you see it?

♪♪ -That's dramatic enough, isn't it?

-Okay.

Um, the only thing is, Cesidio,.

when I was cutting, uh, one of the tiles, uh, cracked.

So we are one tile short.

It happens.

-These things happen.

-Happen.

But the rest of it went okay.

The rest went okay, so... -It's lovely.

-Okay.

-Good, good.

-Okay, Cesidio.

-Thank you.

-Take care.

-Send me a photo.

-I will do.

-Thank you.

-I will do it.

Take care.

Ciao.

-Bye.

-Yeah, I'm happy with the way it's gone.

So it was a good day overall.

♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ -Coming up... -Which is the next part of the village?

[ Laughs ] -We'll have a look.

-...La Buslière casts a spell on its first visitor.

-It's mind-blowing to look at all that you've got walking around and seeing it all.

I should hope so.

-And there's bad news for Steve and Sarah... -Oh, this is ridiculously bad.

-Yeah.

-...as they're building, work is stopped in its tracks.

-So, in the summer, we get annihilated by fire.

And in the winter, we're getting annihilated by rain.

♪♪ ♪♪ -In the Portuguese ghost village of Chumbaria, Steve and Sarah have been poring over their architect's drawings in preparation for a very important meeting.

-It's a very exciting day today, isn't it?

-We've got the builders, carpenter, and architects coming.

-Their plans to turn this derelict building into their new house and to rebuild two more houses to rent out have finally been approved.

So they'll be bottoming out construction plans with their workforce today.

-I can hear traffic.

-That would be the builder.

[ Dog barking ] ♪♪ -With the building team on site, they all head off to put up the notice that announces work is due to start.

-♪ Da-da da ♪ ♪♪ -That'd fall down.

Yes, no?

-No, that's -- that's it.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Look at that.

-Yay!

-[ Chuckles ] -This building once used to be a big barn and hayloft.

It was used to store all the food needed for the animals living in the village.

Once renovated, Steve and Sarah plan to move into the bigger space.

Their bedroom will be downstairs, and there'll be a kitchen-diner upstairs on the mezzanine floor.

♪♪ -It won't be long -- fingers crossed -- before this is the steps into our kitchen -- open-plan kitchen, lounge, diner.

♪♪ So, this place is going to change quite drastically, because at the moment, it's got this broken-up concrete.

But it's going to become our lovely pretty little garden, vegetable garden, herb garden.

-It really does feel like a significant step forward in the rebirth of Chumbaria.

-It's very exciting seeing this on the wall, isn't it?

-Yeah, it's a bit surreal, to be honest, because we've been waiting so long for it.

-Yeah.

-But it's good.

And even more important than the sign, the builder has just told us that he's starting next week, which is... -Brilliant, yeah.

-...brilliant.

[ Birds chirping ] [ Thunder rumbling ] -But six weeks later, the mission to save Chumbaria has been stopped dead.

Although scaffolding is in place, incessant storms and gale-force winds mean that it's been too dangerous for any work at height.

[ Thunder rumbling ] -Come on, fella.

-[ Clicking tongue ] ♪♪ -Oh, this is ridiculously bad.

-Yeah.

♪♪ -We've been waiting two years for this scaffold to go up.

The minute it's gone up... -Starts tipping with rain.

-...it bloody rains nonstop for six weeks.

♪♪ So, in the summer, we get annihilated by fire.

And in the winter, we're getting annihilated by rain.

-Mm-hmm.

-Steve and Sarah aren't prepared to let the weather get them down, but there's no doubt they're starting to feel the financial pressure.

Since the couple arrived in Portugal two years ago, they've largely been living on savings, and they need their village to start producing an income.

-Really, we do kind of need this place open so that we can start to get some rent, some money coming in, rather than going out.

-Yeah.

And then that will help us on with the next phase of building work.

-Come on.

-Where are we going?

-You go first in case there's a toad.

♪♪ [ Thunder rumbling ] ♪♪ -Back at La Buslière, it's late December 2022.

After being slowly left to die, new owners Paul and Yip are bringing the village back to life.

And today is a momentous occasion.

Their first trial guest, Trudy, has just spent the night in the village.

-First night was amazing.

Last night, really comfy, really warm.

Too warm, at one point.

I opened the little vent.

And bed is really comfy.

Really nice mattress.

Um, I'm really peaceful.

Could hear the owls at one point.

It was just lovely.

I'm waking up with a gorgeous view this morning, which was really nice.

Really, really nice.

-And as a long-term friend of the couple, Trudy couldn't be prouder of what they've achieved.

♪♪ -They've just done all of this themselves.

They've -- They've worked from absolutely nothing.

And lived a really simple life and always worked so, so hard.

So they just -- Just proud of them.

Just they deserve this.

[ Chuckles ] All of this and more.

I manage to look silly again.

♪♪ -As Trudy arrived at La Buslière last night, she's only seen a tiny part of the hamlet.

So Paul and Yip are keen to give her the grand tour and find out how she slept.

-Knock-knock.

-Knock-knock.

-Come on in, lovely.

-Bonjour.

-How was it?

-[ Chuckles ] -Amazing night.

-Aww.

-Aww.

-Really lovely.

Thank you.

Cozy.

-Were you warm enough?

-Yeah.

Had to open the window at one point.

-Did you?

-Well, should we have a little look about?

-Yes.

Can't wait.

Excited.

-First stop is their great barn.

-This was covered in ivy.

-Ivy, yeah, I can see.

-Like mad.

It's crazy.

But we've, in taking it off, we've made it really vulnerable.

So that was a lesson.

Big lesson learned.

-Next is their terrace of derelict cottages, which will eventually become holiday lets.

-Which is the next bit of the village?

-We'll go around the farm and have a look in these little cottages.

-[ Chuckles ] -You know, when we came here, all this where it's gravel was oak trees.

You couldn't get in the door.

♪♪ So, all of these cottages, from the one next to ours, is joined, so you can get all the way through.

Got to work, get some money, and just do one cottage at a time.

-After an hour spent visiting the buildings, Trudy is well impressed.

♪♪ -[ Chuckling ] Can't believe you've got a village.

And it's just -- It's bonkers, isn't it?

♪♪ It is mind-blowing to look at all that you've got.

-Aww.

-Walking around and seeing it all.

Can't believe what you've achieved in 16 months.

That's no time, is it, really?

-No.

-We're looking forward to a little holiday, aren't we?

[ Laughter ] -Nice horsebox.

-Yeah, that is a horsebox.

-[ Laughs ] -Thanks to Paul and Yip's hard work, the village that captured their imagination has now won over its first guest, too.

-Amazing building.

-This is a massive leap forward for the boys.

But although they've won their first battle, the war against the decay of their beautiful village continues.

-[ Laughs ] [ Indistinct conversation ] -Next time... -That's it.

There we go.

-Oh!

-Yeah, don't do that.

-...Paul and Yip struggle to remove their rotting bakery roof.

-Whoa, whoa whoa whoa!

-Can Cesidio cope with an ever-increasing guest list?

-He's had 83 acceptances.

I don't know how you get 83 acceptances from 50 invites.

-And Ivano and Tracey feel the financial strain of resurrecting a ghost village.

-So have to use our savings to, um... -To survive.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪