In Italy, a Church Turned Into a Vacation Home

The Westport, Conn., couple transformed an idiosyncratic ruin of a church into a highly personalized, luxurious vacation home — remarkably without a hitch, at modest expense and without speaking the language. They encountered no bureaucratic or legal entanglements, no logistical issues, and no aesthetic compromises. The work began in November 1999 and was completed within a year, with the Mulias making only a handful of visits. “I have to say we didn’t have any bad experiences,” Mrs. Mulia said.