‘This area is known as il cuore verde – the green heart of Italy,’ says Nicola Pozzi as we drive through the hills and valleys of Umbria to the small farmhouse he shares with his partner Ryan Weimer. Umbria is less touristy than neighbouring Tuscany and less dramatic perhaps, but somehow it seems more real. Nicola and Ryan’s house is located deep into the region, in the Valtiberina, the Upper Tiber valley. Ryan and Nicola in the dining room. ‘Our entire business is inspired by nature, so it felt right to move out of Milan to a more rural area,’ says Ryan.