When Rachel Abbott sold her successful media company for £5 million, she set herself two goals: to embark on a new career as a novelist and to find a dream home in Italy. With no previous writing experience, Rachel knew the former would be tricky – but what she hadn’t counted on was how difficult it would be to crack the latter. Despite viewing countless properties in Tuscany, she and husband John were left disappointed until they discovered a ruined 15th Century monastery in neighbouring Le Marche. Instantly smitten, they swapped their home in the Pennines for one in the Apennines. Dream home: Rachel Abbott and her husband viewed countless properties in Tuscany before discovering the monastery in neighbouring Le Marche . Resurrected: The couple paid just £150,000 for the monastery in 2000. Pictured: the ruins of the monastery . ‘When we went to Italy we knew what we wanted – an ancient building that had been completely modernised,’ says Rachel, 62. ‘There were lots that fitted the bill but something about them didn’t click – they weren’t right. ‘Then, finally, an estate agent took us to this place and we just knew…’ All that remained of the monastery was the chapel – minus the roof – and the oratory. Yet the couple were mesmerised by the building and its location. ‘It had views to the Adriatic in one direction and the mountains in the other,’ says Rachel. ‘We got such a sense of peace and tranquillity.’ The region also excited them. Whereas Tuscany is teeming with wealthy second-home-owners from Britain, Le Marche is the ‘real Italy’ – a place where they could mix with the locals. Back in its glory: After a two-year restoration project, which set the couple back a further £1 million, the monastery was transformed into a modern eight bedroom home . Luxurious: The property also boasts seven en suite bedrooms, a swimming pool and a five-hole golf course. Pictured: the living room . The monastery, near the hilltop town of Treia, cost only £150,000 back in 2000 but a two-year restoration project on which the couple then embarked set them back a further £1 million. Luckily, the old building had survived until the 1960s, so they were able to find photographs, enabling their architects to recreate the style of original. They covered two layers of stone used for the walls in terracotta tiling, just as would have been done in the 15th Century, and windows were installed exactly where they were in the pictures. Behind the facade, the couple built a modern eight-bedroom home with seven en suites, a swimming pool and, for John’s benefit, a five-hole golf course in the five acres of grounds. Price €2.5 million (£1.8 million) Location Near Treia, Le Marche . Bedrooms 8 . Unique features Converted 15th Century monastery, swimming pool, five-hole golf course, five acres . It was only in 2005, when they were fully ensconced in the old monastery, that Rachel turned her attention to her second ambition – to become a successful writer. She had been toying with an idea for a psychological crime thriller for some time, and by 2010 she had finished her first work, Only The Innocent. Then, however, she was faced with another problem: how to find a publisher. Rachel did not fancy the anguish of rejection, so her solution was to self-publish on Amazon instead. At first her novels sold at the rate of only six a week. ‘Then I thought, “This is crazy. I know about marketing, I’m going to make this book sell.” ‘I set up a Twitter account, which now has 12,500 followers, and emailed every blogger and reviewer I could find. I spent countless hours on forums and Facebook. As a result I changed my life.’ Rachel’s subsequent success has been astounding. A first novel is thought to have done well if it sells 3,000 copies – Only The Innocent and follow-up books The Back Road and Sleep Tight have together sold a million. All three have been No 1 bestsellers on Amazon’s Kindle store, and Rachel now outsells many well-established authors. Price tag: The couple have now put the property on the market for €2.5 million (£1.8 million). Pictured: one of the bedrooms . Life in Italy has gone well, too. The couple have made money by letting out the chapel as a venue for upmarket weddings. And with children from previous relationships visiting them, Rachel and John’s house has often been buzzing with guests – just as she had planned. But now they have put their home on the market for €2.5 million – about £1.8 million – and want to move to the Channel Island of Alderney. ‘We already rent a flat there,’ says Rachel. ‘It’s a wonderful place – friendly and virtually crime-free. As much as we love Italy, we now want to buy a property there.’ Uniqueliving.com, 020 7148 6480. Rachel Abbott’s latest book, Stranger Child, is out now.
Rachel Abbott and her husband bought 15th Century monastery in 2000 . All that was left of the monastery was chapel (minus the roof) and oratory . Near the hilltop town of Treia, in Italy, it cost the couple only £150,000 . But a two-year restoration project  set them back a further £1 million . Building survived until 1960s, enabling architects to recreate original style . But behind the facade, it's a modern eight-bedroom home with seven en suites and a swimming pool .