Extraordinary family life in the archipelago
Beware! If you start dreaming of spending summers in the Finnish archipelago, your fantasy may get out of hand. That’s what happened to Henri and Riitta Talvitie when their lives were completely transformed after they noticed that an old village shop was up for sale. That was all it took, and even a fire that razed their newly renovated building to the ground was not enough to crush their dream.
Even in Finland, many city folk dream of moving to the countryside. The attraction of escaping the metropolitan hustle and bustle to a haven of natural beauty is uppermost in our minds when enjoying our summer holidays at idyllic village locations. This was precisely what happened to Henri and Riitta when spending their summers at her parents’ chalet in Finland’s south-western archipelago. The couple set about planning a summer café business that would enable them to spend the entire sunny season in this island paradise. And the dream came true faster than Henri had dared to imagine.
“There was an old village shop in the village of Nagu. We often wondered whether we could ever get to run it. And then, while browsing the web for home sale ads one Sunday in 2012, I noticed that the very same place was listed. We put in our bid right away, and we haven’t looked back since.”

Coast and Archipelago
Coastal Finland with its stunningly beautiful archipelago offers a variety of fascinating destinations that are easy to reach.
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