BRITISH TELEVISION programme Living the Dream Revisited, which is due to be aired on BBC2 next week, will be catching…

The programme will show viewers how Karissa, Selina, Sofia and Peter have settled into the Portuguese schooling system and the local community since they moved here in 2003. The family were filmed over a period of six months for the popular UK TV programme Living the Dream which aired in May  2004.

It will also show how Janet Tartaglia has moved on from her dream of owning an Italian restaurant in Portugal to becoming branch manager of Lloyd &Whyte International Ltd, a regional insurance broker.

The family were filmed opening their Italian Bistro Scarinzi’s in Loulé. Janet had always dreamed of opening a restaurant and when the opportunity arose, the family jumped at the chance. “It was very exciting at the beginning”, says Janet. “I loved starting something from scratch and seeing it develop.”

“After about 18 months, the restaurant was doing very well and it seemed unnecessary for me to be there full time – as my husband Mario and brother in law Luigi were also there. I had felt like I had achieved my dream and so I started feeling like I needed more mental stimulation, which is when I noticed a job advert with Lloyd & Whyte. Having a background as a financial adviser, I applied and got it!”

Janet continued to work evenings at Scarinzi’s, where she also thrived making people’s evenings successful – they even held themed nights like Valentine’s night with heart shaped ravioli!

Unfortunately, Luigi was later forced to return to the UK due to health reasons and was unsure whether he would be able to return. Janet and Mario were left with a very difficult decision to make – should they continue with the restaurant or should they close it?

“It was a very tough decision but, ultimately, because we really wanted to have a mortgage, we decided to close it. It would have been very hard to get a mortgage with Scarinzi’s,” says Janet.

“I always dreamed of having our own restaurant – but not to always have a restaurant,” she laughs “It was a doorway to come to Portugal – if we hadn’t had the restaurant, we probably never would have moved here.”

New jobs

The restaurant closed in January 2006, and the family have since settled into a new way of life – Janet working at Lloyd & Whyte and Mario working for Direct Transport. “Our kids are now completely fluent in Portuguese, we have many Portuguese friends and we really have become part of the community. We love it here, it’s fantastic. It’s absolutely brilliant,” beams Janet.

Having finally got a mortgage, the family are now living atop a mountain near Loulé. “It’s a signal that we have put down roots, although it did take a long time to get a mortgage. We are very happy; we have a lovely house with a pool and a view over the mountains. We really are very lucky.”

Living The Dream Revisited will be aired on BBC2 on Tuesday August 26 at 7pm. Don’t miss it!

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