Our Story
ALICE & STEFANO
In 2021, we left Italy in search of our island.
Lovers of travel and good food, with a deep love for Asia — we had always dreamed of a home with palm trees in the garden.
We were both born and raised in Italy, on Lake Como. Same year, 1988. We met in 2007. Built a safe, comfortable life, bought a house with mountain views, and worked hard to earn what people call “good jobs.”
Since 2010, we travelled far and wide: the U.S., Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, India.
And every time we came back, the desire to move to Asia grew stronger. "That’s it, I’m leaving everything behind." It’s the kind of thing everyone says — but few actually do.
Well... in 2020, we decided it was time to take it seriously. During the first lockdown, we re-evaluated our priorities. We realised the value of being able to do what we want, when we want. We asked ourselves, “What is our time really worth?” So we let go of everything and, exactly one year later, we left with a one-way ticket in search of our new home. We didn’t want to live with the regret of not even trying.
We landed in Sri Lanka — the only country in Asia that had reopened to tourism despite Covid. The only requirement: spend 14 days in quarantine at a “certified” hotel. We picked one on a beach that looked stunning in photos: Kabalana, in a small village we’d never heard of during our first trip to Sri Lanka six years earlier — Ahangama.
And we fell in love. With everything. The golden sand, the waves, the quiet, and a Sri Lanka emptied of tourism — raw and real. We spent six months travelling the island: tea plantations, elephants, sand dunes, Hindu temples and Buddhist pagodas.
And we knew. Our next home would be here — 8,000 kilometres away from the one we had just sold in Italy.
“THE HOUSE WITH THE PINK BATHROOMS”
On January 29th, 2022, we stepped into the garden of what we now call home — Casa Tikiri. There was already a house, and it had four pink bathrooms. There was also a big garden, with towering palm trees, monkeys, the sound of peacocks, and lots of squirrels.
For a couple of months, we kept looking — visiting other plots of land and houses — but “the house with the pink bathrooms” was always our favourite.
We rented it for a month, just to see if it truly felt like home. And in that month… we started dreaming big.
We imagined a pool shaded by branches and long fallen palm leaves. We dreamed of building a new house with bathrooms that opened onto the jungle, and of restoring the one already standing. And then we thought — why not a restaurant too?
SEVEN MONTHS
On May 4th, 2022, construction began. Seven months later, that dream had become reality. We had restored one house and built another. We had a pool nestled in the jungle, and a restaurant with a pink floor. Yes — because to us, this was “the house with the pink bathrooms”, and pink it had to stay.
Seven months of pouring our hearts into every detail. In the middle of an economic crisis that brought the country to a halt — people were left without gas to cook and no fuel for transport. Fuel that was also needed to generate electricity.
But our dream was bigger than all that. And instead of worrying about not being able to fill up our scooter, we spent those pitch-black evenings sketching every single detail of what would become Casa Tikiri. Every inch, every material, every shape and colour. Every table, chair, lamp or mirror — all handcrafted, custom-made, just for us.
In January 2023, we officially opened the doors of Casa Tikiri. For us, and for you — just 300 metres from the beach that first stole our hearts back in 2021: Kabalana.
We wanted to create a special place — inspired by local culture and the beauty of this island — where you could truly feel at home. We hope we’ve done just that.
WHY “TIKIRI”?
From the moment we left Italy, we had a name in mind. We didn’t know where, when, or how — but our new home was going to be called that. Or so we thought.
This house changed everything. The first time we stepped inside, we noticed something unexpected: instead of a street number, it had a little sign that said TIKIRI (ටිකිරි).
We were told that Tikiri in Sri Lanka can be a surname, a girl’s first name, or even an adjective meaning small, cute, graceful.
And that’s exactly what our idea of “home” had always been — something small, welcoming, beautiful, and one of a kind.
We couldn’t help but keep the name and make it our own. CASA TIKIRI. An Italian word and a Sinhala word — a blend of cultures, beauty, and tradition.
PADDY VIEW
This was the one thing we had truly missed when choosing Casa Tikiri — we had dreamed of a view over the rice fields. But then we fell in love with her: close to the sea, even if far from the paddies.
Fast forward to 2024 — two years since we first began building Casa Tikiri. Two years spent telling ourselves “we’ll never build anything again in Sri Lanka... it was just too hard.” And yet, during that time, we discovered a patch of rice fields near the sea — just 500 metres from Casa Tikiri, further up the same quiet road.
And so, in May 2024, a new chapter began: PADDY LODGE. A rice field lodge, with just a few suites, a small café, and the most beautiful yoga shala in Ahangama. In March 2025, we officially opened the doors of Casa Tikiri – PADDY LODGE.
Because for us, hospitality isn’t just about where you sleep — it’s about how you feel. It’s about living slowly, appreciating the beauty of what’s around you, and making space for the simple things that bring joy.