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kat ruiz moore 🧿

@wavehappy

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🌊 California ↔ Sicily
🍋 Italian culture, old homes + Mediterranean living
🌞 Ortigia renovation + Noto olive farm
⚓️ Guides, stays + consulting ↓

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Want to come to Sicily with me? 🥹🇮🇹

I’ve spent so much time sharing this place with you through a screen. The streets I love, the food I can’t stop talking about, the little rituals, the sea, the people, and all the reasons Sicily somehow became such a huge part of my life.

And next summer, I get to share it with some of you in real life.

Eight days in Sicily. Market mornings and long dinners. Swimming in the sea. Cooking together. Sunset aperitivo. Ortigia, Noto, Etna, Taormina, and some of the places and experiences that have made me fall so completely in love with this island.

I still can’t quite believe I get to say this, but you can come with me 💛

The trip is July 11–18, 2027, and the interest list gets first access before the trip opens to the public.

If you’ve been watching all of this thinking someday, Sicily… maybe this is your someday.

Comment “SICILY” and I’ll send you the interest list 🇮🇹

I have such a good feeling about this one. taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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a month ago

There are a lot more of you here now, and I realized many of you know the houses before you know the person behind them.

So hi, I’m Kat.

This page began as a place to share my photographs and stories from Sicily. Somewhere along the way, it became a record of what happens when a dreamer sees an entire life inside an old apartment, or a future home in the middle of an olive grove, and decides to follow the idea.

I share the finished rooms, but also the problems. The beautiful rituals, but also the bureaucracy. The Italian words I’m learning, the clothes I love, the people I meet, and the strange logistics of building a life between California and Sicily.

Very little of this was perfectly mapped out. Most of it began with a feeling, a vision, and the belief that we could figure out the practical parts after saying yes.

Whether you arrived for Lula Mare, Lula Terra, the Italian language, a color palette, or one of my slightly impulsive decisions, welcome. I’m genuinely so glad you’re here.

Now I want to know, what originally brought you to this page? taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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a month ago

Most people follow for the houses. But this page was never really about houses.

It’s about creativity, courage, reinvention, travel, building a life across two countries, and saying yes to dreams that feel a little bigger than you.

So if you’re new here, welcome. 🤍

California ☀️ → Sicily 🌊🍋

Teacher • Photographer • Storyteller • Olive farm owner (still feels strange to say that) • Professional overthinker

#sicily #ortigia #italy #italianproperty #travelcreator taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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5 months ago

A little disbelief. A little pride. A little “look how far I’ve come.”

Keeping these moments for the days I need reminding. That things can change. That dreams can take shape. That happiness can look just like this. 🤍 taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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an hour ago

Your birth month just got you a home in Sicily. 🔑🍋

Are you keeping yours or swapping? Tell me your month 👀 taken in Noto, Sicily by @wavehappy

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a day ago

As a Cuban, none of these warnings were new to me. Just hearing them in Italian 😂

Different language, same concern that I’m underfed, underdressed, and dangerously close to a breeze.

Which one did you grow up hearing? taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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3 days ago

Your flight home is not a deadline to buy a house. 🇮🇹

If you only have a week to house hunt in Italy, a little planning before you arrive can make a big difference. Arrange viewings, ask about dealbreakers, and leave yourself time to go back to the places you’re still thinking about.

And if you come home without a house but with a clearer idea of what you want? That counts too.

Comment ITALY and I’ll send you the link to my full guide to buying property in Italy, built from our experience buying and renovating in Sicily. taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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2 days ago

Before Lula Mare, there were a lot of almosts.

We looked at somewhere between 30 and 40 properties before finally finding the one that felt right. Some were objectively beautiful. Some made more financial sense. Some had features I still think about.

But every viewing taught us a little more about what we actually wanted: Ortigia, character, enough space to really live there, and if possible… that sea. 🤍

Which of these three would have been hardest for you to walk away from? taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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4 days ago

Learning Italian has given me more ways to express myself. Sometimes that means a whole conversation. Sometimes it’s just “boh” with the right face. 😂

These are 10 little words you’ll hear everywhere in Italy, and their meaning has as much to do with how you say them as what’s in the dictionary.

Personally, I love that “magari” can hold both a maybe and an entire daydream.

Save these for your next trip. Which one are you claiming? 🇮🇹 taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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5 days ago

So you want to move to Italy… 🇮🇹

First, the slightly less romantic part: figuring out how you can legally stay. One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that buying property in Italy gives you the right to live here. It doesn’t. Owning a home and having residency are two completely separate things.

The good news? There are several possible paths depending on your work, income, family situation, studies, and plans.

Save this one for your “maybe I actually move to Italy someday” folder.

And if you want me to do a deeper dive into each visa, tell me which one you want first ↓

*This is general information, not immigration or legal advice. Visa requirements can change, so always verify your specific situation with the Italian consulate that serves your place of residence. taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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6 days ago

Before you fall in love with the house, leave it for a minute.

Walk the block. Get coffee. Find the grocery store. Notice what the street feels like in the morning and again after dinner. See how far you are from the places you’d actually use.

Because when you buy a home in Italy, you’re not just buying the view, the tile, or the balcony.

You’re choosing your everyday life.

One of the biggest reasons we chose our home in Ortigia was everything outside the front door: walks to the sea, coffee around the corner, evenings in the piazza, neighbors we’d actually see, and the ability to leave the house without needing a plan.

The house matters. But the life around it matters just as much.

If you’re thinking about buying in Italy, comment GUIDE and I’ll send you my complete guide to buying property in Italy. 🇮🇹 taken in Isola di Ortigia by @wavehappy

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11 days ago

I came for the landmarks. I stopped 14 times to photograph someone’s laundry.

Wherever I go, I’m drawn to the little things. An open window, flowers on a doorstep, someone going about their day.

I love those glimpses of a place that’s new to me but home to someone else. And when I look back, those photos bring back the feeling of being there.

What do you always stop to photograph? 📷 taken in Noto, Sicily by @wavehappy

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7 days ago