Livin’ the Hobbit life

Gentile was tired of experiencing the adventures of others and decided that he could be a character in his very own real-life adventure, so he decided to start living as a hobbit

A pastry chef by training, Nicolas Gentile grew up reading JRR Tolkien's books and watching the popular Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies. He had always been a fan of fantasy literature, movies, and games, but it was Middle Earth that captured his imagination the most. Only at one point, reading about and imagining the world and characters he loved wasn't enough anymore. Gentile was tired of experiencing the adventures of others and decided that he could be a character in his very own real-life adventure, so he decided to start living as a hobbit.

"Some time ago, I realised that books and films were no longer enough for me to satisfy my passion for the fantasy genre and, in particular, for the Lord of the Rings saga," Gentile told The Guardian. "I was still reading about the lives of other people. I decided that I wanted to live my hobbit life to the fullest."

Nicolas Gentile wants to crowdfund approximately $1.7 million in order to build a full-size hobbit village called the "Gentile County". Pic/Instagram

In 2018, Gentile bought two hectares of land in the hill-covered countryside of Abruzzo, in central Italy, and started building his own hobbit burrow. He and his family have been living there ever since, dressed as hobbits, dancing, singing, and preparing local dishes. They've been having so much fun that the real-life hobbit now wants to expand his little shire and attract other like-minded people.

Gentile has always been a fan of fantasy literature, movies, and games, but it was Middle Earth that captured his imagination the most

He hasn't disclosed how much his cosy hobbit house and the land around it cost him, but he did say he spent almost all of his life savings on them. Now he wants to crowdfund approximately $1.7 million in order to build a full-size hobbit village called the "Gentile County". "This project does not aim to make a profit," Gentile told Insider Magazine. "All I want is to meet people like me."

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