From Italian-American Kitchen Tables to an Italian Village — This Is My Story
I didn't discover Italy. In many ways, I grew up there.
I was raised in an Italian-American household where Sundays meant macaroni and sauce, polenta e pollo, and a house full of great aunts, uncles, and cousins. My grandfather's family came from the Trento region, my grandmother's from Campania. Between them, there were 13 great aunts and uncles, and family gatherings that were loud, warm, and completely authentic.
As a child, I thought everyone lived this way. It wasn't until I began spending time in Italy as an adult that I realized — those weren't just family traditions. They were Italian traditions. Don't go out with wet hair. Wait three hours after eating to swim. Sit down, eat together, stay a while. I had been living pieces of Italian culture my whole life without knowing it.
THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED:
About ten years ago, my aunt purchased a home in a small town in Campania, near Benevento. My mother visited and immediately said: you need to see this place.
So I went. And the moment I sat on my aunt's terrace, I wept. It felt like home. Like a piece of me I hadn't known was missing.
On that first trip, I looked at several homes and made an offer. I have since purchased three properties in that little town — including the very home my aunt first brought me to. My mother has since moved there full time. My sisters have purchased homes there too. A close friend and his wife bought my first home from me. What started as one woman's discovery became something of a family migration.
THE PATH TO CITIZENSHIP:
From the beginning, my goal was not just to visit Italy — it was to belong to it. My mother and I pursued Italian citizenship through jure sanguinis — citizenship by blood — using my grandmother's bloodline. Because my mother was born before 1948, our case required going through the Italian court system, known as a "1948 Case."
We began gathering paperwork in early 2023. Our case entered the court system in April 2025. On January 30, 2026, we received a positive outcome. It has been a four-year process — labor intensive, document-heavy, and deeply worth it.
LIFE IN ITALY TODAY:
I am now early-retired from my corporate career and divide my time between my small Italian town and New York, where my children and grandchildren are. Italy wins most of the year.
Life there is slower — intentionally, beautifully slower. I have a small piece of land with fruit trees and a large vegetable garden. I have friends from the village, fellow expats, and neighbors who bring things to the door just because. I am learning Italian. I am learning to do less and enjoy more.
When I am ready to be there full time, I will have chickens.
WHY I CREATED THE ITALY MOVE:
Over the years, so many people have asked me how I did it — the homes, the citizenship, the move, the life. I realized the answers deserved more than a conversation. They deserved a real guide.
The Italy Move is that guide. It is everything I wish I had known, everything I learned along the way, and everything I want to share with anyone who feels that same pull toward Italy — whether it runs in your blood or simply calls to your heart.