Additional Coverage:
- I moved from San Diego to Southern Italy for a simpler, slower life, but the best part was that I fell in love (businessinsider.com)
Following a divorce and with her son about to leave for college, Su Guillory decided it was time for a change. San Diego never felt like home, so she set her sights on Italy. A long-time Francophile, Italy’s welcoming people and surprisingly easy language transition (thanks to her French background) sealed the deal.
In 2022, after a bittersweet farewell to her son, Guillory packed her belongings – a mere 11 boxes – and embarked on her Italian adventure, accompanied by her two cats. She settled in Calabria, a region in Southern Italy, embracing a slower, simpler life. The stark contrast between the American hustle culture and the Italian appreciation for life’s simple pleasures, like coffee chats and evening Aperol spritzes, was immediately apparent.
Life in Calabria also proved significantly more affordable. Trading a $2,500 monthly rent for a two-bedroom house in San Diego, Guillory found a similar seaside apartment for under $500.
Now, thanks to her marriage to Francesco, a tour guide she met shortly after arriving, she and her husband live rent-free in a family home. Groceries, she notes, are also considerably cheaper and fresher.
But the greatest reward of her move? Love.
Guillory and Francesco married two years after meeting, surrounded by his warm and welcoming family. She’s fully embraced Italian life, participating in traditional activities like olive picking, winemaking, and sausage production.
She’s even learning the Calabrian dialect. Her son also enjoys visiting Italy, getting to know his new family, and even picking up some Italian.
Looking back, Guillory marvels at how drastically her life has transformed. Trading the hustle and bustle of San Diego for the tranquility of a small Italian town was the best decision she ever made.