Following a succession of tumultuous life events, including bereavement, career burnout, years spent caring for an elderly parent and Covid lockdowns, in 2022 we were a couple in our mid-40s ready for a change.
The house we owned near the Border between Strabane and Derry held mixed memories. That reality, combined with Brexit fractures and a willingness to relocate, led us to a decision – it was time for something new.
We had often talked about what it might be like to live in France or Italy. Until this point, it had always seemed like wishful thinking. But when we compared property prices with Donegal, Cork and the east coast of Ireland, it began to look possible. If we were flexible on location, it opened the prospect of finding something really special.
We made the bold decision to sell our house before we had found somewhere new. With our belongings donated, sold or stored, we left Ireland in our trusty campervan and began looking for a home on the continent.
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When planning and researching our move from back in Ireland, France had seemed like the sensible choice. But after a month of looking in vain, our search reached a cul de sac. We crossed into Italy and began our house-hunt afresh.
The road took us to San Remo and we arrived just as the annual song contest was at its noisy height. It was evening, the streets were crowded and the party was spilling out across the town. Everywhere seemed to be filled high-spirited Italians who were either chatting, shouting, laughing or singing. It could not have been more different from the sober, mid-winter France we had left behind.
The next day, sitting by a sunny Mediterranean beach searching the property sites, we finally found it. Between Rome and Naples, on the border with wild Abruzzo, was a rambling old palazzo in a picturesque village. It was situated on a hillside in an impossibly romantic valley.
Two days later, we were walking through the doors. Then and there, we knew our search was over – we were home.
The beautiful Valle di Comino is a very easy place to be if you are Irish. Part of the valley, the tiny townland of Casalattico, is the source for almost all of the families who set up chippers and similarly-styled restaurants in Ireland.
The valley has a long history of emigration. Many people return from abroad in the summer and a great many of those are based in Ireland.
Our dentist told us his granny was from Derry and our accountant was born in Armagh. When we were in the commune finalising our identity cards, the clerk there told us her son was working near Portlaoise, Co Laois. We frequently meet people with Irish connections in the wider area and in many ways, Ireland does not feel far away at all.
Conversations with those Italians living abroad who return home for visits have a recurring theme. Life in Italy is good – the weather is better, the food is better and the culture is fantastic, but it is so difficult to make any money.
The taxation system here is punishing, whether you’re a freelancer, employee or employer. Wages are low and economic life is stifled, certainly here in the south. As is the case everywhere, big cities draw away the young people.
The cost of living is low but finding a job is difficult enough for locals and all but impossible for strangers of any nationality. In spite of this, however, if one can find a way to make a living, the compensation in human terms is dramatic. In every sense of that word.
Community life is rich and each and every little place has ancient traditions and festivities that feel open to newcomers and are enthusiastically supported by all.
The daily passeggiata, or ramble, might bring chatty encounters, impassioned debates, invitations to tour around a neighbour’s house or sit for coffee in the piazza. The evenings and nights in villages and towns feel safe and relaxed, the streets are just as likely to host strolling elderly couples or tiny kids playing ball as teenagers hanging out.
The food culture is deeply ingrained and local cheese, wine, bread and meat are probably among the best in the world. The warm climate and infrequent rain mean much of life is conducted outdoors. It is conducive to concerts, festivals, literary events and street parties as well as ordinary meals. Pre-dinner appertivi are open-air affairs and all the more wonderful for it.
The towering mountains are gorgeous in winter and a cool respite in summer. They are home to bears, wolves, endless trails and stunning scenery.
Rome is nearby, which is pretty special, while a visit to Naples is food for the soul and a charge for the heart. Life in Italy means daily challenges, drama, unexpected encounters, joys, complexities and simple pleasures. Emotion and passion are not clichéd slogans here but the bounding heartbeat of daily life.
John Twohig is from Donegal and moved to Italy in 2022. He is a freelance writer, photographer and filmmaker based south of Rome and north of Naples. He rents out a holiday apartment at Palazzo Castrucci.
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