My life in Italy: why I left the USA.

After the death of her mother, losing the job she held for 10 years, and the end of her divorce, 62-year-old Barbara Barto faced a crossroads in her life. The former office manager from Fort Worth, Texas, struggled to find another job and felt that she had surpassed her "expiration date." Barto decided that now was probably the right time to retire, but she worried that she wouldn't be able to live comfortably afterward due to the rising cost of living in the U.S.

As a devoted viewer of Home & Garden Television (HGTV) for many years, she often dreamed of packing her things and moving to another country, but she never had the courage to do it. However, she realized that it was now or never. "I’ve never been one of those people who just picks up and moves, who takes on such adventures," Bartow says. "So I thought, I’m getting to an age where I should try and see how it works for me."

Italy: The New Life of Barbara Barto

In 2020, Barto began attending regular webinars organized by A Home In Italy, a company that helps foreigners purchase property in the European country, to understand whether such a move was possible.

• Barto went to Italy in April 2021 to start looking for a house.
• She chose real estate abroad near the village of Palombaro in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy.
• Barto bought a three-bedroom house with land for 123,000 euros.

According to Barto, the process of acquiring real estate and obtaining a residence permit in Italy was quite straightforward. After everything was completed, Barto began planning her big move to the country.

A new life in Italy

In October 2022, Barto returned to Italy to start a new life. She quickly adapted to life in Abruzzo and meeting the locals who welcomed her. Life in Italy turned out to be more affordable and interesting for her, and she spends a lot of time exploring the country and traveling by trains and buses.

Barto believes that moving to Italy was the right decision, and she is enjoying the new opportunities and adventures that the new country offers her.