‘We’re happier and more united’: Why this U.S. couple say moving to Italy has been life-changing for their young family

"We can’t imagine being anywhere else at this point,” says Norma Galella. (Norma and Gaston Galella via CNN Newsource)

They drove almost everywhere when they lived in Miami, but since moving to the Italian city of Rimini with their two children and their dog, Gaston and Norma Galella have become keen cyclists.

The couple, who’ve been married since 2005, ditched their car early on and love cycling around their new hometown, riding to local beaches and the countryside of the surrounding Emilia-Romagna region. Despite its small size, they say Rimini has everything they need.

Their favourite attractions include the Fellini Museum, a former castle dedicated to Federico Fellini, the Rimini-born film director of 1960 classic “La Dolce Vita.” They also love exploring the trails at Parco XXV Aprile, a local park connected to a 2,000-year-old Roman bridge.

The sweet life

While still new to Italy, the Galellas, who both relocated to the U.S. from Argentina as youngsters, say life in the European country suits them, and they’ve never felt out of place.

“It was more like coming back home for us,” says Norma, noting that both of Gaston’s grandfathers emigrated from Italy to Argentina many years ago. “Which is kind of weird because we lived in the United States so long. But we never truly felt American.”

Although their family is thriving in Rimini today, the city known for its sandy beaches and landmarks like the Arco D’Augusto — the oldest surviving Roman triumphal arch — wasn’t even on their radar before their move.

“We hadn’t even heard of that city before…” says Norma. “And for us, it was a blessing in disguise, because we love it here. We can’t imagine being anywhere else at this point.”

So why did they leave Miami two years ago? Despite living a “great” life running a successful renovation company together, the couple felt something was missing and decided the city wasn’t the right environment to raise their two children.

A visit to Gaston’s family in Italy changed everything. They “basically fell in love with the place,” they say, and began planning a future relocation.

“The culture is very similar to Argentina’s and always felt like home to us,” says Gaston.

Both admit that they’d been “blindfolded” by the promise of life in the United States, shaped by the experiences of their parents, who “really did live the American Dream.”

Yet they also recognized the cost.

“For us as entrepreneurs at that point, we realized, we do have the ‘American dream,’” says Norma. “But there’s a cost for it … the lifestyle. The stress. All those things came at a price.”

They wanted their children to have “a real childhood” free from the pressures and anxieties of the American school system. Leaving while their kids were young meant they wouldn’t be “too attached to friends,” easing the transition.

“They were really excited about it,” says Norma. “And the transition has been super easy for them.”

Italian dream

“We just took the chance,” says Gaston. The fact that he could obtain Italian citizenship by descent helped to seal the deal for them. “All the pieces fell in place. And it was like, ‘It’s meant to be.’”

Initially, the couple considered moving to the ancient city of Florence but couldn’t find a suitable home. A relative suggested Rimini and within a week they secured a rental in its historic center.

Saying goodbye to their Miami life involved finding tenants, packing belongings, and paying for plane tickets that cost over $10,000, plus an additional US$3,000 to ship some of their possessions.

Their largest expense was their accommodation, which required a year’s rent in advance plus a security deposit.

In June 2024, the Galellas, along with their two children, aged seven and nine at the time, and Australian Shepherd dog Teddy, flew into Rome, rented a van and stayed in Florence for a couple of weeks before heading to a house in Rimini they’d rented without seeing. The only furniture they had on arrival were mattresses.

They spent the initial months sightseeing, “eating gelato every day,” and furnishing their home.

They were immediately embraced by locals, who they describe as “very hospitable.”

In fact, the couple joke that they’ve probably “met more people here in a year and a half than we’ve met our whole lives in Miami.”

“It’s like a little community within this little neighbourhood,” says Norma. “And you start meeting people, and then they invite you for lunch.”

Finding work in Italy proved more challenging.

“We either were very overqualified or didn’t have the basic language to actually work on something that didn’t require much experience,” says Norma. “So we were kind of back and forth.”

After around a year and a half in Italy, they sold their Miami home, confident their move was permanent. For about 470,000 euros — around $545,000 — they purchased a “fixer-upper” near their rental, consisting of two separate units that they plan to transform into two-story, three-bedroom home.

They’ve also reopened their renovation company Duoma Atelier, starting with their new home, a project they estimate will cost another 450,000 euros.

The Galellas say they love the slower pace in Italy and the work-life balance enjoyed by locals.

Welcoming community

”They have their lives,” says Norma. “And they work so that they can pay their bills, but their time off is very important.”

The couple love being able to buy fresh, seasonal produce and find Rimini more affordable than Miami. They also praise the Italian healthcare system, saying they feel safer knowing they’re “not going to go bankrupt because of a medical bill.”

Rimini’s location allows easy travel across Italy and Europe or flights from Federico Fellini International Airport.

While they’ve adapted to life in Italy relatively easily, they’re still struggling with the language. Their hope that their fluent Spanish would give them a head start proved unfounded.

“The more we learn, the more we realize how little we know,” says Norma,

They also joke about the country’s “out of this world” bureaucracy.

Norma currently has a permesso di soggiorno, which allows her to live and work in the country, and will be eligible for citizenship once she passes an language competency test. The couple’s children automatically became Italian citizens once Gaston’s citizenship was granted.

The Galellas haven’t returned to Miami since they left. While they miss family and friends, they’ve been inundated with visitors since the move, which has made things easier.

“They’re coming here, and realizing, ‘Oh, wow, that’s, this is why you guys moved here. Now I see,’” says Norma.

The couple can’t imagine ever returning to the United States, and stress that they now have a “genuine sense of belonging” they rarely experienced living in Miami.

“We’re happier and more united,” says Norma. “Because we’re able to spend more time together … We were already a very close family here having gone through this experience together as a family, has brought us even closer.”

The move has been transformative for their children, who are experiencing a childhood similar to the one Gaston and Norma had in Argentina.

“It was a big thing for the kids,” says Gaston. “They learned a lot. And we’re much better off now than we were before.”

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN