Lisa La Valle, 64, has spent the past eight years building a life in Europe. After growing up and raising a family in New Jersey, she decided she didn’t want her retirement years defined by high costs and stress. In 2018, she bought a one-way ticket to Paris, chasing a dream she’d first imagined as a 24-year-old student studying in Greece.
Paris, she says, was beautiful but not the fantasy the movies promised. The shine of the city faded after several months, replaced by feelings of isolation and cultural distance. Still, she taught English, made friends, and learned what she needed to know , that Paris wasn’t her final stop.
By 2021, La Valle had moved again, this time to Brescia, Italy. She took a job teaching English literature, later retired, and settled into a comfortable rhythm. Her modern apartment costs less than half of what she paid in Paris, and she says she finally feels at home.
Now, splitting her time between writing and part-time teaching, La Valle calls her move a rebirth. Living abroad reshaped her outlook, giving her the slower, more connected life she’d dreamed of. “I feel like my DNA has been rearranged,” she says, content in her adopted corner of Italy.
My Take…
This is hopw you do it, great story!
Lisa La Valle, 64, bailed on Jersey taxes and suburban Groundhog Days for a Euro reboot. Eight years later, she’s basically the poster child for “late life, new life.”
Now in Brescia, Italy, with cheap rent and actual breathing room, she’s teaching a bit, writing more, and swears she’s been rewired. Oprah-style rebirth achieved.
Click on the link below for the full article:
https://www.businessinsider.com/divorced-moved-to-paris-life-abroad-isnt-easy-2025-11
