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<\/p>\n\n 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.\n <\/p>\n
\n The couple, who\u2019ve 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.\n <\/p>\n
\n Their favorite attractions include the Fellini Museum, a former castle dedicated to Federico Fellini, the Rimini-born film director of 1960 classic \u201cLa Dolce Vita.\u201d They also love exploring the trails at Parco XXV Aprile, a local park connected to a 2,000-year-old Roman bridge.\n <\/p>\n
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\n While still new to Italy, the Galellas, who both relocated to the US from Argentina as youngsters, say life in the European country suits them, and they\u2019ve never felt out of place.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt was more like coming back home for us,\u201d says Norma, noting that both of Gaston\u2019s grandfathers emigrated from Italy to Argentina many years ago. \u201cWhich is kind of weird because we lived in the United States so long. But we never truly felt American.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Although their family is thriving in Rimini today, the city known for its sandy beaches and landmarks like the Arco D\u2019Augusto \u2014 the oldest surviving Roman triumphal arch \u2014 wasn\u2019t even on their radar before their move.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe hadn\u2019t even heard of that city before\u2026\u201d says Norma. \u201cAnd for us, it was a blessing in disguise, because we love it here. We can\u2019t imagine being anywhere else at this point.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n So why did they leave Miami two years ago? Despite living a \u201cgreat\u201d life running a successful renovation company together, the couple felt something was missing and decided the city wasn\u2019t the right environment to raise their two children.\n <\/p>\n
\n A visit to Gaston\u2019s family in Italy changed everything. They \u201cbasically fell in love with the place,\u201d they say, and began planning a future relocation.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe culture is very similar to Argentina\u2019s and always felt like home to us,\u201d says Gaston.\n <\/p>\n
\n Both admit that they\u2019d been \u201cblindfolded\u201d by the promise of life in the United States, shaped by the experiences of their parents, who \u201creally did live the American Dream.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Yet they also recognized the cost.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cFor us as entrepreneurs at that point, we realized, we do have the \u2018American dream,\u2019\u201d says Norma. \u201cBut there\u2019s a cost for it \u2026 the lifestyle. The stress. All those things came at a price.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n They wanted their children to have \u201ca real childhood\u201d free from the pressures and anxieties of the American school system. Leaving while their kids were young meant they wouldn\u2019t be \u201ctoo attached to friends,\u201d easing the transition.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey were really excited about it,\u201d says Norma. \u201cAnd the transition has been super easy for them.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
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\n \u201cWe just took the chance,\u201d says Gaston. The fact that he could obtain Italian citizenship by descent helped to seal the deal for them. \u201cAll the pieces fell in place. And it was like, \u2018It\u2019s meant to be.\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Initially, the couple considered moving to the ancient city of Florence but couldn\u2019t find a suitable home. A relative suggested Rimini and within a week they secured a rental in its historic center.\n <\/p>\n
\n Saying goodbye to their Miami life involved finding tenants, packing belongings, and paying for plane tickets that cost over $10,000, plus an additional $3,000 to ship some of their possessions.\n <\/p>\n
\n Their largest expense was their accommodation, which required a year\u2019s rent in advance plus a security deposit.\n <\/p>\n
\n 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\u2019d rented without seeing. The only furniture they had on arrival were mattresses.\n <\/p>\n
\n They spent the initial months sightseeing, \u201ceating gelato every day,\u201d and furnishing their home.\n <\/p>\n
\n They were immediately embraced by locals, who they describe as \u201cvery hospitable.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n In fact, the couple joke that they\u2019ve probably \u201cmet more people here in a year and a half than we\u2019ve met our whole lives in Miami.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a little community within this little neighborhood,\u201d says Norma. \u201cAnd you start meeting people, and then they invite you for lunch.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Finding work in Italy proved more challenging.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe either were very overqualified or didn\u2019t have the basic language to actually work on something that didn\u2019t require much experience,\u201d says Norma. \u201cSo we were kind of back and forth.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n After around a year and a half in Italy, they sold their Miami home, confident their move was permanent. For about 470,000 euros \u2014 around $545,000 \u2014 they purchased a \u201cfixer-upper\u201d near their rental, consisting of two separate units that they plan to transform into two-story, three-bedroom home.\n <\/p>\n
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