It's been a few months since I relocated from Florence to a small town on the hills just south of Rome, and I couldn't be happier.
After spending the three-month-long lockdown cooped up in a 1 bedroom apartment in the heart of Florence, I finally had a chance. I decided to relocate to the small town where I grew up. During the lockdown in Florence, I started to miss the simple things I gave for granted when growing up in the Castelli Romani area near Rome.
I spent my youth in a truly awesome place: two volcanic lakes, parks, forests, and hiking trails, clean air, perfect climate, panoramic views extending all the way to the Tyrrhenian Sea, and a starry sky at night. These are all things that I almost forgot about when I was living and working in Florence, things that were unknowingly so dear to me but the city-life had in a way obfuscated.
City-life is hectic, no matter how big or small the city you live in is. I have traveled to, studied, worked, and lived in places ranging in size from 17,000 inhabitants to 28M people, from Arcata in California to Shanghai in China. I've always felt more at home in smaller towns rather than in the bigger cities.
Don't get me wrong, big cities do have their pros, of course, but I feel like they do take a toll on you in the long run. Life is hectic, expensive, messy, and polluted, and I never felt like I belonged there.
I never thought to myself, 'Ok, this is it, this is home to me, and I want to live here for the foreseeable future.' Somehow, I knew that the "concrete jungle" would always be a temporary situation for me, and maybe it's because I didn't grow up in one.
So here we are; a few months have passed since I moved to the countryside south of Rome, back to where I grew up, closer to nature, smart working, and best of all, "smart living."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many of us have had the luck to work from home, and I've experienced both the curse and the blessing of this new way of life.
Smart-working was definitely a curse when I was living in Florence as I worked longer hours, didn't get out as much except for essential grocery shopping and walking my best friend Daisy, a 5-year-old Border Collie mix that I picked up from the streets of southern Italy when she was 3 months old.
So when did smart-working become a blessing? Well, it became a blessing the moment I moved to the countryside, to the place where I grew up. Life has changed for the better; life is smarter and healthier, both for Daisy and me. We now have the luxury of going for long walks in the woods, swim at either one of the lakes, enjoy the fresh air and eat healthier food, all while being more productive at work and being more involved with the local community.
Now I set a timer for work hours, and I feel like I am more focused and can get more done at work than in Florence. Maybe it's because I can actually disconnect from work when I'm done with it for the day, and I am sure that immersing myself in nature has a lot to do with this.
The Japanese know this very well, and they even have a word for it: shinrin-yokuor forest bathing. Shinrin in Japanese means "forest," and yoku means "bath." So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere or taking in the forest through our senses.
Our current society model has, in many ways, 'divorced' us from nature, and future projections aren't looking so good. It looks like by 2050, according to U.N. research, 66% of the world population will be living in large cities, and according to research sponsored by the American Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 93% of their time indoors. How sad is that? How uncool is that?
We need to fix this problem, and smart-working might just be the answer to this. Who says that the countryside can't be 'cool' again? Can we make rural cool again? Of course, we can!
Relocating to the countryside has its pros and cons, but speaking as a millennial has so much to bring to the table.
According to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C., millennials are on track to becoming the most educated generation in history, with around 39% of them having a university degree. We need to re-evaluate, shake up, and make the countryside appealing for future generations.
Big metropolitan areas are saturated with ideas, projects, ultra-competitiveness, and not much space for our imagination. The countryside has so much potential for us, and we should not miss out on this opportunity.
The countryside is definitely more financially appealing as rent and real estate is significantly less expensive than what you find in cities. For the price I was paying in rent in Florence's center, I can either rent or get a mortgage for an apartment 2-3 times larger, with a balcony, shared green area, and yes, a view!
I also have easy access to local markets, more sustainable food sources, cleaner air, less stress, more chances of immersing myself in nature, and more opportunities for physical activity - I'm sure my dog Daisy is also grateful for this.
Getting involved in the local community is easier to do here than in bigger cities. I recently started volunteering at the Italian Red Cross's local chapter, which has been an eye-opening experience. It's been a long time since I wanted to do this, but the busy life I had in Florence did not allow it.
I can now be closer to people and service to those in need. More importantly, I can share my experience to improve other people's lives. We can all do more to change rural areas for the better, applying what we've learned throughout our education, our international experiences, and our focus on sustainability and community.
So far, we've seen the pros of the rural living experience, but what are some of the downsides that I have noticed so far? Let's see the other side of the coin, as some say.
Public transportation really isn't as efficient as what you find in the city, so buying a car might be the solution. There aren't too many other ways of getting around, but who knows...why not start an eco-friendly car-sharing organization that operates in smaller towns just like what you find in bigger cities?
I can now be closer to people and service to those in need. More importantly, I can share my experience to improve other people's lives. We can all do more to change rural areas for the better, applying what we've learned throughout our education, our international experiences, and our focus on sustainability and community.
So far, we've seen the pros of the rural living experience, but what are some of the downsides that I have noticed so far? Let's see the other side of the coin, as some say.
Public transportation really isn't as efficient as what you find in the city, so buying a car might be the solution. There aren't too many other ways of getting around, but who knows...why not start an eco-friendly car-sharing organization that operates in smaller towns just like what you find in bigger cities?
International food and ingredients are hard to come by, especially if you live far away from bigger cities. I really enjoy cooking. After living in a few countries, I crave meals with nothing to do with classic Italian cuisine.
About once a month, I write down what 'alternative' meals I want, make a list of ingredients I must get, and go to Rome to find most of the exotic things I need, from miso to spices to corn flour for making Guatemalan tamales.
Rome's trip is usually a full-day affair, so I usually pick a Saturday and go back to the city. I really enjoy it, and I use it as an excuse to visit a museum or shop for other things I can't find in town but guess what? When I get home, I can feel how different the air smells, I can hear nature, and I feel like I'm back to where I belong. I'm back to where I can thrive.
Sure, there is no Opera, no large concerts, no big social events - COVID restrictions aside - but I've never really missed them. If I ever want to attend any of these events, I can just make the trip to Rome like I wrote above, pretty easy, right?
The area where I am living now, Castelli Romani, is quite particular because it is considered the countryside. Still, it is located at "a stone's throw" from a major city like Rome. You get a healthy alternative lifestyle without necessarily having to fully renounce some of the perks that a larger city has to offer. The towns of the Castelli Romani are also relatively connected to Rome and the airports with public transportation.
In the end, smart-working during the pandemic has turned from a curse to a blessing in disguise. I am genuinely happier, and I am more productive at work, I feel healthier, and I can finally and concretely give something back to society, and so can you.
What are you waiting for? Make your move, shake things up, and make rural cool again!
