I never really thought I'd live in Italy. Sure, my dad was from there, but we weren't one of those families who had dual citizenship or spent summers on the Amalfi Coast. I didn't even speak Italian — but one opportunity changed everything. Just over a month after my dad died, I'd been let go from my job and was cold-emailing brands I admired when I landed a marketing role with an Italian beauty company.

The role offered the chance to relocate to Italy, and I thought, why not? What once felt like a distant dream suddenly became real, as if my dad was guiding me toward this new chapter in my life. I moved in July 2022 and spent my first few weeks in Pescara, Italy, (where the company's offices were) getting to know my team and easing into the slower pace of life.