Back in 2003, I spent a semester in L’Aquila, Italy and fell in love with the country. That study abroad experience changed the trajectory of my life.
Two years later, I returned to pursue my master’s degree in marketing management and communications at Bocconi University in Milan. Fashionable, fast-paced Milan was miles away from the sleepy, neighborly L’Aquila, and the city’s nightlife actually reminded me of my hometown of Miami.
After I finished school, I knew I wanted to stay. It was the beginning of a two-decade-long, and counting, love affair with Italy. I moved here permanently in 2012 after I married my Italian husband, Diego.
Today, we live in Milan with our six-year-old son, Lorenzo. I run a company called Doing Italy to help other Americans make a home for themselves here.
How we made a home of our own
In the United States, doing significant work a rental might be frowned upon. But in Italy, there are government incentives, like tax credits, for people renovating their homes, even renters. Our landlord also gave us eight months of free rent for renovating the apartment
The renovations cost us about $41,000, but between the government rebates and the rent pause, we saved roughly $33,400.
A look inside our newly renovated Milan apartment
The bookshelves, the grey couch and the lighting fixture are some fun focal points of the space.
My son’s room
Why I love living in Milan
Thea Duncan Prando is the founder of Doing Italy. She lives in Milan with her husband and son. To learn more about her life in Italy, follow her @DoingItaly
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