I left my high-flying life in Boston to move to Italy - here's what I learned

A successful trading master successful Milan, Italy, has described really she fled Boston 2 decades agone and has yet to look back.

Leslie Strazzullo, 55, moved from a suburb of Beantown successful 2004, and has since made a sanction for herself successful nan world's manner superior arsenic a trading manager.

Her family's roots are successful Italy, and she jumped astatine nan chance to do an an speech programme pinch Bocconi University’s business schoolhouse while earning her MBA.

She besides had an internship pinch Italian tyre and telecoms instrumentality manufacturer, Pirelli, and erstwhile she graduated, nan patient offered her a full-time position heading trading and communications for its telecoms business.

In a portion penned for CNBC finance proposal file Make It, she described really she's been successful Milan ever since.

'Twenty years ago, erstwhile I was 35, I near my life successful nan greater Boston area to prosecute a occupation opportunity successful glamorous Milan,' Strazzullo wrote successful nan op-ed published Sunday.

'Prior to nan move, I had earned my MBA from nan University of South Carolina. During my studies, I did an speech programme pinch Bocconi University’s business schoolhouse and had an internship pinch Pirelli.

'I loved it,' she said.

She went connected to callback being offered nan station of marketing communications head astatine PGT Photonics S.P.A., which astatine nan clip was portion of the Pirelli Company.

Despite only knowing 'a fewer people' from her clip arsenic an intern, Strazzullo jumped astatine nan chance, she writes - pinch nan streets of Milan caller successful her mind.

'I didn’t consciousness nervous, conscionable excited astatine this caller opportunity,' nan existent trading communications lead astatine Abb, a salient Swiss robotics and instrumentality automation supplier, recalled.  

'I’ve been successful Milan ever since.'

Strazzullo has held respective positions successful that span, astatine 3 abstracted companies not including Pirelli.

One of them was fan-maker Honeywell, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, much than 4,500 miles away.

She worked location for much than 12 years, astatine times from home, and astatine times astatine nan company's agency connected Via Alessandro Volta.

Gathering acquisition arsenic a trading communications head and customer trading manager, she yet took an 11-month break aft nan decease of her life partner successful in 2023, before assuming her existent domiciled at Abb, wherever she's been since March.

The 20 years before, she said, saw her navigate cosmopolitan stresses specified arsenic layoffs, buying a house, and surviving corporate life.

She frankincense shared a fewer master tips.

The first, she said, was 'go pinch nan flow.'

'I cannot show you really galore times I had to make and reschedule appointments successful City Hall offices successful bid to get a taxation number, for example, aliases an ID paper to use for a activity permit,' she explained.

'The waits are long, nan authorities workers are sometimes grumpy, and nan strategy tin beryllium frustrating and analyzable connected a bully time - moreover erstwhile a institution sponsors you, for illustration excavation did.'

She said not to sweat 'the insignificant things', specified arsenic postulation and being precocious successful unreserved hour.

'My champion advice, if you’re trying to make a life here, is to spell pinch nan travel and return these administrative and bureaucratic quirks successful stride. It’s conscionable nan measurement it is.'

Her 2nd extremity was different elemental 1 - 'be determined.'

To convey nan concept, she described what she billed arsenic 'a setback' - 1 that occurred 5 years into her Italy excursion.

Pirrelli had sold their telecoms division, and Strazzullo was among respective laid off. 

'I was connected a permesso di soggiorno (residence activity permit), which allowed maine 1 twelvemonth to find different job,' she recalled.

'I was connected nan timepiece to find thing new. Still, I was not discouraged.

'Finding a occupation arsenic a foreigner came down strategical networking and, astatine times, determination,' she went connected to write.

She recovered that overmuch really it is successful nan US, it 'is very overmuch a “who you know” occupation market.'

'I networked pinch erstwhile colleagues, headhunters, and different business schoolhouse alums,' she said.

'With a fewer months near connected my permit, I received an connection to activity for a U.S. multinational pinch offices successful Italy.

'I was truthful gladsome that I hung successful location and stake connected myself and my life successful Italy.'

The 3rd portion of counseling Strazzullo imparted was to learn how 'to activity differently', adapting to your surrounding situation alternatively than stay stubborn successful your aged ways.  

'One of nan champion things I ever did was to springiness up nan expression, “This is really we do things,”' she wrote astatine a constituent successful her piece.

'I had to clasp alteration to thrive successful Italy, whether it was nan awkwardness I felt utilizing a caller language... or navigating firm life.

'It took maine astir 2 years to really consciousness comfortable pinch Italian,' she admitted.

'Ultimately, I learned valuable things astir my peers and nan business complete a relaxing repast aliases coffee. 

'I absorbed overmuch much than I would person pinch my caput down astatine my desk.'

Her 4th and last tidbit was to study really to fund for nan life you, yourself, want, arsenic she admitted, 'While I’m successful a coagulated spot now, I did person to do immoderate adjusting erstwhile it came to my finances. 

'Some expenses decidedly amazed maine early on, beyond nan emblematic rent and utilities,' she recalled.

For example, I didn’t person a car erstwhile I first sewage here. I callback that it costs maine adjacent to 700 euros to get my driver’s license.

'Americans are taxed based connected citizenship and not residency, truthful Americans overseas request to study their taxes,' she continued.

'I make judge to usage an accountant to thief maine grip my taxes now. 

'Because of agreements betwixt nan U.S. and Italy, I americium not taxed twice,' she pointed out.

'I do salary much taxes connected my income successful Italy (43 percent vs. 37 percent) than I would salary successful nan States, truthful I typically person a taxation credit.'

One last 'upside' she said she's seen since moving to Italy is its 'public healthcare system', which she has been fixed entree to arsenic good arsenic 'supplementary backstage wellness insurance' from immoderate of her erstwhile employers. 

'Money that I would different put toward healthcare I tin usage for different needs and leisure activities,' arsenic she put it.

'Ultimately, I’m truthful gladsome I stepped retired of my comfortableness area 20 years ago,' she concluded by saying.

'Since past I’ve had nan opportunity to recreation extensively and meet galore awesome people. 

'Today, I consciousness fulfilled by nan life and profession I person built here.'