Why We Chose Sicily Over France #19

It’s funny how when one door closes another always seems to open. Kudos to you for recognizing when to stop and having the courage to change course. It seems that your dreams of a more idyllic life have finally come true.

Your vulnerability was very touching. I live abroad too. Unfortunately my marriage didn’t survive the challenges of expat life. To see you sticking together through it all, with love and acceptance, and the ability to admit defeat and just start fresh somewhere else is admirable. I wish you lots of luck and joy on your Sicilian adventure. It looks like you found your happy place. Happy spouse (s) = Happy House

Hi Beth and Brian, love your videos thank you 😊. As a Sicilian girl, born on the island of Lipari my family migrated to Australia when I was five after the war. Love my home in Australia but a part of my soul still lives in Lipari and Panera as this is were my mother grew up and my grandparents are buried. I still have relatives in Lipari. The first time I went back I was 35 years old and was shocked at how emotional I was as I had very little memories of Lipari. I cried when we landed there the first time. Have been back a few times and each time it feels like a part of me is coming home. My life in Australia is very peaceful and it’s also my happy place. So, Beth and Brian, as I follow your life in Sicily my heart longes to there too. So happy for you guys, looking forward to your next video. All the very very best. Please have some limoncello for me ❤

There is probably nothing that a good man can’t do when he has a good woman to help him and support him.

What a great episode. The love and respect for one another makes the channel…and we all can and should learn from them

Thank you for sharing. We are 56 and 61 and have been married 32 years. This age feels like a time of transition for me also. Trying to figure out how to make the most of the next 20-30 years-Lord willing! I have been keeping my eye out for a place in Italy for years but the hubs loves his job. Who knows?!

Thank you for being open and honest and very real.

Awe. Very sweet. You did a beautiful job with the house in France. But I will say, as one of your Sicilian Youtuber counterparts said, Sicily is like a mother that keeps calling you back. That rang true. Best wishes for the future!

I was born and raised in France. I am profoundly French. I moved to the US 36 years ago. For the last 15 years, I dreamed about retiring in France, my native country. I knew where, what kind of property we would purchase, and was rejoicing about the details. Then, we went back to France 3 times for real estate and other things and things went really bad. I was assaulted by some illegal immigrants, which is a daily occurring in France now, my husband was irate when he understood that neither the police nor the justice were too concerned, and that "citizens did not have the right to defend themselves",(confirmed in a speech by the President himself). I found the country so dirty, so impoverished, so unsafe almost everywhere, so dysfunctional, and invaded by people who had absolutely no intention to integrate but wanted to impose their medieval beliefs to the French, and the list is long. I had to accept the idea that I will never retire in my own country. It is painful, but we have to let go. Life has others plans that sometimes are better for us. Good luck in Sicily.

I don’t know what it is about you two. I thought that the videos of you cleaning up the olive trees and painting the roof were great. I thought the scenery was the magic. But this video is great too. You are both fabulous story tellers. And what a story! It checks all the boxes and it makes me feel sorry for anyone who hasn’t found your beautiful channel. Yet.

Life is forever evolving. Love your story. Europe does it for me too. I love the culture and people.❤🇦🇺

Thank you for sharing. Your story. Scicily is very special. I wish you both all the very best with your new venture 😊❤

Buongiorno guys. What a beautiful tale. I lived in a hamlet of 40 souls and a pet sanglier in the foothills of the Cevennes. It was magical - Peter Mayle on steroids. The neighbours were wonderful. My restoration experience was challenging, but ultimately sublime. But I moved. The winters were too long. I'm looking seriously at Sicily, most particularly the village of Gratteri. I'll have to get an ERV and enter the bureaucracy of Italia. However, as a survivor of the 'brick wall' of the Chambre de Commerce de Nîmes, I think I'll cope 😎. Your joie de vivre is infectious. Doors close and doors open. Arriba!

Thanks for posting such an honest and personal take on your journey in France. I lived in Germany and found the “helpful but closed” vibe to be similar. One of the reasons we are interested in southern Italy is the more open sociability. Nice to hear that you are finding that there!

When I saw you in your sweater, I knew instantly you were not in Sicily. Lol. Living in France and Germany can be cold, rainy and dark, it does take some getting used to. Thanxs for sharing the very personal story of your journey in Europe. Having lived in Germany for 40 years, I can see how it all played out. So happy for you all to have found a place your belong. I wish I had gone to Sicily earlier in my travels, I would have returned there again. It was such a wonderful surprise. Glad you are back to videos.

You did a lovely job on that French property. I used to flip houses and got thoroughly excited about projects when I was in my 20's and 30's. Now almost 60 I get upset if I have to change a light bulb. Non merci.

Wow! You did a Beautiful job on the French house. I'm sure you will do the same with the new home. Go where your heart is happy.😃

I came to be living in Catellammare del Golfo, Sicily for 6 months of the year after having a spinal cord injury. Long story. But there is something about Sicily, more than just my Sicilian heritage, that draws you here. It's hard to explain. Yes the food is great, yes the climate is SO much better than Wisconsin, and the people I've become friends with are beyond wonderful. But for me anyways, it's almost like something mystical, a sense that I NEED to be there. It draws you and keeps you wanting more. Does any of this make sense? Haha Soon I will be looking into getting my Elective Residency visa so I can stay in Sicily full time. Ok, looking forward to your future episodes. Ciao, Paul

Sometimes what we think we want, is not what we need. But you did it. How blessed you are to have one another.

Missed seeing you guys. Have a great week