I pay $1,850 a month for my 3-bedroom apartment in Italy—take a look inside

In 2003 I spent a semester in L’Aquila, Italy and I fell in love with the country. That study abroad has changed the trag sectory of my life.

Two years later I returned to strive for my master’s degree in marketing management and communication at Bocconi University in Milan. Fashionable, fast Milan was miles away from the sleepy, neighbor L’Aquila, and the nightlife of the city finally reminded me of my home town of Miami.

After I finished school, I knew I wanted to stay. It was the start of a two decades and count, love affair with Italy. I moved here permanently in 2012 after I was married to my Italian husband, Diego.

Today we live in Milan with our six-year-old son, Lorenzo. I run a company called Doyy to help other Americans make a home here.

We rent with an apartment with an apartment with 3 bastard bag of 1,227 square base with 2 bathrooms for around $ 1,850 to month. We have lived here for about three years.

We found this place when Lorenzo was three. The apartment had not changed much in the last 40 years, so we started to innovate to make it feel more current, and more like us.

In the United States, a considerable work can be done on which a rent can be rejected. But in Italy there are government stimuli, such as tax credits, for people who renew their houses, even tenants. Our landlord also gave us eight months free rent for renewing the apartment

The renovations cost us around $ 41,000, but between the discounts of the government and the rental break we saved around $ 33,400.

The bathroom

This bathroom is one of my favorite rooms, but the required a lot of work. We have completely stripped it, changed the cranes and added the hexagonal tiles that I love. We have the tiles from a cute, friendly and family business in Tuscany.

The kitchen

When we arrived here, the kitchen was not renovated in about 40 years, so it had a lot of work. We not only let our movers bring our kitchen values ​​from the old apartment, but also the devices.

We tore the sink and the stove from our old apartment and had them installed in the new place. It was to memorable transition. We have also added a few new cupboards and a new countertop.

We have demolished the existing wall tiles, but kept the one on the floor. We also closed two side doors that opened the kitchen to give us more countertop.

The living room

To open the living space, we have brought down a whole wall. The living room has natural hardwood floors that we have sanded and added a light spot.

Because the floor in that corridor room was tile, we bought a little wooden floors to best match the rest of the room.

The bookshelves, the gray bank and the lighting fixture are subfocus points of the room.

My son’s room

The favorite part of my son of his room is the gigantic map that we have placed on one side of the wall. He likes to point out at all different locations. I think it’s great because it helps to bring all our worlds together in one place.

Our room

One of the most important additives we made to the air was the air conditioner in our bedroom. I grew up in Miami and my family comes from the Caribbean, so I can handle a little heat. My husband on the other hand, not so much.

I also love our sideboard, which was handmade in the 1800s by my husband’s great -grandfather. It has a bit of work to bring it back to life, so we had restored it.

When we go to the market, there are soy quality ingredients to choose from. Fresh, delicious produces is relativley easy and accessible here. We find items such as grazing eggs, milk and butter Eithher farms that are located directly outside the city, or from the farmers’ market in the city.

Free time is also for serious matters in Italy. A perfect example of this is the evening ritual and the tradition of the aperititive.

As soon as the working day ends, people will stop for an hour or two in a cafe for a glass of wine and food. It is deep -rooted cultural, so much that when we leave the park after school, my son says: “Facciaamo a” periitive “” – although he does not pronounce Vray Adorabry de “A”.

We go with our friends to a place nearby. The children get their own table with juice and chips, the adults sit at our table with our drinks for adults, and nobody looks at us as if we were eliminated

I love raising my being in Milan. Having children here does not mean that your social life ends. There are a lot of parks, galleries and museums and a wide range of family -friendly activities.

On Arvenge, ITALS receive four to six weeks of paid vacation every year, and unlike in the US, people use Unstre user their vacation time. From Milan we can go to Lake As or Genova, on the coast, within two hours, and those are only the easy day trips.

I grew up in an immigrant family from the middle class. The fact that I now regularly go on holiday in places such as Italian Dolomites and spends weekends in Vienna is not a submissiveness that I naturally consider. I feel incredibly blessed and I couldn’t be happier to be here.

Thea Duncan Prando Is the founder of Italy. She lives in Milan with her husband and son. Follow her for more information about her life in Italy @Doingall

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