{"id":1733,"date":"2026-06-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=1733"},"modified":"2026-06-19T13:50:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:50:58","slug":"we-sold-our-house-in-galway-to-retire-here-this-irish-couple-share-their-new-life-on-italy%ca%bcs-adriatic-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/we-sold-our-house-in-galway-to-retire-here-this-irish-couple-share-their-new-life-on-italy%ca%bcs-adriatic-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"We sold our house in Galway to retire here \u2014 this Irish couple share their new life on Italy\u02bcs Adriatic coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

We left Galway<\/strong> with a car full of maps<\/strong> and memories, and a promise to slow down<\/strong>. The Adriatic was a hunch, a blue streak on a globe<\/strong>, a coast we\u2019d visited once and couldn\u2019t shake<\/strong>. Months later, we wake to gulls and church bells<\/strong>, laughing at our good fortune<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Our days are simple<\/strong>, which is to say rich<\/strong>. Coffee on the balcony, olives on the table<\/strong>, a sea that changes with the wind<\/strong>. \u201cWe didn\u2019t chase the sun<\/strong> so much as a gentler tempo<\/strong>,\u201d Michael says, eyes on the water<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why the Adriatic<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

We wanted a coast that felt lived\u2011in<\/strong>, not curated for postcards<\/strong>. The Adriatic offered small ports<\/strong>, family trattorias, and winters that still felt human<\/strong>. Towns like Vasto, Monopoli, and Senigallia<\/strong> whispered the same invitation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When we first arrived in Abruzzo<\/strong>, the hills rolled into the sea<\/strong>, vineyards drifting down like loose scarves<\/strong>. \u201cThere\u2019s a softness to the light<\/strong>, and people actually notice each other\u2019s days<\/strong>,\u201d Aisling kept saying<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Selling Up, Stepping In<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Letting go of our Galway house<\/strong> took courage and a little stubbornness<\/strong>. We sold to free our time<\/strong>, not just our equity<\/strong>. The budget was clear: modest place, walkable streets<\/strong>, no grand projects<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In Ortona, we found a two\u2011bed apartment<\/strong> above a bakery and a cobbler<\/strong>. Old terrazzo floors, a salt\u2011sweet breeze<\/strong>, and a view stitched with red tile<\/strong> roofs. \u201cIt smelled of bread<\/strong> and history,\u201d Michael laughed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Price of Quiet<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The cost of living is kinder<\/strong>, but not a fairy\u2011tale cheap<\/strong>. Utilities run lower than in the west<\/strong>, yet seasonal spikes still bite<\/strong>. We spend money on fresh produce<\/strong> and good wine, and less on frantic plans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Groceries sing in the open\u2011air market<\/strong>: tomatoes like late afternoons<\/strong>, anchovies that taste of Thursday<\/strong>. Our treats are unhurried luxuries<\/strong>\u2014train trips up the coast<\/strong>, an espresso that becomes an hour<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Learning to Belong<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Italian came in crooked steps<\/strong>. We learned \u201cpiano, piano<\/strong>\u201d before we learned the verbs<\/strong>. The neighbors adopted our effort<\/strong>, correcting gently, celebrating every mangle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

On Sundays, the old men clap at the local match<\/strong>, and we clap too<\/strong>, late but loud. Someone always asks about the weather<\/strong> in Ireland, and we answer with rain<\/strong>, pride, and myth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Paperwork, But With Espresso<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Residency was a stack of forms<\/strong>, a choreography of stamps and smiles<\/strong>. Being Irish made borders softer<\/strong>, but the offices still ran on their own timetable<\/strong>. We learned to bring copies, patience, and a pen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

At the health clinic, a nurse tilted her head<\/strong>, then walked us through every line<\/strong>. Bureaucracy is less a wall than a slow river<\/strong>\u2014you float if you surrender<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Day That Fits<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

We wake before the heat<\/strong> and walk the lungomare, counting boats like beads<\/strong>. Midday is for shade, a plate of orecchiette<\/strong>, and a phone call to home<\/strong>. Evenings stretch, cicadas stitching the dark<\/strong> with small sparks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cRetirement,\u201d Michael says, \u201cisn\u2019t an exit<\/strong>, it\u2019s a better room<\/strong> in the same house<\/strong>.\u201d We keep a gentle calendar<\/strong>: language class, market days<\/strong>, a promise to swim no matter the weather<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What We Miss, What We Keep<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

We miss Galway\u2019s west\u2011wind laugh<\/strong>, the way dusk hangs on stones<\/strong>. We miss friends who speak our lives in shorthand<\/strong>. Homesickness arrives without warning<\/strong>, like a rogue wave<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But we kept the essentials<\/strong>: a kettle that sighs like Irish mornings<\/strong>, a shelf of battered paperbacks<\/strong>, and the habit of making too much tea<\/strong>. Community found us where we stood<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Texture of Ordinary<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The bakery downstairs knows our order<\/strong> now: two cornetti, a spare for luck<\/strong>. The fishmonger saves the small clams<\/strong>, proud as a stage actor<\/strong> at the final bow<\/strong>. We\u2019ve learned that routine isn\u2019t a rut<\/strong>; it\u2019s a well\u2011tuned engine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

On saints\u2019 days, the band turns a corner and the whole town brightens<\/strong>. We follow like happy tourists<\/strong>, but we clap like quiet locals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What We\u2019d Tell You<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re nursing the same itch<\/strong>, start with the smallest step<\/strong>. Try a longer stay<\/strong>, not a sightseeing sprint<\/strong>. Rent before you buy<\/strong>, listen before you fix<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Learn ten useful phrases<\/strong>, and use them every day<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Choose a town with a real winter<\/strong>, not just a summer mask<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Make one local friend<\/strong>, then make their friends your friends<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Keep a contingency fund<\/strong>, so surprises feel like weather<\/strong>, not crisis.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Swap comparison for curiosity<\/strong>, and praise what you find<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The Quiet Reward<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    We came for the sea<\/strong>, but stayed for the scale<\/strong> of things. Here, time isn\u2019t a scarce currency<\/strong>; it\u2019s a public fountain<\/strong>. We dip our hands and let it run cool<\/strong>, then go back for more<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    On clear nights, the fishing boats string lights like patient constellations<\/strong>. We sit on our little balcony<\/strong>, the kind of place we never thought we\u2019d own<\/strong>, and say the same line<\/strong> in different ways<\/strong>: \u201cLet\u2019s keep it just like this<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1750,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1733\/revisions\/1750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}