{"id":2416,"date":"2026-07-31T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=2416"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:08:01","slug":"four-years-after-leaving-wexford-for-a-village-in-the-abruzzo-this-family-says-the-only-thing-they%ca%bcd-change-is-doing-it-sooner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/four-years-after-leaving-wexford-for-a-village-in-the-abruzzo-this-family-says-the-only-thing-they%ca%bcd-change-is-doing-it-sooner\/","title":{"rendered":"Four years after leaving Wexford for a village in the Abruzzo this family says the only thing they\u02bcd change is doing it sooner"},"content":{"rendered":"

They left a coastal<\/strong> county for a mountain<\/strong> village and found a life that felt both quieter<\/strong> and more complete<\/strong>. Four years on, the family\u2019s only regret<\/strong> is the wait\u2014the years they spent wondering<\/strong> instead of leaping<\/strong>. Their days now are measured in bell chimes<\/strong>, bakery queues<\/strong>, and the long light<\/strong> of Abruzzo\u2019s afternoons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

From salt air to mountain light<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The move began as a what\u2011if<\/strong> whispered over tea<\/strong>, a half\u2011serious plan pinned to a map<\/strong> above the fridge<\/strong>. They traded Wexford\u2019s dunes<\/strong> for stone laneways<\/strong> in Santo Stefano di Sessanio<\/strong>, a village folded into the Gran<\/strong> Sasso. \u201cWe expected a long goodbye<\/strong> to who we were,\u201d Maeve says<\/strong>, \u201cbut the place handed us a hello<\/strong> instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The first weeks were a scramble<\/strong> of utilities, school forms<\/strong>, and unpicking dialects<\/strong> that slipped like river<\/strong> water. Yet each small win<\/strong>\u2014the postie learning their names<\/strong>, the barista remembering their order<\/strong>\u2014stitched the move into routine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Learning to belong<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Belonging didn\u2019t arrive with a key<\/strong>, it arrived with a cake<\/strong>. Neighbours knocked with olive oil<\/strong>, wine, and advice on keeping tomatoes<\/strong> honest through August<\/strong>. \u201cYou don\u2019t buy community<\/strong> here,\u201d Liam admits<\/strong>, \u201cyou show up, carry a table<\/strong>, and someone pours you a glass<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sundays became a habit<\/strong> of church bells and market<\/strong> chatter, kids kicking a ball<\/strong> where walls catch the sun<\/strong>. The couple learned that the village\u2019s pace<\/strong> doesn\u2019t slow you; it recalibrates<\/strong> you.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Work, money, and the slow dividend<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They kept their Irish clients<\/strong> at first, hacking through timezones<\/strong> and patchy Wi\u2011Fi<\/strong> while eating clementines<\/strong> for courage. Remote work<\/strong> steadied the early months<\/strong>, then local opportunities<\/strong> began to land with the swallows<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Liam now consults on sustainable<\/strong> building for farmhouse restorations<\/strong>. Maeve runs a tiny<\/strong> supper club in their vaulted cellar<\/strong>, pairing local pecorino<\/strong> with Wexford recipes<\/strong>. The cost of living<\/strong> is lower, but the true dividend<\/strong> is time\u2014time to cook a broth<\/strong>, time to watch evening mist<\/strong> lift off the hills<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

School, language, and the hush between words<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The children crossed the language<\/strong> bridge faster than the adults<\/strong>. \u201cAt first they came home silent<\/strong>,\u201d Maeve recalls<\/strong>, \u201cbecause silence is the classroom<\/strong> you carry.\u201d Within months, cartoons turned to news<\/strong>, and playground jokes found their edges<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Homework became shared<\/strong>: verbs on the fridge<\/strong>, post\u2011its on the kettle<\/strong>. \u201cYou earn a new tongue<\/strong> with hours of small embarrassments<\/strong>,\u201d Liam laughs<\/strong>. \u201cBut then the baker calls you \u2018amore\u2019 and hands you an extra bun<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Seasons that insist you pay attention<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Abruzzo is a theatre<\/strong> of seasons, unapologetically loud<\/strong>. Winter presses snow<\/strong> into door jambs<\/strong>, and summer drapes heat<\/strong> over the olive<\/strong> leaves. Autumn smells of must<\/strong> and wood smoke<\/strong>, spring pops with broom<\/strong> and bees\u2019 fuss<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In Wexford, weather was a topic<\/strong>; here, it\u2019s a taskmaster<\/strong>. Wood must be stacked<\/strong>, gutters cleared<\/strong>, herbs dried<\/strong> and dated like careful accounts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Challenges, honestly counted<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Not everything is a postcard<\/strong>. Bureaucracy arrives with stamps<\/strong>, signatures, and unhurried queues<\/strong>. Trains sometimes pause<\/strong> without apology. Family illness<\/strong> back home still means late\u2011night ferries<\/strong> and phone\u2011lit goodbyes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cBut life in Ireland<\/strong> had its own frictions<\/strong>,\u201d Maeve shrugs<\/strong>. \u201cHere, frustrations come with a view<\/strong>, and usually a plate of biscuits<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What changed when they changed the map<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The move taught them to measure<\/strong> success in mornings<\/strong>: coffee on a stone step<\/strong>, a neighbour\u2019s wave like a benediction<\/strong>. It also reframed ambition<\/strong> as something quieter<\/strong>\u2014not smaller\u2014rooted in craft<\/strong>, not clamour<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cBack there we chased more<\/strong>,\u201d Liam says<\/strong>. \u201cHere we chased better<\/strong>. Turned out, better runs faster<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thinking of doing the same?<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re weighing a shift<\/strong>, they suggest a sequence<\/strong> that kept panic at bay<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Map your non\u2011negotiable needs<\/strong> (work, school, health) before the romance<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Rent first, buy later<\/strong>; let the place teach your routine<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Learn the language<\/strong> every day; accept being bad<\/strong> at it at first.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Find one purpose<\/strong> that serves the place<\/strong>, not just yourself.<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The day they stopped postponing<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    On their final Wexford evening<\/strong>, a rain sheet<\/strong> smudged the harbour<\/strong> lights. \u201cWe stood there and felt both grief<\/strong> and relief,\u201d Maeve remembers<\/strong>. The next morning, they boarded a flight<\/strong> with two children<\/strong>, three suitcases<\/strong>, and a list of Italian phrases<\/strong> that was mostly please<\/strong> and bread<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Today the list is longer<\/strong>, but the sentiment is the same<\/strong>. \u201cIf we could change anything<\/strong>,\u201d Liam says, \u201cwe\u2019d change the calendar<\/strong>. We\u2019d have done this earlier<\/strong>.\u201d He lifts a glass of local Montepulciano<\/strong>, the village bell finds its hour<\/strong>, and a stray cat<\/strong> rehearses its evening rounds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The life they built isn\u2019t perfect<\/strong>, it\u2019s simply theirs<\/strong>\u2014stitched with olive pits<\/strong>, pencil smudges<\/strong>, shared porches<\/strong>, and the odd, necessary compromise<\/strong>. Four years later, the move feels less like a decision<\/strong> and more like a homecoming<\/strong> they didn\u2019t know how to name until they arrived<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2416","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\/2416","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=2416"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2435,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2416\/revisions\/2435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}