A couple tested out life in Canada and Italy. They chose to move where salaries are lower but life is sweeter.

11.08.2024 - 10:26 / insider.com

Victoria Craparotta and Flavio Fabiani had a decision to make.

In 2022, after maintaining a long-distance relationship for over two years, Fabiani, a 27-year-old architect from Italy, moved to Toronto to be with Craparotta, a 26-year-old Canadian.

They'd met at a study abroad program in Spain in 2019.

It was their only "opportunity" to live in the same place, Craparotta told Business Insider. She had a full-time e-commerce job atDyson, the technology and appliance company, while Fabiani had just graduated from college and had fewer commitments.

As the expiry date for his working holiday visa neared, Fabiani said they settled on a solution, "Let's do the same experience in Italy. And then, at the end of it, let's decide where we're going to stay."

Craparotta, who was disillusioned with her job and ready for a fresh start, agreed. She quit her job and flew to Rome in May 2023 on a working holiday visa to start a new chapter with Fabiani.

A year later, the couple is still in Rome. There have been challenges, like turning a dusty old apartment Fabiani inherited into their home, and plenty of adjustments, but they aren'tinterested in moving back to Canada anytime soon — here's why.

One of Fabiani's first questions to Craparotta when he arrived in Toronto was, "Where are the mountains?"

Like many first-time visitors, Fabiani assumed Canada was "covered in nature," and that places like Banff National Park were a stone's throw away, Craparotta said.

But the best lakes are a two-hour drive from Toronto, she said, and potentially pricey flights are the easiest way to get to hot spots like Vancouver.

As an architect, Fabiani enjoyed how "industrial-looking" Toronto is, but he wasn't a fan of how reliant the couple was on a car in the city's suburbs, where they lived with Craparotta's parents.

By contrast, Craparotta appreciates how "walkable" Rome is, even in its outskirts, and how close it is to lakes, beaches, and quaint medieval towns.

Another upside is that the couple doesn't have to plan European vacations that far in advance.

"Back in Canada, I would have to plan and take a one-week trip to go anywhere in Europe," she said.

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Based in Europe, it's relatively easy — and cheap — to book weekend trips on trains or budget airlines to Milan or the Amalfi Coast, as well as international spots like London or Paris.

"Ican easily travel around Italy or Europe for the same cost as a long-distance bus ticket in Canada," Craparotta said.

Craparotta and Fabiani are big on food, as cooking isone of their favorite things to do together.

But Fabiani wasn't a huge fan of some Toronto dining options.

Craparotta said her mother was excited to take Fabiani to her favorite Italian spot.

Like most Italians she's