I was born and raised in New York City. At 24, I moved to a town of 5,000 in Italy, and I've never looked back.

• I moved from New York City to Italy 10 years ago, when I was 24.
• My life in New York was pretty great. I had a job and still lived with my parents.
• I met my now-husband and had our daughter here in Italy, and I'm never leaving.

Since moving to Italy nearly 10 years ago at the age of 24, I'm always asked, "Why did you move to Italy from New York City?"

Initially, most Italians think I'm out of my mind to have left behind a dream life in New York. And the truth is, my life in New York City was about as perfect as it could get. I worked as a private chef while still living in my parents' enormous three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, went to the theater all the time, frequented museums, and ate at the finest restaurants.

While I was working, keeping busy, and maintaining friendships and other relationships, life in NYC started to take its toll. I was born and raised in New York City. The city always felt like home to me. In fact, I was one of those New Yorkers who believed I could never leave. I imagined getting married, raising a family, and growing old in New York. But all of a sudden, New York started to feel different for me.

New York didn't feel like a good fit for me anymore

I had been traveling back and forth to Italy for a few years. On each trip home to NYC, my heart sank a little more as I felt I was leaving behind the life I was slowly creating in Italy.

Life in Italy just felt more real, at least for me. One of the things that had started bothering me about life in NYC was how hard it was to have connections with people, even on a small scale. Even something as simple as an interaction on the elevator of my high-rise apartment building or at the local deli started to feel strained, as though people didn't seem to care anymore about politeness or providing a service. I had lived in the same high-rise since I was born, and people on the elevator didn't even say hello to one another.

That wasn't the case in Italy.

In Italy, people have connections with each other and make a point of being polite. It might sound small, but these seemingly "tiny" daily interactions greatly influence your overall well-being.

Italians put family first, not work

Italy also puts family first, not work. Here, people work to make a living to provide for themselves and their families. Yes, many people have important careers they've worked hard for, but the point is not to work yourself to death to make money, as I see my fellow Americans doing.

When I would be riding the NYC subway to get to work, I started to notice how unhappy most people seemed. They were tired, stressed, and overworked. I didn't want that to be me in another 20 years.

So at 24, I moved to a small town in the south of Italy called Guardia Sanframondi. The town had a population of about 5,000 people — nearly the same number of people I grew up with in my apartment complex in NYC.

I felt at home immediately. People said hello to each other on the street and were constantly offering to help one another. As I became friendlier with people in the town, people would offer me a coffee or a bag of vegetables from their garden. Life here was calm, peaceful. It was exactly what I had been searching for.

I met my husband and had my daughter here

While I have since moved to Puglia, it was in this same town where I met my now-husband, Vito. We have a 4-year-old daughter and another baby on the way. I work remotely, so I'm able to work from home while taking care of my daughter. I don't have to commute to work, and I don't have to overwork to make a decent living. My family and I live a beautiful and very comfortable life in the countryside of Puglia.

Truth be told, I don't miss life in NYC at all, except for the bagels. I prefer life at a calmer pace. It's the best fit for me.