(NewsNation) — An American family left the bright lights of New York City for the tranquility of a mountain town in Italy and show no signs of wanting to go back.

Cassie Tresl and her husband left the United States for Italy in 2019, settling in Abruzzo, east of Rome, in the country’s mid-south region.

The allure of a cheaper and more relaxed lifestyle appealed, as did the prospect of raising their daughter, born in 2020, in such an environment.

“It was really a question of where are we going to be able to comfortably afford having a child and be a family without just huge stress?” Tresl told NewsNation of their thoughts before moving.

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“It is very much in the middle of nowhere, if you will. It is a small town that deals with the kind of common issue in Italy of depopulation,” Tresl said of Abruzzo.

The couple, who originally hail from Seattle, purchased a home for around $13,000 in cash, a stark difference from their previous New York City apartment.

“It’s very community-based and family-oriented, which is not something that can always be found in every part of the U.S., especially being in a small town in Italy,” Tresl said.

The family knew “zero Italian” upon arrival and now have been able to build their knowledge to converse and exist with their neighbors. Tresl said there are multiple cultural differences between the U.S. and Italy.

“Being happy and content with what you have is something that I have learned to be a huge difference between Italy and the U.S.

“We do go back to visit, but every time we do go back, it feels a bit more foreign, which is funny to say now, since Italy used to be the foreign part, but now it’s the opposite. So, I don’t think we could ever move back at this point,” she added.

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