I left my high-flying life in Boston to move to Italy - here's what I learned

A successful marketing professional in Milan, Italy, has described how she fled Boston two decades ago and has yet to look back.

Leslie Strazzullo, 55, moved from a suburb of Beantown in 2004, and has since made a name for herself in the world's fashion capital as a marketing manager.

Her family's roots are in Italy, and she jumped at the chance to do an an exchange program with Bocconi University’s business school while earning her MBA.

She also had an internship with Italian tire and telecoms equipment manufacturer, Pirelli, and when she graduated, the firm offered her a full-time position heading marketing and communications for its telecoms business.

In a piece penned for CNBC finance advice column Make It, she described how she's been in Milan ever since.

'Twenty years ago, when I was 35, I left my life in the greater Boston area to pursue a job opportunity in glamorous Milan,' Strazzullo wrote in the op-ed published Sunday.

'Prior to the move, I had earned my MBA from the University of South Carolina. During my studies, I did an exchange program with Bocconi University’s business school and had an internship with Pirelli.

'I loved it,' she said.

She went on to recall being offered the post of marketing communications manager at PGT Photonics S.P.A., which at the time was part of the Pirelli Company.

Despite only knowing 'a few people' from her time as an intern, Strazzullo jumped at the chance, she writes - with the streets of Milan fresh in her mind.

'I didn’t feel nervous, just excited at this new opportunity,' the current marketing communications lead at Abb, a prominent Swiss robotics and machine automation supplier, recalled.  

'I’ve been in Milan ever since.'

Strazzullo has held several positions in that span, at three separate companies not including Pirelli.

One of them was fan-maker Honeywell, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, more than 4,500 miles away.

She worked there for more than 12 years, at times from home, and at times at the company's office on Via Alessandro Volta.

Gathering experience as a marketing communications manager and customer marketing manager, she eventually took an 11-month break after the death of her life partner in in 2023, before assuming her current role at Abb, where she's been since March.

The 20 years before, she said, saw her navigate universal stresses such as layoffs, buying a house, and surviving corporate life.

She thus shared a few expert tips.

The first, she said, was 'go with the flow.'

'I cannot tell you how many times I had to make and reschedule appointments in City Hall offices in order to get a tax number, for example, or an ID card to apply for a work permit,' she explained.

'The waits are long, the government workers are sometimes grumpy, and the system can be frustrating and complex on a good day - even when a company sponsors you, like mine did.'

She said not to sweat 'the insignificant things', such as traffic and being late in rush hour.

'My best advice, if you’re trying to make a life here, is to go with the flow and take these administrative and bureaucratic quirks in stride. It’s just the way it is.'

Her second tip was another simple one - 'be determined.'

To convey the concept, she described what she billed as 'a setback' - one that occurred five years into her Italy excursion.

Pirrelli had sold their telecoms division, and Strazzullo was among several laid off. 

'I was on a permesso di soggiorno (residence work permit), which allowed me one year to find another job,' she recalled.

'I was on the clock to find something new. Still, I was not discouraged.

'Finding a job as a foreigner came down strategic networking and, at times, determination,' she went on to write.

She found that much how it is in the US, it 'is very much a “who you know” job market.'

'I networked with former colleagues, headhunters, and other business school alums,' she said.

'With a few months left on my permit, I received an offer to work for a U.S. multinational with offices in Italy.

'I was so glad that I hung in there and bet on myself and my life in Italy.'

The third piece of counseling Strazzullo imparted was to learn how 'to work differently', adapting to your surrounding environment rather than remain stubborn in your old ways.  

'One of the best things I ever did was to give up the expression, “This is how we do things,”' she wrote at a point in her piece.

'I had to embrace change to thrive in Italy, whether it was the awkwardness I felt using a new language... or navigating corporate life.

'It took me about two years to really feel comfortable with Italian,' she admitted.

'Ultimately, I learned valuable things about my peers and the business over a relaxing meal or coffee. 

'I absorbed much more than I would have with my head down at my desk.'

Her fourth and final tidbit was to learn how to budget for the life you, yourself, want, as she admitted, 'While I’m in a solid place now, I did have to do some adjusting when it came to my finances. 

'Some expenses definitely surprised me early on, beyond the typical rent and utilities,' she recalled.

For example, I didn’t have a car when I first got here. I recall that it cost me close to 700 euros to get my driver’s license.

'Americans are taxed based on citizenship and not residency, so Americans abroad need to report their taxes,' she continued.

'I make sure to use an accountant to help me handle my taxes now. 

'Because of agreements between the U.S. and Italy, I am not taxed twice,' she pointed out.

'I do pay more taxes on my income in Italy (43 percent vs. 37 percent) than I would pay in the States, so I typically have a tax credit.'

One final 'upside' she said she's seen since moving to Italy is its 'public healthcare system', which she has been given access to as well as 'supplementary private health insurance' from some of her previous employers. 

'Money that I would otherwise put toward healthcare I can use for other needs and leisure activities,' as she put it.

'Ultimately, I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone 20 years ago,' she concluded by saying.

'Since then I’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively and meet many wonderful people. 

'Today, I feel fulfilled by the life and career I have built here.'