Buying an Apartment in Tuscany: The One We Almost Bought—and Why We Walked Away

For a few days, it looked like we had found it.

Our goal for buying an apartment in Tuscany mainly Radicondoli—a small Tuscan village that Stefano and I hope will one day become part of our next chapter. It was fully furnished, new kitchen, big shower (for Italy) and nice floors all in a historical building in the center of town.

We got on a video call with a real estate agent. Stefano had his notebook out, writing down everything we would need to do to hold the apartment until November, when we planned to return to Italy.

It all started moving very quickly.

And I went quiet.

Not in a peaceful way. In a way that felt like some part of me had stepped back while everyone else continued making plans.

A few days later, my chest got tight. Not metaphorically—actually hard to breathe, like something was sitting on me. Then the muscles in my right leg began to seize: my glute, my hamstring, all of it. I tried stretching, yoga, meditation, foam rolling, and telling myself it was simply stress or too much activity.

Nothing helped.

At the time, I was so focused on what the apartment could mean. We had the cash. It felt like a tangible step toward our future in Italy. I kept telling myself that the discomfort had nothing to do with the apartment.

But my body kept getting louder.

When I went to my sound healer that week, I told her what had been happening. She did not hesitate.

“You know what’s right for you,” she said. “Your body is telling you. Stop ignoring it.”

I got emotional because I knew she was right.

The difference between a dream and an escape: buying an apartment in Tuscany

There was one practical concern of buying this home in Tuscany I could not get past: the bedroom had no window.

I need light. I have always needed light. Even in our home now, I positioned my desk so I can face a window while I work. I did not want to buy a home in Tuscany and begin by convincing myself to accept something that did not feel good.

Then more issues came to light. The apartment was connected to an estate after both owners had passed away, meaning there could be a long and complicated legal process before a sale could be completed.

That was the final answer: we were not going to move forward.

But the deeper realization had nothing to do with Italian real estate.

The urgency Stefano and I feel to leave the United States is not only about our love for Italy. It is also tied to the political climate here—and to how unsettling it feels to watch immigration enforcement and public rhetoric make people feel unsafe or unwelcome.

Stefano is here legally. He has done everything he is supposed to do. Yet there is still a real emotional weight in wondering how people like him will be treated while all of this unfolds.

So when we were talking about holding that apartment, part of me was saying, Let’s build our life in Tuscany.

But another part was saying, Let’s get out before something happens.

Those are two very different reasons to buy a home, even when they look the same from the outside.

I have felt this urgency before

Once I named it, I recognized the feeling immediately.

In 2020, I invested more than $10,000 in a business opportunity that promised more money, exposure, and a bigger future—if I acted immediately. It did not deliver what it promised.

Before that, there were fitness-industry jobs that used the same language: quit your job, make more money, only a few hours left to decide.

Different situations. Same pressure.

And the same tight feeling in my chest.

A few weeks after the apartment call, I bought a discounted email-marketing course. Almost immediately, I was offered the “real” course—more than $2,000, discounted for a limited time only.

I felt that familiar pull.

But this time, I caught it.

Sitting alone in my kitchen, I told myself: If I still want this in a month or a year, I can figure out how to pay for it then. But not right now.

Almost immediately, my body relaxed.

I remembered what I am actually saving for: a home. A real life in Italy. Not a rushed version of one.

“Not right now” is still an answer

We are still looking for a home in Tuscany. We are still preparing our house, saving money, making plans, and moving toward Italy.

But I do not want fear to choose our next address.

I do not want scarcity—of time, safety, or opportunity—to make decisions that Stefano and I should make slowly, together, with our eyes open and our bodies at peace.

My gut has probably known what was right for a long time. I just spent many years mistaking urgency for intuition and panic for a sign.

So this is where we are now:

Still looking.

Still moving forward.

Just not from that place anymore.

If this story resonates, listen to the full episode of Florence & Me: The Apartment We Almost Bought in Tuscany (And Why We Walked Away).

And if you have had a moment when your body knew something before your mind did,

I would love to hear your version.

Send me a note—I really do read them.