The stories of people who decide to pursue their dreams on their own terms are told in the series "It's Never Too Late".
In 1978, when Holly was 20, she flew to Bolzano, Italy, a scenic city in the foothills of the Tyrolean Alps, to compete in the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. A native Californian, a budding concert pianist, was taken with a country that was so intricately interwoven with classical music, food and beauty. One day, she would make it her home.
I was living in Seattle and had never been to Italy. The medieval heart of Bolzano was so rich with life and activity that Ms. Herrmann was fascinated by. Italy offered a different style of life that I enjoyed more than I was at home. I knew at some point I would live there.
It would take 38 years to move permanently to Italy. She moved to New York to get ready for her move to Manhattan as a professional pianist. She was introduced to Jim Herrmann on her first day back in Seattle. The two started to have an intense friendship. They were married within a year. They had two children. Mr. Herrmann had two children from a previous marriage. Hopes of New York faded. Italy became fainter.
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The couple's two-bedroom apartment overlooks Piazza dei Signori, a square in Padua's historic center.
She wanted to move to Italy. In 2015, her daughter asked her to go to Orvieto, a medieval hill town in central Italy, to see if she still loved the Italian way of life. Mr. Herrmann was with her for 10 days. The trip convinced them that this should be their reality. The sale of their home and retirement savings made it possible for them to change their lifestyles.
The couple moved to Seattle in the summer of 2016 They first rented a four-bedroom home, then sold it along with their two cars and possessions that were too large to take with them. They boarded the plane with one carry-on and one suitcase. The couple lived in Lecce, a lively city in southern Italy with Baroque-era churches and narrow streets lined with rustic restaurants for two years. They settled in Padua because it was difficult to travel around Europe because of Lecce's remoteness.
The couple live in a two-bedroom apartment that overlooks Piazza dei Signori, a charming little square in the historic center of Padua. The following interview has been edited.
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Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times shows Holly and Jim Herrmann in Padua.
What started your fire?
My kids would hear me say, "When I'm old, I'm going to move to Italy." My daughter asked why I said it when I was old. Why don't you make it happen now? That really struck me. All of the limits I created were self-imposed to make me feel like I couldn't realize my dream. I had to let go of them and dream bigger. Jim agreed with my daughter that I should go for a month to see how I felt after I told him I wanted to move there. All of the weight I was carrying was gone.
What steps did you take to make this happen?
I signed up for Italian lessons. I looked at where I should spend the month. I went to Orvieto because I had already seen Bolzano, a small city in Italy that is between Florence and Rome. Jim loved it and joined me.
We decided to make the move when we returned home. Jim retired in January of 2016 I sold my piano to a student. There was an estate sale. Our life in Italy was paid for by renting out our house in Seattle. We sold the house to finance life here. We started in Lecce because we wanted to go to a place where the local population didn't speak English and we would have to speak Italian. I have become almost fluent since then.
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Ms. Herrmann said she didn't want life to be boring. I wanted it to be filled with adventure.
How did you deal with the challenges of living in a foreign country?
I wanted life to be interesting. I wanted it to be full of adventure. Move to a different country if you want that. We broke the handle of our pot in Lecce. We only needed a screw and it became a five-hour adventure. How do we find a store? What is the Italian word for handle? How do we get there? I thrive here because I wanted our post-retirement life to be filled with challenges.
Did you see it as a second act?
I feel like one chapter has ended and the other has begun. I live in Italy in my life story. It is not a new book, but a new exciting chapter written in Italian.
What has this experience changed you?
I feel like I have a good life here. Italians have a way of living. They enjoy the small moments. I have also learned to do that. I feel understood and seen in a way I have not before.
How is your life different from your hometown?
We no longer own a car. We live in the center of a beautiful historic town that has a nearby river that we take walks along almost every day where we arrive at the observatory built on top of an ancient tower. We shop, go to restaurants and meet friends in the vicinity of our apartment. We can take a train to Venice for lunch or dinner. We traveled all over Europe before the Pandemic.
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Italians have an art of living. They enjoy the small moments. I have learned to do that, too, said Ms. Herrmann, pictured with her husband, Jim, in their Padua apartment.
What kind of advice can you give someone?
Make a list of the five things you need to do to make your plan a reality. Start with one. Don't look at all of them because it can be overwhelming. Go to two if you can do one. If you can finish the list, then you have accomplished something. Don't do anything crazy. Do a test run to see if you like this kind of life. I had a strong desire to do this. You should try to do something if you are compelled to.
What has life taught you?
It is useless to regret. You can't change the decision you made. Try to embrace where you are. Life unfolds easily when you are focused on the joy and beauty of your life. It doesn't play a part in the philosophy.
We are looking for people who will change their life and pursue their dreams at any age. Should we talk to you or someone you know? Tell your story here.
