When Lynnette Elser, from Crossville, Tennessee, first arrived within the Italian village of Latronico along with her 5-year-old adopted autistic son Kenny, she wasn’t planning on making it her new house.
Then, on their first night time, Kenny, who has severe respiratory points, appeared in a position to breathe with out problem for what Elser, a retired federal authorities scientist, says was the primary time ever.
Normally, she would verify his blood oxygen stage with a fingertip pulse monitor throughout the night time when she heard him battle to breathe, however in Latronico one thing was totally different.
“Truthfully, I thought his blood oxygen meter was broken and not reading the oxygen level correctly,” Elser says. “I switched monitors and it was still a good reading. Then that night as his breathing was steady I was just amazed watching him breathe and not trying to put his head higher on the pillows.”
As Elser saved vigil, Kenny’s blood oxygen stage stayed steadily above 95%. His coronary heart charge was regular.
“It is horrible watching a child not able to breathe, struggling with each breath, the oxygen level in his blood not going up, and with his heart beating at over 250 beats a minute,” she says. “When we were in Latronico he did not struggle to breathe, sucking in air.”
Seeing her son’s well being enhance, it struck Elser that Latronico, a small hill city of about 4,500 individuals in Italy’s southern Basilicata area, should change into their new everlasting house.
Elser was initially drawn to the city after studying a CNN article in regards to the city’s reasonably priced housing program geared toward luring new consumers and reversing a depopulation development brought on by a long time of individuals leaving the realm searching for employment. It’s one among quite a few rural locations throughout Italy which have provided houses on the market at low cost charges.
In September 2024, Elser purchased an previous 100-square-meter refurbished home in Latronico, sight-unseen, in town’s online platform for 50,000 euros — about $59,000.
She was planning to make use of the upper-story property merely as a trip house and luxuriate in a non-touristy, peaceable place near the ocean and mountains, surrounded by nature.
But when she and Kenny visited to lastly see what they’d truly purchased within the historic district, every little thing modified.
On that very same first go to, she ended up shopping for the vacant property beneath to enlarge the home right into a four-story dwelling. She’s at present finalizing the renovations.
Kenny had been hospitalized a number of instances within the US for respiratory points and has a number of particular wants. He is autistic and nonverbal, with extreme developmental delays and allergic reactions, and a historical past of low blood oxygen ranges that continuously drop beneath 90% — a state of affairs that sometimes requires medical intervention.
Elser believes it’s the “healing” location of Latronico that now helps Kenny breathe at night time. The city is excessive sufficient up on the hills to be above forests and tree pollen, with contemporary air, few automobiles and no smog — situations that may sometimes current a lower-risk surroundings for these with respiratory illnesses.
Rosalia Loresco, a health care provider and pediatrician based mostly in Latronico, says she’s seen different individuals with respiratory situations profit from the area’s clear air.
“Many patients with asthma and respiratory conditions report improved breathing comfort and overall well-being during their stay in this area,” she says.
As the property sale was going by means of, Elser saved interested by how simply Kenny may breathe in Latronico and filed the paperwork to make it their principal place of residence, which additionally permits her to keep away from taxes usually levied in opposition to second householders.
She and Kenny are at present dwelling of their authentic property within the city, which consists of two higher flooring with two giant bedrooms. It was already liveable on the time of buy, requiring solely minor fixes like upgraded heating and electrics, air con, an exterior water resistant coating, and energy-efficient home windows and doorways.
The different 83-square-meter property on the 2 decrease flooring, one nearly beneath avenue stage, requires extra work. It value 18,000 euros and was beforehand used to deal with pigs. Elser is spending 63,000 euros to transform it right into a livable area with two bedrooms, loos, a kitchen, plumbing and electrical energy. The restyle, 95% accomplished, is scheduled for completion in summer season 2026, when the skin partitions can be repainted.
Once the 2 properties are united, they’ll cowl 183 sq. meters, with a entrance porch and a number of balconies providing mountain and valley views. Elser additionally plans to purchase a close-by storage. The area will imply Kenny can have his personal indoor playroom.
“Money was never an issue,” she says. “I have always worked to be able to buy what I wanted. If I could not afford something I just worked more and waited. So, I definitely looked at the price of the house and the costs to improve the house, but I was more focused on the quality of life.”
In March 2025, Elser utilized for an elective residency visa — which requires a passive earnings of 31,000 euros per individual — and made the transfer to Latronico, with Kenny, in July. In the spring, she plans to enroll Kenny on the village faculty and is finishing paperwork to make sure he’ll get full assist.
Elser believes he’ll cope higher in Latronico’s lecture rooms, with far fewer pupils with particular academic wants than these in Tennessee, a state of affairs that meant he made little progress there.
She says she and her son have already built-in into Latronico’s tight-knit neighborhood in only a few months, interacting with locals as they spend their days strolling in parks and procuring at shops.
People name Kenny “bellissimo angelo” — “most beautiful angel” — she says. At the grocery retailer, they provide him sweet bars and vacation treats. Most of the shopkeepers know some English or use a translator app to speak when needed.
“So many times shopkeepers went out of their way to help me find the correct thing,” Elser says. “Neighbors walking down the street will say ‘buono’ and do a thumbs up as they see the new tiles on the walkway or the new window.”
The welcoming village is a pointy distinction to Crossville, the place, she says, her neighbors have been extra more likely to provide complaints than compliments and any go to to the shop concerned a 20-minute drive.
“People seem more satisfied with their life,” she provides. “I understand that a lot of the youth have moved away to places where the economics can help them get more but the people remaining seem happy and not in that constant competition mindset.”
At house, they follow occupational remedy workouts, with particular grip crayons, puzzles and particular toys. Once every week, they drive to a bigger close by city to purchase objects like printer ink or furnishings. The tranquil tempo of life within the city additionally helps Kenny keep away from getting overstimulated, a typical supply of stress for autistic individuals.
“We are happy with our calm and routine life. When he starts going to school, I will focus on learning Italian because I eventually will need to pass a driver’s license test, and I will start doing some of my hobby crafts like quilting,” she says.
Kenny’s weight-reduction plan has additionally improved. He loves having carbs for breakfast like a croissant or pastry reasonably than a protein-heavy US-style meal with eggs, ham or bacon. The value of dwelling is considerably decrease than in Tennessee, particularly with regards to meals costs. Many prescription medicines might be obtained freed from cost beneath Italy’s public healthcare program.
Elser says that she enjoys a less complicated lifestyle in Latronico, with fewer seen indicators of consumerism. She doesn’t at present have a TV and says Kenny is okay with that.
“There is a lot less impulse buying. Everything we need is in town,” she says.