It was August 2021, just after Ferragosto, when I had an appointment to see an apartment in Posillipo, a beautiful neighborhood in Napoli.
Before moving into the city, one of my biggest concerns was driving. Let me tell you something: whatever you’ve read or heard about driving in Napoli is true. People are not exaggerating. It is absolutely insane!
Before then, whenever I had to drive into Napoli, I was very strategic about what time I went and where I was going. I used to say I would never drive in New York City. Now? I wouldn’t even think twice. After driving in Napoli, for five years, I feel like I can drive anywhere in the world without fear.
Napoli trained me well!
But I digress.
When Manifestation Meets Divine Timing
A friend met me at the apartment that day. I had always said that if I were going to move into the city, I needed to find a quiet corner. And miraculously, I found myself on a quiet, one-way street in Posillipo.
Cars were parked along the left side of the street.
And to the right?
The Bay of Naples.
I hadn’t even walked into the apartment yet, and the view was already outstanding.
The owners, a husband and wife and their daughter, welcomed us with a beautiful aperitivo spread and showed us around.
I walked through the door and immediately looked toward the window.
There it was.
The Bay of Naples and Vesuvio.
My million-dollar view.
I remember thinking, Oh my God.
The apartment was stunning. Modern, clean, energy-efficient and completely renovated. The owner, Rosario, explained that he had gutted and reconstructed the apartment about ten years earlier. There were new windows, modern finishes and commissioned artwork throughout the home.
It had three bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen and living area, electronic gates and a wraparound balcony. Off the dining room was a large sliding glass door leading outside.
And when you stepped through it…
Magnificent.
There really isn’t another word for it.
Even after I moved in, the view never became ordinary to me. Whenever the light hit the bay differently, the clouds changed, Vesuvio appeared particularly clear, or the sunset transformed the sky, I took another picture.
I never got tired of it.
Neither did my guests. Americans, Italians—it didn’t matter. People would walk into my apartment, see that view and say the same thing:
Oh my God.
And then I learned something about the owners that made the entire situation even more remarkable.
They were moving to the United States for Rosario’s job and needed to leave the apartment around September or October.
I needed to be out of my house by October.
Interesting, isn’t it?
The timing couldn’t have been better.
This is why I believe so strongly that divine timing is always at play. Sometimes we don’t recognize it while things are falling apart. We only see it later, when everything begins falling into place.
Months earlier, I had been creating Pinterest boards and visualizing the kind of home I wanted. I wanted something modern, beautiful and well-maintained. After everything I’d experienced in my first house, I knew exactly what I didn’t want, and that gave me clarity about what I did want.
Then this apartment appeared.
I know how to co-create with God/Source and my spiritual team. I believe in manifestation, and I never take my ability to manifest for granted. But every once in a while, even I have one of those moments when I have to laugh and think:
Wow. This stuff really works.
Making My New Apartment a Home
I moved in that October.
A friend from the United States was traveling through Italy and came to stay with me during my second full week in the apartment. There were still boxes around, but I had the second bedroom ready for her.
Her reaction?
Oh my God. This is beautiful. And it was.
Of course, manifestation doesn’t mean life suddenly becomes perfect.
During those early days, the water heater broke and had to be replaced, and there were a couple of other repairs that needed attention. After what I’d just experienced in my previous house, you can imagine what went through my mind.
But everything was handled.
And this time, despite a few hiccups, I felt differently. I was home.
An American Thanksgiving in Napoli
By Thanksgiving, my mother had arrived from the United States and would be staying through Christmas. I decided there was no better way to celebrate my first Thanksgiving in my new home than to fill it with food, friends and family.
And when I say we had a spread, we had a spread.
Turkey. Cornbread dressing. Cranberry sauce. Fried salmon. We had all the traditional sides and desserts. And, of course…
Macaroni and cheese.
Now, I had already warned my Italian friends.
Among the guests were two wonderful travel designers I had met, Savio and Lino, who had helped me explore different neighborhoods when I was looking for somewhere to live in Napoli. Savio is also a chef, and Lino is an excellent cook.
So I told them beforehand:
Listen. We’re making American macaroni and cheese. I know this is blasphemy to Italians, but we’re having it.
They accepted the warning.
My mother made the macaroni and cheese, and several of my Italian guests were experiencing an American Thanksgiving for the first time.
And guess what?
They ate it.
Not only did they eat it, but they also went back for seconds.
Savio even took some home and asked my mother how she made it!
Later he admitted to me that he hadn’t planned on eating it. Hilarity!
But it was good. I couldn’t resist. See? Good food is good food. It doesn’t matter where you come from!
Watching everyone around that table enjoying themselves meant more to me than I realized at the time. Here I was, an American woman who had moved across the ocean earlier that year, celebrating an American tradition in Napoli with my mother and Italian friends.
Little by little, this beautiful apartment was becoming more than somewhere I lived.
It was becoming home.
New Year’s Eve With a View
And then came New Year’s Eve.
Because I had the view, Savio and Lino had an idea.
They were trying to figure out what to do for New Year’s Eve and essentially said, Why don’t we have dinner at your house? You have the view. Sure! Why not?!
At the time, some COVID restrictions were still in place, and the usual fireworks celebrations weren’t supposed to happen.
Well…. Napoli apparently had other plans!
I invited friends from work and the military base, Savio and Lino, and their friends came over, and we ate, laughed and celebrated together.
And then midnight came.
If you ever have the opportunity to spend New Year’s Eve in Napoli, do it at least once in your life.
I’m biased, of course, but I believe Posillipo has some of the most spectacular views in the city. From my balcony, I could see across the Bay of Naples.
And that night, the entire bay lit up. Fireworks were everywhere.
The sky exploded with light over Napoli, and I didn’t have to fight crowds or travel anywhere to experience it. I simply stepped onto my own wraparound balcony.
There I was, surrounded by friends, chosen family and the new Italian family I was creating for myself, watching fireworks illuminate the city I had dreamed about living in.
Life was good. Really good.
You Will End Up Where You’re Supposed to Be
Earlier that year, I had moved to Italy and into a house that I thought would be my first real home here.
Instead, I spent six months unhappy.
At the time, I couldn’t understand why something I had dreamed about for so long had started that way.
But maybe that house wasn’t where I was supposed to stay.
Maybe it was simply where I was supposed to start.
Because that experience forced me to get clear about what I wanted. I put those desires on my Pinterest boards. I visualized a different home and a different experience.
And then, at exactly the right time, a family preparing to move from Italy to the United States needed someone to move into their apartment, just as an American woman who had moved from the United States to Italy needed somewhere new to call home.
Divine timing.
Sometimes where you start isn’t where you’re meant to stay.
After six months of feeling unsettled, I finally put down roots in Napoli.
I thought I had manifested a beautiful apartment with a million-dollar view.
Looking back, I realize I manifested something much more important.
I manifested a home.
And I will forever be grateful for the view, the memories, the people, and most of all, the timing.
Next up: Settling into Napoli, and discovering what life looked like after the manifestation became my reality.