Why Rachael Ray Ditched America to Live in Italy

If Rachael Ray had it her way, the culinary queen would live in Italy full time. But, she has to consider her husband of 20 years, John Cusimano. 

The former talk show host opened up about her love of the country while hosting Blue Moon Burger Bash 2.0 at the New York City Wine & Food Festival. “I live there as long and as much as I can,” she told PEOPLE. 

Cusimano, however, is all about the Big Apple. “My husband loves New York, prefers New York,” Ray explained. “And he has a rock ‘n’ roll band, and so he spends a lot of time here. I spend as much time as I can there. We work in both places. I tell John all the time, however much time he wants to spend here, do it.”

Her connection to Italy goes back decades. Ray, 57, and Cusimano, 58, wed in a Tuscan castle in 2005. They also renewed their vows there a decade later. In 2021, she revealed that she’d bought a home in Tuscany. She also celebrated her love for Italian cuisine with Rachael Ray in Tuscany, a series that premiered in 2024.

“My family is from Italy, and I’ve always wanted to live in Italy,” Ray said. “It’s my life’s dream. And I’m in my 50s. I worked my whole life to live there. And we have a huge garden, orto, and we make our own wine. We press our own olive oil. We have a freshwater pool so my dog can drink water and swim at the same time. I just love the peace of it and the smell of the air.”

As for her love of the lifestyle there, it’s all about slowing down. “You can just breathe,” she added. “And everything is quiet. And you’re on a different time zone, so people don’t even try and find me. I’m six hours ahead, so people don’t even try and find me until much later in my day, so I’m more mentally prepared for it by then.”

She and Cusimano are planning a “very quiet” holiday season this year, which will take place in Italy. “It’s going to be much like our anniversary, very quiet, just us and Bella,” she said. “We’re coming home in December to have a quiet Christmas with our families, but a little before Christmas. On the actual Christmas Day, we’ll just be back in Italy.”