Rachael Ray has said she prefers living in Tuscany, Italy, to the United States, describing her life there as quiet and idyllic. The 57-year-old chef, who splits her time between Italy and New York with her husband John Cusimano, told Us Weekly that while her husband loves New York, she is happiest in the Italian countryside.
“My husband loves being in New York. And I tell him, ‘Hey, go as often as you like, stay as long as you want. I come to New York and upstate New York when I have work, I prefer Italy,” she said. “It’s quiet. The dog is much happier. She hates New York City. Bella is not a New Yorker at all. So, for the dog’s sake, I spend as much time [in Italy] as I can.”
Ray, who bought her Tuscan home in 2021, described the property as having a swimming pool and 66 hectares for her dog to run around, along with gardens, a vineyard and olive trees. “Everything is very quiet, and the air is very fresh,” she added. The exact cost of the home has not been publicly revealed, but at the time she called it her “life’s goal”.
In a 2021 issue of her magazine, Rachael Ray In Season, she joked that her husband initially described the property as “a war zone”. She said: “Honey, don't you want to look at a…house?' he asked. But I fell in love with the fields and the views and I thought for the money we'd pay for a house, we could build something that's really, truly ours.” The villa was “simply two structures” when bought and lacked plumbing and electricity, requiring major repairs.
Ray is among several celebrities who have expressed a preference for living abroad. Earlier this month, George Clooney said his eight-year-old twins have a better life in France than in Los Angeles, citing concerns about fame and paparazzi. “France — they kind of don’t give a s*** about fame,” he told Esquire.
