A Cuban emigrant known on social media as Day (@dayporitalia) became a trending topic this week after posting a video on TikTok in which she responds to those who ask her what she does all day living in a village of just 50 inhabitants in the Italian Alps.
The clip, lasting less than a minute, garnered over 111,700 views, 13,900 "likes," and more than a thousand comments in just a few days, sparking a wide debate about rural life versus urban pace.
Day, whose full name is Dayami Rivera Menocal, deconstructs from the very first second the idea that living in such a small place equates to a permanent vacation: "I live in a village of 50 people and no, I don't get bored, I don't spend my days sleeping. Many people believe that this is what it means to be on vacation: mountains, silence, clean air. But no."
Far from the rest that many imagine, the Cuban describes a day full of tasks: picking fruit from the trees, making compotes, caring for animals, working in the garden, planting vegetables, and walking to get almost anywhere.
"The difference is that here the day doesn't rush by, I don't have a thousand distractions, I don't need a shopping mall to feel like I've accomplished something," he explains in the video.
What stands out most about her life in that alpine corner is the slow pace and direct contact with nature. "Sometimes the plan is to eat something that came from the earth, drink water from the spring, and end the day tired but at peace," she describes.
Day acknowledges that this lifestyle is not for everyone, but she defends it as a form of well-being that she values: "I don’t know if this is for everyone. For me, living with less noise is also a luxury."
The town where he resides experiences a remarkable seasonal variation: during the low season, it barely reaches 50 inhabitants, but in the high season, it can swell to 2,000 people.
The creator has been documenting her experience as a Cuban immigrant in Italy for some time through TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where she blends reflections on migration, identity, and the contrast between rural tranquility and the isolation that this way of life also entails.
Her story is not an isolated case. A Cuban emigrant managed to buy a house for one euro in Italy as part of the repopulation programs for depopulated municipalities that the Italian government has been promoting for years.
Other Cuban women in Italy have shared their experiences regarding the challenges and satisfactions of life in that country, from the difficulties of adaptation to the aspects they value most about their new reality.
Day closed the video with a direct question to his followers that summarizes the debate he sparked: "Could you live a week in a village like this?"
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