When California-native Audrey Jacqulene Bruno left the city life behind to move to a quant village in France in 2021, she thought she was living out a real-life fairytale.
However, she soon realized that residing in the picturesque town was not for her.
While calling the countryside of France home indeed came with some benefits – like having more space and being surrounded by beautiful nature – she discovered that it also had immense downsides she hadn’t considered before making the move.
She ultimately ‘had enough’ and moved out just two years later.
Now, Bruno, 32, has lifted a lid on the shocking realities of country living exclusively with the Daily Mail… warning others that it’s not as dreamy as they might think.
After years of residing in New York City followed by Berlin, Bruno explained that she felt like she had become ‘burnt out’ by city life.
And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and almost everything ‘came to a standstill,’ she and her husband thought it was the perfect time to move somewhere quieter.
‘Nightlife was dead, restaurants were closed and friend meet-ups were restricted by the government to a maximum of three people in one space at a time – so the things that made city living worthwhile weren’t possible,’ she explained.
California-native Audrey Jacqulene Bruno left the city life behind to move to a quant village in France in 2021 with her husband
On first glance it seemed perfect. The rent was extremely low – just 600 euros (around $700) a month – for a house that was ‘ten times the size’ of her past apartment
They ultimately decided to move to a small French village called Vernassal, where the population was a mere 362 as of 2020, because it was near where her husband’s family lived.
On first glance it seemed perfect. The rent was extremely low – just 600 euros (around $700) a month – for a house that was ‘ten times the size’ of her past apartment.
Their ‘charming’ new home even came with its own personal garden, a barn and horse stables and was near a slew of hiking trails.
At first, Bruno said she was enthralled by having so much more space and living in such a pretty setting.
But as the lockdown slowly started to ease up, Bruno soon started to ‘regret’ making the move.
‘As soon as things started to open up again, I became keenly aware of the difference in accessibility between village and city life and began to regret that we’d made such a hasty move,’ she shared.
The first thing she struggled with was the language barrier between her and the locals, as her French wasn’t the best.
Adjusting to the ‘pace and attitude’ of the village was also a hard feat as she soon learned that life in a village is ‘a lot slower’ than in the city.
They moved to the French village of Vernassal (seen), where the population was a mere 362 as of 2020
Their ‘charming’ new home even came with its own personal garden, a barn and horse stables and was near a slew of hiking trails
At first, Bruno said she was enthralled by having so much more space and living in such a pretty setting. But Bruno soon started to ‘regret’ making the move
In addition, she discovered that the town was mostly made up of elderly retirees – most of whom were ‘diametrically opposed to their political beliefs and general interests’ – which left her feeling like an outsider and longing to be around more people her own age.
If the locals weren’t ‘lecturing’ her and her husband on something, they wouldn’t stop talking, which was another thing she struggled to adjust to.
‘They had seemingly infinite time to chat, which could be nice but was often a nuisance,’ she admitted.
‘There were times when I wanted to leave my house for fresh air but didn’t for fear of crossing a neighbor and getting caught in a long convo that would derail the rest of my day and the deadlines that were my priority.’
Options for shopping and dining were extremely limited – and she missed the convenience of companies like DoorDash or Uber.
‘Shops closed on Sundays and often for lunch – or simply because the owner had stepped out for a cigarette – during normal working hours,’ Bruno explained.
‘Coming from the land of 24-hour, non-stop service, this was no small thing to adapt to.’
But her biggest complaint? How hard it was to get around.
Since she had been living in the city for years, Bruno (seen with her husband) didn’t have her license. And in the small French village, you had to drive to get anywhere
By October 2023, just over two years of living in Vernassal, Bruno felt like she was ‘losing her mind, so she and her husband moved to the nearby city of Lyon instead
Since she had been living in the city for years where there’s endless public transportation options, Bruno didn’t have her license. And in the small French village, you had to drive to get anywhere.
‘I had to rely solely on my husband for my transportation needs. Walking and biking to the nearest shops were technically possible but not practical – the amount of time it took was not proportionate to the payoff,’ she explained.
In addition, while the rent was cheaper, she said she didn’t ultimately save much money since living in the countryside added many ‘additional expenses’ like car payments and high utility bills.
By October 2023, just over two years of living in Vernassal, Bruno felt like she was ‘losing her mind, so she and her husband moved to the nearby city of Lyon instead.
She admitted that she’s now ‘much happier’ than she was in the countryside, but is grateful for the time she spent there.
‘I feel much more like myself now that I can leave my house and simply hop on a subway or a bike,’ she said.
‘It’s also just nice to have access to certain conveniences that aren’t possible in remote towns, like being able to order delivery when I don’t have the energy to cook or go to a late supermarket for an ingredient I’m missing.’
