Homes & Property | Where to live
London leavers: 'from a dismal shared warehouse in Stoke Newington to a picturesque Cotswolds rental house'
When Vincenzo Gentile moved to London as a teenager he was looking for fun and freedom.
What he eventually found was a wife, a career and business he is passionate about, and more recently a new life in the English countryside.
Vincenzo was born and raised in Rome and moved to London aged 18.
His parents were keen for him to go to university but he had other ideas.
“I did not feel like studying,” he said.
“London was the mecca for young people who just wanted to get a job, earn some money, and get on with life.”
"We had no windows and we shared a bathroom that often did not work.”
Vincenzo, now 30, made the move with his best friend and the pair found themselves living in a dismal warehouse in Stoke Newington.
“We were sharing a 20 square meter space with two other people,” he said. “We had no windows, there was no separation of the room, and we shared a bathroom that often did not work.”
Despite these inconveniences Vincenzo was happy.
“For a young man it is a city where you can do everything you want whenever you want,” he said.
“For us it was independence, we could eat whatever food we wanted, jump on the tube and go wherever we wanted.”
His first job in the capital was as a kitchen porter in a local bakery.
“I just got really passionate about smoked salmon”
Later he worked as a labourer on construction sites. But he found his metier when he landed a job with a smoked salmon company and became fascinated by the process.
“I just got really passionate about smoked salmon,” he said.
In 2017 Vincenzo decided to strike out on his own, setting up his own smoked salmon company with two Italian friends who had also made the move to London.
Smokin’ Brothers’ big break was brokering a deal with Daylesford Organic, the organic food empire set up by Carole Bamford on her farm in the Cotswolds.
Vincenzo and his business partners source their salmon from a family-owned farm in Scotland.
Daylesford allowed them to build a smokehouse at the farm. They also sell their produce in its shop.
Life changed in September 2022 when Vincenzo met Brazilian social media consultant Bruna Carvalho Arajo, also 30, on a dating app.
They fell in love – fast – bonding over their shared love of travel and healthy living, and got married the following May.
Looking for a home together in London was a wake up call.
“In London we couldn’t find a one bedroom flat in a decent area for less than £1,800 a month,” said Vincenzo.
“Everyone says hello when you walk along the street, if you are driving they will stop for you"
The alternative was to move closer to Daylesford, and they found a three bedroom house with a garden to rent in the Gloucestershire market town of Moreton-in-Marsh for £1,700pcm.
They moved in October and so far relocating to the sticks has been a great success.
“The lifestyle we have here is a much better match for my ideal for living,” said Vincenzo.
“I am not really a party guy, I am really focussed on work and on health. There is an amazing gym I go to before work and the landscape is amazing.”
The couple have also been struck by how much nicer people are once you get out of the stress and chaos of London.
“Everyone says hello when you walk along the street, if you are driving they will stop for you, it is so different to London where everyone is rushing,” said Vincenzo.
“It is like everyone gets up in the morning and thinks about how they can be as kind as possible to other people.”
