Giuseppina Giuliano is a young Italian woman who always gets up at 4 AM to take the train from Naples, the city where she lives, to Milan, where she works as a school operator. She has considered renting rooms and houses to facilitate the commute, but it would be too expensive for her, so she has adapted to this routine.
Giuseppina Giuliano is a 29-year-old woman who knows what sacrifice is. Every day she travels from Naples (Italy), the city where she lives, to Milan to work as a school operator at the Boccioni Secondary School of Art, so every time she finishes her day, she must repeat her odyssey to return home.
The distance from one city to the other is 500 miles, making the journey quite exhausting, but even so Giuseppina doesn’t lose her smile.
«I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve done the math, and I’ve decided that it’s better for me financially. Of course, it means a lot of sacrifice for me, considering that every morning, even on Saturdays, I take the train to Milan at five o’clock. Now I’m used to it, and, for the moment, it’s fine,» she told the local newspaper Il Giorno.
It was less than a year ago that Giuseppina found her job in Milan, so she planned to find a house in that city to make her commute easier, but since her salary is 1,165 euros ($1,259) a month, it isn’t enough for her. «I realized that now in Milan it’s easier to find a needle in a haystack,» she told the media outlet
While moving from one city to another every day may sound tiring, she finds it more convenient.
«I realized that, between rent, bills and expenses, I would’ve spent my entire salary if I had moved to live up north and most likely would’ve also had to ask my family to help me financially. Instead, by continuing to live in Naples, I can manage to have some savings,» she told Il Giorno.
Giuseppina had even considered renting a room in Milan, but these are still as expensive as a house at around 650 euros ($702). So, she has no choice but to commute every day to work and return home to her parents, grandmother, and puppies.
«To get back, I take the train from Milan at 18:20 and arrive in Naples at 22:53, provided there are no delays. So, I expect to be home by 11:30 PM. I get up at 4 AM because it takes me half an hour to get to the station where I take the Frecciarossa Train that leaves Naples Central at 5:09 AM and arrives in Milan at 9:24 AM. Then I get on public transport, and arrive at the school where I work from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM. When I finish work, I go to the supermarket to buy myself something for dinner which, of course, I eat on the train,» she detailed to the local newspaper.
Yet, it’s not all bad, because as a frequent passenger on the train, she accumulates points that serve as a discount. Thanks to this, she can secure her tickets in advance, so the train costs her about 400 euros ($432) a month, much cheaper than staying and living in Milan.
For now, she enjoys what she can, although she hasn’t given up on finding accommodation. «However, now that I’m tenured, I can’t pass up the opportunity of this job. So, until I find something that fits my possibilities, I will continue like this,» she told Il Giorno.