Francesca from Rome: How Gran Canaria Became Her Reset Button

Francesca didn’t plan to build a new life in Gran Canaria. She just needed a break. “Three weeks,” she told herself. “Maybe four.” That was three years ago.

Now, she finds herself smiling every time her feet hit the tarmac at LPA airport. “I land, I smile. I walk the Paseo, I smile again. That’s how I know I’m in the right place.”

In this episode of A Walk Along Las Canteras, we follow Francesca’s story: from her first noisy impression of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to the quiet rituals and daily rhythms that keep bringing her back.

📸 Photo courtesy of Francesca. Used with permission.

🌴 A lifestyle that sticks

For Francesca, a good day includes a bit of yoga, a beach walk, dancing twice a week, and an unplanned meetup with friends. “You don’t need to make plans here. Just ask ‘who’s on the beach?’ and someone always is.”

She loves the simplicity. “Compared to Rome, it’s easier here, easier to make friends, easier to go out, easier to enjoy small things.”

🧳 The hard part? Letting go

The only challenge? People come and go. “You form these deep connections, and then they leave. At first it was tough. But now I know, most of them come back.”

That transient rhythm is part of what makes life here so unique. “You learn to love without clinging. And somehow, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria always pulls people back.”

🥔 The unexpected favourites

She’s now fully on board with papas arrugadas, churros canarios, and late-night snacks in Plaza Farray. And Carnaval? “It lasts two months here. Everyone dresses up, every night. It’s not just a party, it’s a thing.”

🎧 Hear the full story

Want to know what she wishes someone had told her before moving? Or how she really feels about rental prices, porras, and low tide at El Confital?

🎙️ Listen to Francesca from Rome on A Walk Along Las Canteras, wherever you get your podcasts. Or check it out via this link https://rss.com/podcasts/a-walk-along-las-canteras/2107872/

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