An Italian Moved to Cabo in 2020 and Never Left

Francesco Lee arrived in Los Cabos in January 2020. It was the only place he knew in Mexico, he had no real expectations, and within weeks the world shut down.

He stayed. Six years later he is a permanent resident who plays football several times a week, speaks six languages, and spends every Sunday on the same Pacific beach with his wife and his dogs.

We sat down with him for The Baja Brief to talk about that arrival, what ultra-luxury hospitality taught him about serving people, and why he thinks lifestyle has to come before property.

Arriving in Cabo just before the world shut down

His wife landed three days before Italy closed. A month later, Mexico followed.

"In Italy everything was such a mess, and here I could go out. I was actually playing football every day. It was a great year — much better than being in Italy. I didn't think about going back."

He remembers the first day precisely. He was staying in a villa in Pedregal, walking outside, and called his father in Italy, where it was cold and raining.

"I came in January from Italy. It was brutally awful there. I came here, it was sunny, it was 22 Celsius, it was just perfect. I felt home from the very first day."

The culture shocks, from an Italian

• Nobody uses a dishwasher. "I was so surprised by that."
• Chili goes on everything. On fruit, on candy. "That was really shocking."
• "Ahorita." The word that means anything from right now to never. "They can't say no. You tell them something and they say ahorita, sí, sí — and then they don't do it."

On the bigger question of whether Italians and Mexicans are actually that different, his answer was immediate.

"We are definitely very similar. We have the same kind of warmth. We like being together, sharing good moments. We have more similarities than people may imagine."

The Mexican dish he'll defend to any Italian

Quesabirria, without hesitation.

"It's juicy, it's salty, it has all these flavors. You add cilantro, the chili, the sauce, and you can dip it in the broth. I love the crunchiness of the fried tortilla with the cheese. It's so complete, so fulfilling. It's happiness in a bite."

What he misses from Italy: the pastry shops. "The little size cakes, the croissants. I miss it so much here."

Why he never felt like a foreigner

Asked when Cabo started to feel like home, he pushed the timeline earlier than the question assumed.

"Way before that. If you really get mixed with the locals, they always make you feel at home. I never felt like a foreigner here. People are super welcoming. They want to know more about your culture and they make you feel at home. They want to show you their culture."

He has since become a permanent resident. For buyers weighing the same step, the ownership side of that process is covered in The Fideicomiso Explained.

How Cabo changed his lifestyle

Two things, and the second one surprised him more.

The first is time. "I can choose whether I want to work in the morning or at night. I can manage my time much better and create the right balance."

The second is the professional climate.

"In Italy a lot of people try to tear you down. Here there are a lot of entrepreneurs. It gives you a lot of ability to improve, to get more ideas. There's a great environment here — people who are not stressed, who are not envious of what you do. They're more curious, and they like to share. I love that about this environment."

What ultra-luxury hospitality taught him

Francesco worked in ultra-luxury hospitality before entering real estate at 26. He says that training shaped everything about how he works now.

"Every person is equal. Every person can be an opportunity to create a relationship. The way you serve a person at a bar can be the same way you serve a person in real estate. And it's about the details — understanding a person, their tastes, choices, needs."

What impresses people who can afford almost anything

Not what most people assume.

"Simplicity is a major factor. And simplicity doesn't mean not having a pool. It's the simplicity of finding what you were really looking for — a space where you can entertain, where you can have the whole family together, a place where you can gather and make memories."

Why authenticity matters at the high end

"Luxury people appreciate real personalities. If you're going to hide who you really are, they're going to spot it right away. So you've got to be yourself, and they're going to appreciate that."

His definition is deliberately unfixed: "Luxury can be many things. Luxury here in Cabo can be a golf community, it can be oceanfront. But luxury is a personal thing. You need to understand what's really important for each client in front of you."

Living on Baja's Pacific side

Francesco lives and works on the Pacific side, and his comparison to the corridor is refreshingly practical.

"The only main difference is actually the supermarkets. Here you have swimmable beach as well, an incredible environment, a better climate. People who like that area probably like the infrastructure, being close to all of those things. Here it's more a natural type of life — if you need to do your grocery, you probably need to go to three different places."

He is clear that neither is better: "It's a different type of lifestyle for sure, but I don't feel there's a huge difference in the essence of it."

If you are weighing the two, our guides to Todos Santos, Pescadero / Cerritos and the Cabo Corridor are the place to start.

A perfect Sunday on the Pacific

Brunch in Pescadero — enchiladas with mole. Volleyball at Cerritos beach. Then the place he goes every week without fail.

"Playa Las Palmas is my place to go every Sunday. It's a super wild and natural beach. It's beautiful because it's inside this enclave with palm trees, and it doesn't really feel like you're in Baja. There aren't a lot of people, so you can really relax."

Sunset there with his wife and his dogs. "The best thing ever."

Lifestyle first, property second

This is his central piece of advice, and it is the same conclusion our other advisors keep arriving at from different directions.

"It all starts with the lifestyle. You've got to understand what your priorities are. A lot of people start looking at Cabo and then realize they don't like it because of the lifestyle. So lifestyle is the most important thing."

And the part that requires an advisor willing to say it:

"Once you understand the person, you can tell them they're not going to like living in some place."

Alejandro Donnadieu puts it as community over the perfect house. Luis Tucker shows buyers the whole spectrum before they choose. Francesco starts from how you actually want to spend a Tuesday.

For buyers who are nervous about Mexico

"You've got to let them know how everything works here. You've got to let them know about the risks as well. People need to have a person on site who gives them the tranquility, the sense of safety to move forward."

"And of course, there are so many other people who have done the same thing. The path has already been paved. It's about guiding this person toward the best decision they can make, and always being by their side."

On the country itself, he is emphatic:

"Mexico has nothing to envy any other country in the world. Tradition, culture, food, architecture, the places you can visit. It has it all. Nothing to envy Italy, nothing to envy Asia. I understood it coming here to Cabo and visiting other parts of Mexico."

Watch the full conversation

The complete episode runs seventeen minutes and covers more than we could fit here — the six languages, why Mexico City surprised him most, what Sri Lanka taught him, and why he calls Paradero the most special project in Baja.

Watch the full episode on YouTube, and subscribe for the rest of The Baja Brief series.

Where to go from here

• Explore the Pacific side: Todos Santos and Pescadero / Cerritos
• Compare with the Cabo Corridor, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo
• See all homes for sale and condos for sale
• Buying in Mexico for the first time: The Fideicomiso Explained and our buying and selling guides
• Want to start with lifestyle instead of listings? Get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

What is it like living on the Pacific side of Los Cabos?

Quieter and more natural than the corridor, with swimmable beach access, a cooler climate and fewer people. The main practical trade-off is convenience: groceries and services are spread across several stops rather than concentrated in one place.

Can foreigners become permanent residents in Mexico?

Yes. Many foreign residents in Los Cabos hold permanent residency, and property ownership in the coastal restricted zone is held through a fideicomiso, a bank trust in which the buyer is the sole beneficiary.

Is Los Cabos welcoming to foreigners?

Residents who integrate with local communities consistently describe it as highly welcoming. Francesco Lee, who moved from Italy in 2020, says he has never felt like a foreigner here and that people are eager to share their culture.

What should I decide first when buying in Los Cabos?

Lifestyle. Buyers who start from the property often find the area does not suit how they actually want to live. Identifying your priorities first — pace, climate, proximity, activities — narrows the search far more effectively than a price range does.

Where are the best beaches near Todos Santos and Pescadero?

Cerritos is the most accessible and popular, with beach clubs and volleyball. Playa Las Palmas is quieter and more natural, set inside a palm enclave with very few visitors.