72-Year-Old Moves To Italy To Raise His Life Expectancy And Be Near Africa

Cheers to more life! Kansas City native Bingwa Thomas is moving to Latronico, Italy to add years to his life as a Black man currently in the United States.

Thomas is currently based in Los Angeles but plans to move to Latronico in September. In 2022, he purchased a two-level, 1184-square-foot home in the southern Italian city for €8,000, or under $9,000. He’s moving because the life expectancy of a Black man in the U.S. is 70 and he believes he’ll extend his years further in Italy.

The expat is currently purchasing another home, an over $45,700 property, which he hopes will be his “main living space.”

“Life expectancy in Italy is 82.7 years, while in the U.S. it’s 79,” Thomas told CNN Travel. “But for a Black male, it’s 70. So in the U.S., I’m already two years past my expiration date. But in Italy, I can get 10 extra years.”

“Living in Italy gives me more of the one thing that is important to me and should be the number one thing of importance to any living being – literally life,” he emphasized.

Why Else Is Bingwa Thomas Moving To Italy?

Thomas is an actor, voice actor, and longtime social activist. He shared that his “main reason” for moving to Latronico is its proximity to Africa. He wants to engage in humanitarian efforts on the continent and reportedly plans to volunteer in Cameroon and Senegal’s remote villages.

“[I want ] to be able to use my pension to create, fund, network, and volunteer with programs on the African continent,” Thomas said. “I wanted a residence that I would not have to spend a lot to make habitable so that I could have more money for the African projects.”

“[It] will be a lot easier going back and forth from Africa to southern Italy than Africa to Los Angeles,” he noted.

Latronico has about 4,000 residents, and the 72-year-old purchased his first property in the small city through a repopulation program. He noted that former deputy mayor, Vincenzo Castellano, helped in his buying process. Still, he faced some pandemic-related travel restrictions.

The Los Angeles resident appreciates the smaller property’s low price point and reportedly budgeted over $20,000 for renovations, furniture, and appliances.

The 72-year-old isn’t a stranger to living in Europe, having worked “odd jobs” in Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

“What I love most about Latronico is the dedication and attention to detail in the attempt to first, stop the bleeding, resuscitate, and bring back to life this beautiful town,” Thomas stated.