By Silvia Marchetti, CNN
(CNN) — After decades of building businesses, designing buildings and traveling, Edward Krueger Connors Jr. reached an unexpected conclusion in his early 80s: staying put no longer made sense.
“I was bored of America,” Connors tells CNN Travel.
In January 2026, just weeks before his 81st birthday, the Vietnam War hero, architect and former gym owner relocated alone to southern Italy, leasing an apartment in Lecce, a baroque city in the Puglia region that he now calls his “perfect Goldilocks city.”
Connors’ decision was driven by a growing sense of restlessness. Retirement didn’t suit him, and he says the pace and direction of life in the United States no longer felt right. After selling his home in Venice Beach, he set out on a two-month journey through Europe, searching for a place that matched the way he wanted to live now.
The move also revived a long-deferred dream.
Back on September 13, 2001, Connors had been scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Rome to buy a 12th-century medieval castle near Orvieto — a classic Italian hill town in the Umbria region — complete with 10 acres of vineyards. Like all international flights that week, his was canceled following the September 11 attacks.
Having served in the military, Connors believed the United States was at war and decided it was no time to leave. He invoked the force majeure clause in his contract and terminated the purchase agreement. He has since returned to Orvieto several times and says he would have completed the deal had he made that trip.
“September 11, 2001, changed my life,” says Connors, who grew up in Nebraska. “That was a life-changing event for me. I’ve always admired Italy’s beauty and lifestyle, so once again I’m exploring the dream I had 25 years ago of living in Italy.”
This time, the dream looks different.
Not afraid to die
Connors, who has never married and has no children, says he no longer wants the responsibility of owning a large property or making long-term commitments. Instead, he opted for a six-month lease near Lecce’s historic center, choosing flexibility over permanence.
He says the prospect of death does not scare him. He stays active, walks at least 10,000 steps a day and closely monitors his health.
“I’ve had a full life and am not worried about dying alone,” he says. “I had triple bypass open heart surgery in 2008 and was ready to die then, so I feel like I have a second life now. I have not spent time in the hospital since then. My father had the same surgery at the same age and lived until he was 96, so I have genetics going for me, which is huge.”
After a busy career, slowing down proved difficult. In 1980, Connors opened the first franchised Gold’s Gym in the United States, eventually helping grow the brand to 704 locations worldwide before exiting in 2004. He also worked as an architect, designing dozens of buildings and landmark structures in California.
But by age 80, he says boredom had set in, compounded by discomfort with changes he saw around him.
“I realize I was part of the ‘franchise world,’ but the ugliness of suburban America with all the food franchises is something that depresses me and I wanted to leave behind for a while.”
Lecce was not an obvious choice. Connors chose the city without visiting first, acting on the suggestion of a friend. After leaving the United States, he spent two months tra