Sticking with the BERGAMO THEME  here, our couple for Love Story Lunedì is YET ANOTHER, BERGAMASCO BOY and this time, we're going south from Canada to North Dakota, USA to get his leading lady. We can probably call Camie and Marco college sweethearts as they met "by chance" (not really because Marco planned it all) in college in America. He was the cute Italian on the soccer team, she was the beautiful blonde on campus (I can see the movie trailer already)...The best part is that Marco worked at the coffee shop. Can you already hear "Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop" playing in your head? If not, click the link for some mood music as you read this love story...!

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
Camie is from Fargo, North Dakota USA and Marco is from Bergamo, Italy.

​Curator's Note: WHAT IS IN THE WATER IN BERGAMO?! Is it that sexy accent? Somebody needs to do the actual scientific research on this because it's borderline creepy. 

Our other BERGAMO COUPLES that have been featured:
(and I actually personally know probably another five or more, that can't have their story published due to privacy issues. So that means there's 10 right there that I know of! Insanity!) 
​
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Angela & Davide
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Alannah and Eros
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Rachel & Riccardo
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jennie & Davide
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Brittni & Alberto
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jasmine & Massi

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
Marco and I met when we were in college. We were the same year and had some mutual friends in common. It was the end of the school year concert and Hellogoodbye was performing. He asked me to dance and we were officially inseparable from that moment on. I had thought it was a chance meeting, but later I learned he had planned the whole encounter. ​

That night we did everything...went to a local hip hop show, went for a walk, had a late dinner and even watched a movie. It was a week before school was out for the summer, so we hung out until 4 am pretty much every night, and then Marco got up early the next day to work at the campus coffee shop. It’s pretty funny now looking back, since I now know Marco rarely stays up past 10 pm. You do crazy things when you’re in love.

Curator's Note: How sly and so very Italian of him to have planned the whole "random" encounter. Also, the fact that Marco worked at the campus coffee shop gives me Felicity vibes, no idea why. Like when Ben would go see Felicity at Dean and Deluca or something. I'm also really curious if there are any Italian men that go abroad for an extended period of time that DON'T come back with a foreign girlfriend in tow???? Do they exist?! 

Who made the first move? 
I thought it was me, but actually it was Marco all along. He had a friend ask if I would be at the dance, and then he found me there. My sister actually told him to ask me to dance, but he told her he was already planning on it. But then, after the dance, I invited him to another show in town that was playing later that night. So, I guess you could say we were both putting on the moves that night.

Where did you think he was initially from?
It was a small college campus, so I knew him as the cute Italian guy on the soccer team.

What was your first impression of him?
Marco was super open and confident. We hung out the entire first night we met and the chemistry was strong, the conversation so easy. I would definitely say love at first dance for both of us...first sight for him, since he had seen me around campus before we officially met.

Curator's Note:  Are there any Italians that can't be described as super open and confident? They are such a rarity. Also, love at first dance. I love that. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
We were watching Life is Beautiful after an entire night of hanging out, because he couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before...I can’t remember who made the first move in the kiss department, but you could say it had building up to it all night. Then, in the middle of the kiss he got a call to pick up a drunk friend, so it was cut short. College...

Curator's Note: That's kind of the best movie title ever for a first kiss. Because let's face it, kissing makes everyone remember that LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. 

​Where do you live now? 
We live in Bergamo, Italy...we actually live in a home above his parents.

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Marco was totally fluent in English when we met, since he had been in the US for a year of high school and a few years of college by then. He didn’t even have an accent. I have really started to learn his language seriously since we moved here to Italy a year and a half ago. Before then, I would really only practice when we were visiting his family in Italy, or they would come to visit us. So, I’m not fluent yet, but I will have to be if I want to really assimilate to life here in Italy! Plus, we have two children now, who will be bilingual, so I’ve been forced to learn with them as well.

How did he propose? 
No official proposal here...we are both pretty pragmatic people and talked about it from a practical standpoint. We both knew from early on in the relationship that getting married and having kids was something we both wanted. Also, when navigating logisitics of getting family together for a wedding, it kind of takes away the ability to be spontaneous when it comes to getting engaged or married. We were married in the US and at the time had no plans to ever move to Italy. Life happens!

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
We actually did long distance twice in the period of our dating relationship. The first time was for a whole summer after we had met, and the second time was eight months later, when Marco studied abroad in Spain for college for a semester. The first time was definitely easier, as we were still just getting to know each other and it was actually really nice to email every day. It’s also beautiful to look back at those emails and remember that exciting time of getting to know one another better.

The second time was so difficult. We Skyped or emailed nearly every day, but I missed Marco more than I thought was possible for those 5 months. The advice I would say to doing long-distance is to maintain that regular communication and use it as an opportunity to open up to the other person in a way you probably wouldn’t if you were always together. It’s work and sacrifice, but worth it! I think we both left some social events early in order to get on Skype and talk to the other person (thanks time difference), but it was important not to cancel those social events entirely. Staying busy was important, and also gave us things to talk about when we had the chance to talk. Also, have a plan...the distance was made easier for us knowing that there was an end-date.
​
Curator's Note: I have all the old e-mails too Camie! 

What do you love most about being married? 
I’m proud to call Marco my husband and I love our family. We have two sons: Diego (3 years) and Lucas (5 months). I also love his immediate and extended family like my own. I couldn't have done the move to Italy without their support.
​
Submitted by Camie.

Here's how you can connect with Camie:
Instagram: @camierc

A huge, heartfelt thanks to Camie and Marco for sharing their love story with us.
​Vi auguro tante belle cose. xoxo

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at all of the  Love Story Lunedì. There are so many amazing stories to read so make sure you're all caught up. And should you want to share your own story or know of a couple who would, please get in touch. 

​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Alannah and Eros​
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Cheyenne and Giulio
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jade and Daniele
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Chloe and Andrea
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Coral & Riccardo
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Rachel & Riccardo
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Daria and Francesco
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Briana and Dami
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Kayla and Luca
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Sarah and Michele
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Bailey and Carlo​
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Gregory and Stefania
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Sofie and Emilio
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Isabel and David
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jasmine & Massi
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Tiffany and Adam
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Angela & Davide
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Kristie & Graziano
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Brittni & Alberto
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Maddie & Gio
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jennie & Davide
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Lauren & Luigi
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Rebecca and Leonardo
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jennifer and James
​
​

Lately everyone has been really feeling the love for Instastories, myself included. There are so many great templates out there but when I went hunting for some Instastory templates in Italian, they were hard to find so I decided to go right ahead and make my own. Perhaps I wasn't looking in the right spot, if that's the case, please direct me to where I can find some. In the meantime, here are some that I've made, so far I have two "Have You Ever" for romantics and travellers and a HOT or NOT.  I'll keep updating when I make new ones. Feel free to use them and pass them on, just please tag me (@questadolcevita) so I know you've used it! 

If you have any ideas of templates you'd like to see, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment!
​GRAZIE xoxo. 

Dear In Love with an Italian, 

I am obliged to start this letter by saying how much I appreciate your use of the adjective "hunky", it suits any context that concerns Italian men in my humble opinion. That being said, having a hunky Italian is sadly not enough to make your situation hunky-dory. Two factors stand out like a German tourist in the summer: the first is that you feel you can't be yourself and the second is that you're taking all the "​ concessions and amends". Let's address the first one. We need to be able to be our authentic selves with someone that we're looking to have a future with. We can hide our vices, our quirks, for a certain amount of time, but they will always surface like a scorned lover or nude pics (unsolicited advice: do NOT send anyone nude pics). I have an idea of what your sense of humor is, because it's probably the same as mine: I love a good dirty joke, playful teasing, sarcasm (totally not the lowest form of wit) and irony. I can easily see how for some Italian men, this kind of humor isn't well-understood and the issue you're having definitely has cultural rather than linguistic roots. In saying that, I think what you really need to get to root of is whether your hunky Italian is willing to let your wonderful personality shine. Your love of joking and laughing is not a vice so you should not have to change that for anybody, hot Italian men included, tempting as it might be. In fact, your outgoingness should be seen as something attractive and it will be, to the right person. If your Italian doesn't appreciate it, he can go right along and find a quiet, old-fashioned Italian woman. Your man should want you as you are, for all of your American-ness, rather than try to mould you into an Italian. The most I've changed for my husband is that I no longer drink Coke like water (I've substituted that with a wine habit, so much more socially acceptable in Italy), I never leave the house without a belt or Kleenex, and I've learned a new language, but as for the rest, I'm just as loud and outgoing as I would be with a Canadian. It's daunting to hear, I know, but you will never be happy with this particular fellow in the long-term if he can't learn to love your sense of humor. As a very wise Mr. Big said in Sex and the City: after awhile, you just wanna be with the one that makes you laugh, you know what I mean? If you're not making him laugh, he's not your Mr. Big.

​The beauty of international relationships that work is that they give us the opportunity to teach EACH OTHER which brings us to the second point about " concessions and amends". It sounds like your Italian thinks he has everything to teach you and you have nothing to teach him in return. This one-way street is not going to get us to happily-ever-after-ville; for mixed couples to flourish, each side has to exhibit some kind of CURIOUSITY and APPRECIATION for the other culture. For lack of better words, I'll result to the cliché that he needs to meet you half-way here. Your culture is a part of you and if someone isn't showing interest in getting to know and accepting that culture, they are in fact, ignoring a part of you. You mention that he says he's very old-fashioned and that's fine until it starts to impedes on open-mindedness. If you're a strong, independent woman and not with the right Italian, they will suffocate that independence right out of you and you'll wake up one day in some small-town in Italy and not even recognize yourself anymore. And you'll hate it. And what's more is there's a definite chance that by this time, Mr. Hunky will have a receding hairline and a carbonara belly. Which is why it's SO IMPORTANT that he be open to making some changes to get to know you as you are, your culture, and most importantly, your needs. Because at the end of the day, a willingness to meet our beloved half-way is what counts. Be honest about it. Tell him what street you're waiting in the middle of and wait to see if he shows up on a Vespa, does a slow walk there, or doesn't get off the couch. If it's the latter, I'm sorry to say you should probably bid him addio. Regarding moving to Italy to live...that'll be a no for me. Not before you've spent time in Italy with him (as well as on your side of the pond, if that’s an option) and absolutely not if you're having doubts of any sort. Take my word for it, a relationship has to be strong on its own before you try to tackle Italy. Using Italy as a crutch for a troubled relationship is like using heroin, it makes everything better in an instant in the very beginning and you'll think life has never been more beautiful, but as time goes on, it morphs into the biggest shitshow you've ever seen. 

Love finds us in the most obscure places, wherever we might be in the world. Today's story is a testament to what some might consider kismet (funnily enough, it kinda rhymes with Kitimat, the hometown of our leading lady here!). These two met in a VERY small town in northen British Columbia when one fated night at a local pub brought them together. What are the chances that a Canadian who could speak and understand some Italian would come across a group of Italians in a town of less than 9000 people?! ZERO. The chances are ZERO! What are the chances of them meeting AGAIN unexpectedly a WHOLE YEAR LATER? LESS THAN ZERO! NEGATIVE FIFTY! Unless the stars were in on it...! With that, I'm chuffed to bits to present my very good friends and Bergamo buddies, Alannah and Eros. Alannah and I are actually friends thanks to THIS VERY BLOG when she happened on it a few years back and left me a few comments. I was so happy to find a fellow Canadian in Bergamo (we are few and far between) with whom to talk about maple syrup and Timmies, use the word toque, and shoot Fireball with. 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I grew up in a small coastal town in northern British Columbia, Canada, called Kitimat and my husband, Eros, is from a small valley in Bergamo, northern Italy.

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met one summer evening in 2008 at one of the local pubs in Kitimat. He was on his annual salmon fishing trip with a couple of his Italian buddies. I heard a trio of guys speaking Italian and since I'd previously backpacked around 'il bel paese' for almost a year, I'd picked up a bit of the language. With some liquid courage and a push from my sister, I went over and tried my best to impress them with my (at the time) terrible Italian skills. We chatted for a little bit and then went our separate ways. I never saw them again during their trip.

The following year, through a mutual friend, Eros had seen a YouTube video of me reeling in an impressive coho. (Did I mention that I used to be pretty into fishing, too?). We ended up connecting via Facebook and sent a few casual messages here and there, with no flirting or love connection or anything like that.

I knew that he was coming back to Kitimat soon for their annual fishing trip and I'd asked Eros, via Facebook, if he could bring me an Italian product that I'd quite liked at the time and had run out of - a tesori d'oriente white musk perfume. He responded "I can send it to you when I get back but I'm in Kitimat right now." I was surprised that he was there! We didn't make plans to see each other. I just thought "OK, cool, he'll send me the perfume when he's back in Italy."

I worked as a bartender by night at our local golf course and one evening there was a retirement party for a local business owner. An Italian business owner. I was working away and looked up to greet the customers who'd entered. Wait! What! I had to do a double take - it happened to be Eros, his two fishing buddies and our mutual friend!  He didn't even know I worked there. I sent over a round of drinks to them and we had a quick chat when I had some downtime between mixing cocktails and pouring pints. We made a plan to meet for a drink at a pub after my shift was over.

A couple of hours later, I was sitting at the pub with this trio of Italians and our mutual friend (who actually happens to be married to 1/3 of this trio.)  We were having fun, trying to communicate in a loud pub and laughing at language barriers when Eros' friends decided they'd head home and leave the two of us there together...

Because I was driving, I wasn't drinking that evening and after chatting the evening away, I drove Eros to where he was staying. He invited me in and offered me a glass of water. It got awkward because we really didn't know what more to talk about and so I got ready to leave after gulping down my water. He walked me to the door and kissed me. Italian style. One. kiss. on. each. cheek.

Mortified.

We connected via Facebook  a few days later and made a plan to meet up for a round of golf. After the awkward goodbye at our last meeting, I met up with him with no romantic expectations but ended up having a really fun and flirty time on the golf course. It was Eros' first time golfing, so lots of laughs were had. After our round of golf, we headed into the clubhouse and had a casual burger and a couple of pints. It was on this day that the spark ignited - for both of us. We really enjoyed each other's company and were basically inseparable for the rest of his time there. A couple of weeks had passed - it was now early October and time for Eros to head back to Italy. I looked at our time together as a meaningful fling but nothing more. We kept in touch after he left, mainly via text messages and Skype. ​

Who made the first move? 
Eros didn't want to let too much time pass before seeing me again and actually came back to Kitimat a couple of months later, for Christmas. This was definitely the real first move. 

We fell head over heels in love that Christmas. 

Picture it: ice skating on frozen lakes, romantic walks under the falling snow, snowflakes on eyelashes and snuggling up to keep warm with the joys of Christmas and all the happiness you could imagine.

Curator's Note: I don't know why, but I'm picturing the skating scene from Serendipity right now. Anyone else? 

Where did you think he was initially from?
I knew he was Italian because I'd overheard him speaking.

What was your first impression of him?
There was no initial spark or connection. But once we eventually had some time alone, I just thought he was the sweetest and genuinely nicest person ever. He also dressed in a very chic way, very put together. I wasn't used to that and thought he was so stylish. Plus, those green eyes!  ​

Curator's Note: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE GREEN EYES. Everyone knows this. Don't these two have the MOST GORGEOUS EYES YOU'VE EVER SEEN?! I love looking at pictures of them together, her baby blues and his light green! I'm such a creeper. ​

Dish on the first kiss! (She describes it above). 
​"He invited me in and offered me a glass of water. It got awkward because we really didn't know what more to talk about and so I left after gulping down my water. He walked me to the door and kissed me. Italian style. One. kiss. on. each. cheek. Mortified."

Curator's Note: I'm sure the kisses got better after that one! 

Where do you live now? 
After 4 years of long distance and a lot of back and forth between Italy and Canada, I moved to Bergamo in 2013. We started out in an area of Bergamo new to both of us, but about a year ago we moved to his hometown. We're loving the peaceful valley life! 

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
We are both more or less bilingual but speak English together. I think because we met in English it's just been more natural for us to continue in my mother tongue. Score!

Of course when we're with his family or our non-English speaking friends we speak Italian - and even a bit of Bergamasco. Pòta!

Curator's Note: I can attest that Alannah is awesome at Bergamasco, I'm always in awe of her. She always gets me thinking that I really need to work on my dialect abilities. 

How did he propose? 
​This is another long story. Are you ready?

One January evening when Eros was visiting Canada, he and I went out for dinner - for Chinese food. After dinner, in classic Canadian style, we went to Tim Hortons to get an after dinner double double before going to the oceanside to chat and sip our coffee.
​
Curator's Note: YASSSSSSSSSS. Tims!!!! 

After the coffee was done and we were all chatted out, it was time to head home.

As I was putting away the doggie-bagged leftovers, I decided to sneak a sweet and sour pork ball and yelled to Eros in the other room 'babe, do you want a pork ball before I put them away' he said no thanks. So, I thought I'd use one of my goofy voices to convince him and yelled 'Are you suuuurree? They're thuper good!'

He didn't answer this time but I heard something behind me so I turned around and saw Eros on one knee holding out a beautiful ring.  He gently said "Amore, you will meddy me?" I was standing there, wide-eyed, jaw dropped, in shock with this damn sweet and sour pork ball in my hand!

After a few good seconds of processing what was happening, I vividly remember thinking "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! So, THIS is what it feels like to be so in love and loved by someone that they want to spend the rest of their life with you! I can't believe it! I am soooo happy!" I quickly put the pork ball down and said "YES!"

Eros later explained that he'd planned to propose while we were out for dinner and then at the seaside but neither felt  100% perfect. I am SO glad that he picked the moment I was holding a pork ball in my hand, because I definitely think it makes for a better story.

Curator's Note: I confirm that this pork ball story trumps a dinner or seaside proposal. 

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Even after almost 10 years together and nearly 4 years of marriage, we still get blindsided by cultural differences - mostly tone of voice being misconstrued. As with any type of relationship, a lot of patience, respect, support and understanding is needed. It's not always easy to live in a foreign country and it's vital that your partner is understanding of this and respects that there ARE going to be up and downs. It's also important to establish BEFORE you make an overseas move, whether you're both open-minded about where you plan to live.

What do you love most about being married? 
I love journeying through life together, knowing that I have a supportive husband who truly wants the best for me. I love being with my funny, silly,  sweet best friend every day. Even when he drives me crazy. 

Submitted by Alannah. 

Here's how you can connect with Alannah:
Instagram: @ladieslearnenglish
Website: www.ladieslearnenglish.com

​I hated showing up there with whiskey on my breath and that stupid smile on my red lips but you had that intangible pull on me, something invisible that could only be felt although people used to tell us that they could see it. I don’t know why I showed up on your doorstep that Friday night, we’d been over for months by then and I didn’t even have your number on my phone anymore. I’d purposely deleted it to avoid sending Jack Daniel-fueled text messages that said “miss you” or some version of it. But your apartment number, the street name, those things were ingrained in my memory as much as the ocean blue of your eyes and the feeling of your heart against mine and my back against the wall. You really shouldn’t have opened the door, but you knew that we needed it, the surrendering. Oscar Wilde once said that the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. So I did and so did you. I yielded to the version of us I missed, the us that laughed entire nights away clutching our stomachs in agony to make it stop so we could breathe again. The us that could never get enough of the rush. You driving fast in the Nevada desert, my hair a mess and that kind of impossible feeling of being lost and found all at once. That's the us I miss the most. 

I love music just as much as I love writing, so in case you're like me, I'll provide you with a song that would be a good "soundtrack" for this story: Whiskey's Fine by Adam Doleac.

Read ten very short stories which are now available as a cute collection in my first eBook: This Sweet Life. You can download it for FREE in my store! Or read the included pieces as individual posts in the Creative Writing category:
​
​Creative Writing: The Perfect Day in Italy (not in the eBook)
​Creative Writing: Call Me Baby (not in the eBook)
​Creative Writing: The Butterfly Effect (not in the eBook)
​
​Creative Writing: The Letter R (Explicit)
​Creative Writing: Dear Italy (A Love Letter)
Creative Writing: Airport Arrivals
​Creative Writing: Tanqueray and You
​Creative Writing: A Thousand Lives
​Creative Writing: A Sunday Kind of Love
​Creative Writing: Perfect Strangers in Switzerland
​Creative Writing: Rooftops and Rome
​Creative Writing: The Morning After in New York
​Creative Writing: Mulberries in Sicily

Let's keep these high school love stories going shall we? Today I'm so excited to introduce Cheyenne and Giulio who, contrary to many other meet cutes that happened at high schools in America: see Carlo & Bailey and Jade & Daniele...these two actually met during Cheyenne's senior year of high school IN ITALY. Mind-blowing right? She's a beautiful and exotic Georgia peach (who was raised in Japan and Italy) and he's a stunning Vicentino with a killer jawline. They are insanely cute together and the way that Cheyenne describes Giulio when she first saw him as "American-sailorish" is HOT, HOT, HOT. I think as a couple, they are HOT, HOT, HOT. Read on to find out more about Giulio's perfect eyebrows, her really good abs, and how they are planning to split their time between her Atlanta, Georgia and his hometown of Vicenza, Italy.

Where are you from and where is your significant other from?
​This is always a complicated question for me. I was born in Stone Mountain, Georgia but I was raised in Atsugi, Japan and Vicenza, Italy. My husband is Vicentino. He was born in Schio and grew up in Marano, Italy.

Where and when did you meet your significant other?
I met my husband my senior year of high school literally the day before I walked across the stage. We met at a club in Vicenza called NuClub, a popular “American Style” hip-hop club. My friends and I planned to go out last minute after our graduation party as our last hoorah before leaving for college. It was there that I met Giulio who apparently, had been going to the same club on some of the same nights as me over the past 2 years, but we somehow never ran into each other.

Who made the first move?
I did. I actually thought he was someone else I knew from my high school. I approached him confidently and called him by the name I thought he was and quickly realized he wasn’t him at all. When I saw him, he was staring at me across the dance floor and one of my close friends at the time was nudging me to approach him. She thought he was someone else too! He responded by telling me his name is Giulio and that he is Italian. After that, I felt a little embarrassed but figured I would give it a shot anyway, so I asked him to dance and he said yes! We started dancing and things got pretty heavy when he put his hands around my waist. Immediately he leaned into my ear and exclaimed: “you have really good abs!” I started laughing because I assumed he was going to whisper sweet nothings in my ear or tell me some generic club pick-up line. After dancing for some time he slipped away to get a drink. It was there that one of his friends, who he came with, told him “That’s going to be your girlfriend”. Giulio laughed it off, never guessing he would end up marrying me four years later. When he came back I told him that I was moving in two weeks to start university in Florida. He looked at me with shock and excitement telling me he had planned a trip to Miami that same summer. At that moment we did that casual “we should hang out when you visit” speech not sure if the other one genuinely meant it or not, given we had only met 2 hours ago. Then I asked him if he wanted my number and to add me on Facebook. We exchanged information and agreed to see each other again.

Where did you think he was initially from?
Honestly, when I first saw Giulio, as I mentioned before, I thought he was an old American friend from high school, I mean he looked very American sailor-ish. He was buff, tall, wearing a short-sleeved dark blue shirt with “Navy” written across it, with a dog-tag necklace, a buzzcut, and a classic pair of slightly loose fitting blue jeans. He could not look more stereotypically American at that moment and in that particular club. However, many Italians and other Europeans, often tend to mistake him to be a German faking his Italian lineage.

What was your first impression of him?
Seeing someone in the club is very different when their face is caressed with dim lighting and in our case literal moonlight shining across his face (NuClub is partially outdoors during the summer). When I first saw Giulio in the club, I thought he might be a navy guy who must be either on vacation or lost. His clothing, body, and hairstyle really threw me off. Like I said I thought he was a completely different person! Once I found out he was Italian I was still confused by his choice of dress but I went with it. We didn’t speak too much when we first met, besides our conversation about Florida and my abs, but he was stunning to me and I was swept up in the moment of thumping music, adrenaline, and the fact that he was Italian of course. When I first saw Giulio in daylight, I was really able to see him, outside of well-angled Facebook photos. I thought he was stunning. He had the best eyebrows I have ever seen, sparkling hazel eyes, gorgeous chocolate brown hair, a fit muscular physic and an alluring Venetian accent that made me feel like melting. While he wasn’t stereotypically fashionable by Italian standards, he definitely wooed me with his sincere, selfless and kind manners that he still stays true to today.

Curator's Note: All Italian men have better eyebrows and better eyelashes than me. What is wrong with the universe!?

Dish on the first kiss!
I have always been the shy type when it came to being the first to make a move, but for some reason with Giulio is was different, plus the ticking clock of my departure to America wasn’t going to wait for him. We had been seeing each other for about a week holding hands, hugging, and even semi-cuddling in public. He asked me what I wanted to do on our next outing, I had jokingly told him to take me on a picnic date for lunch. We met bright and early the next morning for breakfast and he told me he had a surprise and that he was going to take me somewhere. We got into his SEAT Ibiza and wound up at this beautiful, picturesque venue called Parco Querini. It was filled with cute little ducks, cushiony green grass, and bunnies. He told me he made a picnic for me just like I asked. He brought a blanket, napkins, and a cooler full of sandwiches, drinks, gum and his favorite chocolates his grandmother used to give to him as a child. He told me that he wanted to leave me with something before I go to remember him by. His favorite Italian brand of gum and a Tronky. That day we couldn’t stop kissing each other laid against the fresh green grass under the shade with bunnies prancing in the background.

Curator's Note: If that isn't a scene from Notting Hill, I don't know what is!

Where do you live now?
At the moment I live part-time in Atlanta, Georgia where I attend University and part-time in Vicenza, Italy where we just bought our first condominium. We have been commuting back and forth over the past 4-years. This semester I decided to stay and take some classes online while we wait for Giulio’s paperwork. The long distance was too heartbreaking to bear, plus we are so close to getting his visa it didn’t make sense to continue going back and forth like that. We are currently deciding to go back to Georgia and see where life takes us from there. Although, I am pretty sure we will still be saying that we live part-time in Atlanta and part-time in Italy or at least our hearts do.

Have you learnt each other's languages?
Giulio already spoke English quite well when we met each other. In fact, he had taught himself most of the English he knew and learned the rest from television, books, and American friends. At the time we started dating, my Italian was very limited. While I did attend Italian schools through my high school exchange programs, I was still in the learning process. It wasn’t until I started dating Giulio that I invested a greater degree of time and effort into learning Italian. I like challenges, especially when they come with a free and handsome tutor. I downloaded apps on my phone and would practice with him daily over Skype, text message and in person. I was determined to be native. Now I would say that I speak at an intermediate level because I have never taken a formal class and when I am in the states, I get very limited exposure to the Italian community. Most of our conversations at home tend to be a mixture of Italian and English. It’s almost like we have created our own language that we use to communicate with each other where sentences are partially in Italian and partially in English. I do plan to keep up my Italian when we go to the states, given that it’s an important part of how I communicate with some of his relatives.

​
Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance?
It’s a very taxing situation emotionally and even physically when you’re traveling back and forth or away from the love of your life for extended periods of time. Even when we got married we stayed apart from each other for a year. It got even harder letting the government into all the private moments of our lives and being asked really hard questions just so that we can get through the bureaucratic bull and be together. But it makes you stronger. Through all of this, we are stronger than ever just a little broken in the pockets from all the traveling and bureaucracy fees. I think people who are in interracial and intercultural relationships really have a unique experience with love and resilience. Not to say it does not exist for those who are not in these types of relationships, but it does challenge you and the validity of your love. You really have to be in it for the long haul. During your journey, you are going to have many naysayers who may be relatives, friends, or even acquaintances who try to discourage you in pursuing your relationship. You will have to schedule your Skypes and your phone calls because you both are working or in my case working, interning and a full-time student. It is hard not to get consumed by the hard times but you have to find a balance. Some important advice that many people don’t think about, not even me until now, is that you’ll spend a lot of money on airfare so you might as well invest in miles while you’re at it so that once you rack up enough visits you might be able to get a nice honeymoon to celebrate.

Submitted by Cheyenne.

Here's how you can connect with Cheyenne:
Instagram: @le_popeinator

I hate dirty talk.
-  no man ever. 

I hate hearing women talking dirty to me.
- no man ever. 

INTRODUCTION: Back for Part Two by popular demand, we are now going to tackle all the dirtiest things you can say in Italian and English if you're a dude. The original version of this post was written for the ladies and titled The Nasty Girl's Guide to Talking Dirty in Italian and I got awesome feedback from both sexes on it. ​​If any babies result from using this post, you are welcome to name them Jasmine. Jokes aside (I’m not joking though), I had a handful of men who were interested in how to dirty talk for their Italian signorina and I knew I couldn’t let them down. As such, this guide has been compiled in a collaborative effort using many Italian guys, in order to give you the most used, most authentic things you can say in bed. Of course many things are "repeats" from the last post, a lot of dirty talk is essentially unisex in English. You just have to be careful to change the endings for the Italian versions to suit the person you are talking about. As with the last post, this is VERY R-RATED so please be advised and don't read if you don't like this kind of stuff. 

Sidenote: Below is a screenshot from YAHOO Answers that I found while doing "research" for these posts. I just thought I'd include it to show how difficult it is to find these kinds of resources online or even people who are willing to divulge the information. It's interesting how the people that left "answers" said they "wouldn't want to be too dirty" (why the hell not?! That's what she's asking for!) or how "it wouldn't be appropriate to write vulgar or dirty Italian". Why do we have to be prudish about these things which probably 99% of men and women engage in and/or are turned on by?

SO I THINK IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, BUT I'LL SAY IT ANYWAYS WITH A SUITS GIF BECAUSE MIKE AND RACHEL ARE LIFE:
​

ONE FINAL WARNING BEFORE YOU SCROLL DOWN, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
(I've decided to take out the asterisk(*) in the Italian version this time. As many people pointed out, it's difficult to know the missing letter if you're not a native Italian speaker and you're not familiar with the verbs. My original thought was that if you're not sure of the spelling or of the existence of these verbs, you probably shouldn't be dirty talking in Italian. However, for clarity purposes, here they are in their full glory, completely UNCENSORED.). 

​


​


​PRE-GAME/FOREPLAY ​

You have no idea how sexy you are with _____________(ex: those heels). 
NON HAI IDEA DI QUANTO SEI SEXY CON _______________(ES: QUEI TACCHI). 

I've been wanting to jump you all night.
E' TUTTA LA SERA CHE VOGLIO SALTARTI ADDOSSO. 

You're killing me. 
MI STAI FACENDO MORIRE. 

I'm getting turned on. 
MI STO ECCITANDO. 

You can't even imagine what I'm going to do to you. 
NEMMENO IMMAGINI COSA HO INTENZIONE DI FARTI. 

Wanna get naked? (Let's get naked!)
CI SPOGLIAMO.

Your skin is like silk. 
LA TUA PELLE SEMBRA SETA. 

Your body is perfect.
IL TUO CORPO E' PERFETTO. 

Let's do it here.
FACCIAMOLO QUI. 
 

DOING THE DEED

Is this ok? 
VA BENE COSI'? 

Tell me what you want. 
DIMMI COSA TI PIACE

Fuck, it's so good/incredible .
CAZZO, E' INCREDIBILE. 
​
Fuck, you're so tight. 
CAZZO, COME SEI STRETTA. 

You're so wet. 
COME SEI BAGNATA. 

Don't ever stop. 
NON SMETTERE MAI. 

I love how you taste. 
AMO IL TUO SAPORE. 

You're my little whore. 
SEI LA MIA PUTTANA/PUTTANELLA. 

I want those lips around me. 
VOGLIO QUELLE LABBRA SU DI ME. 

I'm gonna fuck you until you explode. 
TI SCOPERO' FINO A FARTI ESPLODERE DI PIACERE. 

Do you have a toy?
HAI QUALCHE ATTREZZO?

I'm close.
NO DIRECT TRANSLATION (see "I'm gonna come"). 

You're gonna make me come.
MI STAI FACENDO VENIRE.

I'm gonna come.
STO PER VENIRE.

I'm coming.
STO VENENDO.

SUB-CATEGORY: COMMANDS

Get on the bed. 
SALI SUL LETTO. 

Look at me. 
GUARDAMI. 

Bend over.
PIEGATI.

Arch your back. 
INARCA LA SCHIENA. 

Get on your knees. 
INGINOCCHIATI. 

Suck my cock/dick. 
SUCCHIAMI IL CAZZO. 

Suck it. 
SUCCHIALO. 

Put it in your mouth. 
METTILO IN BOCCA. 

Let me inside you. 
FATTI PENETRARE. 

Open your legs. 
APRI LE GAMBE.

Rub your clit/Touch yourself. 
TOCCATI.

Sit on my tongue/face.
METTIMELA IN FACCIA.

Come for me. 
VIENI PER ME. 
  

THE AFTERMATH (CUDDLETIME)
​
Did I hurt you? 
TI HO FATTO MALE? 

That was amazing/That was fucking amazing.
CAZZO È STATO INCREDIBILE!

Let's do it again.
FACCIAMOLO ANCORA /DAMMELO ANCORA /SCOPAMI ANCORA.

I can keep going all night. 
POSSO ANDARE AVANTI PER TUTTA LA NOTTE.

I've missed you.
MI SEI MANCATA.  ​

BONUS PHRASES FOR MEN
(PROVIDED BY ANONYMOUS FEMALE FRIENDS AS RESPONSES TO "WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR IN BED FROM YOUR BOYFRIEND/HUSBAND?"):

Do you think you can come like this?
CREDI DI POTER VENIRE IN QUESTO MODO? 

You  make me crazy.
MI FAI IMPAZZIRE.

Your body is insane.
IL TUO CORPO E' PAZZESCO. 
​
You're so beautiful.
SEI BELLISSIMA. 
​
I could go on forever. 
POTREI CONTINUARE PER SEMPRE. 

BONUS PHRASES FOR WOMEN
(an add-on to the previous guide, some of these were shared with me after the publication of the original post):

Please. 
TI PREGO. 

I'm your little whore. 
SONO LA TUA PUTTANELLA. 

I want your head between my legs. 
VOGLIO LA TUA TESTA FRA LE GAMBE. 

Acknowledgements:
A huge thank you to all of my amici italiani who will remain anonymous, for helping with this post and making sure to keep the dirty talk as authentic as possible to have you sounding more like Rocco and less like a badly-written B-roll film. 

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones:
​The Differences Between Dating an Italian and a Canadian: Commentary by an Italian in Canada
The Differences Between Dating an Italian and a Canadian: Commentary by a Canadian in Italy

​What Do Italian Men Married to Non-Italian Women Have in Common?
Why Are There So Many American Girls with Italian Boys?
​Why We Love Italian Boys
​The Double Standard Between Italian Street Harassment and American
​Can Men and Women Be Friends? Here's How My Italian Colleagues Responded
​
Dating Diversity: Italy vs. Canada (and North America)
Cross-Cultural Dating: My First Jaw-Drop Moment with an Italian
Italian Men: The Unofficial Guide for Wives and Girlfriends
How to Snag (and Keep) an Italian Man
Asians and Italians…The Perfect Cross-Cultural Cocktail?
​How to Date an Italian Man or Woman (From The Iceberg Project) ​

I've never been more obsessed with a couple on Love Story Lunedì than I am with these two: Jade and Daniele. Their story is like Friday Night Lights meets Lizzie McGuire, I mean it's literally EVERY TEENAGER'S DREAM COME TRUE. It could be a movie: hot Italian exchange student meets equally gorgeous new girl at a high school in North Carolina during senior year, she steals him from all the other girls (and boys), their first kiss is lit perfectly by football stadium lights in the background, they wear color-coordinated outfits to prom and live happily ever after. Actually, that's not the whole story but it's a pretty damn good synopsis. I also love the setting of North Carolina as well, it makes it more like Friday Night Lights meets Lizzie meets Nicholas Sparks minus the sad parts. Read it here in 3, 2, 1....! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
​Answering where I’m from has always been a difficult question, but long story short I was born in Germany and I was mostly raised in the United States. However, my mother is from Iloilo in the Philippines. (You could see how that gets a little a confusing, huh?) My boyfriend on the other hand, was born in northern Italy but is the son of two Sardinians.  

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
My boyfriend came to the United States for an exchange year in 2015. I had just moved to my new high school in North Carolina a few months prior to his arrival, so we often joke that fate brought us together.

Who made the first move? 
I made the first move; simply because I knew that a plethora of other girls in the school were gawking over him already. So, I knew that I had to swoop in and make my move. I am also pretty direct when I know what I want, and I made it very clear that he is what I wanted. 

Where did you think he was initially from?
It was hard to not know that he was Italian given that every single girl (and guy) was speaking about the “hot Italian exchange student”. To be completely honest, I am sort of oblivious when it comes to physical differences between ethnicities, so he could have been from anywhere. His accent on the other hand, definitely made it clear that he was from Italy.
​
What was your first impression of him?
My first impression can be explained by the fact that my jaw was on the floor. He had the classic suave, direct, and completely enticing characteristics that every movie exaggerates about Italian men. I was so nervous because the first time we met was after his soccer match. It was like the slow-motion running from Baywatch, but a little sweatier and slightly more clothed. When he actually approached me, the direct and passionate part of me hid in a corner, while the quiet and shy part took over. He was so charming, and I had never experienced anything like it.

Dish on the first kiss! 
​(In case you're wondering...yes, I BOLDED the WHOLE THING. It's all worthy of BOLDING!) 
​
The first kiss was totally unexpected, but simultaneously the best surprise ever. It was after a soccer match and I thought it was going to be a sweet goodnight cheek kiss; but, he brought me in closer and kissed me. The night was dimly lit by our high school’s football stadium lights and it was as if the cheering fans in the crowd were also cheering for us in this moment. (Total Friday Night Lights moment.) Right after he had to sprint off to his host father to go home and I also sprinted off to go into my car to freak out to myself [as one should do]. It is still the most memorable experience of that school year.
​ 
Curator's Note: Jade provided this caption for the photograph below...READ IT AND WEEP (you will literally weep when you read what Daniele wrote to Juliet, I'm just a big 'ol softie when it comes to these things). 

"When I came to visit Italy for the first time and he took me to Verona. We left our mark in Casa di Giulietta and Dani left a sweet note."
​

I think we can say that there's just something about this gesture that results in magic. ​(click to read another story with a connection to Juliet in Verona).
​
Where do you live now? 
Since the fall of 2017 I have been studying in Rome at John Cabot University! It is still a 3-hour high-speed train ride away from Daniele where he studies architecture at Politecnico di Milano, but it is tremendously better than being an ocean apart with a 6-hour time difference. I love Italy and living here has opened my eyes to so many new things.

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Daniele is fluent in English. He is even better than myself at times and he has mastered an American accent. His English was at a pretty high level when he arrived in the States, but he has grown so much. In my case, I take Italian courses at my university and most of my friends speak Italian so I’m making some progress. But I really want to become fluent soon so that I can carry on a full conversation with Daniele’s mum. She doesn’t speak that much English (though she tries her best and is learning more every day!) and I’d like to be able to speak to her and relate to her in that sense. ​
​
Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Being a mixed-culture couple is such a rewarding experience. Daniele and I enjoy learning about each other’s cultures and traditions. I think the best advice I could offer is that having an open mind and willingness to understand is the key to not fighting, thus the key to having a happier relationship. Arguing and bickering can be helpful, but when it is because one person in the relationship is not being open minded, it can lead to very dangerous thought processes. In regard to long distance, Dani and I would try to call each other, both in video and audio, as much as possible for our schedules. Since we were both new to the concept LDR when we began, it was hard to adjust to that style, but as time went on it was clear that those small moments of intimacy are what kept us sane during rough moments. ​

Submitted by Jade. 

Here's how you can connect with Jade and Daniele:
Instagram: @jadeburr & @daniele_florenzano
Facebook:  jade burr & daniele florenzano
Other: dan.flr.photography ​

Your hosts of the #DolceVitaBloggers link up, Kelly, Kristie, and I, invite you to dream big and share your perfect day in Italy for the April 2018 link up topic!
​
Perhaps you’d like to share a memory of a blissful day you’ve already experienced, or perhaps you’d like to share a hypothetical perfect day that you’d like to experience if money were no object.
​

• Who are you with?
• What would you do?
• Where would you go?
• What would you eat?

Dream big and inspire us with your perfect day in Italy! It’s a perfect opportunity to inspire others visiting Italy this summer with a dreamy itinerary for a perfect day in the bel paese.

HOW TO JOIN OUR LINK-UP:
For instructions on how to join, click here.
For an instructive video on how to join, click here.
​
The link up will be open from April 7th to 14th. You’ll be able to add your blog post or vlog below as always by clicking the BLUE BUTTON. 

Past #DolceVitaBlogger Link-Ups:
​#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #4 March 2018 - International Women's Day
​#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #3 February 2018 - A Love Letter to Italy
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #2 January 2018 - Favourite Italian City
​#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #1 December 2017 - 'The Italian Connection'