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
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.
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