I've had some people tell me they haven't felt like they could submit their story to this series because they aren't "with an Italian". Just want to take this moment (and this couple) to emphasize that this series is completely inclusive of ALL love stories so if you have one to share with us, please do! If it has an Italy twist to it, it's just a bonus for us Italy-lovers. So without further ado...today we have Carmela and Paolo and before you get ahead of yourselves thinking that Paolo is just another Italian dude let me say that this beautiful globe-trotting couple is from the Phillipines and are certainly a testament to oh all the places love can take you...figuratively AND literally. These two can now be found exploring their new home in the gorgeous region of Tuscany. Read on you romantics!

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
Paolo and I (Carmela) are both from Manila, Philippines. Since we got married, we have lived in three different countries: the United States, the Philippines, and Italy. 

Curator's Note: so I've always felt that the Philippines is my spirit country after Italy. This might be because I'm commonly mistaken as being from there hehe. 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
In 2002, we were both pre-med students at the University of the Philippines. I met him in a Humanities class. It was funny because of some technical glitch in the online enrollment system, he had to take that class against his will! Thank God for that "error'!

Curator's Note: see ya'll...nothing is a mistake!

Who made the first move? 
I made the first move because I asked him to be the escort for my 18th birthday debut. In my culture, it was the tradition to throw a huge party when a woman turns 18. I had a little crush on him and I wanted to be happy for my birthday, so I asked if he could be my escort! He had to learn to do the traditional dance and perform the specific gentlemanly duties for that special occasion. It was so unlike his personality to do all of those formal tasks yet he did it an absolutely perfect job!

Curator's Note: I've never been to one of these debuts but I've seen photos and they are more elaborate than weddings sometimes! Good on you for making the first move, GIRL POWER! 

What was your first impression of him?
I thought he was a "cool nerd". He was super intelligent but he was also low-key. He was not the type who would show off in class yet he will outperform everybody else with his outstanding grades. Also, he was so confident in his own skin that he didn't care what other people think of him. 

Curator's Note: I'm really into cool nerds. My husband is very intelligent as well but he definitely acts more cool than nerd, you'd never know! 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Our first kiss was at the college fair! It was awkward yet romantic!

Curator's Note: aren't they all?!

​When/how did you know it was love? 
I knew it was love when we decided to take a short break from seeing each other every day. We were both confused about our feelings for one another at that time. He went on a beach trip with his best buddies, and I hung out with my girlies. After a couple of weeks of contemplating, we realized that our friendship had turned into real love.

How did he propose?
He proposed after nine years of being boyfriend-girlfriend. Before he did his formal proposal, he asked my parents for my hand in marriage and treated them out to dinner. The night we got engaged, he took me to this intimate garden restaurant and knelt down on one knee, did his little speech, and of course, I said yes. We got married six months later.

Curator's Note: Oh I love how classic this is. Also that he asked your parents, what a sweetheart! 

The one thing you love most about your significant other.
I love that we have survived many trials and difficulties as a couple: a two-year breakup, a two-year long-distance relationship, living in seven different homes in a span of three years before finally settling down in Italy, etc. Paolo is such a cool dad to our two little boys. He is a responsible father and he puts his family first. 

Curator's Note: WOW SEVEN?! I've only ever moved once and I think come hell or high water, I refuse to move again (unless it's to a villa with an infinity pool in Tuscany). 

What do you love most about being married? 
I love that I am married to my best friend. Our motto is "happy spouse, happy house". Being married made me realize that love can take a completely different form. Being parents of a toddler and a baby will definitely change a marriage. It requires a lot of sacrifice, patience, understanding, and teamwork.  It is important for me to have a supportive partner in raising our children together. I also love that we are both embarking on this expat journey together! We are both learning a third language (Italian) in our almost mid-30s (which is no easy task for adult learners). 
​
Curator's Note: I love that you're on this journey together as well, I think a shared adventure like this- new country, new language, new culture - can only work to bring you closer together. Cheers guys! 

Submitted by Carmela. 

Here's how you can connect with 
Blog: bellissimamma.it
Twitter: @labellissimamma
Instagram: instagram.com/thebellissimamma
Facebook: facebook.com/thebellissimamma

A huge, heartfelt thanks to Carmela and Paolo 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: Evelyn and Fabio​
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Margarita and Andrea​
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Viki and Que
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Athena and André
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Rosa and Rocco
​​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Hayley and Mike
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Philippa and Nick
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Camie and Marco
​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

Thank the stars, I've received this story to share which brings us out of our Loveless Lunedì slump! That isn't to say that we are in the clear, this is again the "last" story in my inbox so please keep spreading the word if you know couples who would be great fits for this feature. Evelyn moved from Vermont to Rome at the tender age of eighteen and somehow ended up meeting Fabio in the USA who, as fate would have it, was from a little town north of Turin. The cirumstances to their meet are just jaw-dropping (I know I say that with every story but it's the TRUTH). They got in contact with each other after Fabio's brother met HER MOTHER at a Vermont Farmers' Market and Mom insisted that the two meet. This is one story where a meddling mom deserves the praise! I won't steal Evelyn's thunder, she's written a backstory for ya'll to read:

The Backstory:
Fabio's brother and another Italian woman have a farm in Vermont, they met my mom at a Farmers' Market (classic Vermont swear), I was about to be moving to Turin so my mom said I had to meet them. I came back for two weeks and he happened to be visiting his brother. So over I went to share some wine with them and in he walks, gorgeous, tall, tan, with his messy farm clothes and boots. I tried so hard to talk to him more, but he was quiet, and my mom was there, so there is only so much flirting you can push in. He was trying to stay in USA, and so we never exchanged numbers. Then a few weeks later my mom asked for my number to give to his brother because Fabio was coming back. He messaged me the second he got back to Italy. Moral of the Story: support local producers and be grateful for your mother eh.

When he was back he immediately wanted to find a job abroad, and I was just getting over an old relationship and trying to focus on me. But after the first week together we were completely hooked, it felt instantly like he had always been a part of my life and I could tell him anything.  I remember after a few weeks he took me to lunch with his friends and on the way back I couldn’t stop looking at him, and we both admitted we had wanted to say I love you, but with such an unsure future about him leaving we stayed quiet. Then shortly after he came over saying he had something to tell me, I was sure he had taken a job in New Zealand and was leaving. Instead he showed up and said he took a job in Turin and would stick around. I wanted to cry I was so happy. Then we finally both told each other we loved each other, and it has been an amazing, constantly crazy, adventure since.

Curator's Note: ah ok, the Farmers' Market fits in with my vision of Vermont! Do people go there wearing plaid and drinking artisan coffee? The sentence I bolded about Fabio walking in is like all of my fantasies in one- Italian and farm clothes and boots, I'm dying. 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I am from Middlebury, Vermont, but came over to Italy right at 18 years old, so I often have to say Rome is my second home. He comes from Leini, a little town north of Turin.

Curator's Note: Wow, 18 years old! That's really brave of you. I admire that immensely. Also, I always have romantic notions of Vermont that involve plaid things and fireplaces. Not sure if that's accurate at all. 
​
Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
July 2017 on a farm in Panton, Vermont, aka in the middle of nowhere surrounded by little piggies and chickens, over a bottle of Barbera. (the full backstory was above anyways!)

Who made the first move? 
Beh, bit difficult, I swear I tried to flirt the first time, but really, he messaged me first, I invited him to dinner at my house first, but he kissed me first. So, I  but he set the stage but he followed my lead with the first move let's say. The cutest thing he did: I am a know-it-all about Italy, but I said he needed to learn some Fun Facts to impress me about his city. He messaged me before saying “just be impressed by the fact I am searching something to impress you, I hope the concept is clear” and I got all butterfly in the stomach and giggly in love.  
​
Curator's Note: searching something!! Without the preposition "for", it's sooooo cute. I'm not sure if you noticed that you used "beh" in the beginning which is totally not English. I also like to use Italian sounds in English and pretend like my Canadian friends know exactly what I mean with "boh". 

If you were the foreigner, where did you think he was initially from?
I didn’t put it together he was the other guy's brother, but knew he was from Italy, I thought he was a Southerner (my weakness and dream). 

Curator's Note: well we can't have everything now can we? Just be happy that his name is Fabio and you saw him in plaid (I'm assuming). 

What was your first impression of him?
Honestly, he was a truck mechanic on a farm, smoking and so quiet, I thought he would be like a country kinda guy. Also, he was quiet sooooo quiet, I thought he didn’t speak English or just hated me because he gave me no indication of being interested whatsoever. Second time we met in Italy though he was so different, he was crazy, flirty, and super smart and immediately felt like a best friend I had always known.​

Curator's Note: crazy, flirty...sounds so much like some of the guys I've featured on here. I think we can just say that Italians are crazy and flirty or crazy/flirty. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Ah, well, he actually first kissed me on the neck, which although was incredibly hot, I think ruins the cuteness of our relationship story haha. It was our second time seeing each other in Turin. We were sitting on my couch, I had forced him to watch The Young Pope, we were sitting close, like leaning into each other and I saw him get red, heard his heart beat SO loud and fast, so could tell it was building up. I have a ring I always fiddle with, he stopped my fingers and took my hand, then moved my hair and kissed my neck. Then he pulled away and kissed me for real. I am pretty sure I laughed at him after the first kiss for going straight for the neck. I definitely always laugh at him now for it.   Later he told me he thought about kissing me the first night, when he dropped me at my apartment, because I was playing with my keys which Hitch told him was a sure sign a girl wanted to be kissed (it was true, I was so into him). But he decided not to since he was one of the only people I knew in Turin he didn’t want to be disrespectful or annoying Italian guy. That made me love him even more.​

Curator's Note: I am SO into this neck kiss as a first kiss! I'm with you girl, incredibly hot, not at all the ruin of your relationship's cuteness. 

​Where do you live now? 
In Turin! Ok well he is in Leini, but 20 minutes doesn’t make a difference.

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Well I still don’t understand a word of Piemontese, but yes, I had already spoken Italian, he surprised me with excellent English. I try to force him to help me with Italian, but he prefers English with me, he says my voice sounds better… Something I find beautiful about being with him though is that he is able to communicate emotions in English, while I struggle in Italian, so when we do have issues we can communicate. 

Curator's Note: I personally think my voice also sounds better in English but not that it's an accent think, just my voice is deeper in English. NO idea why. 
​
Any advice to "mixed" culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Definitely try to communicate and understand the differences, sometimes its cultural sometimes its personal. But you’ll never get anywhere just by blaming and getting upset, it is important to identify your differences but not force changes. Also, for the long-distance bit: phone calls always are better than constant texting.

Curator's Note: that's always the hard part isn't it? Distinguishing between the cultural and the personal. Like, is this just your personality that you're busting my balls or is this an Italian thing? Hahaha. At least, that's how I feel sometimes. 

Submitted by Evelyn. 

Here's how you can connect with Evelyn. 
​Instagram: @evoo_boh 

Welcome back to your lovey-dovey dose of the Monday Pinks (my take on the antidote to the traditional "Monday Blues"). This story is the last one I have in my e-mail inbox, so it might be the last one for awhile until I get some more. If you're reading this and would like to submit or know someone that should, please get in contact! Today we have Margarita and Andrea, she's a spicy and hotter-than-hell Colombian who could literally be Shakira's twin and he's a dashing Italian from Milan who had been Insta-stalking her profile before they actually met in person! What can we say, it was "amore a prima Insta"! This story will have you sighing and dreaming about drunk 1 A.M. make-out sessions at the Trevi Fountain. Let's get started...! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I’m from Colombia and Andrea is from Milan, Italy. 

Curator's Note: what a sexy pairing, I'm already highly emotionally-invested in this couple! 
​
Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
Andrea and I met about a year ago. I always dreamed of living in Italy and after I graduated I decided to spend a summer in Rome while I was learning Italian.  While I was there, my cousin that lives in Milan invited me to her graduation ceremony so I headed north for a week. My cousin’s boyfriend casually introduced me to him and later in the lunch party we ended up sitting in front of each other. I was so nervous because my Italian was very rough and my family was sitting at another table, so there wasn’t anyone near me to save me. But after two glasses of prosecco, we begin to talk about life and all happy things. He later confessed me that he and my cousin’s boyfriend had been stalking me on Instagram prior my arrival so he already had an eye on me. Also, for some reason, he assures that I was flirting with him and touching his leg under the table, I absolutely have no memory of that but this makes me realize how sly are Italians when it comes to dating/flirting.   

Curator's Note: what a coincidence, I also talk about life and all happy things after prosecco!

Who made the first move? 
He did, but he took his time. We went out to grab an aperitivo with my cousin and her boyfriend. My cousin knew I liked him and I knew it was mutual because he told my cousin’s boyfriend and of course he told me! I thought he’d ask my phone number that same day because that’s usually the case with Colombian guys, but he waited until the next day. We went to a day trip in Lake Como and at the end of the day he finally asked my number, he also loosely insinuated that I should invite him to visit me in Rome.  

Curator's Note: ooooo he played hard to get. Would LOVE to know the difference between Columbian guys and Italian ones...collaboration idea my dear?? 

If you were the foreigner, where did you think he was initially from?
Due to the nature of the situation, he knew I was Colombian and I knew he was Italian. The funny thing is that he is not like the typical Italian; he even has Asian almond-shape eyes. So it makes me laugh that when we go together to touristic places, Italians start to talk to us in English.     

Curator's Note: that's ok, when I go around with my husband, since I'm the one with Asian almond-shape eyes, we always get spoken to in English. My husband hates it haha. 

What was your first impression of him?
I thought he was very shy but he has these beautiful eyes that speak for him. I remember that the way he looked at me was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.

Curator's Note: let's be honest, I think Italians take a class when they're in school called "How To Speak Without Words 101" where they perfect all their hand gestures, body language, and most of all, how to use their eyes! Many, MANY girls who read this will agree with me. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Once we spent the last couple of hours together in Lake Como, it was time to return to Milan. I knew it was the last time we would see each other, because I was leaving the next day. So we sadly said goodbye. I was tired resting in bed at my cousin’s house when he suddenly wrote me asking me if I would like to go out for a couple of drinks. I literally screamed and took my cousin out of the shower. I got ready quickly and we went to this beautiful rooftop bar. After one drink, he leaned over me and kissed me. All the beautiful city lights were shining in the background. It was perfect; of course, I invited him to Rome and he came after two weeks.      

Curator's Note: you're killing me with this scene-  city lights, DRINKS, an Italian boy! The way life should be all the time, the most important things are the LATTER two. 

​Where do you live now? 
After my summer in Rome, I moved to Milan and we plan to stay here as long as I can. 

When did you know it was love?
I knew it was love when our mini vacation in Rome was about to finish. We had this special date that changed everything. We'd been fighting a lot because he wasn’t sure about starting a serious relationship with somebody. We started to talk about our life goals and we found out how similar we are. We got drunk and ended up making out in front of the Trevi Fountain at 1 a.m.      

Curator's Note: yup, drunk making out in front of the Trevi Fountain will do it in 99% of cases. Damn you Trevi Fountain. There's that Lauv song that has lyrics like "to be drunk and in love in New York City", but I think to be drunk and in love in Italy is SO MUCH BETTER. 

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
​Yes, he is always helping me to improve my Italian and he studied Spanish at the university so he understands me very well. But we mainly communicate in Italian.  

Curator's Note: I find this very interesting, that Italian takes the driver's seat! 
​
Any advice to "mixed" culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Be very patient. It's not easy to express your feelings in a foreign language, so you both must be willing to explain very patiently your concerns and thoughts. Although some cultures are very similar, there are always things that are different from what you are used to, so be really open-minded and embrace your significant other’s culture as your own. We did long-distance for about month and a half, it is not a long time, but we made sure to have daily Skype calls and tried to be very present in each other’s day.

Curator's Note: I'm a huge fan of the last part about being "present in each other's day". 

Submitted by Margarita. 

Here's how you can connect with Margarita:
​Instagram: @marguialba ​
Blog: www.ilsognoitalianoblog.com

Hey everyone, I'm finally back at it after a two-week hiatus in Atlantic Canada where I ate ALL THE FOOD and ALL THE COW'S ICE CREAM. If you don't know Cow's Ice Cream, well, you are living a half-life my friends. Anyways today I'm pleased to present our second couple (FINALLY!) where we have the leading lady from Italy and an American Prince Charming! The first were: Gregory and Stefania, so make sure to read their story as well if you haven't already. Viki and Que are two exceptional human beings that are also hugely active in spreading the love, the mixed love to be exact...they founded their company MixedLove on the basis of what their love story is about: sharing and appreciating the richness of cultures, especially when cultures collide and make fireworks and cute interracial babies! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
​I am from Rome (Italy) and my husband is from Michigan (USA).

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
​We met in Rome, Italy at a United Nations Charity event. It was a beautiful night, where many different people from different parts of the world came together under one roof.

Curator's Note: being the hopeless romantic that I am, I probably would have fallen in love fifty times in one night at an event like this! 

Who made the first move? 
​He was the one who made the first move, deciding to come and talk to me, taking a break from his work (that night he was hosting the party as a deejay and music producer).

Curator's Note: the song "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" is playing in my head right now. 

If you were the foreigner, where did you think he was initially from?
​I had been working in an international environment for over a year at that point, so just by looking at him as a person as well as the way he was dressed, I knew immediately that he was American. And as soon as I heard him speak, I had no more doubts of course.

Curator's Note: the way he was dressed...hehe. T-shirt, jeans and sneakers I'm guessing? 

What was your first impression of him?
​When I first met him, he was popular in the music industry and as a DJ and music producer in Europe, so I was amply happy that I could get to know him and maybe become friends. After having our first brief conversation, he left me his contact so I knew I would have most probably seen him again sooner or later. I was definitely intrigued in a person that was so different from the guys I had previously met in my life. Plus, he was a foreigner and I speak 5 different languages, so simply the idea of exercising my English was already a bonus for me.

Curator's Note: there's always a little je ne sais quoi about DJs isn't there? Maybe it's their sense of rhythm or just all the international-ness that gives them a certain amount of intrigue. Like James Bond. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Well... I had never dated interracially before meeting him (and now he is my husband) so this was all completely new to me. I had ditched him a lot of times before when he asked me out, as I was not sure if I could trust him or not (you know the DJs reputation, right?). But at some point (and he was right) he got tired of me postponing or inventing excuses and he gave up. And that was probably a smart move on his side, because that was when I finally said to myself “OK, it’s just a drink... girl don’t be silly. He won’t bite”.

And he agreed to meet one night for a late “aperitivo” (the classic Italian tapas & drinks). I was taking ice skating lessons at the time and met up with him right after a night lesson. I was very hungry as per my usual. Italian boys always said it was easier to buy me a dress than bring me out for dinner (because I love food and can eat a lot - so dinner wasn’t cheap when treating me), but he actually seemed amused by the fact that I was not on a diet or picky. And to make the story short... we had a good conversation and lots of laughter on our first date. When we were finished, he walked me outside to my scooter and hugged me, we said goodbye but before he completely let me go, he came in for a peck on the lips ...again and again. It was nice, soft and warm. I liked his soft full lips, definitely something new to me!

Curator's Note: I can almost feel it too, in a non-creepy way! By the way, I know we would be great friends- I also LOVE FOOD AND CAN EAT A LOT. Next time we're in the same city or country...mangiamo! 

​Where do you live now? 
​I was born in Rome and lived there all my life, while he had lived in America and Canada, as well as travelled throughout all Europe. We lived together in Italy for 10 years: in Rome first and then for a short time on the opposite coast (the Adriatic Sea), near the beach. Short after our second child was born, we decided to move to the States. We are living in Southern California for almost three years now, with our two beautiful children (daughter age 5 and son age 3).

Curator's Note: can't complain about Southern California at all! Your children are absolutely gorgeous by the way. 

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
​As mentioned before, I speak multiple languages and talking to him every day for the past ten years has definitely helped improving my English exponentially. I have also helped him learn Italian, so now we both teach our children. He talks to them mostly in English, while I speak mostly Italian to them daily.

Curator's Note: they are already the luckiest kids in the world by having you two as parents and being given the gift of bilingualism. 

The thing you love most about him.
I love his way of seeing things. He has way more experience than me even if he is only two years older and he is able to teach me new things every day. He literally is my “guru”. He never gives up and is always determined and always believes in himself and in what he does. He is my rock and the person I can always count on, no matter what. ​

What do you love most about being married?
Being married is not easy, just like life itself, it’s a roller coaster, full of ups and downs. It’s not a hobby, it’s not a part-time job, it’s (with no doubt) a full time all-the-time-with-no-breaks job (just like being a parent is).

You have to fight for it when things don’t go the way you want. You have to believe in what you have. You have to put your pride aside even when you are really mad and feel that you are not being understood.

Being married is sharing things with someone else, in good and bad, when you like it and even more when you hate it. It’s a team work, 360 degrees.

And that’s exactly what I love... having a partner in crime, in good and bad moments... being able to share every single moment of my life with someone else that truly knows me and accepts me the way I am. Family and happiness is a lifestyle, we grow closer every day.

Curator's Note: thanks for this, it really hit home with me being a newly-wed and all. You're so right that you have to fight for it and put pride aside for the benefit of the team. GO TEAM! 

​Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
I am not too familiar with long-distance and in my personal opinion (and experience!) it is something very difficult that only people who are truly committed can achieve. I’m not sure if I would have been able to be in a long-distance relationship with him if he would have been forced to leave Italy for unforeseen circumstances at the beginning of our love story. I had a sort of “young mentality” initially when we first met and only became more universal and mature after spending an extended amount of time with him.

Coming from two different worlds, with completely different habits and mentalities, speaking two different languages... is just not that easy per se. And, if on top of that you also add miles in between, it is going to be really hard (but not impossible!). Much respect to those who managed to do that!

An interracial relationship (depending on where you come from) can be really (really!!!) difficult. One thing is dating a person that comes from your same city/country and that experienced more or less the same things you did (that grew up watching the same tv shows, listening to the same music... that experienced the same or very similar school system, etc...) and another one is starting to date a person that not only does have a totally different background from yours, but that you even have difficulties communicating with! Yes, you can speak a language perfectly but if it’s not your mother tongue there will always be some things you can’t express the way you really want to (and please don’t forget the Metric System vs. Imperial system) ... there’s A LOT of differences. You have to have an open mind for a start and be willing to really put a lot of work into that.

There are tons of very small things that, once put together, create big mountains and obstacles to a relationship.

If you put aside racism, bad looks, people that criticize you or that simply don’t understand or do not want to accept you and your decisions... (aka all the ‘outside’ problems) there will still be the “inside” difficulties: mutual incomprehension due to the fact that you ARE two opposites.
The advice is: learn and understand the strengths and weaknesses of your partner. Be patient, try to put yourself in his/her shoes. When you don’t or can’t understand what they have experienced or where they came from, try not to judge or to be too impulsive. Put your ego aside and count to 10 (or to 1000 if needed!).

Always be the support system they are in need of, and always remember that patience is a virtue.

Many times you will be ready to give up or run away. But if you truly care about the person you are with, you will find out that LOVE ALWAYS WINS! ️

We know how hard it can be to be in a multicultural relationship. This is also why we created our company, MixedLove. We don’t only sell merchandise, we also promote diversity while expressing our love for life as well as aiming to embrace different cultures. We intend to make people aware and open to the world we love and live in. After all, Love is Love no matter your skin color or culture. We are all the same: One Human Race! ​

Submitted by Viki. 
​
Here's how you can connect with these two:
​Instagram: mixedloveglobal
Twitter: mixedloveglobal
Facebook: mixedloveglobal
Pinterest: mixedloveglobal
Other: shop.mixedlove.net

She's an Australian studying in Milan dating a Brazilian living in Torino and they met one fateful night in Genova, Italy...is your head spinning yet? That's just the beginning to today's globe-trotting couple, Athena and André, from completely different walks of life- she's a small town girl from Australia and he's a city boy from Brazil and they somehow found each other on a different continent after both took huge risks in pursuit of chasing passions. Moral of the story, go for the adventure and love will follow! (Alternative moral of the story: gap years are dangerous and you'll probably fall in love with a foreigner and never move home again). Here's the backstory, told conveniently from two points of view:

The Backstory:

Athena
2 years before my last year of high school, my small country high school received its first foreign exchange student, a girl from Firenze named Chiara. We became fast friends and for the whole 6 months she was in Australia we were inseparable. When she moved back to Italy we stayed in close contact for almost 2 years long distance, battling against the 10 hour time difference. After graduation, I had been accepted by quite a few Universities in a variety of courses and I wanted a year to decide what my true passion is, instead of randomly choosing a degree and changing my mind like a lot of my friends did. I am the eldest of 7 children and therefore did not have the money to change my mind. Chiara convinced me to come to Italy for a gap year between high school and starting University. I used my savings for the expensive flights and decided to enter Italy with a study visa, earning my board working as an Au Pair and studying in a language school, leaving the weekends to travel. After a horrible abusive experience with my first host family, I lived with Chiara for a month before going to another host family in Liguria and left a 2 year relationship with my ex in Australia.

André
André met an older Venezuelan woman in England when he went there for a gap year after graduating High School to study and improve his English. They began dating the year he was there and then they continued to date when they both went back to South America. She was very independent and frequently told him the relationship wasn’t going to be a ‘long term’ thing, she didn’t see a future with him but he was infatuated. Then one day she told him she enrolled herself to do her Master degree in Spain without consulting him. He was in love with her so he started to look into the best Universities in Europe for his Engineering course, which ended up being in Torino, Italy. He thought ‘If our relationship could survive Venezuela - Brazil it will be easy to do Italy - Spain’ and enrolled in University in Torino. A month into his life in Italy she broke up with him. He began to wrestle with the idea of staying in Italy or moving back to Brazil, eventually he decided to stay, dedicating this time abroad to work on himself… He was in Italy for a year and a half before meeting me. 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I am from a small town near Byron Bay in Australia, and André is from Recife, Brazil.

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met on the first day of summer next to a bar, outside of a club in Genova, Liguria. I lived in the city working as an au pair but André was spontaneously visiting the city with his housemate. I never saw the appeal in Italian men, as a tall girl most of them were shorter than me which was a MAJOR turn off, also every guy I met was either: 1. really sleazy and fake by treating 457829 girls all the same way, or 2. they were horrendously sexist and didn’t even try to be charming they just saw women as objects, OR 3. they were major Mammone and couldn’t function independently.

​Curator's Note: BAHAHAH I love this fresh and honest take on the Italian man, so far we've just had stories of girls being totally smitten from the first batting of eyelashes. 

I heard countless horror stories of friends going home with Italian men and in the morning they needed to leave BEFORE Mamma woke up OR had to awkwardly wait in his room silently all day until Mamma left the house to run errands so he wouldn’t fracture Mamma's perception of her perfect boy.

​Curator's Note: OMFG.

So, when a friend and I approached the two olive-skinned, dark-haired men standing at a bar outside of a club speaking Italian to each other- the entire intent was to get free drinks and immediately run away before they got pervy.

​Curator's Note: GIRL, YOU ARE MY #GOALS.

Both of us accidentally ended up being charmed by this tall Brazilian man that spoke perfect English. Suddenly my friend realised that he was interested in me and she got sided with his Italian friend who did not speak English.

Curator's Note: Ooooo you owe her one!

Who made the first move? 
I guess I made the first move by walking up to the bar flirting with him, but it was only to get a free drink! I was only supposed to be in Italy for 8 more months and I was not interested in getting into a relationship at all. André was the one to initiate our first kiss and made the first move between friends with benefits to a relationship. 

Curator's Note: Friends with benefits! Love it! Again, love the blatant honesty in this.

If you were the foreigner, where did you think he was initially from?
We were both the foreigner in the situation, which I see as a really positive aspect of our relationship. I think if I was with an Italian who had all of his family and childhood friends around him and I was completely segregated from everyone and everything I’ve ever known, I would become envious of him and kind of resent being able to see his family every day as I wouldn’t be able to see mine for years. When I first saw him, I noticed his height- as most Italian men are tiny and I tower over them in heels, whereas he was still taller than me in heels. He was well-dressed and had olive skin and dark hair and he was speaking Italian, I had been in Italy long enough to understand most Italian but speaking was still difficult. I guess you assume that if someone is speaking the language with a friend they ARE that nationality. André knew I was foreign- I don’t look Italian at all and he guessed either American, Canadian or Australian. 

What was your first impression of him?
He was super over-confident and struck me as a little bit of a player (I think I called him an asshole a couple times) he was really charming and I kind of assumed that he did this with a lot of girls, so I felt safe that I wouldn’t be raked into a relationship. We joked and danced the night away, and he put my number in his phone and made me promise we would go out for a date tomorrow night while I dragged my very intoxicated friend home.

To my surprise he messaged me the whole next day making sure we could still have that dinner and I learnt a little bit more about him. To my surprise he was just as funny sober as he was drunk, but also very intelligent and compassionate. He was studying Engineering in Torino, two hours away, so before the date I told myself repeatedly not to get emotionally invested as he lived 2 hours away and I was going home in 8 months. This wasn’t my first date or man I had been with since the break up, I had kept myself from getting emotionally attached by using apps like Tinder where no one was kidding themselves and trying to find ‘love’.

Curator's Note: I am so curious about how Tinder works in Italy, is it the same as everywhere else in the world? Are there full-on creepers? Is everyone super hot? Tell me all the things.

I was realistic about my reality. A 25 hour flight from Brisbane to Milan isn’t convenient or cheap, the 10 hour time difference made it almost impossible to keep in contact with friends and family and he was going to be studying in Italy for numerous years.

We went out for a dinner date at the best all-you-can-eat Sushi restaurant in Genova and the whole night was magical. He was handsome, artistic, athletic, widely travelled, quick-witted, open with his emotions; he was able to hold a deep conversation and then instantly make me laugh while intellectually challenging me. He was electric and so well-rounded as a person I couldn’t believe my luck.

Curator's Note: *swoooooon* I want someone to describe me as "electric"!  That might be the most romantic thing I've ever heard! 

Until I realised I wasn’t lucky at all… I met this guy who has all the characteristics I wanted in a man aaaand he lives on the other side of the globe… and I’m leaving in 8 months.
​
The morning after he told me he really liked me as a person and wanted to keep seeing me. I instantly cut off his sentence and said “We can’t be exclusive” he agreed and that was the beginning. It was of 3 months of both of us catching 2 hour trains to spend almost every weekend together and FaceTiming everyday. I was happy, but I was afraid of falling for him so I kept Tinder as an emotional distraction and went on dates with other guys but could never convince myself do anything physical with them.

Dish on the first kiss! 
Brazilian men are not subtle at all and are persistent- maybe even more than Italians! So when we started dancing, he took that as confirmation that he could kiss me. He caught me completely by surprise and pretty much stuck his tongue in my mouth. I was shocked and pushed him away like he was a crazy person and he realised he had to work for it a little bit and eventually I caved (was probably the fantastic Brazilian dance moves).

Curator's Note: without a doubt. You had me at Brazilian and dancing. 

If Monday isn't your favorite day of the week yet, it just means this is the first time you've stumbled upon  Love Story Lunedì over here on my little blog for hopeless romantics, wandering hearts, and the foreign-boy obsessed. Today's story is just PERFECT for those of you who grew up reading YA romance novels, it has all the mandatory plot points- a girl from the Bronx, summers in Italy, an Italian with a "bad boy" reputation (YAAASSSSS), a first kiss attempt followed by a slap, an actual first kiss, and an eventual move from The Big Apple to Italy's Big Apple- MILAN. I'll let Rosa take the wheel from here as she was kind enough to provide us a quick backstory...

The Backstory:
As an American born to Italian parents (both my parents were born in southern Italy), I kind of always figured I’d end up with an Italian! We’ve known each other for years, but didn’t get together until six years ago while I was studying abroad in Roma for a semester. He came down from Milano to visit me for the weekend, and after a wildly romantic two days, I fell head over heels for him and that Milanese accent! Ever since then, we’ve had a long-distance relationship, except for two years ago when I lived in Milano for a year to pursue a post-graduate degree. I decided to go back to New York for personal reasons at the end of the year; so, out of the six years we’ve been together, only one was spent in the same continent. Now that I’ve moved back to Milano, we’re ecstatic to see what life has in store for us!
​
Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I’m from the United States (specifically from the Bronx, New York) and Rocco is from San Donato Milanese, Italy. 

​Curator's Note: I'm not going to lie, Jenny from the Block is playing in my head right now. 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
​We officially met back in the summer of 2004, but didn’t become a couple until February 2012.          Both of our fathers were born in the same town in Salerno, so when I visited my family in the      summers, he was always there. Funny enough, my brother hung out with him and they went out      often as part of a larger group of friends. I was only 13 at the time, so I usually stayed home.               Eventually, as I got older, I started hanging out with the group every time we visited Italy in the          summer.

Curator's Note: Like I said, sounds like a teen novel in the making. 

Who made the first move? 
He did, and I think I slapped him! I remember back in 2010, during a summer vacation, he was          supposed to go to the gym with my brother, and—instead—accompanied me on a walk around our town. We were sitting by a fountain when he moved next to me and tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away because I wasn’t feeling it at all.

​A year later, he tried again and succeeded (haha!), but nothing came of it since I was only on vacation in Italy for a month. It wasn’t until the spring of 2012, while I was studying abroad in Roma, that we became official. By May, although it was the end of the semester, we knew it wasn’t the end for us; so, we committed to doing the long-distance thing. ​

Where did you think he was initially from?
I knew he was Italian, but he could have easily passed for Turkish or Albanian.

What was your first impression of him?
Word around our fathers’ town was that he was a ‘player’, and even my nonna warned me about hanging out with him because of his ‘bad boy’ reputation. I think that’s why I avoided getting too close to him in the beginning, but—then—curiosity eventually got the best of me!

Curator's Note:  GOD DO I LOVE ME A BAD BOY. What's so fascinating about them?!

Dish on the first kiss! 
Well, as you know, he failed the first time! The next year, though, in August of 2011, we were in his car and I think we had just dropped our friend off after attending a rock concert in another town. It was super late, and I went to kiss him on both cheeks to say goodnight, when he suddenly turned his head and kissed me on the lips. I didn’t push him away this time… ​

​Where do you live now? 
We’re now staying in San Donato Milanese, but soon we’ll be moving into our apartment in the        city center.

Curator's Note: I need to come to Milan for a visit! 

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Yes! His English is quite good since he studied in London for bit after university, and he also utilizes it at his job. I am fluent in Italian after not only growing up in a very Italian family, but also having studied the language in both high school and college.

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
My nuggets of wisdom to people in long-distance relationships are to have faith, stay busy and         ignore the doubters. It is so easy to lose hope and allow sadness to seep into every aspect of your      life. I know because I did exactly that once I returned from studying abroad. I didn’t want to do              anything but cry, think about him and cry some more. Eventually, eight months passed and I      became too distracted with my last-semester-senior-year responsibilities to be sad all the time.            Of course, you will miss him or her every day, and you’ll probably tear up watching couples hold        hands as they walk on the street. You have to believe, though, that one day, that will be you two.             You will be told that you’re crazy, and asked how you can trust your partner to stay faithful. The        best thing to do in these types of situations? IGNORE THEM! Let them think what they want; you            know your relationship better than anyone, and—if the cynicism from loved ones gets to you—               talk to them about it!
​
Curator's Note: Haters gonna hate. This advice was ON POINT Rosa. 

Submitted by Rosa.

Here's how you can connect with Rosa:
Instagram: @diaryofaduelcitizen
Blog: www.diaryofaduelcitizen.com

WELCOME BACK TO THE BEST DAY OF THE WEEK: Love Story Lunedì! Today I have a YouTube beauty who you all need to follow IMMEDIATELY- Hayley Alexis! She hails from the USA and started her channel to appease her friends' and family's questions about life in "tschland" where she currently lives with her sexy German, Mike. We're keeping today's story short and sweet (I think Hayley has become rather German in this sense, her answers were very concise!) but I'm including some videos where you can watch the two of them together because they are THE CUTEST. 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I am from the USA and Mike is from Germany.

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met in Munich at a bar.
​
Curator's Note: I just came back from Munich yesterday and ADORED IT. Also, there are a ton of cute boys there! I was really caught off guard, it seems like nobody ever mentions this! 

Who made the first move? 
ME! I don’t even think Mike noticed me, I was the weirdo stalker going up to him telling him to smile… CRINGE.

Curator's Note: I love it though, I feel like that's such an American girl thing to do ha! 

Who was the foreigner in this and where did he think you were from? 
I was the foreigner and he did not think I was from The US.

Curator's Note: I would love to hear more about this or to hear where he thought you were from. I've been told often that I'm slightly racially ambiguous at times and in fact, when I was in Munich on Saturday night, our waiter asked if I was Mexican...! 

What was your first impression of him?
My first impression was OHHH HEYYY he’s cute.

Curator's Note: Basically me every ten minutes in Munich, LBH.

Dish on the first kiss! 
The “technical” first kiss was on the night that we met and I pecked him on the lips *middle school kiss*.

Curator's Note: YOU GO GIRL. 

Where are you currently living?
Still in Munich.

Have you learnt each other's languages?
Yes, we both speak each other's languages. Mike- English & Me- German.

Curator's Note: Would LOVE to hear about learning German! Here's a video where you can watch them doing the Boyfriend/Girlfriend Tag IN GERMAN. 

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Since I am in the USA on a 5 month trip (since Mike and I have started dating we have maybe been away from each other 2 weeks max) the best advice is to try and communicate everyday *even if it’s just a text* and try not to focus on being apart but focus on when you will be back together and how nice and exciting it will be.

Here's how you can connect with Hayley and Mike: 
Instagram: @hayleyalexisxo & @m4ikeyspikey 
YouTube:  @Hayley Alexis

Submitted by Hayley.
​

A huge, heartfelt thanks to Hayley and Mike 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: Philippa and Nick
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Camie and Marco
​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
​

Hi friends! So sorry I'm late with today's love story. I feel like we haven't seen each other in ages, but really it's only been two weeks since the last time I posted. I guess that's how you know it's true love right? Today's couple are from the UK but their love story and shared love of travelling (and of Italy) brought them to The Eternal City where they now reside. This story has all the good stuff: a girl from The North and a boy from The South, Match.com, a first kiss in a glass elevator with London as the background, innumerable laughs, four houses, four jobs, fourteen countries and finally a move to Rome. Happy reading everyone! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
We are both from the UK. I am from Yorkshire (The North) and Nick is from Somerset (South West) – there is a North South ‘divide’ in the UK so this is a constant source of banter between us. Before we met, I had an antique map of Yorkshire in a frame in my home. When we moved in together I bought him a similar map of Somerset so he would also feel represented. These were the only two pictures we brought with us to Rome!

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met online (Jan 2014) through Match.com. Nick was the first and only online date I went on. His friends tease me saying I didn’t understand that you pay per month and not per date and I should have made the most of my subscription! Obviously I think it was just fate! Nick on the other hand had been internet dating a couple of years and was ready to give up and be a bachelor if our date didn’t go well. 
​
Curator's Note: So happy that fate brought you two together! I really love hearing internet dating stories, it's so common nowadays, or even if it wasn't on a dating site, there's so much of a digital factor in the beginning of relationships. 

Who made the first move? 
Apparently I ‘winked’ at Nick online so he sent me a message. Nick considers this the first move but I think he made the first move when he kissed me on our second date. 

What was your first impression of him?
Nick’s first impression of me was that I was late to our first date – a theme which has continued so he should have known what to expect! My first impression of Nick was that he was really interesting and well-travelled. I knew from his online profile that he was a Vet who specialized in cows. I had no idea how interesting this job could be! He travels all over the world advising governments and doing research. Our shared love of travel is something which bonded us from the beginning. On our first date he talked about how he travels to Rome often for work and this was somewhere he would like to live one day. This was like music to my ears as I’d always wanted to live in Italy.  It took us 4 years from the first date but we now live in Rome together!

Curator's Note: OMG he's a vet, I'm loving this, how lovely! It always reminds me of Grey's Anatomy when Meredith was going out with Finn, the vet. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Our first kiss was very memorable because it was in a glass elevator with a view over London. We had dinner in The Duck and Waffle restaurant in London which is on the 40th floor. The elevator is on the exterior of the building so you can see fantastic views of London as you go up and down. We finished dinner at around midnight and were alone in the lift going back down. It was very romantic having the night skyline of London in the background. Nick took me by surprise though and it could have been quite awkward if I hadn’t wanted to kiss him given the confined space. Luckily his advances were welcome! Nick says he was dropping hints by making a display of eating a mint and offering me one…clearly this was too subtle for me as I wasn’t expecting him to move in!

Curator's Note: Bahahaha, making a display of eating a mint. Excellent strategy. 

How did you know it was love? 
Despite instantly being physically attracted to Nick (who doesn’t love a dark hair, dark beard and glasses combo!) it was definitely more a case of growing to love each other rather than love at first sight. When I tried to break it off after a couple of months he consistently kept in contact and even left flowers and cakes at my door – I knew from then on (plus the fact I missed him terribly) that he was a keeper. We always made each other laugh and I think always having a great time together makes you feel very close, but the first moment I knew it was a real lasting ‘this is the one’ love was when he helped me write some important but difficult correspondence. He showed up to meet me from work bringing his laptop and suggested we write the letter together over a drink. I was able to see how diplomatic he was, how professional, calm and empathetic but also that he was a force to be reckoned with. I realized that this was a guy that really had my back, emotionally as well as practically. It wasn’t that I needed help but accepting his help made me realize that together we made a whole greater than the sum of its parts. 

Curator's Note: YES, WHO doesn't love the dark hair, dark beard, and glasses combo?! 

One thing you love the most about him? 
We’ve been through a lot together. In four years we’ve had four homes, changed jobs four times between us, been to 14 countries together, done a masters and a PhD and moved to live a foreign country. I’m very proud of how well we’ve worked together to do all these things and I think in part it’s because Nick is very adaptable - which is an admirable quality. But what makes me love him most is his sense of humor. On my worst days he’s had me in stitches laughing and I don’t know that there’s anything more fundamental for a good life than that. 

Now I’m just hoping for an Italian proposal and possibly some Italian babies…!

Curator's Note: In the end, you just wanna be with someone who makes you laugh. By the way, what's an "Italian" proposal? 

Submitted by Philippa. 

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
​
​

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