Today's two lovers are probably the definition of what it is to be in a relationship in the millenial day and age- we're now living in a world that brings hearts together from its four corners with love stories that span oceans and continents with the help of Skype, Whatsapp, Tinder, Skyscanner, and AirBnB (stay tuned, I might have a love story about everyone's favorite accommodation finder!). Globalization may have its downsides and I'm no economics major, but I have to say that an upside is the mobility that its given to people. That, mixed with the prevalence of English as a lingua franca has inevitably allowed us to make connections with each other like never before. So tell me, what's the common thread between Florence, a Swedish stud and a Mexican mamacita (apologies for making alliterations like Pitbull)? You got it...Love Story Lunedì! He's been living in Florence for the past ten years, she was raised between Mexico and the USA so essentially between two people, we have a mix of four cultures! Today's story is taking us from opposite sides of the Atlantic (just to change things up a bit), from Paula's hometown of Mexico City to Pontus's of Stockholm, Sweden, with a final stop in their current location of Florence, Italy. 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I was born in Mexico City and he was Born in Stockholm, Sweden. He has been in Florence for almost 10 years now and I was raised in both USA and Mexico.  

Curator's Note: I'm already euphorically confused. YAS. Adoro. 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met on summer of 2016 at a Gala Party that was being hosted by my university here in Florence. I was attending as a new student and he on the other hand was attending with a friend of his who had recently graduated from the same university. 

Curator's Note: When is someone going to give all these couples a book deal or a TV series? a GALA PARTY, FLORENCE. Strangers in the nightttttttt.......! 

Who made the first move? 
He did! I was so nervous about being at the Gala since I didn't know anyone so I wasn’t really aware of my surroundings. A friend of his approached me at the beginning of the event and eventually introduced me to all of his friends, (one being my boyfriend). He waited for his friend to leave my side for a second in order to “steal” me away. We talked for hours that night, as if we knew each other so well.

Curator's Note: You probably do know each other. You know, from a parallel life. Because that's absolutely something I would say being the romantic I am. 

If your significant other was the "foreigner"in the situation in which you met where did you initially think he was from? 
I didn’t honesty have time to think about this! But knowing that the university was international, we asked each other right away where we were from.

What was your first impression of him?
I instantly thought he was attractive. However, I was definitely not expecting to talk or anything that night. I was really impressed by our flowing conversations, it made him so much more attractive right away. 

Curator's Note: Of course, can't fall in love with a pretty face. Well, maybe you can but it won't last.

Dish on the first kiss! 
Ours didn’t happen that night ! Hahah As a matter of fact, he tried and I didn’t let him! Hahahah I told him “I don’t kiss on the first date”, which I immediately regretted because it took a full 2 weeks for it to happen. He later told me that he was so nervous to do it because he didn’t want me to reject him again. 

Curator's Note: No no no, you did the right thing girlfriend. He was probably so nervous yes but also probably so determined. I'm sure that two weeks was worth it in the end. Wink, wink. 

​Where do you live now? 
We both live in Florence, Italy. However, we will be moving to Stockholm next May.​

Curator's Note: See what I mean guys, this is the epitome of the young, modern couple now. It's becoming so yesterday to do the high school sweetheart, white picket fence thing isn't it? Who am I kidding though? I love that too. If there's love involved, I love it. 

How did he propose? 
He proposed on Ponte alla Carraia. We were on our way to meet some friends for a dinner (that later on I was told was all fake).  As we were crossing the bridge, I feel him pull me back a little. As I turned around I saw him kneeling down and my brother at the corner of the bridge taking a video. It took me a couple of seconds to realize what was going on, I was definitely not expecting it. It was perfect and beautifully un-expected! We are getting married in July 27 in Mexico! Cannot wait.

Curator's Note: My heart is exploding with happiness right now. This all belongs on Netflix. Wishing you the most beautiful wedding in Mexico. (Funny note, before editing, "kneeling" had a typo and it said "keeling" and all I could picture was some poor guy "keeling over" from pre-proposal jitters hehe).

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Not yet! He understands a bit of Spanish because of his background in Italian…. I will be starting Swedish lessons pretty soon! 

Curator's Note: I'm surprised you didn't say he basically understands Spanish. I've always had these bizarre experiences where Italians and Spanish-speakers can have full conversations with each other without switching their native language. True story, actually happened to me in Cuba when I wanted to practice Spanish with the bartender and my Italian boyfriend (now-husband) just took over the conversation in Italian. Boo him. 

Any advice for mixed/long-distance couples?
Have an open-mind when it comes to different mentalities. Having different cultures and beliefs can tend to get in the way in many situations. However, you can always “meet in the middle” in order to make everyone happy. ​

Submitted by Paula.

Here's how you can connect with them:
Instagram: @lovers.abroad ​

First of all, thank you to everyone that has reached out to share their story with me and all of those who have been spreading the word and coercing *cough cough* couples into contacting me. Word of mouth is the best way to find more stories to share so if you know someone, by all means let them know about this awesome series. Today we are finally going back to the land down under for this love story that shows how 16 546km is really just a hop, skip, and a jump when it comes to matters of the heart. These two love birds met on the dance floor one night when fate, salsa, and mojitos all aligned to give us hope in this crazy thing we called AMORE. Australian Alicha thought she had been snagged by a sexy Spaniard or a lovely Latin American fella, but she found herself, like so many before her, seduced by a cliché- lo' and behold her dancing partner was an Italian! I'll let them tell the rest of the story, happy reading! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I’m from Sydney, Australia and he is from Milan, Italy 

Curator's Note: sounds familiar right Angela? 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met at a salsa bar in Sydney of all places almost a year and a half ago and seriously only feels like yesterday!

Curator's Note: Salsa is insanely sexy and I actually think it's the perfect place to make a connection. The music, the hips...everything points to falling in love! 

Who made the first move? 
He did for sure. I was just minding my own business on the dance floor with one of my girlfriends and he grabbed me by the hand out of nowhere and spun me around like a ballerina and we couldn’t stay away from each other since then.

Curator's Note: Typical. This sounds like Dirty Dancing. I kinda love the aggressiveness in this, very confident that's for sure, very Italian if you ask me. 

If your significant other was the "foreigner"in the situation in which you met where did you initially think he was from? 
I actually thought he was either Latin American or Spanish (He’ll kill me for saying that haha) and especially learning his first name was Dennis Italian never came to mind! 

Curator's Note: Dennis...yes not your stereotypical Italian name, although you'll find lots of American names here now, it's trendy. Please leave a comment so I know he hasn't actually killed you for saying that you thought he was Latin American or Spanish, haha! 

What was your first impression of him?
To be honest I was under the influence of several mojitos that night but I do remember being very impressed by his confidence and dance moves!

Curator's Note: Honesty is the best policy. No one ever got a good story out of abstaining from mojitos. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Our first kiss happened the night we first met. It seems I was feeling very confident too at that time thanks to all the mojitos EEEEEK! 
 
Curator's Note: I like how fast this went down. I think ya'll just knew a good thing when you saw it. 

​Where do you live now? 
Currently we are both living in Australia but still deciding whether or not to make the big move to Italy or stay put in the land down under.

Curator's Note: It's a tough choice, they are SO DIFFERENT. 

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Since I met him here in Australia he already knew basic English but as we’ve spent more time together he’s English has definitely improved. He even knows all the Aussie slang and isn’t afraid to use it! As for me, I can understand Italian more than I can speak it but I am taking lessons right now to get more confident in speaking.

Curator's Note: That is adorbs that he uses all the Aussie slang. I think it's so cute when someone uses slang. My husband knows some Canadian slang too. 

Any advice for mixed/long-distance couples?
For long distance relationships, the main advice I can give is to trust your partner. Pretty cliché but trust is the most important factor in a relationship in general and even more for a long distance relationship and obviously communication and A LOT of it. Just enjoy the moment you’re in because at the end of it all, it will be worth it. 

Submitted by Alicha.

Here's how you can connect with her:
Instagram: @_wan_der_lust
Facebook: https://facebook.com/AlichaEstrella

THIS MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE COUPLE YET. I know, I know, I say that every SINGLE time. The more stories I hear, the more I realize that there must be something in the universe that brings two human beings together from such opposite sides of the world: a Korean-American from Seattle ends up in Nantes, France studying French lit, LITERALLY below her future-husband- a Florentine mechanical engineering student. A relationship that started in French and has since included English, Italian, Florentine, Romagnolo, Korean, and many more, theirs is a story that will make you believe in the power of love and language (and of hand-holding, and simultaneous biking-riding/cigarette-rolling/telephone-talking). Find out what happened when "the Asian girl from Gilmore Girls" met her "Italian Robert Downey Jr."!

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
My husband is a Florentine, born and raised in the Santa Croce neighborhood of Florence. I am from Seattle originally. Before moving to Italy, we were living in Chicago, IL, USA.   

Curator's Note: The globe-trotting nature of this story already has my full-attention. Let's keep going...

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met in the fall of 2003. We were both studying abroad in Nantes, France. My husband, Ciro, was studying mechanical engineering and lived in the dorm room directly above mine. I was studying French literature.
   
Curator's Note: Oh those sexy Italian mechanical engineers, don't I know it (my husband is one too). 

Who made the first move? 
A point of contention, but I think my husband made the first move. However, he is convinced that I did. I guess we’ll never know the truth.

Curator's Note: That seems to happen quite a bit with couples, it's interesting actually. Someone should study the dynamics of the first move. 

If your significant other was the "foreigner"in the situation in which you met where did you initially think he was from? 
When we met, we were both the “foreigner.” He told me that I looked like the Asian girl from Gilmore Girls. Frankly, I was offended. I told him that he looked like Robert Downey Jr. He didn’t know who that was (this was pre-Iron Man folks) and asked me if Robert Downey Jr was bald. Since his friend had already told me that he was Italian, I didn’t have much time to ruminate over his origins. I guess, he was always Italian to me. The Italian Robert Downey Jr. (Btw, Ciro vehemently rejects this comparison)

Curator's Note: I'm going to have to agree with you on the Robert Downey Jr. observation. Also, the Asian girl comparisons...I've heard every possible suggestion in the book. You should definitely not be offended by this one because once my MIL told me I looked like Wendy Deng Murdoch (she's 49 by the way)! 

What was your first impression of him?
I don’t know. I think I thought he was kind.

This isn’t a first impression, but one of the earliest memories I have of being impressed by him. I don’t think he even saw me, but I saw him on his bike. He was riding his bike while talking on the phone and rolling a cigarette, all at the same time. I was so impressed by this that, even now, I can only recall it in slow-motion with dramatic music in the background. It was, and still is, one of the most awe-inspiring things I have ever seen. I think that was the moment that I fell in love with him.

Curator's Note: This is so particular and odd that I love it to bits and pieces. I think I'd be impressed by this too. That is some legit multi-tasking skill right there. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Honestly, I don’t remember our first kiss (oops). I only remember the first time we held hands. It was November and he took me to the Christmas market, in the Place Royale, on his bicycle. He put me on the seat and he pedaled me all the way down to the city center of Nantes. It was probably a good 3 or 4 miles (5-8 km), a lot of it uphill (hahahahaha). When we got to the Christmas market, it was packed with people. Up until this point, we had just been friends, but then he took my hand and we walked into the crowded marketplace. I think it was the moment that I realized that he had feelings for me.

Curator's Note: I just "awww"-ed out loud and scared my cat. This is cuter than any first kiss recollection! There's something so pure and innocent in hand-holding. 

​Where do you live now? 
Since December of last year, we have been living in Florence. After wandering around the world, my husband had been wanting to come back to his hometown for some time. A couple of years ago, my husband got a job offer in Tuscany and we decided to move over here. We live just outside the city center with our dog, Aldo. He made the terrifying flight over here from Chicago, and now he’s the king of Tuscany.

Curator's Note: Can I please come and visit you and be your best friends? I adore Tuscany! 

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
The simple answer is “yes.” Yet the reality is a little bit more complicated given how important language has been in our relationship. We met in France and for the first 5 years of our relationship we spoke in French. Then, Ciro rightly pointed out that we weren’t in France anymore and it didn’t make sense to continue speaking in French. After that, we went through some awkward trials where we both tried to speak Italian or we both tried to speak English, but in the end, we decided that when you’re arguing, you just need to yell in your own language. So, we each speak our own language and it works. The only thing is that when we go out, people get seriously confused.

When we go back to Seattle to visit my family, he stays pretty mute because my whole family speaks in either Korean or Konglish. He is getting pretty good at Konglish, I must say. It’s more -nglish than Ko-, but it’s still an admirable achievement. Whereas when we go to visit his family, we speak almost exclusively in Italian. My father-in-law is from Romagna, so he teaches me little phrases and words in romagnolo to impress the family. I’m usually met with a thunderous round of applause for saying things like, “pumpkin,” or “nose”.

Furthermore, during our time together, our need for languages continued to evolve. Ciro spent several years living in the UK and the USA, so his English is sickeningly good. He’s even picked up a couple of phrases in Korean and can count all the way up to 7. We lived in Puerto Rico for a year and he learned and perfected Spanish during that time whereas I only know how to say “garbage can” and “hello”. And due to the time he spent in the Middle East, he can even speak some very basic Arabic.

As for me, I grew up speaking Korean and English, but I’m rapidly forgetting my Korean because I use it so infrequently here in Italy. My French is just becoming Italian, at this point, and my Italian is becoming Florentine. And as you already know, my Spanish is limited to el zafacòn and hola. I really hope to keep learning new ways of communicating with people. It’s fun and humbling to learn a new language. ​

Curator's Note: If you've read my blog, I'm so intrigued by languages and reading this literally gave me ALL THE FEELS. 

Any advice for mixed/long-distance couples?

Advice for long-distance relationships? Don’t do it. Just don’t.
Take it from someone who spent about 8 years, back and forth, in a long-distance relationship, it’s stupid. Save yourselves the heartache and either take the plunge or let it go.

Advice for mixed culture couples? Not really. I think we are always in a mixed cultural situation. We always have differences due to race, gender, class, nationality, religion, age, political inclinations, contrasting personalities or a combinations of things. I think that the key is to be open and understanding. To understand that we all have different backgrounds and life experiences that shape our worldview and our values. Be kind, but also, stand up for yourself.

Curator's Note: *INSERT OPRAH CHEERING MEME HERE* 

How did he propose? 
The thing you need to understand about me is that I don’t like attention and I don’t like big spectacles or ceremonies. I have never liked the idea of an extravagant proposal in front of all of my friends and family. There’s nothing wrong with it, it just isn’t for me.

Having said that, Ciro and I were in one of our long-distance periods. He was living and working in Atlanta and I was living in Chicago. He traveled a ton for work and on the weekends, he always came to visit me in Chicago. One Friday, he came to my apartment in Chicago and we were just hanging out. We were talking, but he was being weird. I asked him if something was wrong and he said that everything was fine. While I was walking towards the kitchen to make us something to eat, he called my name and went down on one knee. He very nervously asked me if I wanted to marry him. I said “yes,” of course.

As proposals go, it was perfect for me. It was intimate and sincere. We got married less than a year later in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Our wedding was the same, intimate and sincere. We only invited our closest family and friends, the whole wedding consisted of just 40 people. ​

Curator's Note: Adore. I just adore this. 

​
​What do you love most about being married?
We have been married now for 6 years and honestly, it doesn’t feel any different. Nothing has really changed between us, besides the normal developments of any relationship. What has changed is the way society views and treats us. People give more importance to our relationship when I say that I’m married or if I mention my husband. Ciro, too, noticed that when he needed to help his girlfriend with something, his workplace didn’t take him very seriously. Instead, when he needed to help his wife with something, everyone insisted that he leave immediately. It’s weird because, we were just as important to each other before getting married and we continue to be important to each other.

We have been together for 15 years, but we still feel like those two students studying in France. We still laugh at silly things and hold hands in the marketplace. It’s not so much marriage; it’s the being together that’s special. 

Submitted by Arachi. 

Here's how you can connect with her:
Instagram: @americanajummaabroad 
Blog: anamericanajummaabroad.wordpress.com/

*POP*Oh sorry, that's just me popping bottles of prosecco to celebrate the re-birth of this series! It will be short-lived again though because I haven't got anything in reserve so please, if you're reading this and you have a story, please send it to me so I CAN KEEP CELEBRATING LOVE and so the rest of ya'll can keep creepin' other people's lives. No shame in that! So let's get this show on the road...I know what you're probably thinking, Genia and Mattia look like the parallel universe version of Massi and I...that's exactly what I thought when I started stalking them on Instagram. Actually, isn't Mattia the splitting image of John Mayer? An Italian John Mayer. Gorgeous Texan Genia and Italian "John Mayer" Mattia met on what is arguably our generation's greatest contribution to modern society: TINDER. *POPS ANOTHER BOTTLE* Yes friends, these two are my very first INTERNATIONAL TINDER COUPLE!!! What a wonderful testament to the power of accidentally swiping right! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I am from Dallas, TX and Mattia is from Milano.

Curator's Note: everything is bigger in Texas right? Well, except Genia who is like the cutest little thing ever...! 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
It’s so strange and weird to say because it has a bad rep...TINDER!
  
A friend and I took a trip to Europe last year for my 26th birthday. At the time, I had been single for a year (literally not dating anyone) and moved to NYC a year before that! We landed in Milan on my birthday (Aug 15th). Sadly, we didn’t realize it was a holiday. So we decided to download Tinder and see what these European boys were like.  Honestly, I don’t remember swiping right on Mattia ahaha. Pretty much we matched on my birthday and it’s a sign of fate.
​
Another note* we went on a Tinder double-date because my friend matched with someone as well. It was funny and awkward.

Curator's Note: YES YES YES YES. THIS MAKES MY LIFE COMPLETE! A Tinder double-date in Milan during the week of Ferragosto. Only good things can come of this. 

Who made the first move? 
​He did! He asked via Tinder to “grab a coffee”. I literally was thinking “this dude wants coffee at 7pm?” but here we are, a year later!

Curator's Note: he actually used "grab a coffee"? I'm impressed. 

Where did you initially think he was from? 
​This is going to sound like such an American comment but I didn’t think he was Italian because of his brown hair/blue eyes look. We know the “Southern Italian look” tan skin and brown eyes. I asked him maybe about 3 times in our first meeting, “Are you sure you’re from Milan?”.

Curator's Note: I love how American that sounded but it's just the truth, I think people generalize what "Italians" look like and then they see a blond Italian and their minds are just blown. 

What was your first impression of him?
Honestly, I didn’t think anything! I had my mindset of “okay, this is just one date and this guy lives in a different country” mentality.

Curator's Note: LEGIT. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
He took me to a hidden gem in Milan. I was kind of nervous because I didn’t know him nor the place. So we sat down, just started talking and BOOM we kissed!

Curator's Note: BOOM? More like BOW CHICKA WOW WOW. 

​Where do you live now? 
I lived in Milan for 4 months during the summer but I am in the States working on my student visa and Mattia is back in Milan.

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Mattia for SURE has learned English.  His English has improved so much over the last year. We speak in English, which is sad sometimes because I need to learn Italian. But I mean, I can get by in Italy.

Curator's Note: yes, stop speaking English to him. He needs to regress like my husband who I no longer correct on purpose so that sooner or later I will surpass him in linguistic skills in Italian bahaha. 

Any advice for mixed/long-distance couples?
Communication is KEY! Talk everyday, send pictures, send voice messages. It’s easy to feel insecure because ya’ll aren’t physically together so TRUST each other. Also, have patience, you both are two different people from two different places!

Curator's Note: OMG I LOVE YOU, you wrote "ya'll" and I say that too, let's be best friends forever. 

Submitted by Genia.

Here's how you can connect with her:
Instagram: @champagnegena

A HUGE WELCOME BACK to all the Romantics out there who have asked and asked when this series would be making a return to primetime. Well here it is, if only very temporary (I need more submissions so please keep coercing couples you know to send me their story!). Today I have a new love story for you and I'm personally quite biased towards it as it features a fellow Canadian named Amanda and her now-husband, Michelangelo. Nope girls, this is not a joke, that is actually his name and it's freaking amazing. Their meet cute is nothing short of extraordinary- it happened on Parliment Hill in Ottawa and Amanda's Italian background and keen ear for the language resulted in her approaching him when she thought he might have been lost. They also have the world's cutest pictures, I literally had to include every single one she sent me in this post because I couldn't bear to leave one out. Don't get me started on the ones with TIMMYS and Hudson's Bay mittens. Sit back and relax and get ready to read about how one homegrown Canadian became Michelangelo's muse...! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I am from Windsor, Ontario in Canada and Michelangelo is from Milan. My mother was born in Milan and her parents are from Molise. When she was 3 years old they immigrated to Canada and I was born there. Michelangelo’s parents are both from southern Italy (Campagna and Puglia) and met in northern Italy where he was born. 

Curator's Note: this almost reads like a logic puzzle...!

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
Michelangelo and I met on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on August 11 2012. I was working as a tour guide and he was visiting Canada for the first time. They had decided to make a last minute trip from Toronto to Ottawa so that Michelangelo and his family could see Canada’s capital city. I was finishing my shift when I heard some people nearby speaking Italian. My friend told me to go over there and see if they needed help or were lost. I went over and we spoke for maybe 5 minutes. In those 5 minutes I told him (and his whole family…of course I met his mamma right away) that I would be moving to France for school in 2 weeks. This was our first moment “lost in translation” because he understood that I would be moving to France FOR two weeks. Anyways we exchanged emails and I threw his away, not thinking I would ever see him again. Michelangelo on the other hand still has the Post-It note with my email on it in his wallet. The ever-romantic Italian…

Curator's Note: this bit about the Post-It note is the cutest thing I've ever heard! 

Who made the first move? 
When we met I was the one who approached them. However after that moment it was Michelangelo who made it all happen. After he went back to Italy he sent me a very long email in broken English (I still have it saved and I read it over from time to time). I remember the moment I got it, I was at dinner with my parents who were in Ottawa to help me pack my stuff up before the move to France. We laughed together about how cute the email was and how bad the English was, and I responded back. That’s where it all began. A few emails back and forth and then a month later he drove to pick me up at my apartment in France to bring me to Milan for the weekend.

Curator's Note: I sometimes reminisce about back in the days when my own husband's English wasn't as great as it was now. It's so endearing.

Where did you initially think he was from?
From the language I could immediately tell that he was Italian. Plus they were at least 15 people in a group together, so that was also a good give away that they were a huge group of Italian tourists. 

Curator's Note: I think it's pretty hard to get Italians wrong, especially when they are in huge groups. 

What was your first impression of him?
That he was shy but charming. Michelangelo didn’t really speak much when we met, but then opened up over emails. I later learned that it was a language barrier, that thankfully now we’re overcome.

Curator's Note: I adore these stories of Italian boys being on the shy side at the beginning. It always seems like such a rarity but again, so endearing. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
After our first weekend together in Milan where I told myself I would not give in right away, he drove me all the way back to France and at the end of the trip he came up to my room to help me with my luggage. As he was leaving out the door to drive back to Milan I pulled him back and we had our first kiss. I will always remember that moment because I was so excited and nervous, but mostly because I made the first move. 

Curator's Note: I LOVE YOU WOMAN. ALL POWER TO YOU! 

​Where do you live now? 
We live in downtown Milan.

Have you learnt each other's languages?
Yes we both write and speak each other’s languages but we have adopted this method to use both. We speak in Italian and we text (What’s app, email, letters…) in English. Obviously when we travel to Canada we speak English but in Italy we like to speak Italian to each other. 

Curator's Note: I like this method! We also have our own method to use both but it's not as systematic as yours, we just switch whenever we feel like we're overusing one!

Any advice for mixed/long-distance couples?
I think the biggest thing to remember is that differences are a positive and not a negative. Although there will be some cultural clashes (many in our case) it’s important to overcome them finding a common ground or a compromise. Embrace the differences you have because it becomes your strength as a couple and that thing that sets you apart from the others.

Long distance is hard. Honestly there are moments where we were thinking of throwing in the towel because after months of not seeing each other sometimes you wonder if things are really worth it or if they will ever actually work out so that you can be together. In the end all the months apart and long hours on Skype or texting are worth it for the moments you are able to be together. One thing that I suggest is not to “plan” too much when you’re long distance. We learned to just go with the flow and not plan Skype dates or appointments on the phone because then if something comes up we would always be upset or feel guilty. Just make time for each other in our own individual schedules and things will work more harmoniously. 

​How did he propose? 
We both knew we were ready to get married (I had made it clear that I didn’t want it to happen until I had gotten my legal work visa to stay in Italy on my own and that we were settled in Milan) but Michelangelo knew I still dreamed of having a surprise proposal. So after many events coming and going where I thought OK this is THE moment and then nothing (because, rightly so, I would have been expecting it), Michelangelo surprised me one Thursday night returning home from work. I thought nobody was home, unlocked the door, and when I turned on the light I saw him there all dressed up with the table set for a romantic dinner for two. The music started playing and then he came towards the door with a box in his hand. I cried (obviously) and best part of it all is that he set up his cell phone to record the whole moment because he knew how much it meant to me to share it with friends and family back in Canada.

Curator's Note: Omigosh STOP. How perfect is that?! *squeal*

What do you love most about being married? 
Well we’ve only been married for 3 weeks now, but what I love the most is knowing that we are a team and we will continue to grow together. We both had time to grow apart as individuals during our long distance relationship, but now we can share our common beliefs and ideas and make memories together. I also love seeing him with his wedding ring on, never would have thought it could look so sexy!

Curator's Note: Oooooh you are SO right about the wedding ring. It IS sexy! 

Submitted by Amanda.

Here's how you can connect with Amanda:
Blog: www.lavitaestyle.com  
Twitter: @lavitaestyle
Instagram:@lavitaestyle
Facebook: La Vita e Style 
Personal Facebook: Amanda Vojvodin-Dargenio

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. 
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Here's how you can connect with these two:
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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.
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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.