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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by Cheyenne.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by Jade. 

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

NOTE: SORRY EVERYONE! This post got published prematurely as I was editing it for next week and now I can't reverse it! So if you've received this (especially those of you e-mail subscribed to new posts), my apologies. Think of it as an early Easter present!

Happy Monday lovers and lovers of love! Today I'm sharing a story with you that I basically sought out myself because I'm a huge Instagram stalker and when I saw a photo of Chloe of Scarlet & Hues
and her Italian boy, I was instantly struck by 2 things. The first was how cute they were, but the second was how much he reminded me of my husband (I know, creep alert right?!). But back in the day, Massi used to have long hair that he would tie back and I guess there's something about that hair and that nose that is so classically...Italian! I just love long hair on men so much and somehow it just "works" on Italians. I swear I think deep thoughts, although not highly evident at all times! Anyways getting back on topic, thankfully Chloe was up for telling me all about her love story so without further suspense, here's how she ended up in Alps of Italy from the beaches of Sydney, Australia...!

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I’m from the beaches of Sydney, Australia & Andrea's from the Alps of Italy, in the Aosta Valley. 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
I’ve always had an obsession with Italy. Ten years ago I lived in Sicily where I attended school, and in those 6 months abroad, I learned about a culture I needed to be a part of. After returning to Italy a few times and seeing the country as a traveller, I was left with a desire to manifest big things and make a life there. It was New Year’s Eve 2014 when I decided to write a list of things to achieve for the following year. One of the items on that list was to advance my Italian language skills, another was a tall, dark, handsome Italian man who possessed a shy confidence and green eyes. A few weeks later I found myself placing an add on the Gumtree website (being the Australian version of Craigslist) in search of an Italian/English language exchange. Within that same day, the universe delivered not just the one, but two of the things I wrote for (except for the green eyes, Andrea’s are brown, but they did just fine). 

Who made the first move? 
Him. As Italian men commonly do (wink, wink) by our third date he mentioned that I’d be the mother of his kids one day... (I don’t know how that didn’t scare me away, but it didn't!).

Where did you think he was initially from?
Under the circumstances we met, I already knew he was Italian, however, I very clearly had no idea where the Aosta Valley was. In the second week of dating, I embarrassingly took him to a place I called “a mountain range” in Australia, ignorantly claiming their grandiose beauty (homes for ants in comparison to the Italian Alps!). 

What was your first impression of him?
I instantly felt a connection that I can’t really describe... I just wanted to be around him all the time. But, there were definitely two huge barriers holding me back. Language & location. It was hard to go past the superficial level of conversation & without the magnetising help of falling in love, it would have been hard to remain interested. We also had two separate lives on each side of the world - 24 hours and two plane trips illusioned itself as a long & expensive gamble for young love. 

Where do you live now? 
For now in Turin, Italy. 

Have you learnt each other's languages?
Yes, & continue learning every day. 

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Give it a real, chance. I said “no” to our love the first time. I followed my career to a winery in Western Australia, believing it was more important. Luckily, he didn’t take that as final and secretly flew back from Italy to surprise me after work one day. (I’ll save that story for chapter two). Now, we are married, and I couldn’t imagine who or where I would be without him. Throwing your heart in over your head is worth it, even if you’re not 100% it’ll work out.

​That is where the adventure and sustenance of life is - It’s in the heart. 

Submitted by Chloe. 

Here's how you can connect with Chloe:
Website: www.scarletandhues.com
Twitter: @scarletandhues
Instagram: @chloe_cristallini
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chloethomasita

Today is a BIG day on Love Story Lunedì, it's the TWENTIETH story I've been lucky enough to share with the world and I just can't think of a better couple to bestow this honor upon than the power duo Coral and Riccardo, the masterminds behind the YouTube channel Itallish where they chronicle their cultural and linguistic differences. They've been kind enough to provide their story in both English and Italian, so it's also a great bilingual post for all of you language learners. The English is in regular text and the Italian is in italics. 

What were your first impressions of each other? 
​
Coral: My first impressions of Riccardo that he was good looking, spoke English well and had a bit of muscle. Also he was on the shorter side, which I came to realise that most Italians aren’t very tall. 

Riccardo: My first impression of Coral was that I never saw so much beauty in such a small body and that I never realised how sexy the British accent was.​

Coral: La mia prima impressione su Riccardo che era un ragazzo carino, parlava un ottimo inglese e aveva un po' di muscoli. E anche che era un po' nanetto cosa che sono arrivata a rendermi conto essere molto comune in Italia.

Riccardo: la mia prima impressione su Coral era che non avevo mai visto prima di quel momento così tanta bellezza un corpo così piccolo e che non mi ero mai reso conto quanto l'accento inglese fosse sexy.

​How did you meet? (includes their first kiss!)

Riccardo: I’m a normal Italian guy from Rome I was always looking for my true love and I was about to give up the search in my "almost depression” when I decided to get myself a dog, thinking I would be alone forever. On a normal Sunday, I went to church not knowing that I was about to meet for the first time the woman who would change my life forever.

Coral: I’m an English girl from a town called Bournemouth in the south of England. I moved to Rome at the start of September 2015 to start a new adventure as an au pair for 10 months and to gain new experiences and see new sites. The last thing that I had on my mind was to find a man.

Riccardo: On the Sunday that we met I was Introduced to Coral by one of my friends. I felt struck by some kind of force and was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of this woman, her super blue eyes gazing at me were the main reason why I felt paralysed. 

Coral: When I first met Riccardo he seemed like a great guy, even though he only said his name. I also thought that he had quite a muscular figure (which I liked in men) and I was interested in getting  to know him more, especially if I was going to be here for another 10 months.

Riccardo: She introduced herself to me with an amazing, super posh English accent! With my small knowledge of the British accent I tried to imitate the accent, but completely failed! 

Coral: Riccardo originally introduced himself as ‘Richard’ but I had no idea what he said so I asked again and he diverted back to his actual name ‘Riccardo’.

Riccardo: I knew I couldn't let her go (especially because there were other guys of our same age at church and surely they would have asked her out if I didn't do it before them) so with all the courage I had, I swallowed down a few heart beats stuck in my throat and went straight up to her and asked for her number so that I could text her if me and my friends were to ever met up. 

Coral: Of course I said yes and thought it would be great to meet up with Riccardo and get to know some of his friends in a place where I had no friends or family.

Riccardo: During the following hour while at church all that I could think about was the stunning person that I just met.

Coral: One Wednesday afternoon I was having problems with the internet at the house where I was staying and asked Riccardo if he would be able to help, I used this as excuse to talk to Riccardo, even though at the time I wasn’t looking for someone to date I still enjoyed having a chat here and there with other guys. After we had attempted to sort out the internet via text, and failed, Riccardo asked if I was free to meet up with some friends that night. I was completely unaware that he hadn’t actually planned anything until quite some time after we had been dating!

Riccardo: The time we had arranged to meet was approaching and I still hadn’t managed to get in contact with any of my friends. So I went to Church where I knew my friends would be for an English lesson. I stopped each of them on their way in and told them, in a mandatory kind of way, that they had to go with me to meet Coral at the metro station then go and get ice-cream with us. When Coral arrived at the metro station we all went to get ice-cream (I paid for everyone). 

Coral: At the end of the night we walked together to the nearest metro stop and Riccardo took me all the way to the other side of Rome to drop me off at my metro stop. I can remember that we had to climb over a big fence in a car park as there was no way out other than to come back the way we came but we couldn’t’ be bothered. I said to Riccardo ‘Oh it’s not that high’ but when I got to the top I discovered I didn’t want to get down eventually Riccardo convinced me to jump down and he would catch me - who wouldn’t turn down being caught in a mans arms.

Riccardo: I did not want that day to finish so I then asked Coral out on a date for the upcoming Saturday. However after the good time that we had spent together we couldn't wait for the Saturday to come and decided to meet up on the Friday for lunch as we both had a bit of time to spare. We chatted and got to know each other a bit more, 

Coral: There were times that we were together that day, that I wanted to be one step closer to him or lightly brush shoulders as we walked next to each other. Riccardo then took me to my Metro stop late afternoon as I needed to get back to my au pair family to start work. While we were on the metro, at the very back, it started to get very busy. It was very exciting and I felt very awkward at the same time as herds of people were surrounding us.

Riccardo: With each heart beat our eyes were getting closer and closer, until our noses  were touching each other, even though it wasn't the most romantic place in the world our hearts were racing so fast that we didn't know where it was anymore, I could feel it in my throat in my chest in my hands, basically wherever the blood was. I felt completely alone in the entire metro. Before I realised it our lips were touching and that is where we had our very first kiss!

Coral: Riccardo proposed 7 months later. He had planned to do it earlier but I panicked because I found out but calmed down after a month and then I told him I was ready. So, a short while later he proposed on the 19th of March 2016. Some say it’s too fast other say when you know you know, I agree with the second statement. 

​Riccardo: sono un ragazzo normale di Roma, ho sempre cercato il vero amore e nella mia quasi depressione stavo per abbandonare tutto e deciso persino di comprarmi un cane pensando che sarei rimasto da solo per sempre. Una Domenica qualunque, andai in chiesa non sapendo che avrei conosciuto la donna che mi avrebbe cambiato la vita per sempre.

Coral: sono una ragazza Inglese proveniente da una cittadina chiamata Bournemouth nel sud d'Inghilterra. Mi trasferii a Roma all'inizio di Settembre del 2015 per cominciare una nuova avventura come ragazza alla pari per 10 mesi e per fare nuove esperienze e vedere nuovi luoghi. L'ultima cosa che mi passava per la mente era di cercarmi un uomo.

Riccardo: la domenica che ci siamo conosciuti venni presentato a Coral da un mio amico. Venni colpito immediatamente da una forza di qualche genere e venni completamente sopraffatto dalla bellezza di quella donna. Lo sguardo dei suoi occhioni blu erano la ragione principale per cui mi sentii paralizzato.

Coral: la prima volta che conobbi Riccardo sembrava un bravissimo ragazzo, anche se mi disse solo il suo nome. Lo ricordo anche come una figura abbastanza muscolosa (cosa che mi piace nei ragazzi) ed ero interessata a conoscerlo meglio, specialmente se fossi dovuta rimanere qui per 10 mesi.

Riccardo: si presentò a me con un inglese raffinatissimo, con la mia piccola conoscenza dell'accento inglese provai a copiarla fallendo miseramente.

Coral: all'inizio Riccardo si presentò come 'Richard' non capendo assolutamente niente glielo richiesi di nuovo e lui tergiversò sul suo nome originale 'Riccardo'.

Riccardo: sapevo di non potermela far scappare (specialmente perché c'erano altri ragazzi della nostra stessa età in chiesa e sicuramente le avrebbero chiesto di uscire se non lo avessi fatto prima di loro) quindi con tutto il coraggio che avevo,  ingoiai qualche battito di cuore che si era incastrato in gola, andai diretto da lei per chiederle il numero di telefono per invitarla  in caso io e i miei amici fossimo usciti.

Coral: ovviamente dissi di si pensando che sarebbe stata una buona idea uscire con Riccardo e conoscere alcuni dei suoi amici in un posto dove non avevo né amici né famiglia.
Riccardo: durante l'ora successiva mentre ero in chiesa, tutto quello a cui riuscivo a pensare era quella meravigliosa persona che avevo appena conosciuto.

Coral: un mercoledì pomeriggio, avendo problemi con internet alla casa dove stavo chiesi aiuto a Riccardo, ovviamente era una scusa solo per parlare con lui, anche se a quel tempo non stavo cercando qualcuno con uscire ufficialmente mi piaceva comunque chiacchierare con dei Ragazzi.
Dopo aver provato a sistemare il wifi tramite messaggi, fallendo, Riccardo mi chiese se ero libera quella sera per uscire con degli amici. Rimasi completamente all'oscuro del fatto che in realtà non aveva pianificato nulla fino a molto dopo aver cominciato a frequentarci seriamente.

Riccardo: il giorno dell'uscita si avvicinava e ancora non ero riuscito a mettermi in contatto con nessuno dei miei amici. Così andai in chiesa dove sapevo che sarebbero tutti andati per le lezioni di inglese, li fermai tutti all'entrata uno per uno e gli chiesi, sotto forma di comando, di venire con me da Coral che era alla stazione della metro per poi prendere un gelato insieme. Quando Coral arrivò alla stazione della metro andammo tutti a prendere il gelato (e io pagai per tutti).

Coral: alla fine della serata camminammo insieme alla fermata della metro più vicina e Riccardo venne con me fin dall'altra parte di Roma per lasciarmi alla mia fermata. Ancora ricordo che dovemmo arrampicarci su un'altissima recinzione di un parcheggio perché non c'era altro modo per passare apparte il tornare indietro da dove venivamo ma non ci andava. Dissi a Riccardo ' oh ma non é tanto alto' ma appena salii sulla recinzione mi resi conto che non volli più scendere, alla fine Riccardo mi convinse a saltare dicendo che mi avrebbe preso - chi non vorrebbe farsi prendere nelle braccia di un uomo?!

Riccardo: non volevo che quella giornata finisse così chiesi a Coral un appuntamento per il sabato seguente. Tuttavia dopo la bellissima serata passata insieme non riuscimmo ad aspettare fino al sabato così decidemmo di vederci il venerdì per pranzo, dato che entrambi avevamo un po' di tempo libero. Chiacchierammo e ci conoscemmo un po' di più.

Coral: quel giorno ci furono momenti in cui avrei voluto essere un passetto più vicina a lui o sfiorarci leggermente le spalle mentre camminavamo l'uno di fianco a l'altro. Riccardo mi accompagnò alla mia fermata della metro quel tardo pomeriggio l, dato che dovevo tornare al mio lavoro di ragazza alla pari. Mentre eravamo sulla metro, in fondo in fondo, cominciò ad affollarsi. Era molto eccitante e strano allo stesso momento mentre valanghe di persone ci circondavano.

Riccardo: con ogni battito di cuore i nostri occhi si avvicinavano sempre di più, fino a sfiorare i nostri nasi, pur non essendo il posto più romantico al mondo il mio cuore batteva così veloce che non riuscii più a capire dov'èra, potevo sentire il battito in gola, nel petto, nelle mani, praticamente ovunque avessi del sangue. Mi sentii da solo in tutta la metro, prima che me ne resi conto le nostre labbra si stavano sfiorando, e quello fu il nostro primo bacio.

Coral: 7 mesi più tardi Riccardo chiese la mia mano. Lui pianificò di farlo prima ma quando lo scoprii entrai nel panico così saltò tutto, dopo circa un mese mi calmai e gli dissi di essere pronta. Così poco dopo mi chiese di sposarlo il 19 Marzo 2016. Alcuni diranno é troppo presto altri che quando lo sai lo sai, io concordo con la seconda.

How did you get engaged?

Riccardo: We had planned to go for a walk along the sea as Coral was missing the salty air of her home town, Bournemouth. So we went to Ostia, (which Coral has decided she never wants to go to again) after our walk we made our way to villa borghese as I said that I had a bag on me which I said I needed to give to a friend. However I said that Alessandro, my friend, wouldn’t be here for a while so I asked if she would like to go on the boats. The little rowing boats at villa borghese were where we went for our first date so Coral did feel a little suspicious about this and had a feeling I was going to propose. Once we had waited what felt like a lifetime for a little rowing boat we finally set sail in the big pond! 

After about 10 minutes of being on the boat I gave Coral an orange rose which symbolised our past because our feelings weren’t sure, then a red rose which symbolised our present, now that our feelings were clear and Red like the passion and then finally a white rose which symbolised our future, meaning our wedding, pure as the white colour. After that I got down on one knee (still in the boat) and asked Coral to marry me. Coral said YES! Little did Coral know that I had asked a friend to secretly take photos of the whole thing.

Coral and Riccardo: We then got married a little over a year later on April 20th 2017. We have now been married for 9 months and we have also been living together for that amount of time. What we love most about being married is that we are able to spend lots of time together and we don’t have to spend much time travelling to each other’s apartment. Also waking up next to each other does make a difference. Although the best thing is that we have been able to get to know each other a little more day by day and now we cannot see our life without each other.

Riccardo: pianificammo di andare a fare una passeggiata sul mare visto che a Coral mancava l'aria un po' salata della sua città natale, Bournemouth. Quindi andammo ad Ostia, (cosa che Coral decise di non volerci mai più tornare) dopo la nostra passeggiata andammo verso villa borghese dicendole che la borsa che avevo con me dovevo darla ad un mio amico. Tuttavia una volta li le dissi che Alessandro, il mio amico, non sarebbe arrivato per un bel po' e se le fosse piaciuto andare insieme sulle barchette.
Le piccole barchette a remi di villa borghese furono il posto dove andammo per la prima volta al nostro primo appuntamento quindi Coral divenne un po' sospettosa al riguardo e sicuramente ebbe il presentimento che le avrei chiesto di sposarmi. Dopo aver aspettato qualcosa che sembrò un'eternità per la barchetta a remi, finalmente ci imbarcammo nel laghetto.

Dopo circa 10 minuti sulla barchetta tirai fuori dalla borsa una rosa arancione che diedi a Coral che simboleggiava il nostro passato quando i nostri sentimenti erano incerti, poi tirai fuori una rosa rossa rappresentando il presente ora che i nostri sentimenti erano chiari e rossi come la passione ed in fine una rosa Bianca che simboleggiava il nostro futuro, cioè il matrimonio, pure come il colore bianco. Dopo essermi inginocchiato ( ancora nella barchetta) e chiesi a Coral di sposarmi, lei disse di SI! Poco ne sapeva Coral che chiesi ad un'amico di fotografare segretamente il tutto.

Coral e Riccardo: ci siamo poi sposati poco più di un anno dopo, il 20 aprile del 2017, ora siamo sposati da circa 9 mesi e viviamo insieme da lo stesso tempo. La cosa che amiamo di più dell'essere sposati è che abbiamo l'opportunità di spendere molto tempo insieme e non dobbiamo spendere tanto tempo viaggiando all'appartamento di uno o dell'altro. Lo svegliarsi l'uno di fianco all'altro fa anche quello la differenza. Tuttavia la cosa migliore pensiamo sia il fatto che abbiamo il privilegio di poterci conoscere giorno per giorno un po' di più ed ora non potremmo vedere la nostra vita senza l'altro.

​What's in your future and what advice would you give to other couples? 

​We are still living in Rome at the moment but we would like to return to England at some point as we feel that life there is easier. Although living in Rome can be great as Riccardo’s family is here and there are so many different choices of things to do, we see a better future for ourselves in England.

Some things that we found difficult in our relationship was our cultural differences, we didn’t realise that someone could have completely different views or opinions on things. The advice we would give on for mixed culture relationship is not to push away the other persons differences but to explore them and learn how to love those differences. You may hate them at the start and they may bug you but it can change you as a person and you may become to accept those things and take them as your own.

​Stiamo ancora vivendo a Roma ma vorremmo tornare a vivere in Inghilterra ad un certo punto, dato che entrambi pensiamo la vita sia più semplice li. Tuttavia la vita a Roma può essere fantastica dato che la famiglia di Riccardo é qui e ci sono tante scelte di cose da poter fare qui. Ma noi vediamo un futuro migliore in Inghilterra.

Alcune cose che abbiamo trovato difficili nella nostra relazione erano le differenze culturali, non capivamo che un'altra persona poteva avere una visione e un'idea delle cose COMPLETAMENTE diversa dalla propria. Il consiglio che vorremmo fare alle coppie di incroci culturali é di non cacciare queste differenze ma di esplorarle e imparare ad amarle. Probabilmente all'inizio le odierai e ti daranno fastidio, ma ti cambieranno come persona ma prima o poi comincerai ad accettare queste differenze fino a farle tue.

Submitted by Coral and Riccardo. 

Here's how you can connect with them:
Facebook: Itallish
Instagram: @itallishcoralriccardo 
YouTube: Itallish 
For collabs: itallishcoralriccardo@gmail.com