Before moving to Italy, I loved accents. This was obvious to all of my girlfriends or if you simply glanced my roster of ex-boyfriends. There were Russian accents, Brazilian accents, Portuguese accents…but the king of all accents has historically been a battle between French and Italian and I’ve always been impartial to the latter much to my husband’s good fortune. I never, in a thousand years, would have imagined there would come a moment in my life when I would stop being charmed by an accent. Well ladies and gentlemen, that moment has arrived. *AUDIBLE GASPS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY* I know, I know. It’s unbelievable. I should clarify and say that what I just wrote is not entirely true. I have stopped becoming consistently weak in the knees upon hearing an Italian man speak English with an accent. After almost three years here and two of those spent teaching English, it’s as if I’ve developed a sort of immunity against this previously infallible trait. The only way I find it sexy now is with a mandatory combination of physical attractiveness mixed with an intriguing personality. It’s no longer enough to take a random Mario Rossi off the street and make him speak in English to charm my socks off. Furthermore, I’ve developed an incredible liking, penchant even, for hearing my fellow countrymen or other mother tongues speak English. This was something I never found interesting or attractive at all when living in Canada, but now, it’s suddenly become sexy in my eyes. English without an accent is the new “foreign” for me in Italy while English with an Italian accent has become the new “norm”. Isn’t it strange how the laws of attraction work? What’s foreign or harder to get is somehow sexier. I’m experiencing this exact phenomenon right now and it’s mind-blowing.

Would love to hear your opinions on this fellow readers, expats, or anyone who has lived abroad! Did you become immune to the accent too? 

​
​If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones:
How to Fight and Make Love in Two Languages
​The Relationship Between Loving Someone and the Language You Love With
​My Hypothetical Italian Teenagers Won't Have Varsity Jackets or Homecomings
​My Canadian Identity Abroad in Italy: The Conundrum
FIVE Ways I've Become More ITALIAN in Canada
​Annoying Things Non-Canadians Say About Canada 
​Two Sides of the Italy Coin 
​Dating Diversity: Italy vs. Canada (and North America)
​Daily Things I Never Did Before Moving to Italy

​RECENT POSTS FEED:

​If you passed me on the street, at first glance, you’d have no idea I have an Italy connection. I look Asian-ish although most of the year I’m “too tanned” to be Chinese or Japanese, I speak English with a Canadian accent and I say “eh” at the end of sentences. But under this deceiving exterior is an Italian-speaking, Italy-loving, quasi-Italian-citizen-by-marriage! Indeed, the secret’s out, I’m one of those girls that fell for a suave tall, dark, and handsome Italian boy once upon a time and got whisked away to the dolce vita and lived happily ever after. This inaugural post for the Dolce Vita Bloggers Link Up is about everyone’s Italy connection and this is mine. One summer, nine years ago, I was out with friends in a local nightclub in Edmonton, Alberta, the city in Western Canada where I was born and raised. From afar, I spotted my future husband and he was a vision in white jeans with long hair. He looked like the cover of a Harlequin novel, very Fabio-esque. He was the best thing I’d ever seen. I might have fallen in love at first sight (but don’t tell him!). We started talking about our past travels after he photo-bombed me and my girlfriends and the Monday following, we had a lunch date on the campus of University of Alberta where I was studying Russian and Biology at the time and where he was doing research for his engineering thesis. Fast forward to present day, I’m writing this from our house in Bergamo, Italy where we’ve been living since 2014 when I started the blog and decided to pack up my Canadian life for completely different way of life, one that I was banking on would be the perfect fit for me. Boy, was I right. Turns out Italy and I fit each other like my favorite pair of Stuart Weitzman. I am in love with the country, the people, the culture, the food, THE WINE,  the language and my brand-new Italian hubby, listed in no particular order of preference just to be clear!  Italian has essentially become my second love affair and I’ve been studying it for almost as long as I’ve been getting to know my husband all these years and in regards to both these things, I’m of the opinion that the learning will never stop. I am beyond excited to be part of this initiative, the brainchild of Kristie, Kelly, and I and we so hope that you share the feeling and our passion for Italy and all things Italian. So cheers everyone, to this sweet life (questa dolce vita) and to living like Italians, no matter where in the world we are! 

Hello Monday and all you romantics! Today's story comes from my fellow pharmacy classmate, Tiffany. We were in university together at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada when she met French-speaking Adam in the Dominican Republic. We spoke often during those school years and bonded over our impending moves, mine to Italy and hers to Montreal where she would face the challenge of learning and living in a second language: French. Here's their story and how it all turned out...

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
​I’m from Edmonton and Adam is from Montreal.

Note: for those of you unfamiliar with Canada, we have two official languages, French and English. However, Western Canada is predominantly English-speaking which is where Tiffany is from and the province of Quebec where Adam is from is predominantly French-speaking. 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic where we were both vacationing with our own group of friends.

Who made the first move? 
He did! He approached me and my friends and we ended up talking the rest of the night.

What was your first impression of him? 
My first impression of him was that he must approach girls like this all the time, being from the party city of Canada and all. But the more we talked, the more I wanted to get to know him.

Where do you live now? 
​Up until a few months ago we were living together in Montreal. I still currently live in Montreal, but Adam’s moved away to Pittsburgh for school and now we’re in for another year and a half of long distance. A year and a half doesn’t sound like a long time and this time our distance is closer, but it still feels like we are a world apart.

Have you learnt each other’s languages? 
Yes, I’ve had to take up learning French to move to Montreal. After half a year of long distance we decided to pick a city to end the long distance. Even though I only had junior high level French I thought I’d take on a university pharmacy law class at the Université de Montréal. 900 pages of half translating the textbook and half trying to memorize the pharmacy laws later, I miraculously passed the exam and got my temporary pharmacist license. After that I had to continue learning French and even though I can now converse in French, there is still a lot I need to learn. ​

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Long distance isn’t easy. I never imagined that we would have to do long-distance again. My best advice is to always communicate. Ever since he moved away, we’ve basically been on one continuous Skype call. We talk to each other every day and help each other study. We also try to do things together like watch shows and even go to our respective Starbucks at the same time for frappuccino happy hour. But most importantly, we try to see each other every couple of months. I won’t lie, it hasn’t been easy, but we help each other stay strong and both look forward to this long distance being done for good!

Submitted by Tiffany. 

A huge, heartfelt thanks to Tiffany and Adam 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 these ones:
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
Reader Submissions: I'm Looking for Your Love Stories

​For a bite-size snack of make-believe romance, read these short stories:
​Creative Writing: Rooftops and Rome
​Creative Writing: Perfect Strangers in Switzerland
​Creative Writing: The Morning After in New York

RECENT POSTS FEED:

Proud to introduce the newest and greatest and maybe even the first, monthly blogger and vlogger link up for lovers of Italy! Kristie of Mammaprada, Kelly of Italian at Heart, and I (Jasmine) are your official hosts for the #DolceVitaBloggers (and vloggers, sorry didn't include you in the hashtag in an effort to keep things concise!) Link Up with our inaugural date set as December 7th, 2017! We want to create a giant Italy-loving family across the globe. We've connected with tons of people already through social media, in fact, Kelly and I have even met in person in Italy after meeting on Instagram!

Awhile back, I created the ​The Unofficial, Community-Curated, Comprehensive List of Italophile Instagrammers which was already a start at creating community but what if you didn't only just creep photos and read the occassional caption? What if we could actually start a conversation between all of us Italophiles? What if we could share our stories and inspire each other along the way?

​That's the goal of Dolce Vita Bloggers. 
​

​First of all, if you're scratching your head and have no idea what a "link up" is, please head over to the #DolceVitaBloggers Link Up information page that you can find at the top of my site. Do that first and then come back...! Ah, back already?! Ok, so this is the official place where you can link your post and blog by clicking the BLUE BUTTON (if you're reading this before December 7th, the blue button won't be visible yet). 

December's Topic is: THE ITALIAN CONNECTION 

What is your connection to Italy? Did you marry into an Italian family? Are you Italian? Do you just love Italia? You can interpret this however you wish and we can't wait to read your posts! All of the hosts will also write on this theme. We thought it was a great starting place to all learn a bit more about each other. ​

If you’ve travelled or lived in another country, you might also recall being stared at for looking different or for speaking a language that doesn’t “belong” to the country you were in. People telling you that you don’t look Canadian followed by confused looks when you try to explain for the umpteenth time that you were born there. I have often found myself wondering what a Canadian looks like and what Canadian is supposed to sound like. I’ve decided that the answer is at the airport, I saw and heard it in action when I flew back this time. The off-tune singsong of different languages in the customs line is our language and everyone looks Canadian despite the color of their passports or their skin. When the customs officer said “welcome home”, I nearly broke down in tears. It struck me how privileged we are to call Canada home.

I am blessed to know two countries, two languages, and two ways of living, however there is a saying in Italian: non si possono avere due paradisi: uno di qua e uno di là.You can’t have two paradises, one here and one there. You can’t have both at once. I’m back in Canada, dreaming under the blue skies of Alberta and for the moment, it is paradise. Perhaps one day, many years from now, I’ll have the same feeling of belonging, the same tears, when the plane lands in Milan. Of this, I am uncertain, but there is one thing that I know for sure- you will never catch me yelling across a crowded piazza upon glimpsing the tricolore, the Italian flag. That’s something I’d only do and will always do…for a maple leaf. 
 ​
- excerpt from collaborative blog for ​Peace Collective, click the link or the image to read the rest. 

​
For more creative writing, read these short stories:
​Creative Writing: Perfect Strangers in Switzerland
​Creative Writing: Rooftops and Rome
​Creative Writing: The Morning After in New York
​Creative Writing: Mulberries in Sicily

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones:
How to Fight and Make Love in Two Languages
​My Hypothetical Italian Teenagers Won't Have Varsity Jackets or Homecomings
​My Canadian Identity Abroad in Italy: The Conundrum
FIVE Ways I've Become More ITALIAN in Canada
​Annoying Things Non-Canadians Say About Canada 
​Two Sides of the Italy Coin 
​Dating Diversity: Italy vs. Canada (and North America)
​Daily Things I Never Did Before Moving to Italy

​RECENT POSTS FEED:

Today's love story started Down Under, wrote a few chapters right here in Bergamo, Italy, and is currently still being written back in Australia. Want to know something crazy? Angela and Davide were my literal neighbors in Italy and until recently, they lived about five minutes from me on foot. To make this story even more unbelievable is the fact that before moving to Italy, the two of them had seen Massi and I on TV in Australia in our episode of House Hunters International! Angela tracked me down on the internet afterwards and the rest of our friendship is history. The world is smaller than you'd ever believe, but especially when it comes to love. 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
​I, Angela, was born and raised in Australia, whereas Davide, was born and raised in Italy.

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
​It was the year 2014 when my parents home was currently undergoing serious renovations and at this stage, they had hired a concreter with a couple of labourers... Both my mum and dad were constantly telling me about these handsome “Italian” workers - of which I had not yet met. “One has blue eyes. I think he's your type.” I assured them, neither of them would be my type as “Italian's are not my type.” Only a month earlier I had sworn never to marry an Italian. At the time, my dad was mortified and amused. Mortified because my mum is Italian and amused because, well...

It was towards the end of August and I had just come home from the Color Run looking like I had just dived into a pit of wet, multi-coloured mud that had soaked into my skin and left a faint but thick, red mustache on my upper lip as well as blue, dark circles around my eyes (see photo below!). This is how I looked when I first met Davide. Apparently his initial thought of me was “She looks like a man.” 

Who made the first move? 
After I had had a shower, Davide realised I don't, in fact, look like a man and he became intrigued by me. We exchanged Facebook's - my idea. I made the excuse that I would connect him with my brother who was looking for soccer players for a team. But really, I only wanted to use him for the fact that he spoke Italian. Learning Italian was always a dream for me so language exchange was my intention. Apparently, his intentions were a little different...

We agreed to catch up for dinner one night for an Italian/English night. I brought a giant pile of Italian exercise books while Davide brought a letter from his family back home and presents for me (including a pair of his favourite soccer shorts - typical – which I still have/wear to this day.) I had an inkling that he liked me but I wasn't interested. I tried to set him up with a friend which only made him work harder for my attention... In the end, I grew to like him and his romantic charm.

Where did you initially think he was from? 
​I knew he was Italian because my parents were constantly talking about him. Although, by looking at him, many question his background because of the blue eyes.
​
What was your first impression of him? 
​​Handsome, dreamy, smooth-talker but a serious playboy. I remember sitting at lunch and exchanging Facebooks with him. His phone background was of a girl sitting on his shoulders and he told me she was “only a friend”... Then later I noticed his Facebook stated he was “In a relationship”. I immediately assumed the distance between Italy and Australia allowed him to be a sneaky, unfaithful boyfriend. I later learnt the girl on his shoulders was in fact, his best friend and he never changed his Facebook status from a previous relationship.

Dish on the first kiss! 
​It was our first official date. We'd just dined out at a Greek restaurant and once we had finished, we crossed the road to the beach. He had just chased off a fox (my hero!) and we had seated ourselves on the beach, drawing faces on our legs with sand, when he dove in for a kiss. ​As a teenager, I always dreamed of my first-ever-kiss to be on the beach, under the stars with some romantic hunk. Better late than never I guess!

Where do you live now? 
​We're currently living in my home country, Australia.

Have you learnt each other’s languages? 
​When we first met, we were living in Australia, so it made sense for us to focus on Davide learning English which he as done so well... Maybe too well because now he is losing his beautiful accent (noooo!). But now it's my turn to learn Italian and have been doing so for many years. I definitely furthered my skills while living in Italy which was a bonus!

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Be open-minded. If you're partner likes something, try it. You might surprise yourself.

I cannot speak for long-distance couples but dating someone of another culture can be difficult so be prepared to step out of your comfort zone. But every second is worth it. 

Submitted by Angela.

Here's how you can connect with Angela:
Blog: 
Twitter: 
Instagram: 
Facebook:

A huge, heartfelt thanks to Angela and Davide 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 these ones:
​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
Reader Submissions: I'm Looking for Your Love Stories

​For a bite-size snack of make-believe romance, read these short stories:
​Creative Writing: Perfect Strangers in Switzerland
​Creative Writing: Rooftops and Rome
​Creative Writing: The Morning After in New York

RECENT POSTS FEED:

"Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations." - Zig Ziglar 

[This post is officially written bilingually for the very first time on the blog, hope you love it and that it reaches a more diverse audience this way. I won't be doing this for all posts, but only for selected features or sponsored posts with an Italian target audience. The Italian text is in italics]

I've lived in Italy almost three years now and if there's one thing that I've procrastinated on, it's decorating the house. It has existed in that constant state of limbo where we constantly relied on the statement that we had "just moved in", although lately our friends and family (notably my Italian mother-in-law) are no longer accepting that as an excuse. They're right. It was about time that we added some personal touches. Mine were my books which drives my husband crazy, he hates clutter whereas I would happily hoard books until I have to dig myself out of them to get to food. He loves classic and antiques while I love romantic and exotic touches. Back in Canada, my room was teeming with prayer flags collected from a trips to India, travel paraphernalia, fairy lights, and dried bouquets of roses. My husband, on the other hand, would balk at the idea of having anything other than a 16th century chandelier hanging from the ceiling and I would bet my last bottle of Barolo that he'd say fairy lights belong in fairytales and not in houses. 

Sono ormai tre anni che vivo in Italia e se c’è una cosa che ho sicuramente rimandato continuamente, è stato decorare la casa. Fin ora ci siamo sempre nascosti dietro la frase “ci siamo appena trasferiti”, anche se ultimamente i nostri familiari e amici non riescono più ad accettarla come scusa. Hanno ragione. Era giunta ora che lasciassimo un qualche tocco personale. Il mio tocco personale erano stati i miei libri, che fanno diventare matto mio marito, il quale odia la confusione mentre io sarei contenta di riempirne la casa, a tal punto da doverne riemergere solo per andare in cerca di cibo. Lui preferisce lo stile ricercato e classico mentre io preferisco ambientazioni esotiche e romantiche. In Canada la mia stanza  brulicava di bandiere e ammennicoli religiosi ricordi di viaggi in India, souvenir, lanternine colorate e mazzi di rose ormai secchi da tempo. Mio marito, di contraltare rifiuterebbe tutto ciò che non ricordi l’idea di un sontuoso lampadario del 16° secolo attaccato al soffitto. Ci scommetterei la mia ultima bottiglia di Barolo che il suo pensiero sia che le cose fiabesche appartengono alle fiabe e non alle case.

Because of our differing tastes, combining them in perfect harmony has not been easy. Luckily there's one thing that we do have in common: a love for Italy. That's why when we had the chance to decorate the walls of our living room with prints sponsored by Desenio, we didn't have to think twice as to what we wanted. With a seemingly unlimited choice of subjects and style, it was easy for us to find ways to incorporate la dolce vita into our home.  If this is the first time you're hearing about Desenio, make like an Italian at a Prada sample sale and head over to their website as fast as your internet will take you. Desenio is a Sweden-based company that was founded in 2010 with the goal of making sleek Scandinavian-inspired wall decor accessible to everyone and is now available in over 30 countries worldwide, including from its recently-launched online Italy store. If Scandinavian-style doesn't suit your home and you're looking for a different feel, the options are vast. From typography and quotes (like the one we chose with the quote featured in the introduction to this post), to vintage prints, to that iconic Kate Moss close-up that you've seen all over the apartments of millenial movers and shakers, there is truly something for everyone.

In virtù di queste differenze di gusto, trovare un accordo in perfetta armonia non è sempre stato semplice. Fortunatamente c’è una cosa sulla quale andiamo perfettamente d’accordo, l’amore per l’Italia. Per questo motivo quando abbiamo avuto l’occasione di decorare le pareti della nostra sala con le stampe di  Desenio, non abbiamo dovuto pensare due volte a cosa stavamo cercando. Con una scelta apparentemente infinita di opzioni stili e soggetti, è stato abbastanza facile trovare il modo di includere la Dolce Vita nella nostra casa. Se è la prima volta che senti parlare di Desenio, comportati come un italiano qualunque ai saldi di Prada e precipitati a visitare il loro sito internet alla massima velocità che la tua connessione ti consente.

Desenio è un’azienda svedese fondata nel 2010 con l’obiettivo di rendere accessibile a tutti le eleganti decorazioni in stile scandinavo; ora disponibile in oltre 30 nazioni nel mondo ad includere il punto vendita italiano aperto di recente.

Se lo stile scandinavo mal si adatta alla tua casa e sei alla ricerca di una sensazione diversa le opzioni sono molteplici. Dalla tipografia, alle citazioni (come quella scelta da noi e che è visibile nell’introduzione di questo articolo), stampe vintage, o il celebre ritratto di Kate Moss che si è presente negli appartamenti di tanti millennials. Ce n’è veramente per tutti i gusti.

The posters that are featured on our gallery wall, starting from the upper left with the Colosseo and going clockwise are: Colosseum (50x70cm), Beautiful Destinations (30x40), SHC - David (50x70), and finally, Ciao Bella (30x40). They are all featured with Desenio's Gold Picture Frames, also available on the site. 

A partire dall’angolo in alto a sinistra, i poster che abbiamo scelto per il nostro soggiorno sono: Colosseum (50x70cm), Beautiful Destinations (30x40), SHC - David (50x70), e da ultimo Ciao Bella (30x40). Sono tutti presentati con le cornici dorate Desenio Gold Picture Frames, anch’esse disponibili sul sito.

​The combination of four prints worked best for the dimensions of our wall and we chose to go the classic route with gold framing as our main piece of furniture in the room boasts wooden columns with floral gold-painted capitals. Within a week of ordering, our prints had arrived in Milan and a couple days later, were already filling up our empty wall-space with one wonder of the world, Rome's Colosseum, and what could arguably be considered the world's most perfect man, Michelangelo's David. I had to convince my own perfect Italian man to agree to the "Ciao Bella" typography print, but since he said "sì", I haven't stopped sitting underneath it with a glass of fizzy Franciacorta and a good book. Our bilingual cat Puffo is also in love with this renewed space and we often find him lounging in the Papasan chair, the perfect addition to this cozy scene.

La combinazione scelta da noi si adatta perfettamente alle dimensioni della nostra parete; abbiamo scelto un tocco più classico con la cornice dorata perché si abbina perfettamente alla elegante boiserie in legno e ai suoi capitelli con dettagli in foglia d’oro. Dopo una settimana dall’ordine, le stampe sono arrivate a Milano e dopo un altro paio di giorni, quella che prima era una parete vuota, ora era decorata con una delle sette meraviglie del mondo, il Colosseo e quello che da tutti è considerato la rappresentazione del più perfetto corpo d’uomo, il David di Michelangelo. Ho poi dovuto convincere il mio “perfetto uomo” ad accettare la stampa Ciao Bella, ma siccome alla fine ha acconsentito, non mi sono ancora stancata di sedermi proprio sotto quel quadro a sorseggiare un bicchiere di Franciacorta mentre leggo un buon libro. Anche Puffo, il nostro gatto bilingue,  sembra apprezzare questo nuovo angolo e lo troviamo spesso lì a rilassarsi sulla poltrona Papasan, perfetto accessorio a questa calda ambientazione.
 
The posters & frames shown in this post are from #Desenio (They are now available in Italy on desenio.it and they also have a 25% discount on the site!.) Check it out!

What are your thoughts about poster wall decor? Do you like our new gallery wall dedicated to all things Italian? Let me know in the comments or as always, on Facebook. ​

In accordance with the FTC regulations for bloggers, please note that this post was created in collaboration with Desenio. All photographs are my own, as are the opinions I've shared in regards to the products and/or services mentioned. 

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones or the Category "Moving to Italy":
​
​Moving to Italy Series: Housing and Student Accommodation​
The Most Important Thing I've Learned After Living in Italy for 4 Months
​Five Things to Do Before Selling All Your Belongings and Moving to Italy
​Quiz Time: Will You be a Happy Expat in Italy?
A Memorable Expat Moment, from the Book "Once Upon an Expat"
​How to (Legally) Move and Live in Italy Oh You're an EU Expat in Italy? That's cute.
Immigration Update: Italy, I'm BACK!
Should You Move to Italy?
Living in Italy, Speaking in English 

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​I was nineteen and naive when we met in a hostel lobby one drizzly morning in Zurich. I had bedhead that only looks alluring when you’re nineteen, wearing wool socks and loudly munching on cereal while gulping it down with what seemed like a gallon of ice cold Swiss milk. I remember thinking I had never tasted anything like it before. Thinking back to my first time in Switzerland, the few things I remember have to do with milk, chocolate and a boy. It was the kind of day I would have happily crawled back into the bunk beds with a book but his eyes convinced me otherwise. They were blue, not my personal preference to tell the truth, but somehow they seemed to bring the sky to me on that grey afternoon. We decided to take the first tram to the last stop of the line. He was the Ethan Hawke to my Julie Delpy and we talked and didn’t talk for hours, our feet propped up on the seats in front of us like the kids that we were.  And with the rain pounding on the roof of the tram, I thought about perfect strangers. All the perfect strangers I had met along the way, kissed along the way. I thought about how perfect strangers can change your life. Somewhere along the track he told me he was in love with a girl from Canada and I knew that he was thinking of her while he looked at me, as if my being from the same country was like having a piece of her back. We talked about missed chances and about chasing love. The rain let up. By the time we reached the last stop, he had decided to do the chase for real and I was euphoric, enraptured, enchanted. Not because of an entire day on a Swiss tram with a boy with the bluest eyes, but because I was there when a perfect stranger decided to take a risk for love.
​
Important Note:
A note on this new category "Creative Writing". Writing has always been a love of mine and is one of the main reasons I started to blog in the first place, basically to have a reason to write. At times, I feel like I need to be able to indulge in some creative writing in addition to the informative content I provide about expat life and all things Italy and Italian. So every once in awhile for now on, you may see some short pieces pop up with the header of Creative Writing. Just know they are my little experiments and that they should be considered fiction unless otherwise stated, although as is the case for most writers, inspired in some ways by my own experiences. Thanks for reading. 

For a bite-size snack of make-believe romance, read these short stories:
​Creative Writing: Rooftops and Rome
​Creative Writing: The Morning After in New York
​Creative Writing: Mulberries in Sicily

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these real love stories:
​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
Reader Submissions: I'm Looking for Your Love Stories

​RECENT POSTS FEED:

Welcome back to love story lunedì, today I'll keep the introductions short because Kristie, of the blog Mammaprada, wrote her own...!

Thank you so much Jasmine for inviting me to take part in this romantic series! It’s such a lovely idea and great example of how actually, relationships for mixed culture couples may have obstacles but no more so than anyone else might encounter, they are just different ones!

I’ll never forget how much more, to use a very old English word, ‘wooed’ I felt when I started dating my now-husband. Italian men notice everything, your eyeshadow, earrings, what interests you have. It was definitely a different dating experience!

There was however a moment when I was getting married where I thought, why am I making my life so difficult?! I was getting married in Italy, in Italian, in a Catholic church (I’m not Catholic). None of our families speak each other’s languages. We wanted to do speeches at the wedding reception as this is a big and much loved English tradition. But that would mean doing them in both languages. It was full on!

The key is really being with the right person regardless of where you’re from. Our success - (so far! LOL!) is we believe in having the same values when it comes to core things like your families, children, money, education, work ethic. If can agree on these in any language I think you will be ok!  

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I’m from near Oxford in the UK and Graziano is from Saronno, which is close to Milan in Italy.

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met at work in 2006! But we worked on the same floor of a huge tower in London with 300 other people. So we didn’t know each other at all until we danced badly next to each other at a Christmas Party.

Who made the first move? 
Graziano did. He apparently thought I looked fun and sent me an email at work after lengthy conversations with various people trying to find out my name. When he emailed me I thought it was a prank because his surname was Prada and no one has this name in the UK, it’s just a fashion label.

Where did you initially think he was from? 
I guessed he was Italian from the surname and how he looked. Not like your usual Englishman!

What was your first impression of him? 
Very nice, good-looking, but I had no expectations of anything happening between us because he was so Latin (elaborate sideburns etc!) and that really wasn’t my type!

Where do you live now? 
We live in London but spend a lot of time around Lake Como, Milan and up in the Italian Alps in a place called Bormio.

Have you learnt each other’s languages? 
Graziano is fluent in English having been here 17 years! My Italian fluctuates since we had children due to lack of time to study and because I’m not travelling there alone. I used to go to Italy regularly just with girlfriends and I would have to order everyone’s skis, food, taxis, fend off Italian men etc!

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
I think to expect that there will be many lost in translation moments and that this doesn’t mean you are doomed! That staying together and navigating each of your families, languages, religions, any children you might have. It can all be done. Not perfectly and it won’t be brilliant all of the time but you can absolutely have a great relationship and great understanding of each other despite all of your little differences. You just have to want it to work.

Submitted by Kristie. 

Here's how you can connect with Kristie:
Blog: https://www.mammaprada.com/
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:

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

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