My Italian Love Affair by Jessica Shaw
“What was your highlight?” A hard question to answer. So many memorable moments. The incredible natural beauty of Switzerland. Partying hard in bustling Barcelona. Impromptu yoga at sunset over-looking the Tuscan hills. It was all amazing but the memory that I continue to revisit every day since being back is my Italian love affair.
So there I am in Venice. A most romantic city in its own right. Our tour group had just arrived and checked into our cabins at the campsite and we headed to the campsite bar. It had a pretty cool atmosphere, great music and a lengthy cocktail list.
After a few long Island Ice Teas, my tour leader says to me “Come and meet my friend Alessandro.”
I said, “With an exotic name like that it sounds like someone I would like to meet’.
So there he was, a very attractive young man, half Italian, half Brazilian with beautiful olive skin, a sensational smile that would stop traffic and the biggest most beautiful brown eyes that I have ever seen. He just oozed sex appeal.
We chatted throughout the evening over some drinks and then, as all holiday romances develop (swiftly and intensely) he came back to my cabin and we spent an amazing night together. Boy do Italians know how to love! I was melted butter in his hands until the early hours! When he snuck out of my cabin in the morning I asked if he was going to come back again that night. He said he might and left me feeling like a goddess floating on a cloud in heaven! If I never see him again I will have the memory of my Italian lover etched into my brain forever.
That day I went with my tour group into St Mark’s Square and got lost in the petite alley ways of Venice. We ate pizza and gelato and enjoyed a gondola ride like real tourists! The sun was shining and I was loving every inch of Venice. We all purchased Venetian masks for the masquerade party later that evening back at the campsite.
That evening everyone donned their favourite outfits that they had dug out from the bottom of their backpacks. Dressed to impress, my friend Emma and I walked down to the campsite bar with our masks on, I could barely see out of the small eye holes which was comical. As we walked through the front door of the bar Emma whispered to me, “We just walked past Alessandro, he’s sitting out the front with some friends.”
My heart skipped a beat, I didn’t see him. I can’t believe he came back I was so excited! A little later on I sought him out and we chatted over some drinks. He insisted with a smile that he didn’t come back for me but I knew the chemistry was undeniable and I was at least part of the reason he came back.
Soon enough, just as we both anticipated we were in each others arms again for another amazingly passionate rendezvous. Those eyes just made me week at the knees. He kissed me like I have never been kissed, nuzzling and kissing my neck. I never wanted it to end, in the moment I was his, heart and soul. But I was leaving Venice tomorrow.
We said goodbye to each other in the morning and we agreed to keep in contact via facebook. I was a little sad we didn’t have more time but holiday romances tend to be that way I guess. I decided to embrace the memories of what time we did have together, memories of my Italian love that will stay with me forever.
Our tour group left Venice that morning and headed to Florence for 2 nights before my final destination, Rome. I received a message on Facebook from him whilst in Florence thanking me for the amazing time we had together. With that, after brief hesitation, I asked him to come and meet me in Rome the following day. His response both surprised and thrilled me. He said Yes and he has booked a train ticket from Venice to Rome to meet me. That’s at least a 4 hour train ride. I couldn’t believe I was going to see him again!
That evening I reunited with Alessandro. We spent another incredible night together. The following morning we slept in, I didn’t have to rush off to get on the tour bus that morning. I was all his for the next 24 hours.
That day we explored Rome together. Every so often we would stop and he would kiss me as we stood in the street. As we walked through the Vatican City he held my hands and said “Maybe the Pope could come out and marry us now.” We talked lightheartedly about how I could stay in Italy.
That evening we had a beautiful dinner at a little Italian restaurant in Rome, we ate beautiful food and drank red wine. There was the sultry sounds of a jazz band playing in the corner, the ambience was romantic and just ridiculously fitting. Alessandro and I talked for hours as I gazed at his gorgeous face across the table, pinching myself to see if it was a dream. It was my final night in Rome, my final night with my Italian love and it was truly unforgettable.
The next morning we shared a taxi, the first stop was the train station to drop him off first. We had our final kiss goodbye and he stepped out of the taxi. As I drove away from him I waved out the back window of the taxi and he waved back at me from the street as the distance between us increased quickly. Then I was alone in the taxi with only my thoughts, replaying our time together in my mind over and over again. Yes it was like a movie.
I’m back in Australia now and we have been in regular contact. I’d love to be able to add another chapter to this love story, only time will tell.
What I know for sure is: Life is short, takes chances and expect the unexpected.