Monica also had a good impression when she met Isidoro, a kind, gentle, knowledgeable tour guide who “dressed very well”. Before the end of the tour, Isidoro gave the customer his phone number and contact information. He often did this with customers because of the nature of his work.

A year later, Monica contacted Isidoro again, booking a tour for her friend’s daughter. The girl was a student, living in Florence and wanted to visit Almafi. Isidoro had planned to welcome American tourists, but Monica’s friend’s daughter canceled the tour at the last minute. When Monica found out, she texted him to apologize. This was also the time when Monica and her husband were going through divorce proceedings.

After that, they started talking to each other more, about movies, books, art, music and realized they had a lot in common. Monica realized that when talking to Isidoro, she could be herself. By this time, she was divorced.

On his second trip to Italy, Isidoro picked Monica up at the airport. It took them only five minutes to get over any awkwardness and they became more comfortable. Over the next week, Isidoro drove Monica along the Almafi coast, drinking and chatting in bars overlooking the sea. Their relationship gradually took shape, and the American tourist made more trips to Italy.

When Isidoro flew to the US to meet Monica’s children, they were still sad about their parents’ broken marriage, but they wanted their mother to be happy, so they opened up to her new boyfriend. The love story between the female tourist and the tour guide was interrupted by the pandemic, when the whole world began to restrict travel and many countries closed their borders.

After nearly a year of long-distance relationships, Monica flew to Italy to meet her boyfriend when the country began to reopen its borders in late 2020. They both decided they wanted to live together long-term, so they planned to get married in Italy. Before the wedding day, Monica fell ill and had to be hospitalized. Isidoro took good care of her during those days. On April 28, 2021, after being discharged from the hospital, they decided to hold a wedding with two friends of the groom as witnesses because pandemic restrictions prevented them from inviting many people.

“We had lunch at a nice restaurant on the Amalfi coast,” Isidoro recalled. After the wedding, he moved to the US to live with Monica and together they planned to open a travel agency, then returned to Italy because it was more suitable for her. The busy life, pressure and high costs in the US were not good for Monica’s health. They also had high hopes for their travel company to prosper in Italy, settling in the village of Castiglione del Lago in the Umbria region, on the shores of Lake Trasimeno. The peaceful, happy life and favorable work made Monica feel happy, although sometimes she missed her two children living in the United States. “Even though they are far away, they are still very proud of me,” she said.

Monica said that sometimes sitting looking out at the green hills and lake, admiring the Italian-style farmhouse, she still could not believe that this was her new life. When living in Connecticut, she never thought that the man who used to be her tour guide that year would become her husband later.

Isidoro feels grateful for being with Monica and going through many ups and downs of life with her. He is happy because his wife always encourages him to pursue big dreams.

For Monica, her love story with Isidoro is a reminder to herself “never give up on happiness or let social norms get in the way of your dreams and life.”