How one traveler and his Program Director fell in love
By David Dafashy, first-time traveler, Williamsburg, Virginia
As a doctor, it’s hard for me to get long periods of time off from work. But in February of 2007, I found myself free for two weeks, so my Aunt Peggy asked if I’d like to travel to Sicily with her.
Although Sicily wasn’t on my short list of places I wanted to visit, the trip sounded great, so I agreed to go. Aunt Peggy said she was going to ask my mother if she’d like to come along, and I asked a friend of mine if he’d like to come as well. Both my mom and friend couldn’t make it, so Aunt Peggy and I decided to room together.
And so began our journey to Sicily … a trip that would truly change my life.
Upon arrival in Palermo, we were greeted by a woman at the airport who introduced herself as our Program Director, Mariangela. Once we arrived at the hotel, Mariangela began calling our names to make sure everyone was present. She later admitted that I first caught her attention by how young I was compared to the average age of her travelers.
Peggy (far left) and David (far right) enjoyed dinner at Piazzetta Restaurant in Taormina.
As our days in Sicily progressed, I realized how fascinating the country was. I had brought along a journal because this trip was more of an educational visit for me than anything else. I began asking Mariangela many questions about her home and the history behind such an interesting place. She always answered my questions to the best she could, but I have to admit, I began to feel a bit ignored by her, as she seemed to be spending more time with the other travelers.
Mariangela later admitted to me that she immediately felt a connection with me when we met, but didn’t want to allow me to hog her attention when she had many other travelers in the group. She always tells me that she was “intellectually interested” in me and thought I was a really “nice guy.”
Program Director Mariangela shares some of the local history of Sicily from the front of their coach.
Aunt Peggy was always encouraging Mariangela and was not short on sharing my slight interest in her. She would seek her out and say, “My nephew has a crush on you!” And right before we left Sicily, Aunt Peggy handed Mariangela a Grand Circle luggage tag with all of my contact information on it. Mariangela still has that luggage tag.
Aunt Peggy loves to remind me about the cheesy line I said to Mariangela after she told us a story about the pomegranate in Greek mythology. According to the legend, the goddess Persephone was kidnapped by Hades to live with him as his wife in the Underworld. Her mother, Demeter, who was the goddess of the harvest, was so distraught with the loss of her daughter that she began to mourn, and all crops stopped growing. Zeus commanded Hades to return Persephone, but Hades had tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was in the Underworld with him. Anyone who ate or drank in the Underworld was punished to spend eternity there, so Persephone was condemned to spend six months of the year with Hades.
I later approached Mariangela and told her that I’d give her twelve pomegranate seeds, rather than six, so that I’d be able to spend the entire year with her. It’s now one of Aunt Peggy’s favorite stories to tell.
During our last evening in Sicily, I left Aunt Peggy to sleep and found Mariangela. I helped her get all of the travelers’ bags together for transport to the airport the next morning. We chatted until the wee morning hours about everything we could think of. I kept hearing Aunt Peggy in the back of my mind saying, “Give her a kiss goodnight.” And three years later, Aunt Peggy finally found out that I left Mariangela with a kiss on the cheek and a simple “goodnight” at my leaving.
Fellow group member Donna, David, and Mariangela enjoy dinner at the Hotel Olimpo in Taormina.
Upon arriving home, I immersed myself in work to keep busy. I thought of Mariangela often, but convinced myself that it could never happen. One evening several months later, those feelings changed.
I went to a friend’s St. Patrick’s Day party, where I met several nice Scottish and Irish women. But in the back of my mind, I kept thinking, “I still prefer Mariangela.” So, I contacted Aunt Peggy to get Mariangela’s phone number and called her the next day.
And she pretended she didn’t know who I was!
After a lengthy conversation, we decided to meet in Paris and spend five days exploring France. I had a chunk of time off from work, and she unexpectedly had time off as well. It felt like fate.
We spent five beautiful days together in a 14th-century chateau in the Loire Valley visiting wineries and enjoying the countryside. It was a romantic trip we’ll always remember.
After that first getaway together, Mariangela and I began our long-distance relationship. Throughout our courtship, Mariangela visited me five times in America, and I traveled to Europe three times—including our first getaway in Paris—to see her.
During one of her trips to the States, we visited several of the travelers who'd been in our group in Sicily. During that visit, Mariangela and I went to Central Park for Valentine’s Day. I handed her a note that simply said, “Happy Valentine’s Day (turn note over),” and when she did, she read the words, “Will you marry me?”
And she said yes.
Mariangela and David were married in Taormina, where they spent the last evening of their trip together.
Aunt Peggy, David, and Mariangela rest at their hotel after wedding festivities.
And so we were married in December of 2008 in Taormina, a beautiful, scenic village in Sicily, the same place where we'd spent the last night of our trip chatting for hours. We always knew that this was the night that we connected. Aunt Peggy was the maid of honor—because if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be telling this tale of our love story.
Explore the romantic villages and savor the delectable cuisine on our Sicily vacation.