CNN
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When Giuseppe Morisani first suggested it, Skyler Mapes thought she must have misread his message.

She’d met Giuseppe just over a week before, in a bar in Rome. The two strangers connected instantly: an evening drinking and dancing – communicating mostly via Google Translate – culminating in 4 a.m. bowls of pasta pomodoro eaten standing up in Giuseppe’s friend’s kitchen, gazing at the stars out the window.

This dreamy evening was the start of a whirlwind weekend.

“We spent the next couple of days together,” Skyler tells CNN Travel today. “It was just so nice. It was very freeing to be in Rome, to be young…”

Skyler and Giuseppe exchanged numbers, but made no promises to meet again.

And then Giuseppe sent the text Skyler couldn’t quite believe:

“I really want to see you,” he wrote. “I want you to come to Calabria to meet my mom.”

It was August 2014 and Skyler was in her early 20s, an American architecture student interning at a firm in Barcelona, Spain.

For Skyler, the summer in Europe was an amazing opportunity, but one marked with mixed emotions – right before she’d left, her beloved grandmother had passed away.

“It was a very emotional time in my life,” says Skyler. “We had a really beautiful funeral. And then I flew to Barcelona the following week. There were so many emotions, but it also felt really invigorating. I know that my grandma would have wanted me to do that, because she was always a woman who said: ‘Go pursue your dreams, do the best you can, work hard.’”

Skyler arrived in Barcelona with her grandmother’s words echoing around her head, determined to enjoy an “incredible summer.”

She moved into an apartment with several other architecture interns, and the group became fast friends. They spent long evenings enjoying Barcelona together and planned trips across Spain and farther afield.

That’s how they ended up in Rome. Skyler was swept up in the city’s beauty right away – the Roman ruins dotted everywhere, the incredible food, the buzz and vibrancy.

And then, on her second night in Rome, Skyler crossed paths with Giuseppe Morisani in a busy bar.

Skyler was with her roommates, and Giuseppe was out with a friend. One of Skyler’s friends got chatting with Giuseppe’s friend. And then Skyler and Giuseppe started talking. Their connection was palpable right away.

“Oh, he’s really cute,” Skyler recalls thinking.

But after they made their introductions, Skyler realized Giuseppe didn’t know much English, and she knew next to no Italian. The two attempted to communicate in “Spanglish” – Skyler grew up speaking Spanish, and Giuseppe understood some of the language thanks to the similarities with his native Italian. Sometimes Skyler and Giuseppe resorted to the Google Translate app on their phones – but mostly, words didn’t seem to matter much that first night – or over the rest of the weekend. They communicated through their body language, and their constant smiles and laughs in each other’s company said it all.

Skyler didn’t contemplate the future, didn’t daydream of a life with Giuseppe from the moment she met him – but she did enjoy letting herself embrace this unexpected vacation romance.

“I was very much in the moment,” recalls Skyler. “I was just thinking, ‘This doesn’t happen to people like this. Is this how relationships can start and how people can meet?’ You know, it didn’t feel real.”

As for Giuseppe – who back in 2014 was working as a personal trainer and studying economics – says he knew, right away, that he wanted Skyler to be in his life forever.

“For me, from the moment I saw her for the first time ever, I was in love. Literally, I was in love,” he tells CNN Travel today.

“We ended up making pasta at my friend’s house, we were watching the stars, eating the pasta. And then we spent the rest of the three days together. I introduced her to Rome, brought her to the most lovely and romantic places in Rome…”

When the weekend ended, Giuseppe was certain he and Skyler would see one another again. He didn’t worry about the distance or the end date on Skyler’s time in Europe. He was confident love would triumph.

Giuseppe grew up in the southwest of Italy, in Calabria – a region known for its beautiful coastline, Roman ruins and picturesque villages.

He loved returning to Calabria whenever he could. As soon as he met Skyler, Giuseppe started daydreaming about showing her around his home region and – most importantly – introducing her to his mother.

Giuseppe was close to both his parents, but his relationship with his mother was particularly tight. They talked regularly and she often visited him in Rome. Giuseppe gushed about Skyler to his mother immediately, and she expressed interest in meeting the American woman who’d captured her son’s heart.

But for Skyler, the prospect of traveling across Italy to meet the mother of a guy she’d just met seemed a little unusual – possibly a little mad.

When Giuseppe proposed the idea over text, Skyler Googled the distance from Rome to Calabria by car: seven hours.

Uncertain what to do, Skyler ran the idea past her Barcelona roommates.

“We had a house meeting,” says Skyler. “There was a sit-down conversation.”

After running through all the pros and cons and potential pitfalls, the friends concluded Skyler should agree to Giuseppe’s proposition – on the condition that before she went to Calabria, Giuseppe should come and visit Skyler in Spain.

“We agreed that he would come to Barcelona first and there would be someone else in the house, like the supervisor or the manager, basically, to make sure all was good. And then if we hated him, we would kick him out. And I wouldn’t go to Italy,” recalls Skyler.

She texted Giuseppe her “terms.” He readily agreed, and within a few weeks was ringing the doorbell to Skyler’s apartment.

Skyler’s female roommates left town for the weekend and her sole male roommate agreed to be the “supervisor.” The friends used the term jokingly, but Skyler was grateful he was there.

“It was actually perfect because there was another guy in the house – I thought, ‘He’ll be here, and it’ll be fine,’” recalls Skyler. “And obviously, everything worked out. We all got along – Giuseppe ended up cooking for all of us and we would all hang out together. It was just such a fun time with the three of us.

“And then obviously Gisueppe and I would go out on dates and we spent time together alone. It was just a really fun time because he’d never been to Barcelona before.”

“I was so excited to see Skyler,” says Giuseppe. “I was really in love. And we spent this time together which was an amazing experience. Traveling for love, it’s different – it’s something when it hits you, you’re willing to do anything.”

Skyler and Giuseppe spent the Barclona weekend wandering in and out of museums, admiring the half-built, imposing Sagrada Familia cathedral. By the end of the weekend, Skyler was excited at the prospect of driving across Italy with him.

“I felt much more comfortable because I got a sense of who he was as a person,” says Skyler.

She was still a little apprehensive about the idea of meeting Giuseppe’s parents so early on.

“I was certainly nervous,” she says. “But you’re dealing with different cultures – ‘It’s just kind of what they do in their culture. And so we’ll see what happens.’ That’s kind of how I saw it.”

A couple of weeks later, Skyler flew to Rome and jumped in Giuseppe’s car to begin the long journey down to the southern tip of Italy.

When the two arrived at Giuseppe’s parent’s house, it was night. Skyler got out the car and glanced around to get her bearings.

“I was standing on the front steps, I could see the water was really close, because the moon was out, so I could see a reflection of the water,” she recalls.

She asked Giuseppe if they were close to the sea, and he confirmed they were right on the waterfront. Skyler was immediately excited – she grew up by the ocean in California, and loved the beach. But she also still felt a little apprehensive – she really wasn’t sure what it would be like meeting Giuseppe’s parents.

Then Giuseppe’s mother and father opened the door and warmly enveloped Skyler in a hug. Over the course of the evening, Giuseppe’s mother served plate after plate of delicious Calabrian food and Giuseppe’s father quietly chuckled as Skyler attempted – and failed – to decline the third and fourth helpings.

“My mother loved her from the beginning. My dad too. From that first day,” says Giuseppe. “They saw me so happy, and they thought this was the person we’d been waiting for.”

Giuseppe’s parents didn’t speak much English, but the group navigated the language barrier with humor and kindness.

The next morning, Skyler woke up to the smell of coffee and fresh pastries – Giuseppe’s father had cycled to the local bakery and bought them that morning. Skyler sat with her breakfast on the balcony and looked at the glistening sea stretching out before her.

“I saw the view of the water and it was spectacular. It’s the Mediterranean, it’s the Ionian, it’s super clean. California has beautiful beaches, but nothing can compare to the Ionian Sea,” she says.

It was the perfect start to the weekend. As well as spending time with Giuseppe’s parents, Skyler also met his extended family. And she enjoyed solo time with Giuseppe too – hanging out together in this peaceful spot was different to rushing around Rome and Barcelona, but just as special.

“I was able to better get to know him and see where he came from, and the stability that his parents had – and just better understand him,” says Skyler.

“That was really important, to me, to make sure that he had somewhat of a good relationship with his family, because I didn’t always have that with mine. And it was refreshing to see them all together and really getting along and all the cousins talking to each other and making jokes with one another.”

As the visit came to an end, the one word Skyler kept coming back to was “safe.” The love that emanated from Giuseppe’s parents house made her feel enveloped in safety.

“That’s the word, I felt very safe,” says Skyler. “So it was the perfect place for us to get to know each other more.”

Skyler and Giuseppe left Calabria with plans to meet again in Barcelona. By coincidence, Skyler’s mother was visiting Spain in a few weeks time, and Skyler figured this was an opportunity for Giuseppe to get a glimpse into her family. It seemed only appropriate, given she’d just met pretty much all of Giuseppe’s family members.

“It was really fun,” recalls Skyler. “My mom really liked him.”

“We had dinner and it was so much fun,” says Giuseppe. “I had an incredible time.”

Giuseppe and Skyler stayed in touch, visiting one another in Rome and Barcelona. But before long, Skyler’s internship came to an end, and she had to return to the US. Giuseppe and Skyler hadn’t found traveling between Rome and Barcelona too bad, but Rome and California was much trickier.

“That was the hardest time because we had to go back and forth every three months from the United States and Italy,” says Giuseppe.

The two spent almost two years navigating a long distance relationship. In time, they started discussing their longer-term future. They both wanted to get married, and Giuseppe said he was open to moving to the US. This became the goal. In 2015, on a visit to the US, Giuseppe proposed to Skyler.

It was a low-key proposal – the couple were sitting on the couch together, side by side. For Skyler and Giuseppe, this intimacy was perfect. They enjoyed celebrating the news with a small engagement party with their loved ones – and then they started navigating the red tape.

“Before we could even consider getting married, we had to go through the green card process, which is not a sexy process to do,” says Skyler.

Eventually, documents secured, Skyler and Giuseppe could look toward the future. They planned a small legal ceremony – with just Skyler’s mother and childhood best friend as witnesses – in 2016. Shortly afterward, they enjoyed a slightly bigger celebration at the spectacular Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

“It was gorgeous,” says Skyler. “After, we went to a friend’s restaurant, and we basically had the whole place to ourselves. A tiny restaurant, 16 of us. It was actually perfect. And then we went out after and we got cocktails, and then we went back and stayed at a hotel in the city.”

During her wedding celebrations, Skyler says she felt waves of relief that the long distance was finally over – plus an overwhelming feeling of happiness and contentment as she looked ahead to a life with Giuseppe.

As for Giuseppe, he was glad to no longer be counting the days until they could reunite.

“To be able to be together, and have a normal life without thinking about that, it was amazing,” he says.

Life partners and business partners

Giuseppe was happy to move to the US – California felt like home right away, largely because Skyler was there.

A lifelong foodie, Giuseppe also really enjoyed sampling California’s varied food scene. He just had one complaint: the lack of Calabrian olive oil.

Giuseppe couldn’t believe it when he first went to the grocery store and realized there were no olive oil options on sale from Southern Italy, let alone his home region.

“He asked his mom to send olive oil from Calabria to the US,” recalls Skyler. “And then all our friends were like, ‘Oh, can they send us some too?’”

As their friends raved about the Calabian oil, Skyler and Giuseppe started wondering if there was a gap in the market they could help fill.

In time, this first spark of an idea became EXAU Olive Oil – a successful olive oil company operated by Giuseppe and Skyler.

Since their brand premiered on US grocery store shelves, life’s been a whirlwind for Giuseppe and Skyler. The oil was spotlighted by Oprah Winfrey in her “Favorite Things” column. Skyler ended up on the 2021 Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Skyler and Giuseppe wrote a book together, called “The Olive Oil Enthusiast.” The couple left the US and relocated to Calabria to oversee farming and producing.

Today, Skyler and Giuseppe live in Calabria, in a house by the Ionian Ocean, surrounded by the beautiful olive trees that produce their oil. They still travel back to the US – both to visit loved ones there and to check in with EXAU Olive Oil’s US headquarters in Texas.

For Skyler and Giuseppe, becoming successful business owners strengthened their already solid connection.

“Us building this business together and growing our relationship – and our love growing stronger over the years – has created a bond that is indescribable,” is how Skyler puts it.

“We can’t really describe it to people because we’re together not only romantically, we’re best friends, we’re together 24/7, and we also work together. So we’re very, very, very close.”

Skyler and Giuseppe’s move to Italy also coincided with Giuseppe’s father falling ill. He passed away in early 2024.

“It was really a blessing for us to be able to spend his last few years with him,” says Skyler.

Giuseppe says his father’s passing has been really hard, but he’s grateful Skyler’s been by his side. In fact, he credits all the “beautiful things in our life” to Skyler.

“Her love has created a relationship that’s so stable, I’m very fortunate,” he says.

Skyler and Giuseppe no longer communicate via Google Translate – Giuseppe speaks English, and Skyler speaks Italian, and at home they cycle between the two languages. Skyler suggests their early days with a language barrier established a strong foundation and good communication – there was little room for nuance, or being vague. That’s proven essential as they navigate life together.

“You have to be transparent and clear,” she says.

A decade on from their first meeting in Rome, Skyler and Giuseppe find it emotional to reflect on everything they’ve been through, and everything they’ve achieved together.

“I wouldn’t have started EXAU, our olive oil company, if we hadn’t met just that day… I just feel happy. I feel like life is very well-rounded,” says Skyler.

“I’m not a religious person, but I am spiritual,” she adds. “I definitely believe that my grandma, my great grandma, my ancestors are watching me. And they’re kind of guiding me through life.

“And I think that I was guided towards Giuseppe that night – like we were supposed to meet so I could experience this type of love and relationship.”