Imagine you've grown up dreaming of a summer in Italy. The art, the culture, the food. But you're just a student stuck in Canada.

But I would apply for a ton of scholarships.

It seems like your options are running out. When suddenly your luck changes.

I got this scholarship that I applied for a year ago. And so I went to Florence.

Bianca Gignac arrived in Italy in the summer of 2003 under a cloud of sadness. Sure, she was happy to be there, but she was also just getting over a bad breakup and not in the best headspace.

I woke up in the morning from my Florentine apartment and I looked out, opened the windows. And was like, It's going to be all right. Even if you were like, all fragile and heartbroken, and I did. I went on to have, you know, the most incredible summer. And three days before I was like, leaving, my friend said, let's go to the Cinque Terre. I want you to come. It's the most romantic place I've ever been to. And so we went there for the weekend and within, like, hours, I met him.

For me, she was the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Plain and simple. The prettiest girl I've ever seen. I was like, I need to get to know her.

Alessandra Morelli was an Italian local from La Spezia. Back then, in 2003, he was living a comfortable life, working a steady job at the local shipyard and living happily at home with his family. Little did he know, some combination of fate, chance, and luck was about to reshape his life.

And I was just there for my friend's birthday party at the beach, and I told them, like, hold on a sec. We gotta try to buy a drink for these girls, and I had my eyes on her. Then I got up and I went to the their table and asked if we could buy her a drink. And they said yes.

'I'm Francesca Street, CNN travel journalist, and this is Chance Encounters, a podcast about the incredible connections we make while traveling. This week's story takes place in the harbor of Rio Maggiore, one of the five picturesque fishing villages that make up the beautiful Italian Cinque Terre region. It's 2003, well before social media turned this once-hidden secret into a must-have Instagram background, and Bianca and Alessandro have just met.

'Why I even let him sit beside me was just like I had an instant connection, which he was like a kind person and I could feel that he wasn't this like cocky, oh, I'm going to do this. And so we just started talking that night and, you know, I was with my friend and he was with his friend. And so it was the four of us. We literally talked into the night and the barman was like, okay, ragazzi, we gotta go. So we went down to the beach and he was like, I think we should go swimming. I was like, I'm not going swimming in these waters. And this is sort of a recurring theme, him going. We should do this. And me going, I don't think so and him going, I think we should try. So anyway, we went out skinny-dipping that night. There was a bunch of us and we were just all swimming in this phosphorescence. And the stars were out. I mean, it was a perfect July 26th that evening. And I remember very specifically because it was my birthday the next day. And so my friend and I, we went home. They went home. In the morning, there was (knock, knock) on the door.

And I was like, what's going on? Who is that?

And these guys were there with their Speedos on, their bag, their sunscreen. And they were like girls, Let's go on a boat trip. It's your birthday, Bianca. Let's go. We've got a boat. And so we went on and had dinner that night. They just kept knocking at our door every day and taking us out. And we just kept saying yes.

Did you start to think or like, maybe we might see each other again?

So we spent these couple of days together, and then I had a flight. Like, I was supposed to go home and I had a midnight train from Rome, so I like packed up my bag. And I was leaving Italy for good, and I gave my key back. I was leaving. And we went out for dinner and he was like, Bianca, don't go. And I was like, I have to go.

I have a job, I have college. These like, don't go.

And, you know, two hours of this into dinner and, you know, it's like, oh my goodness, the train is coming in 20 minutes.

And I walked her to the station to catch the train and go get her flight.

Just, let's just extend this for another week.

Come on, don't leave, don't leave.

And I was like. Okay, sure. So I said yes. So I actually had to that night go to my room rental and be like, Can I have the key back and stay for another week? The room rental guy was like, sure. And he was just laughing at us. So I stayed for another ten days.

Bianca and Alessandro spent every moment together that they could. Alessandro took Bianca on the back of his scooter for hilltop rides around the Cinque Terre. They spent long days together exploring, swimming, chatting. Bianca even met Alessandro's mother.

And then when we said goodbye at the train station, I was crying. I was like, I'm never going to see you again. And I really believed that. There was no concept that I would ever see him again.

And just like that, Bianca flew home to Canada, leaving Alessandro in Italy.

I was in the middle of University. I was very focused on my studies and there was no way I was doing anything but graduating. And I wanted my degree and I'd been working really hard. So that's where I was at.

How will Bianca and Alessandro find their way back together? Find out after the break.

This is Chance Encounters, I'm Francesca Street. Bianca and Alessandro were strangers who enjoyed a magical vacation romance on the stunning coast of Cinque Terre in Italy. But now they were on opposite sides of the world. Still, even with Bianca all the way back in Canada and focused on her studies. Alessandro had no intention of letting their flame flicker out.

So I got home. But the phone. The phone was going.

And yeah, as soon as she left I was like, nah, this is going to be, she's my girlfriend. And I started hammering. Yeah, we talked over the phone. And then, Christmas was coming. By then it was almost December and I said, why don't you come visit around Christmas? She said I can't, I have school and I don't have any money now. And I was like, well, I got a solid job. I'll buy you a ticket.

And my friends at school were like, are you joking? You are a poor student on student loans. And they were like, somebody bought you a plane ticket? And my friend looks at me and she's like, you're gonna marry him and have babies.

Some of them were, but Julia was telling me, you're going to have babies with that guy.

And I was like, I don't think so. But let's see. So I go fly there for Christmas. And I believe I was there ten days and Alessandro was like, I think after you graduate, why don't you consider moving, moving to Italy? And I just automatically...

Considerd it.

Said no. No, I automatically said no, but at the end of the ten days, you know, we kept kind of talking about it, how that would look. And we decided at the end of our ten days that I was going to do that. So that was our plan. So then it was just about me going home.

Wrapping up.

Graduating.

Yeah. I did spend a few weeks in Canada when she graduated, actually, so I did get to meet all of her family and see where she was from. And I met her mom and I met her family.

And then I just took my two suitcases and moved. And within three months of us living together, we were married. I called my family and I said, I'm getting married in three weeks. I am so sorry to do this to you. I know that's hard to hear that I'm getting married in three weeks, but I'm doing it. So we just ran off to City Hall. I remember we got married on a Friday so we could get the day off work. And we showed up with the clothes that we already owned. Yeah, I went to the florist across the street, and I got, like, a baby's breath and, like, I put it behind my hair, but literally, we just wore the clothes we owned. And we went to City Hall. And his mom, of course, doesn't listen to us and invited the whole family. We just wanted to do, like a small ceremony. And I didn't speak Italian at the time. So his friend who I met the first night, he translated the whole service for us. But it was just this very informal thing. We were just young and dumb. And moved to his hometown, which, you know, it doesn't have any English speakers there. And I didn't speak Italian. And so when his friend saw me, like his friend said, Bianca will last two weeks here, I give this girl two weeks. And I stayed there for two years, okay?

But after two years, Bianca and Alessandro were ready for a change. Bianca has spent a few years living in Alessandro's world. Now it was time to head to beautiful Vancouver Island.

So we moved there, back to Canada. Pretty much the warmest part of Canada.

You know, Alessandro, he really very much got into Canadian society and culture. He got a great job that he was super proud of, and within a month of him getting his work permit for Canada and we were settled.

We bought a house.

Yeah, we bought a house and I was pregnant, like within the month. So we ended up totally building a life in Canada and having a daughter.

Bianca and Alessandro was so thrilled to become parents, to welcome their daughter into their family and to introduce her to both her Canadian and her Italian heritage.

She has been.

Tagging along.

To most corners of Italy. We always encouraged her to, you know, speak. And so she speaks Italian. She's a global citizen and that's very much from our life.

Today, Bianca, Alessandro and their family still live happily in Canada, but they spend a lot of time in Italy and Bianca is running, what else? An Italian tour company.

And I ran my very first trip in the Cinque Terre, where I met him. And that was the start and the seed of the company now I've been running for 12 years.

Yeah.

It's now 20 years since Alessandro and Bianca met eyes in the Cinque Terre area and started their life together. I ended our conversation by asking them what emotions they felt reflecting on those amazing two decades together.

Grateful and proud. If we weren't crazy and jumped into this, we probably would have led like a lot more boring lives. And so all the things we've built and a have are thanks to jumping on that train that was running by. That's 20 years of us being together. So that to me was actually a lesson in, you know, don't ever miss a train.

Or miss the train because then you get to stay.

Or miss the train so you can stay for longer. Yeah, yeah. Miss the train so you don't miss the train.

Thank you to Bianca Gignac and Alessandro Morelli for sharing their chance encounter.

'This is Chance Encounters, reported, hosted and written by me. Francesca Street. Dan Bloom is our showrunner and co-writer. Sofia Sanchez and Kyra Dahring are the producers. Dan Dzula is technical director and Matt Dempsey is Technical Production Manager. Haley Thomas is Senior Producer for Development. Steve Lickteig is Executive Producer of CNN Audio. For more Chance Encounters, check out cnn.com/travel. CNN Travel's Global Editor is Barry Neild. Special thanks to producers Lori Galaretta, Felicia Patinkin, Graelyn Brashear, Grace Walker and Jesse Remedios. Jamus Andrest created the artwork for this show. We had support from Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Joey Salvia, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Nichole Pesaru, Lisa Namerow, David Allan, and the team at CNN Travel. Wendy Brundige is CNN Digital's SVP of Content Strategy. Chance encounters is a CNN Audio production. Thank you for listening.