Italian couple set to wed after falling in love from their balconies

It was love at first sight for Michele D'Alpaos and Paola Agnelli.

D'Alpaos, 38, and Agnelli, 40, have lived across from each other in Verona, Italy, for years, but didn't "meet" until D'Alpaos saw Agnelli out on her balcony one evening in mid-March. "I was immediately struck by the beauty of this girl, by her smile," D'Alpaos told The Washington Post. "I had to know her."

Agnelli was standing outside with her sister, who played the violin nightly as a way to cheer up her neighbors amid the coronavirus pandemic. When D'Alpaos caught her eye, it was "a magical moment," she said. D'Alpaos' sister told him she knew Agnelli from their gym, and gave him her name. He immediately found her on Instagram, and struck up a conversation.

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They messaged each other for hours, before moving onto texting and then phone calls. Agnelli said they felt an immediate connection, and as they got to know each other, she learned they shared "the values you could build a relationship on." D'Alpaos sent Agnelli flowers and wrote "Paola" on an old bedsheet that he hung from his apartment complex, and they counted the days until the lockdown would be over and they could go on their first in-person date.

After 10 weeks, the lockdown in Verona was lifted, and they were able to meet in a local park. They have since become engaged, and look forward to moving into their own apartment and starting a family. Agnelli told the Post she believes this was meant to be, as her late grandfather was also named Michele: "Many times, I think that it was he who sent me Michele, with the same name, the same kindness, the same sympathy and intelligence."