- An Italian couple fell in love from across their balconies during the coronavirus lockdown and they're now engaged to be married.
- Lawyer Paola Agnelli, 40, and IT worker Michele D'Alpaos, 38, couldn't meet but spoke for months in their hometown of Verona.
- Thanks to their location and balcony love story, they've been dubbed a "modern day Romeo and Juliet."
- Agnelli told Insider they're considering getting married at the famous Juliet's house.
- "I think that my grandfather, who was called Michele, gave me meeting Michele as a gift from heaven," she said.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
An Italian couple who fell in love across their balconies in Verona during lockdown have gotten engaged to be married.
Widely dubbed the "modern Romeo and Juliet" of coronavirus times, lawyer Paola Agnelli, 40, and IT worker Michele D'Alpaos, 38, first clocked eyes on one another in March.
At the time, the whole of Italy was under a strict lockdown, with people unable to leave their homes other than when strictly necessary.
In the very city where Shakespeare's tragic love story is set, Agnelli and D'Alpaos had gone out on to their balconies (he on the 7th floor, she on the 6th) to listen to the music being played by their neighbors at 6 p.m. every evening.
The attraction was instant and mutual, despite the 40-meter distance between their two balconies.
"Michele immediately asked me if he could follow me on Instagram, and from there we started talking until late at night every day," Agnelli told Insider.
About a week after they started talking, the couple moved to WhatsApp because it was faster.
They didn't meet in person until May 4, when Italy's restrictions eased.
"It was exciting, we were both excited!" said Agnelli.
"We went to the gardens near the house and we kissed and hugged for the first time. We will always remember that magical moment. It was the beginning of a daily life together."
As media coverage of the duo's love story grew, there was a lot of pressure and interest.
But the couple never wavered in their feelings for one another.
In fact, Agnelli said her now fiancé told her he wanted to marry her immediately because "he had found the love of his life, and I had found mine."
"He told me he wants to marry me, that he will always want me in his life," she added.
The couple are trying to find the right time to tie the knot.
"Marriage is an important thing and you must never rush it," said Agnelli.
The real life Romeo and Juliet are even considering getting married or having the reception at Juliet's house in Verona.
"We still have to decide but we have time," Agnelli added. The one thing she knows for sure is that she's found her Romeo.
"I felt butterflies in my stomach for the first time," she said of meeting D'Alpaos.
"He is very similar to my grandfather, he has the same goodness of mind, the same values, principles, he is close to family, nice, intelligent.
"I think that my grandfather, who was called Michele, gave me meeting Michele as a gift from heaven."
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