"Babe, I Think I’m Going to Cry"
What started as a once-in-a-lifetime anniversary trip to Italy became something much more. One afternoon in Venice, my wife looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “Babe, I think I’m going to cry.” It’s a moment I’ll never forget—and one that helped turn our love for Italy into something that would change our lives.
Adam Rachiele
8/15/20262 min read
Babe, I Think I’m Going to Cry
I had been to Italy before.
My wife hadn't.
So when we decided to spend our anniversary there, I couldn't wait to show her the country I already loved.
We treated it like a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Naples, Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Venice, Parma—we tried to squeeze everything we could into one vacation because we honestly thought we might never do it again.
Then we arrived in Venice, our last stop.
We came by train from Florence, stepped outside the station and suddenly there was the Grand Canal.
I remember the smell of fuel from the vaporettos pulling up. The old buildings across the water looked almost like paintings, until you noticed the worn edges and erosion along the waterline that reminded you this beautiful place was real.
Later, walking through Venice, looking for something to eat.
My wife stopped.
Her eyes started filling with tears.
She looked at me and waved her hand in front of her face, trying to keep herself from crying.
“Babe, I think I'm going to cry.”
Then she looked around.
“It's so beautiful.”
And that's the part of Venice I'll never forget.
Not the Rialto Bridge.
Not the canals.
Not even the food.
Her face.
I had been so excited to show her a place that meant something to me.
Instead, I got to watch it become something that meant something to us.
Years later, when I look at the pictures from that trip, I still feel some of the excitement I felt that day.
And our “once-in-a-lifetime” trip?
Almost as soon as we got home, we started planning how to go back.
We fell in love with Italy so completely that eventually I built Dream Trip Co. around helping other people experience it.
But no matter how many times we return, I'll always remember that first Venice afternoon.
My wife trying not to cry.
Me watching her.
And realizing that sometimes the best part of seeing somewhere beautiful...
is seeing it through the eyes of someone you love.
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