expecting

Vanessa Gordon, from New York, was not expecting to find love when she took a post-divorce trip to Tuscany – the home of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Donatello and Giotto

Vanessa Gordon was just 18 when she got married, and 37 when she got divorced.

After 13 years of marriage, the mum was understandably unsure about her next move. Fortunately, her friends were not.

“My friends had a WhatsApp group entitled Vanessa 2.0, where they would encourage me to get out there and enjoy myself. That was the kind of headspace I was in when I went out to Tuscany, a little bit delicate and fragile and in need of some encouragement to start the next phase of my life,” she told the Mirror.

The event planner and producer, from the Hamptons in New York, travelled to the Italian region, which as the home of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Donatello and Giotto is synonymous with beauty.

It was there that she had a chance encounter with a stranger who would change her life.

READ MORE: Event dubbed ‘best new thing to do in the world’ moves to nunnery

Vanessa was staying in a hotel when a man in his early 20s walked past her, smiled, winked and disappeared. “He was absolutely gorgeous. My hair was in a messy bun, and I was in a bathrobe, but I knew there was something between us,” she explained.

She relayed the encounter to her friends, who joked that Italian men were just like that and suggested she should not dwell on it. Maybe it was the romantic setting, or maybe there was something about this mysterious man. Vanessa was convinced there was something there. “I had a gut feeling about him. It took me back to being sweet 16,” she said.

Later that same day, Vanessa was having dinner in the hotel with her friends when she spotted the same young man. After her friends’ insistence, she approached him. She asked him about the drinks menu, and he asked her her name.

“Vanessa. Beautiful,” he said, before winking and walking away.

The response bowled the American over. “I’ll never forget it,” she said. Later that evening, after hours of dining and chatting, the mysterious staff member reappeared and asked if he could place a blanket over her shoulders to keep out the chill of the night. She said yes.

Although their interactions had been fleeting and communication across languages difficult, by the end of dinner Vanessa was sad to discover that he had finished work. She had meant to give him her number but did not get the chance before he slipped away.

Luckily, his name was printed on the meal’s bill. Vanessa found him on social media, added him and hoped. Within moments, he accepted and messaged her, asking when she was leaving. “Tomorrow,” Vanessa replied, regretfully informing the Italian waiter that she would be heading to Florence in the morning.

“He said he would come to Florence to see me, and I thought, ‘yeah right’, but that’s what he did.”

The waiter did not just make the two-and-a-half-hour train ride to Florence. He spent two days by Vanessa’s side, walking around the city, chatting constantly and taking it all in.

“What I found so fascinating was that my nerves instantly melted away when we met and started talking. I felt totally at ease with him, and I still can’t believe looking back that he was only the second man I had ever been with, even into my mid-30s. I think that’s very special and very rare,” she explained.

“I was very impressed by how mature he is and how hard he tried to speak English, while I spoke the best Italian I could. We used a translator every now and then. I didn’t mind that he smoked, which surprised me. He was very confident, but not in an arrogant way.

“We didn’t do too many touristy things. We went to dinner at a local sushi spot, visited Piazzale Michelangelo and spent a lot of time walking and talking. We ended the last evening watching one of his favourite films in Italian with English subtitles.

“I trusted him as well. We were completely alone together and I felt fine.”

At the end of the two days, Vanessa told the former stranger she had to return to New York, while he needed to go back to work. They kissed and went their separate ways.

“I can’t believe it happened. It was so special at that time in my life. My friends went from cheering me on to living vicariously through me. They said I lived a moment most people could only dream of. It set me up for everything else I’ve done since then. It was perfect,” she said.

It is not clear what lies ahead for Vanessa and the Italian waiter, who did meet again when she returned to Europe. Regardless, she looks back on the chance encounter with love and as the beginning of a new chapter.

“He helped me get my belief back in myself and build my confidence. It made me realise everyone is in this together, everyone gets nervous or uncertain. We’re all just people. My confidence has reignited now. I’m a totally new woman, and he was the start of that,” she said.

“And no matter what happens in the future, he will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Do you have a story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Marc Anthony and Nadia Ferreira have plans to grow their family, announcing on Wednesday that a little one is on the way.

The couple revealed in a joint Instagram post that their son “Marquito is going to be a big brother.” They posted a photo of their hands, along with their son’s hand, cradling Ferreira‘s baby bump. The pair also wrote in their caption in Spanish that their anniversary is a gift and God is great.

Grammy-winning “Vivir mi Vida” singer Anthony, 57, married model and former Miss Universe Paraguay and 2021 Miss Universe runner-up Ferreira, 26,in January 2023 in a star-studded ceremony in Miami. David Beckham served as best man and Salma Hayek, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Luis Fonsi were on the guest list.

The child will be Anthony’s eighth. The musician (real name Marco Antonio Muñiz) shares two adult children with ex-girlfriend Debbie Rosado, and two grown children from his marriage to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres. He also shares twin teenagers with ex-wife Jennifer Lopez.

As Ferreira revealed news of her pregnancy, Anthony teased an upcoming collaboration with singer Nathy Peluso. The pair of Grammy winners posted a clip of themselves singing and dancing in a studio and urged followers to pre-save their latest song “Como En El Idilio.”

Anthony teased additional music on Tuesday. He posted a black-and-white video of himself and musicians performing in a studio. The clip ended simply with white text reading: “Feb 06.”

What seems to be Anthony’s newest music foray will drop a week before he launches his residency at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. His Vegas My Way circuit of 10 live performances begins Feb. 13. Additional dates and information can be found on the residency’s website.

As a first-time visitor to Las Vegas, there were expectations to the vibrant desert city with its towering mega resorts, yet there was something that completely took me by surprise

Las Vegas is a city like no other, with its iconic Strip boasting mega resorts, buzzing casinos, and incredible entertainment venues, offering 24/7 nightlife every day of the week. It never darkens, with its glimmering signs lighting up the roads, yet there was one element of ‘Sin City’ that surprised me, and it was far from what I was expecting.

I was lucky enough to visit Las Vegas for the first time this month – the ideal time to beat the January blues! I was staying for four nights and around five days, excited to experience and immerse myself in the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’.

My first sight of the shimmering city came when I landed on Wednesday evening, capturing a glimpse of the towering buildings lining the Las Vegas Strip and the neighbourhoods scattered beyond in the desert. At first, I was bewildered by the close proximity of the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) – we were landing adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip, and on my right, I had a spectacular view of The Sphere!

READ MORE: Weather turns on Champagne-sipping passengers as Antarctic cruise ship gets stuckREAD MORE: The ‘world’s best city’ takes just three hours to get to with £35 UK flights

In other locations, airports are typically situated farther from the main city, so the location of the LAS airport caught me a little off guard. I found myself in the heart of it all from the moment we touched down. But that was just the start.

As I travelled to my hotel and later walked along the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, I was surprised by how much smaller it felt than I had expected. Having never travelled to the Nevada city before, I thought it would feel like a gigantic city, where you get lost finding the nearest supermarket or need public transport to explore different areas.

Yet, what I found was that the span of the Strip, despite its enormous towering resorts and gigantic landmarks, was more compact than I had imagined. There was so much to see and explore, but with its Strip measuring approximately 4.2 miles, you could easily walk its length, something I really didn’t think about until I saw it for myself.

Although it would take around two hours to walk the extent of it, it felt like nothing compared to the streets of New York or London. The population of Las Vegas was 641,903 at the 2020 census, but is thought to have increased since then.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas metropolitan area has an estimated 2.4 million residents across an estimated 7,891 square miles. This is in contrast to New York, which has an estimated population of 8,478,072, as of July 2024, spanning across a whopping 300.46 square miles.

While I think the Strip was more compact than I had expected, the city stretches far beyond the glitz with neighbourhoods scattered across the desert right to the edge of the mountain backdrop. Plus, there is undoubtedly a lengthy list of attractions to explore in Las Vegas and plenty to do, whether you’re looking to soak in history at the Mob Museum, ride the High Roller at The LINQ, take a Maverick Helicopter ride by night or listen to free music in its popular Fremont Street.

Elsewhere during my trip, I was impressed that I could walk freely through hotels and resorts, despite not being a resident there. Inside, I discovered vibrant, bustling casinos, restaurants, bars, and attractions that felt like I was on board a cruise ship.

Plus, many of the resorts are linked together, so you rarely need to leave as you wander through them, admiring their distinct features, atmospheres, and themes. This made it even easier to travel through the Strip, something that also took me by surprise.

For more information, you can check out the Visit Las Vegas website or book direct flights with Virgin Atlantic.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com