Ava in Italia

It was the day of the Vivaldi concert when we would finally hear the Four Seasons performed live in a historic Venetian church. However, it was also the day I had to follow through on a bet. A bet that I begrudgingly took on the previous night playing What are the Odds? with Ryan. 

“What are the odds that you go up to the Italian Stallion and ask for his number tomorrow night?”, he had asked. 

Little did I know that I would go on to lose a bet I was positive I would win. 

You might be wondering: Who is this Italian Stallion and why on earth am I getting his number? The Stallion is Francesco Zanchetta, an Italian violinist born and raised in Venice. Dr Horner had hyped him up before we had even left for Italy, estimating that the guy was 24 or 25 years old. Francesco was the youngest and most attractive of his fellow musicians with his poofy brown hair and dark eyes. Naturally, when Dr. Horner had described this Stallion and offered to introduce us ladies to him after the show; he was the best pick for the bet. 

I secretly hoped that everyone would forget about the dare so I could sit back and enjoy the music in peace. But to my dismay the entirety of the TMUI cohort had the memory of elephants and the enthusiasm of reality TV producers. At dinner they grilled me with questions like I was about to go undercover: How are you going to do it? What’s your line? What if he says no? 

I confidently announced I had Plans A, B, and C. 

Plan A: Walk up, make charming small talk, and smoothly ask for his number.

Plan B: Confess I lost a bet and needed to return to my group victorious with his phone number.

Plan C (Hail Mary): Ask him to type in any ten random numbers to save my dignity. 

With my battle strategy set, it was time to face the music–literally. 

The concert started beautifully and was beginning to calm my nerves when a woman in her fifties fainted. The music screeched to a halt. Chaos ensued as she was set back on her feet… only to pass out seconds later. You could have heard a pin drop in that massive church. The crowd held their breath in the hopes that a doctor or someone with first aid training would step forward.

Eventually, she was carried out of the church and an announcement was made that she was fine and had simply overheated. The musicians began to settle on the stage once more and finished the rest of the concert without any more hiccups. The crisis had been averted but my personal crisis was just beginning.

Now it was time. I position myself outside the church in the pouring rain scanning for my target. Finally he emerged. I bolted up to him like a woman on a mission (I was).

“Hi there! Could I get a picture with you?” I blurted out, thrusting out my hand with the grace of a caffeinated squirrel. 

He looked a bit frazzled by my abruptness but he politely agreed. After the picture, I took a deep breath and began to execute Plan A. 

“Normally I don’t do this… but could I have your number?”

I held my breath awaiting his answer and bracing for rejection. Instead, he casually replied with, “Yes.”

Victory! I quickly pulled out my phone and began to nervously yap as he typed. Then I asked how long he had been playing the violin. 

“My whole life,” he said, “but I don’t want to tell you how long that is…” 

Naturally I pressed him and he finally admitted, “I am thirty.” 

THIRTY.

I was not expecting this. To cover my shock, I blurted out, “Well, I am twenty, but hey age is just a number!”

The words left my mouth before I had time to think about what I was saying. I quickly decided it was time to wrap up the conversation and retreated to my group. 

As I walked away, he called after me: “Bye Ava! Write to me!” 

My group was equally shocked and impressed that I had actually pulled it off. They asked the details of our conversation and were amused that we chatted for so long. While I was proud of my success, I made the executive decision that I would not be playing What Are the Odds? For the rest of the trip. 

From this I have learned that sometimes the most memorable parts of travel are when you step outside your comfort zone and embrace the awkwardness. It may seem humiliating in the moment, but who knows you may even end up with an Italian violinist’s phone number!