Indonesian media has been abuzz with the unlikely love story of Ilaria, a young waitress from Italy, and Dzufilkar, a young man from a small village in Central Java. The two reportedly met on Facebook two years ago, and Ilaria has been saving money ever since to be able to meet and marry her soulmate. Her dream recently became a reality.

Internet romances are not exactly uncommon in this day and age, but they rarely involve leaving your old comfortable life behind to fly halfway across the world to a small Indonesian village just to be with the person you love, especially since you’ve never actually met them in person before. But that’s exactly what Ilaria did, after saving up her waitress salary for a couple of years.

Photo: Batang Police Public Relations

Ilaria and Dzulfikar met on Facebook two years ago, and instantly hit it off. They started exchanging messages and photos of each other, and before long they fell in love. Unfortunately, one of them lived in Italy and the other in Indonesia, and they both lacked the financial resources to travel such a long distance. But love always finds a way, and the two decided that they weren’t going to let a little thing like money stand in the way of their happiness. Ilaria started saving up most of the money she made working in a restaurant, dreaming of the day she could finally buy a plane ticket to meet her beloved.

It took two years for her fantasy to become a reality, but on April 18, 2017, she finally arrived in the island nation of Indonesia, and headed straight for the small village of Tragung, on the north coast of Central Java, where Dzulfikar was waiting for her.

Photo: Batang Police Public Relations

Traguang doesn’t really see a lot of Italian visitors, so when Ilaria arrived carrying a suitcase and asking about a young man, people noticed. The two lovebirds’ heartwarming story may have remained a secret to the world, if not for an overzealous local man who, upon seeing this foreign woman, notified the regional police office about her presence. They must have thought it odd as well that an Italian woman was staying in the village, because they came to investigate.

Photos taken during the police visit to Dzulfikarhome show Ilaria sitting on the floor next to a police officer and her boyfriend’s relatives, and him answering questions about their long-distance relationship.

Photo: Ilaria Dzulfikar/Facebook

“We questioned her to determine her purpose in coming to Indonesia,” deputy chief First Inspector Agus Windarto told Indonesian media, adding that the two claim they met via social media and want to get married as soon as possible.

“For two years, I saved money I got from working in a restaurant in Italy just to come to Indonesia,” Ilaria told the police. She says that her parents know about her relationship with Dzulfikar and they have given her their blessing for the wedding.

Photo: Ilaria Dzulfikar/Facebook

But before they can get married, Ilaria must first prove to the local authorities that she is not tied up in another marriage using documents from the Italian consulate in Indonesia. It will take a while, but at least they are together now, and after two years of waiting, a few weeks time doesn’t seem very long.

The modern day romance of Ilaria and Dzulfikar has been doing the rounds on Indonesian social media, with most people expressing their admiration for the two. They even have their unofficial Facebook fan page.

Sources: Tribunn News, Jawa Pos, La Repubblica