On October 20, 2024, a couple, smiling and holding hands, spent their honeymoon in front of the Rockefeller Center, posing for photos with a waist bag slung over their shoulders. The man, Roberto, with gentle features and black wavy hair, wore a Hard Rock Café T-shirt. By his side stood Laura, his wife, with an elegant posture, shoulder-length dark hair, circle earrings, and cool Ray-Ban sunglasses.
This sunny day in 1994 marked their first visit to the United States.
Thirty years later, the city had not changed much. It remained vibrant and beautiful, with a few exceptions: two skyscrapers on the skyline had been replaced by a single unified building. Times Square was adorned with more lights. Yet the old charm, towering concrete structures, and bustling excitement still lingered.
Roberto Trinchero, a grocer from Venice, emigrated to Australia in 1996, where he worked with his wife Laura in the same company. They had a son, Alessandro, 22 years ago. Laura’s Italian accent softened her English compared to her husband’s. They were introduced by mutual friends during a skiing trip. The rest, as they say, is history.
Their son, Alessandro, now a tall young man with wavy hair, strolled along a boardwalk near the Sydney Opera House in his childhood neighborhood. He watched his lovely parents make people smile wherever they went, turning strangers into friends. The Trinchero family had traveled to Italy multiple times. Alessandro was grateful for the artistic Italian culture and laid-back Australian lifestyle he inherited from his parents. He also had a passion for photography.
As his parents’ 30th wedding anniversary approached, Alessandro felt it was worth celebrating.
“This year is my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, and they’ve been discussing it,” Alessandro told The Epoch Times.
One Sunday morning, he had a sudden idea. “We were doing a house clean-up, sorting out things to donate and give away,” he said, “I started browsing through some photo albums we had.”
The old photos sparked an idea. If they traveled to New York City, his parents could recreate their honeymoon photos in the same locations. “Wouldn’t it be cool to revisit some of those scenes?” Alessandro thought, almost giving up as he felt it was a selfish idea since he had never been to New York and was longing to go.
Alessandro expected his parents to say it was a great idea and then brush it off as a dream. “To my surprise, they actually thought it was a good idea and made some preparations,” he said, “The end result turned out really well.”
Soon, they sought the hotel where his parents stayed in Times Square in 1994. It was the Novotel, now known as the M Social. They wanted a room with a view of billboards and lights, and found a similar room.
“Some things didn’t change at all, but some things were completely different; it was crazy,” Alessandro said. Samsung and Coca-Cola still used the same advertising spaces. “Back then, it was rotating ads every 10 seconds.”
To their astonishment, the Trinchero couple discovered that the same hotel concierge, Alvin, had been working there 30 years ago. They befriended him in the same friendly manner, making connections wherever they went.
The Trinchero family then toured New York City.
Alessandro couldn’t witness the grandeur of the Twin Towers like his parents did. They told him that those two identical buildings were a remarkable architectural feat and highly prestigious at the time.
Alessandro captured many photos of his parents in Manhattan. They visited many iconic sites: the Chrysler Building in Wall Street, Central Park with the backdrop of New York’s Art Deco silhouette, Manhattan after dark, and indulged in New York cuisine.
The neon sign at Radio City Music Hall remained unchanged. The ice rink outside Rockefeller Center was just the same.
They also explored places his parents hadn’t visited before: the West Village and East Village.
After the trip, Alessandro shared the photos online. He created content on Instagram and aspired to become a professional photographer and journalist after college.
The Trinchero family usually avoided drawing attention. However, the world quickly noticed their recreated honeymoon, inspiring millions with their enduring marriage.
A few simple snapshots achieved a greater impact than expected. Alessandro said his parents were delighted, but amazed at the interest these photos sparked.
“Their reaction was very strong,” Alessandro said, “Different American TV stations and many TV shows reached out to us; it’s crazy.”
Now, many are curious about the secret to his parents’ happy marriage. After witnessing a lifetime of mutual support between his parents, Alessandro shared a few things:
Firstly, patience.
Secondly, little things matter, like bringing flowers home to Mom.
Thirdly, communication—even if it means over-communicating.
“You wouldn’t think it’s a healthy thing, but they often over-communicate, sharing their feelings and thoughts with each other,” Alessandro said, “I think that’s something people lack nowadays.”