A man named Dario Grande stumbled upon a real-life message in a bottle as he was strolling along his favorite beach in Italy, and it led him to a new friend over 2,000 miles away.
Dario was walking along the shoreline in Bacoli when he spotted a clear glass bottle sticking out of the sand. Just like in the movies, the bottle was capped with a cork and had a rolled-up note inside. The curious beachgoer opened the unlikely mailbox and found a message from an 11-year-old boy named Tillman.
“I’m sending this message in a bottle on a trip. And I’m very curious to see who will find it,” read the note.
Tillman, originally from Germany, went on to share his hobbies and dreams and some insight into the culture of his community in Spain’s Balearic Islands. It took about four months for it to drift through the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy.
The Message in a Bottle Led to a True Friendship
Upon finding the message in a bottle, Dario penned a response to Tillman and posted it on Instagram. He ended it with a promise to return a new note to the sea.
“Tomorrow morning, in the same way, I will send a message using your bottle, hoping that it will arrive to a dreamer like us,” he wrote. “I hope to meet you one day in Mallorca. I will definitely come looking for you.”
Darion made good on his word and enlisted the help of both Italian and Spanish journalists to locate the author—and they were able to find him. Dario was able to connect with Tillman’s family, and he and the boy have begun an old-fashioned penpal friendship.
As The People’s Network reported, Dario, who has been traveling the world and documenting his journey on Instagram, will also be meeting in person soon.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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