Lots of love: Ski star marries his Italian girlfriend

The next wedding in the ski circus: After a romantic marriage proposal, a Canadian star has married his Italian girlfriend.

July 05, 2026

From: det

He's from Canada, she's from Italy – the likelihood of their paths ever crossing was practically nonexistent. That they would fall in love, get engaged, and marry seemed almost impossible. And yet, that's exactly what has happened. Canadian ski star Erik Read (35) married his Italian girlfriend Giulia Paventa (28) this past weekend.

A year ago, Read got down on one knee in front of his Giulia at Big Whitefish Lake in Ontario, Canada, and proposed. "Ti amo in tutte le lingue del mondo" ("I love you in all the languages of the world," ed. note), the Canadian wrote in his Instagram post. A year later, the wedding took place, on the bride's continent. The grand ceremony was held at a picturesque estate in the Piedmont region of northern Italy.

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A post shared by Giulia Paventa Read (@giuliapaventa)

Incidentally, a genuine ski couple exchanged vows here. Read, with his 204 World Cup races, is one of the veterans in the top ski racing series, while Giulia Paventa competed 31 times in the Europa Cup, the second-highest league. She has been retired for several years and works as a ski instructor.

Ski star Erik Read. © AFP / DIMITAR DILKOFF

Read, on the other hand, is still active, even though he has struggled recently. The veteran is no longer part of Canada's national team and has to fight his way through the World Cup on his own. Last season, the technical specialist managed to score points twice in the World Cup. At least in his personal life, Read is now on cloud nine.

Keywords Winter sports Alpine skiing Erik Read