Sami Brady dropped one of her biggest romantic bombshells when she revealed she was engaged to a man connected to the notorious Vitali family. Now Days of Our Lives is finally bringing that mysterious fiancé to Salem, with Heated Rivalry actor Franco LoPresti stepping into the role of Dante Vitali. There is just one complication: Sami won’t be there when he arrives.
Franco LoPresti Joins Days of Our Lives as Dante Vitali
Franco LoPresti has officially been cast as Dante Vitali, the man Sami Brady identified as her fiancé during her 2025 return to Salem. According to the casting announcement, LoPresti is scheduled to make his first DAYS appearance on September 14.
The Canadian actor comes to the Peacock soap after appearing as Cliff Marleau in Heated Rivalry. His other television credits include a 2025 episode of Tracker, along with projects for Hallmark and Lifetime.
For DAYS viewers, however, the more intriguing part of the casting is not where LoPresti has been. It is the complicated Salem family he is about to enter.
Dante’s Connection to the Vitali Family Immediately Raises the Temperature
Dante is a cousin of Ava Vitali, played by Tamara Braun, on her father’s side. That connection matters because the Vitali name already carries a long-established association with organized crime in the DAYS universe.
Sami previously insisted that Dante was separate from that side of his family. She explained that the criminal branch was based in Pennsylvania while Dante lived in Italy, and she maintained that her fiancé was not involved in their activities.
Whether Salem accepts that distinction as easily as Sami did could become one of the most interesting parts of Dante’s introduction.
EJ Already Made His Feelings About Sami’s Engagement Clear
Sami’s engagement did not exactly receive a warm reception when she disclosed it in 2025.
Lucas Horton first noticed the ring on her finger, but it was EJ DiMera who reacted most strongly after learning the identity of the groom. EJ openly objected to Sami marrying into the Vitali family and questioned whether the relationship would ever reach the altar.
That history gives Dante an unusual entrance into Salem. Before viewers have even met him, his relationship with Sami has already generated suspicion from one of her most significant former husbands.
And because Sami and EJ have decades of complicated emotional history behind them, Dante’s physical arrival could make a previously distant engagement suddenly feel very real.
The Biggest Twist: Sami Won’t Be There for Dante’s Debut
Perhaps the most curious detail surrounding Dante’s arrival is that Alison Sweeney will not appear alongside him when LoPresti debuts.
Sami is expected to return to Days of Our Lives next year, with Peacock having confirmed Sweeney’s upcoming return in July. That means Dante will initially enter Salem without the woman whose engagement introduced him to viewers in the first place.
That creates an immediate storytelling opportunity. Instead of meeting Dante entirely through Sami’s perspective, viewers and Salem residents may get their own first impression of him.
Is he exactly the man Sami described, safely removed from the darker Vitali legacy? Or will his interactions in Salem reveal a more complicated figure?
Dante’s Arrival Could Put Several Salem Relationships Under Pressure
The casting gives DAYS more than a new face. Dante connects three volatile pieces of Salem history: Sami’s turbulent romantic life, EJ’s lingering presence in her orbit, and the Vitali family.
There is no confirmed indication yet that Dante is hiding criminal ties or that his engagement is headed for disaster. The established facts are enough to create tension without assuming either outcome.
That distinction may also divide viewers. Some may want Sami to finally pursue a relationship outside the familiar cycle surrounding EJ and Lucas. Others may see Dante’s Vitali connection, combined with EJ’s immediate distrust, as a warning sign that Sami has walked into another complicated romance.
Salem Is Finally Meeting the Man Behind Sami’s Ring
For months, Dante Vitali existed mostly as a name attached to Sami Brady’s engagement. Franco LoPresti’s casting changes that.
Beginning September 14, Dante can finally become a character viewers judge for themselves rather than someone defined by Sami’s description or EJ’s objections.
And with Sami eventually returning to Salem, the most compelling question may not simply be whether she still intends to marry Dante. It is what happens once Dante, Sami and the people who know her best finally occupy the same story.
Are you ready to give Dante a chance, or do you think EJ had good reason to distrust Sami’s mysterious fiancé from the beginning?
