And spending a St. Valentine’s week-end in our country
Valentine’s Day is celebrated also in Italy, but we have no particular traditions for this day. Partners give each others a present. The most common gift is a box of chocolate and the most famous Italian chocolates for Valentine’s Day are ‘Baci Perugina‘ (baci means kisses). The distinctive trait of these chocolates is that the wrap containes quotes about love said by famous people. Apart from how the couples celebrate this day, in Italy there are some ideal places for lovers on Valentine’s Day. I am talking about:
- Verona, the world-famous Italian city mentioned by Shakespeare in ‘Romeo and Juliet’;
- Venice, some kilometers far away from Verona;
- Terni, in Umbria region, where lived Valentine, a Christian bishop.
Verona in love
“Oh, Romeo, Romeo, why do you have to be Romeo?” Juliet says standing on the balcony of her house and that’s why this balcony became the symbol of Verona. We know Shakespeare talked about Verona in its ‘Romeo and Juliet’ tragedy, but the information we have about that period are still not reliable. It seems that the English writer never was there in his own life and the main charachters didn’t exist at all. Nevertheless in Verona it is located Juliet’s home or the House of Dal Cappello family. A place not to be missed!
Since 2004 Verona has been organizing ‘Verona in love‘. It is about several events related to Valentine’s Day. On 2014 the programme starts on 13th February and goes on until 16th February. You can write a love message or be Juliet for a day, you can have dinner in one of the restaurants offering a special menu for lovers or taste typical food and visit Juliet’s places for 1 euro. Maybe you will fall in love with Verona!
Venice, the romantic city
The most romantic place in Italy? Venice, absolutely!
Venice offers fabulous scenaries to the lovers from all over the world. You can stroll along the calle (the name of the Venice alleys) holding the hands each other, watch the sunset embracing your partner or sail on Gondola along the Venetian canals. In the evening it would be so romantic discover a little cosy restaurant where to eat by the candle light. Remember that this year the Valentine’s Day marks the beginning of the world-famous Carnival. Fantastic, isn’t it?
A Christian bishop named Valentine
Well, yes, Valentine lived in Italy and his remains are preserved in a Basilica situated in Terni. The bishop is considered the ‘protector of lovers’ and the 14th February is dedicated to him. During Valentine’s weekend the 2nd most important city of Umbria region offers to lovers some interesting events, such as Cioccolentino (a mix of chocolate and Valentine).
I am not going to talk about Terni, because Marina is going to prepare an article on that. So stay tuned and continue to follow us!
there is a little mistake: veronainlove started in 2004….