Since the days of Chaucer and the Elizabethans
there were verses, trinkets and love tokens exchanged on this day.
Hand painted with birds, flowers
and hearts, the products of an elegant society and education, these valentines were made in limited
numbers.
A vintage Valentine would be lst choice for women who love antiques .
2nd choice -For the adventurous traveling woman, a visit to Terni, (100 kms. from Rome) where St. Valentine was bishop and died a martyr
in 273. Hundreds of couples visit the tomb of the patron saint of lovers at the
Basilica just outside town on this day.
Stop to see the romantic Marmore waterfalls nearby, created by the
Romans in the 2nd century B.C.
On the way to Terni, stop for a romantic weekend at the Castello di Proceno perched on a hilltop near the border between Lazio and Tuscany.
On the way to Terni, stop for a romantic weekend at the Castello di Proceno perched on a hilltop near the border between Lazio and Tuscany.
3rd choice - If you are in Rome, make a visit to view the sensuous sculptures of Canova and Bernini at the Borghese Gallery.
Drop in the gallery's restaurant afterwards for tea and, to remember the day, purchase a souvenir from the well stocked bookshop.
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| Approach to Galleria Borghese, Rome, once home to Paolina Bonaparte-Borghese |
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| Bernini's sensuous Apollo and Daphne |
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| Have the room to yourselves, at lunchtime in February |
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| Roman statue from the Louvre |
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| Paolina Bonaparte-Borghese as Venus, Canova's masterpiece |
Erotic Etruscan
chocolate can be found hidden behind a discreet red curtain in a central pastry shop in Viterbo.
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| Book of Dante's love sonnets, 1921 |
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| Illustrated by Dante Gabriele Rossetti |
Most women would be perfectly happy with one of these surprises, two or three would be preferable. Let us know your ideas for special places to spend Valentine's Day where you live.
