Locations of Love

Verona: The City of Love 

Dubbed the City of Love, Verona is the fictional setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. You can visit Casa di Giulietta, a courtyard that houses a bronze statue of the character Juliet and leave love messages to her at any time of the year.  

Over one thousand letters are written to Juliet each year. On Valentine’s Day the letters are read out and the most touching one is awarded the Cara Giulietta (Dear Juliet) prize by the city.  

This takes place as part of the four-day Un Cuore da Scoprire (Verona in Love) festival, in which Verona is lit up with heart-shaped lanterns. You can enjoy free concerts in Piazza dei Signori, special markets, and love treasure hunts, plus all the restaurants offer special romantic meals. You’re also invited to join in the official minute long kiss! 

Perugia: Giving Kisses

In the lead up to Valentine’s Day, Italians gift baci (kiss) chocolates. This contemporary tradition was started in the 1930s by the Italian chocolate maker Perugina, founded in Umbria. This dark chocolate is traditionally filled with a hazelnut praline or a sweet cherry liquor but also contains a love note inside the foil wrapper!  

We recommend as part of your holiday in Umbria that you head to Città della Pieve for other kinds of kisses - any time of the year! Baciadonne Alley is considered to be one of Italy’s narrowest lanes at just 50 to 70 centimetres wide. It’s believed it was created when two neighbours had a dispute and so separated their homes, creating this tiny alleyway, which means that two people passing each other are so squeezed together that they almost kiss. This is the perfect place to take anyone who has your heart!  

Puglia: The Village of Love

Lose yourself in Puglia’s own Village of Love, Vico del Gargano, which has San Valentino as its patron saint. On the 14th of February, this little hill town not far from the Apulian coast, is decorated with thousands of oranges and flowers from the orange tree, which is said to bring luck to brides. The local people gather for a slow procession through the streets with a statue of the saint, before drinking the juice of the now blessed oranges, which is said to bring happiness to all. With stalls lining the pavements you can buy and tuck into local artisanal delicacies along the way. 

Venice: Adoring Legends

Venice is Italy’s year-round, utterly amorous destination, as starry-eyed sweethearts glide through the canals on a gondola. If you wish, you can be serenaded with love songs and poetry by a gondolier. 

Alternatively, you can stroll the streets to arrive at the Bridge of Sighs for sunset and follow the centuries-old tradition of kissing while a gondola glides beneath. Legend has it that if you’re kissing as the bells chime out from St. Mark's Campanile then your future will be blessed with eternal love.  

In Piazza San Marco and other historic squares, you can join other couples slow dancing to live classical music.  

Did you know that during Valentine’s Day there’s often a whole day of special romantic events as part of the Venice Carnevale? In the past there has been a special Love Market in Piazzale Santa Maria Elisabetta, as well as a romantic masked party!  

Liguria: A Festival for Lovers

In the pretty fishing village of Camogli, just a 30 minute drive from Genoa Airport, you’ll find a whole week of special celebrations in February that’s dedicated to lovers, known as Innamorati a Camogli.  

During this time, you can visit a special Valentine’s street market teeming with local crafts, enter amorous poetry and art competitions, or crawl the bars battling over the prize for best romantic cocktail! For a particularly sweet treat, try camogliesi, a puff pastry filled with chocolate and rum.  

Join other lovers down by the harbour wall where you can write your names on a heart-shaped card and tie them to fishing nets - if it withstands the elements by the end of the week then the local opinion is that your relationship will last forever.  

Ravello: Creative Escape  

For a romantic escape just for two no matter the time of year, look no further than the historic town of Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. One of Citalia’s favourite romantic destinations, the grand villas and manicured gardens here seem to be sprinkled in love dust.  

Spend time gazing out over the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea as you follow the many hiking trails, or follow in the footsteps of Humprey Bogart, Greta Garbo, and Tennessee Williams as you roam the charming lanes and alleyways. DH Lawrence even spent time here in the 1920s writing Lady Chatterley’s Lover.  

Experience al fresco dinners by candlelight on scenic terraces before a delicious nightcap of locally produced limoncello.  

Cinque Terre: Find the Way of Love

Among the colourful centuries old fishing villages of the rugged Italian Riviera is a special mountain trail known as the Via Dell’Amore.  

This way of love is believed to be inspired by the young lovers from the nearby towns of Manarola and Riomaggiore who took this route to meet up. It’s the ideal path to stroll with your loved ones, especially in the spring.