Celebrate Valentine's Day Italian Style

Although St. Valentine was originally from Rome and Italy has a history of famous lovers such as Romeo and Juliette, there is not much celebration of Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day was once celebrated as a spring festival and young people would gather in gardens to listen to music and poetry before strolling off with a "valentine" partner. In some places in Italy it is a custom to become engaged on Valentine's Day. You may also find shops selling special candy for Valentine's Day.

You can celebrate with a special Italian meal for Valentine's Day. Kyle Phillips has suggestions for the Top 10 Italian Dishes for Valentine's Day on About's Italian Cuisine site. If you want to learn some Italian words to help you celebrate la festa di San Valentino, Michael San Filippo shares some Italian Valentine Vocabulary on About's Italian Language site. Auguri per San Valentino!

Italy does have many other exciting festivals and celebrations. Take a look at some of these Italian Festivals and Events.