The Lady with an Ermine, Ginevra de’ Benci, Isabella d’Este: these are the female portrait painted by Leonardo Da Vinci that look after the rooms in Bed and Breakfast Repubblica in Florence, the perfect place for a romantic weekend’s art in one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Everything, in this hotel, is connected with the spirit of Florence, from the furniture, in a renewed Renaissance style, to the views from the windows, overlooking on beautiful foreshortenings of the ancient city.

Even if all the rooms are nice and have their own bathroom and tv, there’s a very special one: the Beatrice d’Este’s room have a king size double bed and an internal staircase that takes you up to a mezzanine with a comfortable double sofa.
The view on the tower of Confraternita dei Lanai is really romantic for art lovers…

The bed and breakfast is also two steps away from Uffizi Museum and the Dome, and in the very centre of Florence: Piazza della Repubblica, close to the main fashion shops of the city, is a place from where you can reach everything.

Welcome to the city of art!

Italian version.

Romantic Festival of Valentine’s Day is celebrated with enthusiasm in the beautiful country of Italy. Lovers take opportunity of the day to express love and affection for their beloved. Loads of Valentine’s Day gifts are exchanged and everyone enjoys the day to the hilt.

History of Valentine’s Day in Italy

Valentine’s Day was initially celebrated as a Spring Festival in Italy. Celebration for the day was held in the open air. Young people would gather in tree arbors or ornamental gardens and enjoy listening to music and reading of poetry. Later they would stroll off with their Valentine into the gardens. The custom steadily ceased over the course of years and has not been celebrated for centuries.

Early Valentine’s Day Tradition in Italy

In the Italian City of Turin, betrothed couple used to announce their engagement on the Valentine’s Day. Several days ahead of February 14, stores were decorated and loaded with a huge variety of bon-bon. Some even sold china baskets and cups filled with delectable Valentine’s Day candies and tied with a ribbon. These were to be presented as gifts to Valentine.

Another interesting Valentine’s Day tradition followed in Italy and Britain made unmarried girls to wake up before sunrise. People strongly believed that the first man an unmarried girl sees on Valentine’s Day, or someone who looks like him would marry her within a year. Girls therefore used to wake up early on Valentine’s Day and stand by their window to watch a man pass.

Valentine’s Day Celebration in Italy

People of Italy see Valentine’s Day as a holiday imported from US, just like Halloween and Mother’s Day. For the love and lovers country of Italy, the major day for celebration of love is il giorno della festa degli innamorati. As lovers’ exclusively celebrate this day family members and friends do not exchange gifts.

In recent times however, lovers in Italy celebrate Valentine’s Day by expressing their love to sweethearts. Couples usually go out for dinners at pizzeria or ristorante. Just as in several other countries, the festival has been commercialized to a great extent. There is a strong tradition to exchange gifts like rose, perfume, chocolates and diamonds depending on the age and taste of person. Another popular Valentine’s Day gift in Italy is Baci Perugina - a small, chocolate-covered hazelnuts containing a small slip of paper with a romantic poetic quote in four languages.

Text taken from www.stvalentinesday.org

Roma Termini (in Italian, Stazione Termini or Stazione di Roma Termini) is the main train station of Rome. It is named after the ancient Baths of Diocletian (in Latin, thermae), which lie across the street from the main entrance.

The station has regular train services to all major Italian cities as well as daily international services to Paris, Munich, Genève and Basel. With its 29 platforms and over 150 million passengers each year, Roma Termini is one of the largest train stations in Europe.

Termini is also the main hub for public transport inside Rome. Both current Rome Metro lines (A and B) intersect at Termini metro station, and a major bus station is located at Piazza Cinquecento, the square in front of the station. However, the main tram lines of the city cross at Porta Maggiore, some 500 metres east of the station.

On 23 December 2006, the station was dedicated to Pope John Paul II, more or less like Rome’s main airport at Fiumicino is dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci.

The Termini station is, obviously, very central and well linked to every part of the city.
If you want to visit Rome and want to accommodate near the station, try out Hotel Mari. It comprises two hotels (Hotel Mari 1 and Hotel Mari 2), and you can ask for a bedroom with private jacuzzi…

Italian version.

Texts taken from Wikipedia.

For Valentine’s day make more than a friendly gesture, make a gesture of goodwill for all that children that have no money, even for food or vaccines.
The most beautiful gift of love is giving to charity, that’s why I recommend you the charitable institution Save the children.

On their website you can donate even just a few € and buy, for example, Plumpy’nut or a Yak (yes, a real one!) behalf of your partner: it is an original Valentine’s gift!

The association will send to your partner a special Valentine’s day postcard, thanking for the donation.

All the children will thank you too…

For those who want to live Rome in a different way…

Here for you an accommodation suitable for long period holidays or for business travels: comfort, nature, luxury and much elbowroom.

The Petra Hotel has a strategical location, nearby the Great Ring-Junction, and for this reason is fit for the tourists, that can relax in the swimming pool after a tiring day spent visiting Rome; as well as it’s suitable for the managers, who can also hold business assemblies in the rooms of the hotel.

If you like breathtaking panoramas, you’ll love the roof garden and its view of Roman Castles.

Italian version.

Today the eighth advice for your Valentine’s day, from the decalogue I found on on Askmen.

Myth #8

Don’t expect a gift in return

Why this is false: While Valentine’s Day is usually marketed as “her” holiday, there’s no rule stating she can’t surprise you with a little something.
So, chances are very good that you’ll get your box of candy.

What to do instead: If the whole guessing game about whether you’re getting a gift or not is bugging you, approach the subject of a “no gift” idea with her and make plans together for a romantic weekend getaway or a perfect night out instead.

to be continued…