40thi Birthday AND 10th Anniversary

Perhaps you should try to see Rick's latest PBS show
"Athens and Side Trips" and "Greece's Peloponnese". These places look fantastic, but then every place featured in Rick's shows do. That's why we can't stop traveling to Europe!
But a nice long stay in Paris would be great also. I would choose it over Rome, but if you haven't been there, it's certainly worth seeing -- the history is certainly there.

A Rome, Florence, Venice trip would be good. Rome and Florence have great history and Venice has both history and romance.

How long a trip will you have and about what time of year?

Sicily - in combination with a trip to Rome, which is one of my favorite cities. The Greek ruins in Sicily are incredible. I have never been to Greece, and it is at the top of my list, but the ruins in Sicily made for a good "substitute" for us. Also, Sicily feels very different to me than the rest of Italy so it was very interesting. The people are so friendly and the beauty of the island would be very romantic. Also, my husband who is the history buff in our family enjoyed learning more about Sicily with regards to WWII - Rick Atkinson has a great book about the war in Sicily & Italy. The proximity to Africa, the different conquerors, and yes, the Mafia (lots of good books on this too), made this area one of the more interesting places we have visited.

I echo Darcy, we need trip duration and time of year.

Of the top of my head I would think about Paris( I always think of Paris, LOL ) or perhaps Prague.
As far as Italy I do think the Rome, Venice and Florence trio can't be beat , but trip duration is everything, I think one should spend a minimum of 4 to 5 days in a spot ,, dashing from place to place doesn't seem romantic to me!

PS,, What a great "task" you have been given, your husband is a prince!!

It will be a 2-week trip and we're planning it for some time between August-October, 2010.

Sherry - One thing to keep in mind is that air fares are about $400-500 higher in August than in October. Where would you be departing from? Are you looking for round trip or open jaw flight?

On the other hand, hotels are cheap in Paris from mid July to end of August as that is the "L'ete Promotions" ( summer sale) time for hotels.
Unfortunately as Joel said though, airfare is higher, but it all balances out .

Well, if it's romance you want you must include Venice as one of the cities you visit. I can't get enough of Venice. You'll probably ennjoy Venice and Europe in general more if you visit in October.

Lucky you Sherry on this task you must do!
I suggestItaly's Amalfi Coast(Sorrento, Positano, Ravello, Amalfi) to include Capri also and Naples for the museum. Stay in Sorrento overlooking the Mediterranean. Lots of romance and tons of history in this area incl Pompeii. To me this is diff than Paris but very romantic!!!

For my 50th b'day and our 30th annv. my husband and I went to London, Vienna and Salzburg with day trips to Budapest and Innsbruck. We went in late Nov/early Dec so we got to "do" the Christmas markets. Salzburg is wonderful for a romantic get-away that includes history! We splurged and stayed at the Goldener Hirsch - right in the heart of old town- it has been a hotel for more than 400 years! The rooms are marvelous and they treat you wonderfully, too. Feel free to private message me for more ideas or details.

I love Spain!! It has history, romance and is affordable. Barcelona and the Costa Brava are just great. We stayed in Sitges just south of BCN right on the Med. It is a gorgeous town. There is a train right into Barcelona in about 30 mins or so. That is my 2 cents.

Sherry, I'd suggest mid-September to late October for your trip. DON'T go in August!

I'm not totally up to speed on "romantic" these days, but one possibility would be Paris (3 days?), Rome (5 days?) and the balance on the Amalfi coast (which could include Pompeii and Herculaneum for the "history and/or Paestum), perhaps Naples (Archeological Museum), Sorrento, Positano and/or Capri. If you have a "generous travel budget", have a look at Le Sirenuse Hotel in Positano (they have a webcam, if you want to have a look at the town).

You could also consider the Lago di Como area, perhaps Varenna or Bellagio. Have a look at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio (again, if you have a generous budget).

Happy travels!

My 40th is coming up late next month. I will be flying into Porto the day before, spending my birthday enjoying Port from the various Port houses, heading to Lisbon for a couple of days, then fly to Sevilla, then bus to Granada, and then fly into Barcelona.
There's an itinerary for 10-14 days.
Lufthansa flies direct from SEA to Frankfurt and then direct to Port. Then direct from Barcelona to Frankfurt and then direct to SEA again. Hopefully it will go as smooth as it sounds.