My new husband and I are leaving on Monday for Italy on our Honeymoon. We have all of our major "to dos" planned but would love some additional recommendations for romantic things to do or see while on our trip!
We will be in Venice, Bologna, Florence and Rome during our two week stay- spending 2 days in Venice, 3 in Bologna, 5 in Florence and the rest in Rome.
Our major interests are food (we both run restaurants here in the States), wine, history, music, and nature!
While you are in Florence, take time to:
-walk up to Piazza Michelangelo for the sunset over the Arno
-eat on the terrace of the Golden View on the Arno
-enjoy wine one evening at the rooftop bars of the Westin Excelsior or La Rinascente with views of the Duomo
-ride the bus up to Fiesole and have lunch overlooking Florence
And in Venice, follow an alley and keep turning left or right to stay away from people. It's a great way to get lost because you can't really get lost ! This is how you find that magical coffee or pastry shop that no tourist frequents....
I went to Cyprus for mine. It was wonderful.
History. Well, you are going to Italy.
Food. Well, you are going to Italy.
You get the rest.
Work on your plan, go where you have planned. And be Italian. Eat, drink were the locals eat. Each region has a different taste, a different tradition. Bologna is not know as 'la grassa' for nothing.
Be local.
Romance is what you make it.
I said my honeymoon was in Cyprus. One of the most romantic meals was at Woolworths in Nicosia looking across the Green Line in to Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus.
If it is in the right place, a romantic meal may be sharing a sandwich at a motorway services. It is you and him. A ham sandwich on the autostada for 5€ may be more romantic than a meal on Piazza della Repubblica, Florence at 35€ per head.
This is a much different answer than I gave on a previous post.
For a delightful lunch and wine tour go here.
http://www.vignamaggio.com/en/attivita/degustazioni-visite-guidate/
Take the bus #354 or 365 from Florence to Greve. 1 hour, nice ride thru the Tuscan hills.
Explore the town. Lots of wine here. Then taxi to Villa Vignamaggio.
Great farm to table food, wonderful wine, balsamic made on site and honey and olive oil.
Their wine tour is very informative.
Make sure of return bus times to Florence.
In Venice, this eatery has a great seafood menu, and a garden to enjoy it in. Perfect spot for lunch.
In Rome, do the Travestere Twilight Food and Drink Tour....you'll love it. Make reservations ASAP, it's highly rated.
In Venice, go to St. Marks Square when it's night and sit at Caffe Florian and listen to the dueling orchestras. It costs to sit, but it's so worth it. We were there about 90 minutes, and only left because it started to sprinkle. We had 2 proseccos, awesome dessert and coffee and it was about 117 euros. Yes, you read that correctly. But it was worth every euro, one of the most romantic things we did. Once, listening to them play, I became Teary eyed. Sure, you can just stand there and listen to them...but they did not have the same experience, plus the career writers are great!
http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/rome/tours/twilight-trastevere/
Venice,
A night time vaporetto ride up the Grand Canal. Get off at San Marco. It's a whole different place after the day trippers and cruise folks have left. Have a seat at one of the cafes where the dueling bands are playing. Enjoy an overpriced drink and dessert. Walk around the piazza, on a moonlit night if you use your imagination a little it's almost like being back in the Doge's time.
Thank you all! We cannot wait to see Florence and explore food in Bologna let alone wander through Venice!
In Florence, sunset on Ponte Santa Trinita bridge and at Piazzale Michelangelo.
Congratulations! I might not be a total romance expert but I guess discovering Europe and meeting some people there opened my eyes to it in a way I hadn't cared about before. It sounds like you're already hitting the right places and you can't go wrong in any of them with the interests you have. Someone mentioning Piazzale (or Piazza?) Michelangelo in Florence is completely right-whether romance is your goal or not it's really the best city view and you can't miss it. The directions on how to get lost and discover Venice are also exactly what I would do and there's no shortage of romantically pretty spots in that city. Something I really thought was special in Rome was the Orange Garden: http://www.romeing.it/giardino-aranci-rome/
The perfume enough is very mood setting and it's got a view you can't miss + there's that element of nature for both of you. I dunno what it's doing at this time of year but worth checking out. I also really liked the view from on top Janiculum hill in Trastevere-awesome city panorama, beautiful fountain couples hang around anyway, and below it's an amazing area to eat, taste some authentic Roman cuisine and enjoy some nightlife and dancing at any time of year. The winding little streets in the area have a lot of character too and I'd make sure to grab dinner and then hike up the hill to enjoy the view. There are too many amazing places in the area to name but if you'd like a true local experience, grab a meal at Da Augusto in Piazza dei Renzi. It's not the most "romantic" place with the best wine, but it's definitely traditional and the food would be a shame to skip and it's very affordable. The menu changes daily depending on what the chef is cooking. I don't know how long you'll be in Rome but if you can do a day trip Villa d'este in Tivoli is worth it. Lots of romantic photo ops, pretty views of surrounding countryside, plenty of green space, and history. I don't know if they still do night tours at some point of year but I bet seeing it by night would add a whole other romance dimension. Maybe its not close enough to summer for it. I go for lower budget food outside the historic center of Rome when I'm there usually but for a fancier romantic meal that is still great quality and not just a touristic show, I was happy to spend a charmed night in good company having dinner at Il Bacaro. That's right between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon and all the center's monuments are romantic when lit up at night so just a night stroll through the area is something to do, and here's where to stop for food! Nice service that goes the extra mile, a huge wine list with staff that's knowledgeable about it and the atmosphere is what romance seekers are looking for. If you can sit outside it's even better but inside has a lot of character too. Since you're in the food business I think you'll appreciate the quality at this place-here's a link: http://www.ilbacaroroma.com
Surprised at the amount of stuff popping into my unromantic dude brain, but I think you'll find some good easy to get to choices there. Even a picnic in the park surrounding Castel Sant' Angelo can be really romantic and again allows for great photo ops. I like the idea of picking out some nice treats at local cafes and picking up a quality bottle or 2 of wine and just relaxing with all that history around you. Seems like a good budget option too, except maybe what you spend on the wine. Hope at least one of those ideas is inspiring an you guys have a great trip!
