Romantic Italy suggestions!

My only thought is have you been to all these places before? If so, I would try to do things that you have not done before. I think the most romantic things woluld be what you discover together... instead of you being like a tour guide and showing him what you have already experienced...try to discover new places and new experiences...very romantic to get up and watch the sunrise in Venice in the quiet of the morning before the rest of the tourists are up. Enjoy! Burano is delightful.

Your first afternoon is a good time to see the Basilica and Doge's Palace. About 1500 the crowds thin making for a better experience. As Terry kathryn suggested, see the sunrise that first morning. Go to Piazza San Marco as Venice wakes up. Take the vaporetto (5 minute ride) to San Giorgio Maggiore and ascend that bell tower (skip the campanile in P.za San Marco) for an amazing view of the Laguna with no crowds. With only one full day in Venice, I think you will be hard pressed to get to Burano. Murano is feasible. Be sure to buy a vaporetto pass as you will save a lot of money over individual fares! In Rome, have you considered using some of Rick Steves' self-guided walks like the Night Walk Across Rome, Trastevere Walk, or the Dolce Vita Stroll? Good way to see some sights and experience the city. With three full days you can probably do it all. See the Borghese first thing one morning (0900 tickets, must reserve in advance) then take a taxi to Via Appia for bike riding and lunch. Your Vatican day will be pretty full. Consider a tour with http://www.walksofitaly.com/ to make the most of it. You will so enjoy not having your nose in the guide book and will learn more! Restaurants: Cul de Sac in Rome near Piazza Navona (unbelievable wine collection and good prices), Dar Poeta and Roma Sparita in Trastevere. For a romantic experience in Venice, Rick has some good suggestions in the Venice guide. He also has some splurge ideas for Rome in his book. Sounds like a great trip!

a glass blowing demonstration and possibly a trip to Murano or Burano Island. You won't get a glass blowing demonstration if you don't go to Murano - that's the only place it can be done because open fires are forbidden on the main islands of Venice. Burano is too far on one day.

I would not do a gondola ride, they are far overpriced and there's not really a need to do it (even if it is your anniversary) unless it's something you are just dying to do. Obviously then your personal preferences should take over, but otherwise I think you can skip it. If you have an afternoon to do the outer islands, you'll have time to do Burano (and Torcello too) if you'd like. Murano is the closest, and is famous for its glass--so make that your priority. And while the ferry ride is much longer, Burano is lovely with its lace and beautiful colored houses, and is a nice stop as well.

Nigel - There is a glass making demonstration near St. Marks square. They use a furnace to heat the glass up. Asleigh - just a few suggestion: - sipping a glass of your favorite poison while riding in a gondola at night - staying up late to see the sunrise over St. Marks - walking across the bridge of sigh - tossing a coin in the Trevi fountain - go into a local mom/pop restaurant where they don't speak english and having the menu of the day
- etc. and the typically tourist thingy Edwin

Forget the Bridge of Sighs. Yes, it has a romantic name, but it's probably not what you expect. You don't actually walk "across" it so much as walk "inside" it, and then only as part of the secret itineraries tour, I'm prety sure. See this link for the reason: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_Sighs Perhaps Edwin meant the Rialto.

Oh, Devon, have you no heart? :-) A gondola ride in Venice!! It's one of the most romantic things you could do, if you can afford it. Consider doing it around sunset.

Thank you everyone so much for all the amazing responses!! =) Edwin- Do you know were the demonstration near san marco is? That's the demonstration I saw last and I know that he would really enjoy it if we decide not to go to Murano. And Devon I definitely want to do a gondola ride. I understand that they are expensive but our hotel got us a great deal and we are hopeless romantics so it's an essential for us =) Does anyone have any restaurant suggestions for Venice? And thank you Laurel for the Rome recommendations and for the advice on the San Giorgio Maggiore bell tower! =) We will definitely check those out!

It is hard to find but we felt we had the most amazing experience with Ristorante Cantina Canaletto. It was featured on a Samantha Brown Europe episode. The huge wine glass experience is one that I will never forget. The glass is so large that you could actually pour a whole bottle of wine into it. But for that ultimate wine experience, it was the most enjoyable way to drink your wine. Our food was good. We are vegetarians and it looked like everything had meat in it. They were so helpful in creating meat free dishes and it was such a tasty meal. You can look at my tripadvisor photos to see my huge glass of wine. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187870-d1320344-r90247828-Restaurant_Cantina_Canaletto-Venice_Veneto.html

It is the most romatic and stunning experience to dine right in front of Pantheon after dark. Get a outdoor table.