Valentine’s Day in Rome

What better place is there to spend Valentine’s Day than Rome – a city who literally gives its name to the word “romance”? Okay, I’m not really going to go into the etymology here, but I’m sure there’s got to be some kind of connection there.  Plus, and perhaps more relevantly, St. Valentine himself, the martyred saint whose feast day we commemorate with chalky heart-shaped candies, boxes of sweets, and a dozen long-stemmed roses presented over a candle-lit dinner of rare steak, truffled risotto, and a dense, dark chocolate torte (sorry, got a little carried away there), is buried here in Rome up on the Via Flaminia. And, although no known celebrations of Valentine’s Day as a festival of love are recorded prior to Chaucer’s 14th Century poem “Parliament of Foules”, and St. Valentine’s connection to the day is quite a bit less than vague at best, Rome still seems like a pretty sweet place to get your romance on. And so, for all you romantics out there, the city is tossing plenty of lovely options at you to celebrate the day of love.

MiBACi
In one of the best Italian puns I’ve ever seen (right now, the list includes shoe store “Scarpe Diem” and not much else), the Ministero per i Beni e le Attivita Culturali – better known as MiBAC – is sponsoring MiBACi (English translation: “Kiss me”).  Admission to all state museums (list here) is 2-for-1 on Tuesday, and a few are even hosting special love-themed events.

The Craft Room
Feeling a little handsy this Valentine’s Day? Well, you’re in luck because L’Atelier Creativita e Benessere in Trastevere is kicking off a new Tuesday event called The Craft Room with a special V-Day edition. Head down to Piazza San Cosimato at 6:30 tomorrow for an evening of arts and crafts, wine, snacks, and socializing. For more info and to reserve your spot.

Craft Beer Lovers at the Blind Pig
As we may have mentioned once or twice, it’s Craft Beer Week in Italy! Young in Rome fave The Blind Pig, which hides out down by the Furio Camillo stop on the Metro A, is hosting a special beer and food tasting for all lovers of those two items. In case you still need to be convinced, I offer the beer menu, to be paired with matriciana, pork, and polenta: Pils Scick Borgo, Maltovivo Noscia, Fist Spaceman Brew, Dark Horse Milk Stout, Triple Reinaert, Reinaert Grand Cru, and Opperbacco Eipiei. For reservations, call 3202709967.

In addition to these, some restaurants are offering special Valentine’s Day menus – check out Roma 2Night for the list.