4 Romantic Stops in Rome

Rome sets the stage for romance with its glowing piazzas, marble monuments and cobblestone streets just begging for couples to walk hand in hand. The Eternal City is always busy romancing all who enter its gates. Whether you are just passing through with a special someone or visiting for an anniversary, Rome comes chock full of starry-eyed attractions. For couples traveling to Rome, you are sure to find amore at these amorous sites in town.

Picnic in Rome’s Heart Shaped Villa Borghese Park: Green spaces in Rome are few and far between. While all of the city’s marble blanketing is romantic in its own way, couples craving a bit of green space in Rome can head to Villa Borghese Park. One of the largest parks in the city spreads out in a heart shape across 19 acres. You can park a picnic basket under one of the park’s many umbrella pine tress for a bit of quiet and calm in the Eternal City. Villa Borghese Park is also home to a number of museums such as Galleria Borghese, Museo Etrusco and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna.

Follow in the Footsteps of Roman Holiday and Visit Bocca della Veritá: Perhaps most famous for its scene in Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, Bocca della Veritá should be on every couple’s list while romancing Rome. The large marble mouth is said to have been part of a fountain or an ancient manhole cover. Regardless of its former purpose, legend dictates that if you tell a lie while your hand is in the mouth, it will bite your hand off hence its name’s meaning, “the mouth of truth.” The famous big mouth is right at the entrance of a medieval church worth popping in, Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

Take a Tour of the Colosseo’s Underground: Rome’s most iconic monument is easily the Colosseo. Serving as a testament to ancient Rome’s greatest architecture, the Colosseo hails from 72 AD. It was built to amuse the masses, where gladiators and wild beasts would duke it out in front of crowds. For couples looking to tour the site a little differently, you can schedule a tour of the structure’s underground. Tours of the hypogeum and third levels of the Colosseum are offered, taking travelers down where the gladiators and wild beasts used to hang out before battle.

Head Beyond Rome To The Fountains at Villa d’Este: Located just 22 miles northeast of Rome in Tivoli, couples can feel the love at the 16th century Villa d’Este. The home was built by Cardinal Ippolito d’Este. UNESCO approved, the site is considered one of the most remarkable and comprehensive examples of Renaissance culture. Couples will find the gardens on site to be truly romantic. Villa d’Este features several hundred fountains. Night tours of the gardens and the fountains glowing in light are available on Friday and Saturday from July through September.