Get Romantic and Go Italian this Valentine’s Day! Italian language is known as “the language of love” and with Valentine’s Day soon to be upon us, now is a great time to look at how we talk about love in Italian.
Considered one of the most romantic languages in the world, Italian has lots of useful words and expressions we can learn that might come in handy this Valentine’s Day.
Let’s start with the history of Valentine’s Day. Did it all start with St Valentine? : No – it began about eight hundred years before St Valentine was born. Valentine’s day history has its roots in ancient Roman culture, when Juno Februtis, the god of purification and fertility, was worshipped on 15 February.
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a minor Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Italy around February 14th, you may see lots of Valentine’s Day cards, balloons, hearts, flowers, chocolates, and other gifts around. If you want to buy a card for your loved one on Valentine’s Day, here are some Italian expressions you could use:
Who was Valentine?
Despite having a day devoted to him, very little is known about who Saint Valentine actually was. All that is reliably known is that he was a 3rd century Roman, martyred on February 14th and buried in a cemetery on the Via Flaminia near the Milvian Bridge in north Rome. He died because he refused to stop marrying people, despite an edict from the Emperor, but wasn’t strongly linked with the tradition of love and lovers until the middle ages. Since then Valentine’s Day has been celebrated both by the church and by lovers around the world.
Valentine Celebrations in Italy
To celebrate this lovers’ holiday Italians give each other flowers, plan romantic dinners and present each other with chocolates, much like in the United States. The renowned Italian chocolate maker, Perugina celebrates this day by making a special edition of the Baci chocolate candies with a shiny red wrapper and a sweet red cherry and liquid center rather than the traditional hazelnut one. These chocolates are always a favorite and inside the foil wrapper there is a “love note” with a romantic phrase.
Florence and Venice are traditionally considered to be two of the most romantic places in Italy but Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet celebrates Valentine’s Day with a four-day celebration of events designated “Verona in Love.” In the center of Piazza dei Signori a giant red heart is painted on the street and illuminated heart-shaped lanterns are featured throughout the city center. Free concerts with romantic themes take place in Piazza dei Signori and there is a contest for the most beautiful letter written to Juliet. To attract lovers and sweethearts to spend a weekend in Verona, many of the local hotels offer deals and the restaurants feature specially priced menus.
25 romantic phrases you can use to melt your lover’s heart.
– Sono attratto/a da te. – I’m attracted to you.
– Ti amo. – I love you (romantically).
> You can add tanto or molto to the end of the phrase to express a LOT of love.
– Sei la mia anima gemella. – You are my soul mate.
> You probably shouldn’t use this one on the first date.
– Voglio passare il resto della mia vita con te. – I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
> This one either.
– Mi vuoi sposare? – Will you marry me?
> Or the more informal, Sposami!
– Mi sono infatuato/a di te. – I’m infatuated with you.
– Mi hai cambiato la vita. – You changed my life.
– Sei bellissimo/a. – You are beautiful.
– Ho un debole per te. – I’m weak for you.
– Sei l’unico/a per me. – You’re the only one for me.
– Non posso vivere senza di te. — I can’t live without you.
– Sei tutto per me. – You’re everything to me.
– Sono pazzo/a di te. – I’m crazy about you.
– Sei l’uomo/la donna dei miei sogni. – You’re the man/woman of my dreams.
– Sei il grande amore della mia vita. – You are the love of my life.
– Voglio invecchiare con te. – I want to grow old with you.
– Nei tuoi occhi c’è il cielo. – Heaven is in your eyes.
– Da quando ti conosco la mia vita è un paradiso. – Since I met you my life is a paradise.
– Dammi un bacio. – Give me a kiss.
– Ti voglio sempre al mio fianco. – I want you always by my side.
– Sono innamorato/a di te. – I’m in love with you.
– Potrei guardarti tutto il giorno. – I could look at you all day.
– Ti penso ogni giorno. – I think about you every day.
And if you’re considering buying some gifts, here are some typical valentine’s gifts and how you say them in Italian:
- Un regalo – A gift
- Un mazzo di fiori – A bunch of flowers
- Un mazzo di rose – A bunch of roses
- I cioccolatini – Chocolates
- I gioelli – Jewellery
- Un anello – A ring
Finally, learning Italian may also not be a necessity, but something people actively choose to do – for fun, for love, and maybe on a whim – is part of what makes it such a bella lingua.
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