Valentine’s Day in Italy, known as La Festa di San Valentino, is a holiday steeped in both deep historic roots and charming modern traditions.
While it is celebrated globally as a day of romance, Italy holds a special claim to the holiday, as Saint Valentine himself was a Roman martyr.
If you are planning to spend 14 February in Italy here is a quick guide to the history, local customs and the best ways to celebrate the romantic day.
Origins
The origins of Valentine’s Day in Italy are a blend of ancient pagan rituals related to Lupercalia and early Christian history.
Lupercalia was an ancient Roman festival held annually on 15 February. Its origins are obscure, although the likely derivation of its name from lupus (Latin for “wolf”) suggests links with an ancient deity who protected herds from wolves and with the legendary she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. As a fertility rite, the festival is also associated with the god Faunus.
Who was St Valentine?
There were actually numerous martyred saints named Valentino, including one from Rome and another identified as the Bishop of Terni in the third century.
Legend suggests that Bishop Valentino of Terni defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage for young soldiers (believing single men made better warriors) by performing secret weddings.
Following his execution on 14 February, around 270 AD, he was canonised and eventually became the global patron saint of love, young people, and happy marriages.
By the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I declared 14 February Saint Valentine’s Day, replacing the pagan Lupercalia with a day of Christian remembrance that eventually evolved into a celebration of love.
San Valentino legends
There are several anecdotes linking Valentino to courtly love, which may be attributed to more than one Valentino but which usually merge.
One of these stories tells how, during his imprisonment, Valentino fell in love with the blind daughter of one of his jailers. The girl later regained her sight, thanks to the intercession of the future saint who is said to have sent his beloved some love notes, giving rise to the tradition of “Valentine’s Day cards,” still so popular today.
Another legend relates how Valentine celebrated the union between a young Christian girl and a Roman soldier, after settling a quarrel between the two lovers with the gift of a rose: another symbol of romantic love still celebrated on the holiday.
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