{"id":27903,"date":"2022-02-10T13:10:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T18:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pimsleur.com\/?p=27903"},"modified":"2025-10-27T18:47:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T22:47:26","slug":"ltalian-love-vocabulary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/ltalian-love-vocabulary\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say \u201cI Love You\u201d in Italian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pop quiz: what\u2019s the most romantic language in the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you answered Italian, you\u2019re in the vast majority!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italian, one of the primary Romance languages, has long been considered the \u201clanguage of love.\u201d That\u2019s partly due to the tongue\u2019s lyrical, almost melodic structure and the country\u2019s association with St. Valentine\u2019s Day.Let\u2019s take a look at St. Valentine\u2019s Day\u2019s unique Italian roots, along with some phrases of love in Italian you\u2019ll want to master before your trip to Italy. You\u2019ll learn \u201cI love you\u201d in Italian and much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy\u2019s Romantic Legacy: St. Valentine\u2019s Day<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Valentine\u2019s Day is celebrated around the world but its origin story is distinctly Italian. Did you know that San Valentino<\/strong><\/em> was Italian? He was a Christian priest who lived between Rome and Terni<\/em><\/strong>\u2014his birthplace\u2014in the third century; a time when Christianity was outlawed in the Roman Empire. What little we know about his life is a mixture of legend and history, but we do know that he died a martyr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for all the love we now associate with Saint Valentine, he was actually despised by those in a position of power. At the time, Emperor Claudius II decreed a marriage ban, believing that single men made better soldiers. Valentine defied this decree and married Christian couples in secret. Word eventually got out and he was arrested and jailed, and he was commanded to renounce his faith. He refused and was executed. Early Christians celebrated him as a martyr, but it wasn\u2019t until the Middle Ages that Pope Gelasius I bestowed sainthood on him, and he became San Valentino<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some historians think that the celebration of San Valentino<\/em><\/strong> was instituted to \u201cChristianize\u201d the pagan festivity of Lupercalia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"San<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Saint Valentine is not only the patron saint of love but also of epilepsy and beekeepers, and numerous legends and folklore revolve around this figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, it is said that when the emperor found out about all these secret ceremonies, Valentine was imprisoned. There, he was said to have performed miracles. It is said that he fell in love with a blind girl, the daughter of his jailer, and made her see again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another legend says that he once saw a couple fighting while walking. So, he gave them a rose, told them to hold their hands together, and reconciled them. In a nutshell, he was a good couple\u2019s therapist!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first person to commemorate Saint Valentine\u2019s Day as a romantic celebration was the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer with his poem \u201cThe Parliament of Fowls,\u201d which he wrote around 1382.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The oldest known valentine still in existence was written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, who wrote a poem to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London following the Battle of Agincourt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know the curious history behind this celebration let\u2019s look at what Italians do on this special occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about Italy, the Shakespearean \u201cLand of Love<\/strong>?”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Valentine\u2019s Day is undoubtedly celebrated in Italy. However, it is less commercialized than many other countries\u2014although it is still common to find a variety of heart-shaped products, special restaurant offers, and cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Valentine\u2019s Day called in Italy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Italy, Valentine\u2019s Day is La Festa di San Valentino<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>(Saint Valentine\u2019s Celebration) or La Festa Degli Innamorati<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>(The Lovers Celebration).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to wish someone a Happy Valentine\u2019s Day in Italian? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can tell them:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buon San Valentino!<\/strong> <\/em>or<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buona Festa Degli Innamorati!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To celebrate this holiday, Italian lovers give red rose bouquets, plan romantic dinners, and gift each other chocolates, much like in many other countries around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are a few specifically Italian Valentine\u2019s celebrations and tokens of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Celebrate Valentine Day\u2019s In Italy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Baci Perugina<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The renowned Italian chocolate maker, Perugina, celebrates this Day by making a special edition of the cioccolatini<\/em><\/strong> (chocolates). As usual, the foil wrapper contains a “love note” with a romantic phrase. Most people prefer classic Baci Perugina<\/strong><\/em>, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Festa Della Promessa a Terni<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Festa Della Promessa<\/em><\/strong> (Promise Feast) in Terni<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Saint Valentine\u2019s hometown\u2013on the Sunday before February 14, couples planning to marry attend a Mass and profess their love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verona in Love<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet took place, celebrates Valentine’s Day with a four-day celebration called “Verona in Love<\/strong>.” A massive red heart is painted on the floor of Piazza Dei Signori<\/em><\/strong>, heart-shaped lanterns are placed all over the city, and more than a thousand letters addressed to Giulietta<\/em><\/strong> arrive each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locks of Love or Lucchetti dell’Amore<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locking padlocks to railings and lamp posts is recent lore. It came about after the movie and book Ho Voglia di Te<\/strong><\/em> (I want you) came out. The characters of this cringe-worthy story tie a padlock with their names on it around a lamppost on the north side of Rome’s Ponte Milvio<\/strong><\/em> and then throw the keys in the Tiber River. Since then, thousands of Italian piccioncini<\/em><\/strong> (lovebirds) have flocked to railings, lamp posts, and any other thing that you can tie stuff on to lock their love. However, many municipalities have placed bans on having them because of safety concerns and decorum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camogli<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This beautiful coastal town in the region of Liguria hosts a yearly festival called Innamorati a Camogli<\/strong><\/em> (Lovers in Camogli). Couples hang heart-shaped cards with their names on fishing nets on the harbor’s wall. The cards that withstand the weather conditions for the entire week represent the relationships that will stand the test of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quero<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Quero<\/strong>, in the province of Bolzano, a massive number of oranges is rolled down a slope near the church of Saint Valentine. This \u201cgood luck,” orange-themed tradition is not the only one in Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vico del Gargano – The Village of Love<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, San Valentino<\/em><\/strong> is also patron saint of Vico del Gargano<\/em><\/strong>, in the Puglia<\/strong><\/em> region. On February 14, the town, nicknamed \u2018The Village of Love\u2019, and the saint\u2019s statue are decorated with thousands of oranges. There is a slow procession and lots of orange juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be wondering why oranges: in Italy, flowers from the orange tree (fiori d\u2019arancio<\/strong>)<\/em> are associated with happy marriages (matrimonio<\/strong>)<\/em>. Orange juice, when given to a romantic interest, becomes a powerful love potion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Pozzoleone<\/strong>, instead, they organize the Fiera di San Valentino<\/strong>,<\/em> an event that dates to the 1500s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Palmoli<\/strong>, they cover the floor of the church with bay leaves. In Padova, instead, they celebrate the love of family and children by distributing blessed keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you can impress your lover with your newfound knowledge of Valentine\u2019s Day in Italy let\u2019s look at how you can express your feelings in Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Say I Love You in Italian and Other Romantic Italian Phrases & Terms<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Now that you know some of the romantic roots of St. Valentine\u2019s Day and how Italians celebrate their venerated holiday, it\u2019s time to put this knowledge to practical use! Saying \u201cI love you\u201d in Italian is just the start \u2013 there are many Italian quotes for love. Below, you\u2019ll find these expressions of love and other words associated with Valentine\u2019s Day, like chocolate, roses, and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n