What should you do on Valentine's Day? Here are the most romantic destinations in Italy

The Riviera Ligure di Levante is full of gems to be discovered, from San Fruttuoso to the Cinque Terre, from Sestri Levante to Portovenere. The best way to explore the area is to stay in Santa Margherita Ligure, between Rapallo and Portofino.

It takes an hour from Genoa by train, three and a half hours from Turin and four from Milan. Choose a spa resort in a beautiful Art Nouveau building and treat yourself to a couple's massage before a candlelit dinner. The next morning take a romantic walk in Rapallo and end the day by the light of the sunset over the Bay of Paraggi.

The Rocca (fortress) jutting out into the sea, the walks along the walls and the wonder of the Grotte di Catullo: Sirmione is the perfect location for any love story. Desenzano is not far away, with its splendid view of the lake from the fortified keep. Peschiera del Garda also has a fortress surrounded by water.

And if you have not had your fill of romance, take a trip to Borghetto sul Mincio and stop to eat the tortellini di Valeggio linked to the love story between a soldier and a nymph. You can reach Sirmione by train in under two hours from Milan, and just over two from Venice.

The best and also the most romantic way to explore Lake Como is undoubtedly by boat. A stop at Bellagio, the most splendid jewel of the area, with its magnificent villas, is not to be missed. Go as far as Varenna to take the Passeggiata degli Innamorati (Lovers' Promenade) and then be captivated by the glimpses of the lake that open up between the alleyways of the village. Varenna is the perfect place to book a romantic weekend break in a lake-view hotel and enjoy a lakeside dinner.

Bellagio can be reached by train in an hour and a half from Como and just over two from Milan.

Can you imagine anything more romantic than the green Umbrian hills as a backdrop to your romance? Valentine's Day will be unforgettable at a country hotel in the Umbrian countryside, just a stone's throw from the mediaeval town of Gubbio.

Stroll through the narrow stone streets and stop for a delicious dinner of fettuccine, crescia (a type of bread) and friccò (a meat dish): your heart and belly will be full.

You can get there by train from Perugia in one hour, from Bologna in four and from Florence in five.

The place that saw the blossoming of love between Paolo and Francesca, immortalised by Dante, is the ideal setting to celebrate Valentine's Day.

In Gradara, around the fortress, you can take the Lovers' Walk, a path suitable for everyone. In about 50 minutes, you can walk through the village and a small wood while admiring the beautiful surrounding landscape. All, of course, hand in hand. Upon arrival, why not share a plate of tagliolini con la bomba. Gradara can be reached by train in less than an hour from Rimini, one and a half from Ancona and two and a half from Bologna. 

With their thousand-year history, the Sassi of Matera are the perfect venue for a love oath that lasts as long as the stone.

Book a room in an albergo diffuso (diffused hotel) that allows you to sleep in an old converted oil mill. Watch the sunset at Belvedere Murgia Timone with a magnificent view of the Sassi. After dinner, enjoy a wander through the alleys which, with the lights on, seem almost golden. You can reach Matera by train from Bari in one hour, five from Naples.

With its small white houses and winding alleys, Locorotondo is a very popular village in summer but can also be very romantic in the depths of winter.

It is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy; full of picturesque views, bougainvilleas that bloom all year round, and panoramic vistas. Nowhere better to declare all the love you feel. It only takes two hours by train from Bari.

To spend the most romantic day of the year overlooking the sea, book a suite in a hotel on the banks of the Stagnone in Marsala.

At sunset the salt pans light up with a thousand colours: the perfect time for an aperitif for two. Continue celebrating your love with a dinner of local delicacies such as Marsala fish couscous. It is one hour by train from Trapani and two from Palermo.