L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano N ext week is Saint Valentine's Day and many are probably planning something special to do on the day. Here in Italy, we are spoiled for choice: we have Venice, which fights with Paris to be the capital of love in the world, but how could we for- get other fantastic, history- and art-filled locations like Florence, or Verona, the city where the Shakespearian love between Romeo and Juliet developed. And this is with- out mentioning places where the beauty of nature, rather than that of man-made arti- facts and buildings, wins: the Tigullio Gulf and the Cinque Terre, the Dolomites, and the sandy beaches of Sardinia. No one can argue with this list, they are amazing places, with a connection with romanticism, whether because of their looks, their history, or because of liter- ary fiction. But "romanti- cism," in today's day and age, also means being able t o o f f e r y o u r s i g n i f i c a n t o t h e r a n i c e e x p e r i e n c e w h e n y o u g o o u t , s o t h a t every moment you spend together can be very special; this is the rationale behind a recent study carried out by t r a v e l d i g i t a l p l a t f o r m Musement, and published in Dove, Il Corriere della Sera' s travel magazine. At the heart of the research w e r e a s e r i e s o f s p e c i f i c p a r a m e t e r s , c o n s i d e r e d i m p o r t a n t t o e n r i c h t h e e x p e r i e n c e s o f c o u p l e s , which they applied with sci- entific rigor and triangulat- ed – sounds like wizardry, right? – with other data, all to come up with the list of I t a l y ' s 2 0 m o s t r o m a n t i c cities. What counts here is not the history of the place, and not even what it looks like, really: it's all about accessibility to restaurants and entertainment, restora- tion and hospitality stan- d a r d s , e n t e r t a i n m e n t options; it is not surprising to find, then, a special num- b e r o n e o n t o p o f t h e list, Milan which, despite M e m o R e m i g i ' s s o n g Innamorati a Milano, never r e a l l y s t r u c k a n y o n e f o r being that romantic. At the same time, if you consider the way "romanticism" has been evaluated in the study, then it's not surprising that such a large, lively city can be the best place for lovers: there's virtually something to please everyone. I d o n ' t k n o w y o u , b u t w h i l e I f i n d M u s e m e n t ' s research interesting, I still think of a romantic break in a different way. I mean, I'd r a t h e r s p e n d a w e e k e n d somewhere more unconven- t i o n a l , p e r h a p s , l e s s "trendy." But that may be just me. For instance, I'd love to go to Siena. Squeezed as it is, in that beautiful place that Tuscany is, in between icons like Pisa and Florence, this town has so much to offer, whether you are single or in a couple. The Duomo is single-handedly one of t h e m o s t b r e a t h t a k i n g buildings I have ever set my e y e s u p o n , e s p e c i a l l y a t night: if I had to gift my sig- nificant other something to show how much I love him, I'd bring him there, at the D u o m o , b e c a u s e s h a r i n g t h a t b e a u t y w i t h s o m e o n e i s w o r t h m o r e than 1000 words. Of course, that'd work only if your boy or girl is a bit of an artist or very much on the sensitive side, otherwise you'd risk failing epically. But Siena has more, of course: there is Piazza del Campo for coffee, there are medieval streets to stroll in and there is food because we're in Tuscany, don't forget. Ferrara is another place I'd bring my sweetheart to, f o r a n " a w a y - t o g e t h e r " weekend. Here, again, it's art and history that lead the way: Ferrara is considered the first truly modern city in E u r o p e , c o u r t e s y o f a n advanced urbanistic plan w a n t e d b y D u k e E r c o l e I d'Este. The Este family were known patrons of the arts and sciences, too, so it's not surprising that names like Ludovico Ariosto, Torquato T a s s o , P a r a c e l s o , N i c o l ò C o p e r n i c o , T i z i a n o e i l M a n t e g n a a l l w a l k e d Ferrara's elegant streets at some point of their career. And then, of course, there are bicycles, bicycles every- where! The Estense city is k n o w n f o r b e i n g c y c l i s t - friendly and for keeping its streets and air nice and clear by supporting the use of gas- f r e e t w o w h e e l s : c y c l i n g t o g e t h e r i n t h e e v e n i n g , after a good dinner or, even better, getting a nice aperiti- vo first, then a bite in one of t h e m a n y t r a d i t i o n a l Emilian restaurants you'll find in this town, is a pleas- a n t a l t e r n a t i v e t o o t h e r equally beautiful, but cer- tainly busier destinations this time of the year. Gradara may say very little to most of us, but say t h e w o r d s " P a o l o a n d Francesca" to any Italian and they'll probably meet you with this line: "Amor ch'a nullo amato amar per- d o n a / m i p r e s e d e l c o s t u i piacer sì forte/ che, come v e d i , a n c o r a n o n ' a b b a n - dona." These are the words of Francesca da Rimini who, b a c k i n t h e M i d d l e A g e s , had fallen in love with Paolo M a l a t e s t a , h e r h u s b a n d G i a n c i o t t o ' s b r o t h e r . O f course, her love was recipro- cated and the two began a c l a n d e s t i n e r e l a t i o n s h i p w h i c h d i d n ' t e n d u p w e l l (spoiler alert, Gianciotto f o u n d o u t a n d w a s n ' t happy). Dante places them in the second circle, the one where all people who sur- rendered too easily to the p a s s i o n o f t h e f l e s h a r e damned to be transported b y a c o l d w i n d e t e r n a l l y . T h e e n c o u n t e r s b e t w e e n F r a n c e s c a a n d h e r P a o l o u s e d t o t a k e p l a c e i n t h e C a s t l e o f G r a d a r a , i n t h e M a r c h e r e g i o n o f I t a l y , where the two fell in love while reading the adventure o f S i r L a n c e l o t a n d K i n g Arthur. Here, surrounded by the beauty of an ancient quiet hamlet, it is easy to reconnect with these two unfortunate lovers, who had the only sin, we can say, of l o v i n g o n e a n o t h e r t o o much and being unable to use reason instead of their heart. Gradara is a must for all those with an interest in literature. And of course, we can't forget to visit Roma! How can't we, when her name s p e l l e d b a c k w a r d m e a n s a m o r , o r l o v e i n Italian? GIULIA FRANCESCHINI What are Italy's most romantic cities? Well, Roma is one of them, have you read it backward? (Photo: Boggy/Dreamstime) NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE PLACES Italy's cities of love

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