Valentine’s Day It has now become a proper annual event, even though it is not itself counted amongst the traditional public holidays. Lovers all over the world celebrate Valentine’s Day just as they would an anniversary, seeing the occasion as a chance to renew their vows of love.
The Romagna Riviera, the leader in the organisation of events, nor is it caught off guard when it comes to Valentine’s Day; in fact, the hotels are offering week-long packages …to give all couples the chance to spend Valentine’s Day on the Riviera.
The feast day was established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who introduced it to replace another festival, the Lupercalia (an occasion for the people to celebrate the patron saint of animals).
Connect Valentine’s Day for lovers thanks to the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer, who, in one of his verse poems (Parliament of Fowls, 1386) he describes the betrothal of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia, which took place on St Valentine’s Day itself; it is no coincidence, then, that the exchange of love notes between couples first became established in countries with an Anglo-Saxon cultural tradition.
Later, around the beginning of the 1400s, Saint Valentine came to be associated with lovers in Paris as well; indeed, it was on 14 February 1400 that the Tribunal of Love was established in the French capital, a court which settled disputes relating to romantic relationships.
The cards that lovers exchanged were called ‘valentines’, and the oldest surviving valentine is kept in England; it was written by Charles of Orleans to his wife whilst he was a prisoner in the White Tower in London, and reads: “Je suis déjà d’amour tanné, ma très douce Valentinée.”
It was not until the late 1800s that the ‘Valentine card industry’ began to appear on the market, thanks to the entrepreneur Ester Howland, who began producing heart-shaped greeting cards to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
From the mid-1900s to the present day, Valentine’s Day has been accompanied by gifts such as flowers, chocolates and jewellery; young people take advantage of the occasion to exchange ‘engagement rings’ – small rings to seal their union.
Spend Valentine’s Day on the Romagna Riviera in one of the many seaside resorts along the coast: Rimini, Riccione, Cattolica, Cesenatico, Milano Marittima, Cervia, Gabicce and Gatteo Mare – you’ll find plenty of unforgettable romantic moments.
