Valentine’s Day, or San Valentino , is celebrated in Italy on February 14th.
Just like in many other parts of the world, it’s a romantic day for couples, but Italy also has its own traditions that you might not have come across before.
If you’re traveling in Italy around February, here’s what the day actually looks like, along with some useful Italian phrases you might hear or want to use yourself. They’re good to know even if you’re like us (Katie and Matteo) and you don’t celebrate it.
Useful Words and Phrases for Valentine’s Day
Here are the words and expressions Italians use around Valentine’s Day. You can also use some of them at other points in the year as well.
| San Valentino | Saint Valentine / Valentine’s Day* | San vah-lehn-TEE-noh |
| La festa degli innamorati | Valentine’s Day (lit. the festival of people in love) | Lah FEH-stah DEH-lyee een-nah-moh-RAH-tee |
| Cosa fai a San Valentino? | What are you doing for Valentine's? | KOH-zah fye ah san vah-len-TEE-noh |
| Festeggiamo San Valentino | We celebrate Valentine's Day | Feh-stehj-JYAH-moh sahn vah-lehn-TEE-noh |
| Non festeggiamo San Valentino | We don't celebrate Valentine's | Non feh-stehj-JYAH-moh sahn vah-lehn-TEE-noh |
| Buon San Valentino | Happy Valentine's Day | Bwohn san vah-lehn-TEE-noh |
| Amore | Love | Ah-MOH-reh |
| Amore mio | My love | Ah-MOH-reh MEE-oh |
| Tesoro | Treasure / Darling | Teh-ZOH-roh |
| Una coppia | A couple | OO-nah KOP-pyah |
| Un appuntamento | A date / An appointment | Oon ah-poon-tah-MEN-toh |
| Andiamo a cena fuori? | Shall we go out for dinner? | Ahn-DYAH-moh ah CHEH-nah FWOH-ree |
| Prenotare un tavolo per due | To book a table for two | Preh-noh-TAH-reh oon TAH-voh-loh per DOO-eh |
| Passare la serata insieme | To spend the evening together | Pahs-SAH-reh lah seh-RAH-tah een-SYEH-meh |
| Fare una sorpresa | To give (lit. make) a surprise | FAH-reh OO-nah sor-PREH-zah |
| Un (piccolo) pensiero | A (little) something (lit. a thought) | Oon (PEEK-koh-loh) pen-SYEH-roh |
| Un biglietto di auguri | A greeting card | Oon bee-LYET-toh dee ow-GOO-ree |
| Regalare i fiori | To gift flowers | Reh-gah-LAH-reh ee FYOH-ree |
| Un mazzo di fiori | A bouquet of flowers | Oon MAT-tsoh dee FYOH-ree |
| Le rose | The roses | Leh ROH-zeh |
| Regalare i cioccolatini | To gift little chocolates | Reh-gah-LAH-reh ee chok-koh-lah-TEE-nee |
*In Italian, the phrase for Valentine’s Day doesn’t actually include the word “day”, or giorno. You’re literally just saying “Saint Valentine”.
**When you say “Happy Valentine’s Day” in Italian, you don’t use the word “happy”, or felice. You’re literally saying “Good Saint Valentine”.
“Good” is used a lot in Italian for well-wishes, like buon compleanno (“Happy Birthday”) or Buon anno (“Happy New Year”).
You can see other phrases like this on our blogspost “what’s Italian for Bon voyage ”.
Here are some ways you can use the phrases above:
Oggi è San Valentino quindi andiamo a cena fuori -Today’s Valentine’s Day so we’re going out for dinner
Cosa fai a San Valentino quest’anno? -What are you doing on Valentine’s Day this year?
Per il nostro appuntamento, andiamo al ristorante? -For our date, shall we go to a restaurant?
Italian Phrases to Write in a Valentine’s Day Card
If you’re writing a Valentine’s Day card, or just want to send a romantic message, here are some of the phrases that you can use in Italian.
| Mi fai sorridere | You make me smile | Mee FAH-EE sor-REE-deh-reh |
| Sono felice con te | I am happy with you | SOH-noh feh-LEE-cheh kon teh |
| Mi fai stare bene | You make me feel good | Mee FAH-EE STAH-reh BEH-neh |
| Con te sto bene | I feel good with you | Kon teh stoh BEH-neh |
| Sei una persona speciale per me | You are a special person to me | Seh-ee OO-nah pehr-SOH-nah speh-CHAH-leh pehr meh |
| Sono contento/a di averti nella mia vita | I am happy (masc./fem.) to have you in my life | SOH-noh kon-TEN-toh / tah dee ah-VER-tee NEL-lah MEE-ah VEE-tah |
| Grazie per esserci sempre | Thanks for always being there | GRAHT-tsee-eh pehr eh-SEHR-chee SEM-preh |
| Mi rendi la vita più bella | You make my life more beautiful | Mee REN-dee lah VEE-tah pyOO BEHL-lah |
| Ogni giorno con te è una nuova avventura | Every day with you is a new adventure | OH-nyee JOR-noh kon teh eh OO-nah NWOH-vah ah-ven-TOO-rah |
| Ti amo | I love you | Tee AH-moh |
| Sei la mia anima gemella | You are my soulmate | Seh-ee lah MEE-ah AH-nee-ma jeh-MEHL-lah |
| Sei l’amore della mia vita | You are the love of my life | Seh-ee lah-MOH-reh DEL-lah MEE-ah VEE-tah |
| Amarti è la cosa più bella del mondo | Loving you is the most beautiful thing in the world | Ah-MAR-tee eh lah KOH-zah pyoo BEHL-lah del MON-doh |
| Non posso immaginare la mia vita senza di te | I cannot imagine my life without you | Nohn POS-soh eem-mah-jee-NAH-reh lah MEE-ah VEE-tah SEN-tsah dee teh |
| Caro... | Dear... | KAH-roh |
| Con amore | With love | Kon ah-MOH-reh |
| Un abbraccio affettuoso | An affectionate embrace/hug | Oon ah-BRAHT-choh ah-feht-too-OH-zoh |
| Baci* | Kisses | BAH-chee |
* Baci isn’t always just romantic in Italian. You can use it with friends and family as a way of saying goodbye, for example when you’re saying goodbye in person or on the phone.
Here’s how you can use some of the phrases above: :
Ti amo tanto! -I love you so much!
Baci e a presto -Kisses and see you soon
Mi piace passare tempo con te, mi fai sorridere -I like to spend time with you, you make me smile
For more romantic phrases in Italian (including how to reply when someone says them to you) you can see our blogpost on how to say I love you in Italian with 30 romantic phrases.
Italian Valentine’s Day Traditions
Italy has lots of unique Valentine’s Day traditions, and they can even vary from city to city. Here are a few of them.
Regalare Rose - Gifting Roses
Gifting roses might feel romantic where you’re from too, but in Italy there’s a slightly different tradition.
Usually, you’re not meant to give an even number of roses. That’s because even numbers of flowers are traditionally linked to sad occasions, like funerals.
That said, there are a few exceptions. For happy events such as engagements and weddings, even numbers are perfectly fine. And on Valentine’s Day, a classic mazzo (bouquet) of a dozen roses is acceptable because it’s seen as a symbol of love.
Regalare Baci - Gifting Baci (Chocolates)
You can give any type of cioccolatini (little chocolates) on Valentine’s Day in Italy, but one traditional gift is Baci Perugina , a chocolate that comes from Perugia.
Baci have a hazelnut filling, and inside the wrapper you’ll find a small note with a message or quote.
You can eat them at any time of year, but because their name literally means “kisses”, they’re a good Valentine’s Day gift.
Baci chocolates have a hazlenut and praline filling. You can choose between dark or milk chocolate options.
Festeggiamenti a Verona - Celebrations in Verona
Verona (the home of Romeo and Juliet) hosts lots of Valentine’s Day celebrations in February as part of an event called “Verona in Love”.
Theatres, bars, restaurants, bookshops and local shops get involved, with things like romantic themed dinners, book events and special shows. There’s even a Romeo and Juliet half marathon, and in one of Verona’s main squares, Piazza dei Signori , you can see a giant red heart.
Lucchetti dell’amore - Locks of love
Another Valentine’s Day tradition you might see in Italy is lucchetti dell’amore , or “locks of love”.
Couples write their names or initials on a padlock, attach it to a bridge or railing, and then throw the key away as a symbol of love lasting forever. The tradition was especially popular in Rome, on Ponte Milvio , and then spread to other cities across Italy.
That said, many cities now remove them because they can damage bridges and historic sites, so it’s more something you’ll see rather than something you’re encouraged to do.
Romantic Songs in Italian for Valentine’s Day
Lots of Italian learners like to listen to songs as a fun way to learn Italian. Songs can be really useful because they’re catchy and help words and phrases stick.
But some songs have very complicated lyrics that can feel more like poetry than everyday language.
The romantic songs in this list are useful if you’re learning Italian because they include simpler lyrics and lots of repetition, even if there still might be a few phrases you don’t know the meaning of yet.
Ancora tu, Lucio Battisti
This song includes lots of everyday romantic phrases like che bella sei (“how beautiful you are”), amore mio (“my love”) and even other simple phrases that you might find useful in other situations, like ho fame (“I’m hungry”).
There’s lots of repetition in this song, especially of the phrase in the title: ancora tu (“still you”) to give the idea that the person that the singer loves is still there, despite any difficulties they’ve had.
If you want to look up the lyrics to this song (or other songs in this list) you can search them by putting the word testo (text) after the song title.
For example:
A te, Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini
To emphasise the song is dedicated “to you”, it repeats the phrase a te several times and includes lots of romantic phrases like sei il mio grande amore (“you’re my great love”), sei l’unica al mondo (“you’re the only one in the world) and l’unico amore che vorrei (“the only love I’d like”).
E penso a te, Lucio Battisti
E penso a te has a slow pace and includes lots of phrases you might know already, like come stai (“how are you”) and dove andiamo (“where are we going”).
It also has lots of repetition, like the repetition of the phrase penso a te (“I’m thinking of you”), so you get plenty of chances to hear the main romantic phrases and how they’re used.
If you want to listen to more songs to learn Italian, you can go to our blogpost on 4 Easy Italian Songs .
Valentine’s Day in Italian: Phrases and Italian Traditions: Review
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Useful Words and Phrases for Valentine’s Day
You’ve seen some of the words and phrases that you can use around Valentine’s Day and sometimes other points of the year too.
For example:
Oggi è San Valentino quindi andiamo a cena fuori -Today’s Valentine’s Day so we’re going out for dinner
Cosa fai a San Valentino quest’anno? -What are you doing on Valentine’s Day this year?
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Italian Phrases to Write in a Valentine’s Day Card
And some romantic Italian phrases that you can write in a biglietto di auguri (“greetings card”) on Valentine’s Day.
For example:
Ti amo tanto! -I love you so much!
Mi piace passare tempo con te, mi fai sorridere -I like to spend time with you, you make me laugh
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Italian Valentine’s Day Traditions
There are lots of unique Valentine’s Day Italian traditions.
For example:
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Gifting baci chocolates
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Gifting rose (roses)
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Special events, like “Verona in Love”, where you can go to book events, special shows and see a red heart in the Piazza dei Signori.
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Romantic Songs in Italian for Valentine’s Day
Songs are a great way to make Italian words and phrases stick because they have catchy tunes and lots of repetition.
Here are some romantic songs that are useful if you’re learning Italian because the lyrics aren’t overly complicated.
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Ancora tu, Lucio Battisti
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A te, Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini
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E penso a te, Lucio Battisti
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: In today’s episode, you’ll learn some phrases you can use around Valentine’s Day and some that you can also use for other celebrations during the year.
K: You’ll also find out how Matteo and I spend Valentine’s Day in Italy. But before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore ? If you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you click the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
M: So we should start by saying that Katie and I don’t actually celebrate Valentine’s Day.
K: We’ll explain why in a bit, but we still thought it’d be useful to share some phrases you can use on the day.
M: For example, we would say non festeggiamo San Valentino. We don’t celebrate Valentine's day. Literally:
Non - Not
Festeggiamo - we celebrate
San - Saint
Valentino - Valentine
Non festeggiamo San Valentino
K: So festeggiare is a way that you can say “to celebrate” in Italian. It’s connected to another word you might have heard of that also has to do with celebrating: festa , or party.
M: If you do celebrate it, you could take away the word non , or not, and say festeggiamo San Valentino - we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Festeggiamo San Valentino.
K: As you see in this example, you don’t usually add the word for “day”, or giorno , when you talk about Valentine’s Day in Italian. You just say San Valentino , literally “Saint Valentine”.
Saint Valentine, or San Valentino , was an Italian bishop. He was born in Umbria and later moved to Rome. There are a few different theories about why he’s connected with love. According to one it’s because he supposedly officiated soldiers’ weddings in secret, even though there were laws saying that they couldn’t be married because it made them less effective fighters.
M: And San Valentino’s feast day is 14th February. Or quattordici febbraio in Italian. Quattordici febbraio.
K: A feast day is the day in the calendar dedicated to a particular saint. There might be certain celebrations or local traditions on that day as well, like there is for San Valentino. For example, in the city Verona, where Romeo and Juliet is set, they put a huge red heart in Piazza dei Signori, one of the main squares.
M: If you want to wish someone “happy Valentine’s Day” in Italian, you can say buon San Valentino. Literally:
Buon - good
San - Saint
Valentino - Valentine
Buon San Valentino
K: In Italian, you often use the word “good” in front to give someone well wishes, like buon viaggio. Have a good trip. Or buon anno. Happy New Year.
M: And again, when we say “Happy Valentine’s Day”, we don’t use the word for “day” in Italian. It’s just “good Saint Valentine”, literally translated. Buon San Valentino.
K: One thing you might want to do around Valentine’s Day is give flowers.
M: For this phrase in Italian, you could say regalare i fiori - gift flowers. Literally:
Regalare - to gift
I - the
Fiori - flowers
Regalare i fiori
K: In English, we might say that we give someone flowers, and in Italian “to give” is dare (x2) . But dare can mean a more general sense of giving, not necessarily as a present. For example, dare le chiavi, give the keys. Dare le chiavi. Whereas if you say regalare (x2) it’s clear that you mean giving something as a present.
M: And on Valentine’s Day in Italy, we usually give le rose, or roses. Normally, an even number of flowers is linked to sad occasions, like funerals, so it’s bad luck to give them for a happy event. But there can be exceptions. On Valentine’s Day, the classic twelve roses is usually acceptable because it’s a number traditionally associated with love.
K: Matteo has given me flowers quite a few times in the past, not necessarily on Valentine’s day, but he has quite bad hay fever, so he ends up really suffering when they’re in the house! So we don’t really do flowers indoors anymore.
M: Instead of flowers, you might want to regalare i cioccolatini . Gift little chocolates. Literally:
Regalare - to gift
I - the
Cioccolatini - little chocolates
Regalare i cioccolatini
K: The word for chocolate in Italian is cioccolato (x2) . But sometimes in Italian you can add - ini to the end of the word to make it mean “little”. Because you often give small chocolates on Valentine's Day rather than big bars of chocolate, you might hear this word used more often.
M: There are some traditional cioccolatini that you can give on Valentine’s Day in Italy. They’re called baci, which is the Italian word for kisses.
K: Baci is a useful word to know because Italians use it a lot, for example if they’re signing off a message or even saying goodbye to you in person or on the phone.
M: The baci chocolates have a hazelnut filling and in the wrapper they come with a little note which has some kind of message or quote. You don’t just have to eat them on Valentine's Day, but because of their name they’re a good romantic gift.
K: But it’s best for us not to have sweets or chocolate in the house because we get through them in one go.
M: You could also write the word baci, or kisses, at the end of un biglietto di auguri. A greetings card. Un biglietto di auguri.
K: You might already know the word biglietto as a ticket, like un biglietto del treno , a train ticket, un biglietto del treno . But it’s also the Italian word for a card in the sense of a card you write and send to someone.
M: If you say carta (x2) that’s either the Italian word that you use when you’re talking about a credit card, or it’s the Italian word for “paper”.
K: And the last word in the phrase biglietto di auguri , auguri , is an Italian word that can be used in a lot of situations. It’s a bit like saying “best wishes”, but you can also use it to say things like “Happy Christmas”, “Happy New Year”, “Happy Birthday” or even “congratulations”. Just one little word is very useful across all kinds of occasions: auguri.
M: There is one Valentine’s tradition that Katie and I like and that is uscire a cena - to go out for dinner. Literally:
Uscire - to go out
A - to
Cena - dinner
Uscire a cena
And if you wanted to ask someone if they wanted to eat out, you could say vuoi uscire a cena? - do you want to eat out for dinner? Literally:
Vuoi - you want
Uscire - to go out
A - to
Cena - dinner
Vuoi uscire a cena?
K: We enjoy going out to eat tasty Italian food, but we actually usually avoid doing it on Valentine’s Day itself because the restaurants are busier. So Valentine’s day for us is just like another normal day really! Or you could say that every day is Valentine’s Day for us 😂
M: …
M: You’ve heard a few phrases that you can use on Valentine’s Day in Italy. Let’s see what you can remember.
K: How would you say “we celebrate Valentine’s Day”?
[...]
M: Festeggiamo San Valentino (x2). But if you don’t celebrate it, you just add non to the start of the phrase and say: non festeggiamo San Valentino.
K: What’s the Italian way to say “Happy Valentine’s Day”? Remember the literal translation starts with the word for “good”
[...]
M: Buon San Valentino (x2)
K: How would you say “to gift flowers”?
[...]
M: Regalare i fiori (x2)
K: And what about “to gift little chocolates”?
[...]
M: Regalare i cioccolatini (x2)
K: And how would you say “a greetings card” in Italian?
[...]
M: Un biglietto di auguri (x2)
K: Last one, how would you say “to go out for dinner” in Italian?
[...]
M: Uscire a cena (x2).
K: You’ve heard some useful phrases and traditions for Valentine’s Day, but there are quite a few more. You can find these on our website. Like Italian phrases that you can use if you’re sending someone a biglietto di auguri , Valentine’s card.
M: Lots of our students also like listening to Italian songs to learn more Italian. On our website, you’ll also find some famous Italian romantic songs. You can see if you know some of them already.
K: Just click the link in the description to head over to our website, or go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 216.
M: See you next time.
K: Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz: Valentine's Day in Italian
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Valentine's Day in Italian
Vocabulary
Ti amo tanto! = I love you so much!
Baci e a presto = Kisses and see you soon
Mi piace passare tempo con te = I like to spend time with you
Mi fai sorridere = You make me laugh
Cosa fai a San Valentino quest’anno? = What are you doing on Valentine’s Day this year?
Abbiamo un appuntamento in un ristorante = We have a date in a restaurant
Festeggiamo San Valentino = We celebrate Valentine’s Day
Non festeggiamo San Valentino = We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day
Buon San Valentino = Happy Valentine’s Day
Regalare i fiori = To gift flowers
Regalare i cioccolatini = To gift little chocolates
