When in love, one is showered with flowers and candy, and your ears are filled with the sound of music. It's no wonder then that so many newlyweds flock to Italy for their honeymoon. Valentine's Day is just as special, and travelers come to bacio throughout the boot.

Terni is in the center of Italy, and is appropriately home to the tomb of the Saint of Love. Sweets devotees come for Cioccolentino – a celebration of love, passion and mouth-watering chocolate from February 11-14. Stay for the Milky Way, a competition to create a 200-foot-long chocolate block in less than two hours.

From here, take your Eurail Italy Pass and head four hours to Bologna for an evening of opera at the Teatro Comunale. This is one of Italy's greatest venues, and sings out "romance" with its golden, arched balconies.

We think a fitting end to a romantic trip to Italy is a journey to Verona. Just 90 minutes from Bologna, this star-crossed lover locale pulls out all the stops for Valentine's Day. On February 12-14, the Piazza dei Signori sees red, as heart-shaped lanterns illuminate the streets. Stay for the free concerts, or just have your significant other whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Now that's amore.

Did you know that Rome just celebrated it's 2,765th anniversary?   Despite its age the town is still in pretty good condition.  And there is always something new and exciting going on.

New and noteworthy for Rome 2012

Rock In Rome which hosts a variety of Italian and International artists from June through to August. For the 2012 event artists include Snoop Dogg, Placebo, Radiohead, The Cure, Garbage and Lenny Kravitz to name a few.

Roma Europa Festival (October) offers a variety of music, dance, arts and theatre and is held at several locations throughout the city and The Roma Jazz Festival (November) has performances from both Italian and International musicians.

The White Night Festival 2012 or La Notte Bianca, as it's known in Italian, features entertainment for night-owls.  That's right, the city will practically be open all night with attractions that include art and theater events, musical performances and concerts.  Many of the city's main attractions and amenities will remain open during this nocturnal event. The event lasts for one night, towards the beginning of September and has always been a popular annual event in Rome. Things have changed quite a bit in recent years though and less money is being used to finance the event so the 2012 event isn't likely to be as big as past editions.  The date is still yet to be announced.

Art lovers can admire the "Dali: an Artist, a Genius" Exhibition running from  March 10th to June 30th at the Vittoriano Complex in Piazza Venezia. Tickets cost €10.

Noteworthy for 2012 is the scheduled opening of the Rome Metro Line C (the 3rd line of Rome's subway system) by June. It will be the first fully automated line in the city and uses part of the old Rome-Pantano railway. Although it's opening shouldn't cause many problems for getting about in the city centre if you plan to visit around that time you might want to bear it in mind.

A couple of new things are happening in Rome for 2011 if you plan on visiting:

The Vatican museum has a new online reservation system that is working pretty smoothly. This is a must-see attraction if you are visiting Rome.

The Colosseum is being spruced up and given permanent lighting.  In the future, you may be able to see sections that were previously closed to visitors.

La Tiburtina, Rome's second-largest train station is undergoing a renovation project which will include high-speed rail.  A new company called Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) is expected to start service from the Tiburtina station sometime in 2011 with service from / to Milan, Florence, Venice and Naples.Pictured below is one of the high-speed rail trains from NTV, with speeds up to 330 kilometers per hour or 205 miles per hour.

An Italian tradition for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day is to have lentil ("lenticchie") soup.  It is supposed to bring good fortune.

Here is a recipe for lentil soup.

Buon capodanno!  or Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve in Italy, or La Festa di San Silvestro, or Capodanno, is celebrated like most Italian holidays, that is, with the emphasis being on family and food. Most of the towns in Italy will have a big fireworks display. The main dinner course is usually lentils or "lenticchie", along with a spicy sausage, or "salsiccia".

Pictured on the right is a young woman preparing for New Year's Eve in Italy.

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