20 August 2026
Florence
Have you ever heard the Italian saying “Per San Valentino fiorisce lo spino” (the Hawthorn flowers for St. Valentine)? There are various sayings about the lovers’ day that talk about the approaching spring, either to describe the feeling of excitement or because of the approach of rebirth, of love. Celebrating the 14th of February is an excellent opportunity to renew, cherish and cultivate your relationship with your other half. Enjoy a holiday in the heart of Florence in Palazzo Castri, an inspired and inspiring location, where you can have a dream holiday.
Do you know the origin of Valentine’s day? The day that has become a celebration for lovers all over the world? It begins in Italy, in Tuscania, just after the first millennium.
THE LEGEND OF SAINT VALENTINE
We are in the cloisters of St. Giusto of Tuscania, Viterbo, in the early 11th century. This is where a monk named Valentino lived. He was an orphan, and so was sent to become a Benedictine monk at a very early age. He was a passionate, devoted monk, who grew up in the faith, serving the monastery. At the age of 23 he was entrusted with looking after the garden. Together with other monks, he grew herbs and vegetables that were used in the monastery kitchens, while he alone grew flowers. He never failed to ensure the monastery church was beautifully decorated with flowers, and if the abbot wished to honour or thank anyone, he would ask Valentino to prepare bunches of flowers.
One day as he was tending the garden Valentino saw two rather straggly roses that he thought spoiled the beautiful flower garden. He uprooted them and threw them over the wall. But as he bent back down, he heard a woman’s scream. He looked over the wall and saw that the rose thorns had caught a woman on the face as she walked with her companion. He was immediately contrite and apologised for being so stupid. But the woman thanked him by saying, “Are flowers not an expression of love? Your roses scratched me unexpectedly, but it must be a sign. They are the proof that this is the right man for me. We will marry and you can be our witness!”
This story of flowers, of love and of promises spread rapidly among the young people of the town. Lots of couples came to the monastery wall to ask Valentino to throw a flower to seal their love, or asked to be married at the monastery.
The bishop also helped create the legend that we celebrate every 14th of February by exchanging love tokens to seal love pacts, or by sending flowers or declarations of love to the person we believe is our “Valentine”.
The bishop made Valentino a saint not because he was a martyr, as the church already had its own saint, but because “Being a saint does not always involve bloodshed. Not everyone has to be a martyr. They may just stand out for the love of their neighbour or for charitable works”. This is why the colour red is used to celebrate the lovers’ day.
CINEMA: PEANUTS AND RUDOLPH
The 14th of February became known across the Atlantic, and afterwards elsewhere, thanks to early 1920s cinema, with films dedicated to lovers and the birth of another Italian legend, Rudolph Valentino, or Rudy, who enchanted thousands of women with a rose between his teeth. He was considered the face of love that an early death turns into a legend of lost love. In the United States, Charles M. Schulz and his Peanuts Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy & company were responsible for the tradition of sending Valentine cards, often shaped into hearts or doves with cupids, ready to be delivered to our beloved to reveal our love. A wonderful “Valentine” could be a romantic break at Palazzo Castri, where love can be renewed by breakfasting in the garden, having a relaxing swim in the hydromassage pool and enjoying being pampered in magical, timeless Florence.
