Honeymoon-at-Home Date Night, Destination: Rome, Italy

Our honeymoon experts have brought to life one of Europe’s ultimate romantic destinations. This week’s honeymoon-at-home takes us to the celebrated city of Rome, Italy.

The “Eternal City” is the capital of Italy and one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Not only will you benefit from the romance of Italian culture, you’ll be emerged in the intoxicating history of the Roman Empire, too. You don’t have to wait for travel restrictions to be lifted to get a taste of Rome. Bring the magic of Rome to your home with this week’s honeymoon at home edition.

Rome Date Night: Food & Drinks

What’s the first thing that normally comes to mind when you think of Italy in general?

Food.

Give your taste buds a tour of Rome with these classic recipes: Carciofi Alla Romana (artichoke hearts) and Pasta all’ Amatriciana (pasta with pork sauce). For a delicious vegetarian dish, eliminate the pancetta from the pasta sauce.

Start your evening with an Italian spritz (or this non-alcoholic version).

With dinner, enjoy a nice glass of Italian wine—always acceptable, “when in Rome.” 😉 Chianti Classico, a popular varietal widely consumed all over Italy, is usually available at your local supermarket, and is perfect with rich Italian food.

Finish the night off with the sweet taste of Gelato, Italy’s frozen treat. Fun fact: it’s less fattening, denser and smoother than ice cream as we know it. And you can pick it up at most supermarkets. A perfect dessert choice to set the mood for romance.

 

Rome Date Night: Ambience

Bring Rome straight to your living room or backyard with these decorations and props for under $100:

• Checkered tablecloth
• Colosseum backdrop
• Photo props
• Italian-inspired wall art
• Balloons
• Triumphal arc figurine

If you want to kick it up a notch, here are some extras that you can add:

• Stemless wine glasses
• Viva Italia decorations
• Rome napkins
• Wine string lights

Check out our full Date Night at Home Rome shopping list on Amazon.

 

Rome Date Night: Music and Tours

During cocktail hour, choose one of these playlists to set the mood (choose the music streaming service you use):

Amazon Prime Music   Spotify    Apple Music    Pandora

And then enjoy exploring Rome, and other parts of Italy, with these virtual tours.

 

Rome Date Night: Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a sure-fire guide to pulling off an Italian date night to remember:

Week before: Order supplies from our Date Night at Home Rome shopping list on Amazon.

Day before: Shop for food/drinks ingredients

Artichoke ingredients:

• 4 large artichokes
• 2 lemons
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea or Kosher salt
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• Mint leaves
• Flat leafed parsley
• Fresh oregano
• Garlic cloves or minced garlic

A fresh, crusty loaf of bread

Pasta ingredients:

• Cans of whole peeled tomatoes
• Onion
• Guanciale
• Pancetta
• Olive oil
• Red pepper flakes
• Tomato paste
• Dry white wine for cooking
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Pasta
• Pecorino or Parmesan

Italian Spritz ingredients:

• Aperol
• Prosecco
• Sparkling water
• Orange and lime slices (garnish)

Non-alcoholic Italian Spritz:

• Pink grapefruit
• Sugar
• Fresh rosemary
• Fresh thyme
• Water
• Sugar
• Pellegriono
• Tonic water

Wine

• Chianti Classico

Day of:

5 pm: Turn on the Italian playlist, choose a room in your home to set the scene, and get to decorating.

6 pm: Prepare artichokes and pasta.

7 pm: Time to get dressed up

7:30 pm: Enjoy a Spritz for happy hour

8 pm: Dinner time! Savor each bite, paired with Chianti Classico.

9pm: Explore Rome virtually through your tv, take some romantic photos, and enjoy a sweet bite of gelato.

 

Don’t forget to take pictures to remember your night! If you share on social media use the tag @honeyfund and #HoneymoonatHome, so we can feature you on Honeyfund’s social. Check back next Monday for our next Honeymoon at Home date-night destination