Valentine's Day in Italy

The programmes for the fourteenth of February in Italy gather around two cities. In Venice it is a morning photo session for a couple with breakfast at a luxury hotel — ninety minutes at 494 dollars, while the canals are still empty — and an hour on a private boat with an aperitivo at 147. February is low season here, the crowds are thin, and that works in the story's favour.

Rome, in this selection, covers the evening. The night ride in a vintage Fiat 500 with a driver lasts three hours at 459 dollars: the route is built around lit-up squares rather than museums, and you rarely need to leave the car. A golf cart through the historic centre with a local driver takes the same three hours at 163 dollars; unlike the car, it passes where traffic is closed.

The daytime half is wine outside the city. Tastings around Rome run three and four hours at 146 and 158 dollars, with about an hour's drive each way to the estates. GetExperience lists 11 programmes in Italy for this date, from 63 to 494 dollars. The fourteenth goes early, so the date is worth holding a few weeks ahead; payment is by card online and confirmation arrives by email.