Help! Rome propose idea at Christmas!

[kpoon]

First I need to thanks all PS fellow members for all the great advices and resources to help me to find the right diamond for my e-ring! This is such a wonderful community and I am so glad that I found this site.

Here is the stone I get. Is it any good? http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2275/

Now moving on to the proposal. I will be going to Rome for Christmas with my girl. Any good place/time to pop the question, ideas?? suggestion?? Please help!

 

[kpoon]

Actually, I will be going to Venice and Florence too. So any idea and experience for these 2 cities are welcome too!

 

[sparkel]

What about maybe proposing at the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It is customary to make a wish while you are there. You could research it a bit more because I''m not sure about it exactly but I believe that you throw three coins in the fountain and make a wish. You could give her three coins tell her to make a wish and while she is throwing them you could get down on one knee and say something about how you hope that her wish included a future with you, how much you love her etc. Don''t know what you think but I think it would be memorable.

Rebecca

 

[kpoon]

Hey the Trevi fountain and wish idea sounds good! Christmas + making wishes seems romantic and special! Thanks Sparkel.

I think I am worry about is the pickpocket in Rome... I will be dead if someone come up and snatch away...

Is Venice or Florence a saver place?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My feeling is that you need to do the proposal as soon as you can after you get there so the ring can be safely on her finger rather than in your pocket!

 

[oliverOSU]

I''ve actually seen a proposal at the trevi fountain, they were sitting right on the rim of the fountain, he proposed, and then they made wishes....it was really nice, but be forewarned, there will be a lot of people watching you, it can be quite crowded. this might be lame, but in rome there is the pantheon, a building with an oculus, a big hole in the top so there is a spot on the floor where sunlight beams down (if it''s sunny....could be neat to stand in that spot.

I also like the piazza navona in rome, it''s a piazza with a beautiful Bernini fountain and lots of restaurants with the right mood. also, if you''ve seen the movie Roman Holiday, the go to a sculpture called the Mouth of Truth, there is a traditional belief that if you tell a lie with your hand in its mouth, your hand will be bitten off! I''m sure you could come up with something fun with this, especially if you watch the movie beforehand so she''ll think it''s romantic. http://www.dpsusa.com/bocca_verita_history.shtml

venice: I personally don''t find venice all that romantic, it''s a little too touristy for me now, but you could always do the gondola thing, or there are plenty of romantic places in random places there.

florence: my favorite spot in florence is the piazzale michelangelo, it''s on the opposite side of the river from the main city, up on a hill, with an amazing view of the whole city.

there are also the boboli gardens, which can be very beautiful in certain places. also, if you''re adventurous, you can climb to the top of the duomo belltower, it''s got a good view and I''m sure you could come up with something clever to say about being on top of the world

also, i wouldn''t worry about pickpockets...I think it''s an overblown myth about rome (obviously there is some, but it''s not rampant- most tourists are never robbed if you are smart!)

ok, enough from me....I used to live in italy so I get overly excited about it

 

[kpoon]

Thanks Oliver. Now need to digest the info and come up with something that represent us.

I will also visit a smaller Tuscany town Siena. Wonder if that is a nice town to propose too .

 

[oliverOSU]

Siena is also very nice, it has a large, beautiful piazza, and will be much less crowded and touristy than the other cities. depending on the weather when you are there, it shouldn''t be TOO cold, you could enjoy a nice bottle of wine on the piazza!

 

[pad3006]

Hi;
That is so great you are going to propose in Rome. I went there this summer, and it is really gorgous you will love it so much.
If you like something private, I remember one spot and being really gorgous. There are steps above the Roman Colliseam (sp?) and at night it is lit up and it just great, there is a resturant near there too.
There is also a resturant that is in the Borgasee Gardens, I cant remember the name of it but it is new. If you are staying at a hotel they will know the name of it. It was really nice, they have an outdoor terrace. It is really gorgous, it has a great view of Rome.
I took my GF there and I wished I had a ring to propose.
If you were to go to Venice I would have another choice that to me was great. It was like no other place like it.
Take care and good luck.

Phil
If you want to email me for any more info you can email me at [email protected]

 

[kpoon]

Thank you all for the great ideas! You guys are always helpful!

Gals, I would love to hear your dream proposal so I can learn from it!

 

[dp111]

I don''t know what ya''ll are like, but a few years ago when my lovely lady and I were in Rome we spent one of our few evenings drinking beer on the spanish steps. It was a very laid back scene and if it wasn''t crazy obvious that I would be proposing if I took her back there that would be a great place for our upcoming proposal to happen. I don''t know if it''d be as nice in the winter.

I''d also like to second getting up on the hill where you look over florence. In our little tour through italy we stayed at a little camp ground/hotel like thing on the hill and the view of the city was gorgeous. Quite frankly so much of that area''s gorgeous you''re going to be good to go.

gl!

 

[diamondfan]

I think some of the more off the path places are lovely. I was in Rome this summer and would not do the Trevi fountain, there are hundreds of people there most of the day. What about the Borghese gardens? I am not sure of the hours it is open or the seasons but I think that could be gorgeous...

 

[kpoon]

Thanks again for the ideas. They are all great!

I am thinking I should propose in Venice because it is the beginning of the trip but Rome is the last city we are going to. I would think it is better to have the rest of the trip feel engaged.

As in Venice, I heard the best time to stroll around is early morning because it is quiet and different. So I am planning to have a 6am get lost stroll in Venice and find somewhere nice and propose to her. Not sure where though... maybe some back alley or St Macro square... what do you guys and gals think?

 

[pad3006]

San Marcos Square is really pretty but it is generally very crowded, maybe in the early morning it wont be but also there are a lot of pigions there. I dont know if that would gross you out but personally I am not so into them but thats just me.

There are a lot of very pretty places there, just walking around is fun. There are so many places on the water to sit and enjoy the views..
If you are looking to propose at an elegant place the Cipriani, the one I mentioned before, is great. It is a hotel on its own island. It has an outdoor resturant. I dont know what the weather will be like there at the time, but there they have an outdoor and indoor resturant. I heard that the indoor resturant is really nice too.
Good luck with everything, take care

Phil

 

[gail013]

Hi Sparkle-

Wow is that exciting! The Trevi fountain is beautiful,. but very crowded. I was there this summer and most nights it seemed to me there was someone getting married, or rather lots of flash bulbs going off for wedding pics. In Italy anyway, I saw weddings every night of the week. It''s kind of fun too, there are so many old churches, and there is almost always a wedding going on. You can tell because of the large flower displays outside the churches-be sure to peek your head in and check it out-they were beautiful-the churches and the flowers that is. The flower displays are really unusual, and I saw florists putting them together in the streets, as the shops are so small. The spanish steps are almost always crowded, and I saw lots of kids, people hawking fake purses-yes even some of those coveted B-Bags-, and I felt like you had to be careful there in regards to pickpockets, but it was the only place I felt that way. Rome is much busier than I expected.

Rome is dripping with romance though. Just about anyplace you want to eat is a small cafe, very intimate, long, lazy fantastic dinners, candlight, and there are fountains everywhere. Florence is really stunning though and quainter, and I think a more intimate setting for a proposal. The bridges make a beautiful backdrop there. Maybe one of your hotels could help you set something up.

I also hired a personal shopper for an afternoon in Rome, and if you need anything she was very helpful. I could get you her name. Just in case you need any proposal type of things. Do you know what hotel you are staying at in Rome? We stayed at the Westin and were able to use my hubbies points, and it was the most fantastic hotel we have ever stayed at, from the rooms to the lobby to the service-hard to beat and fantastic location. They actually had a pillow menu to choose from.

We are for sure going back.

 

[piccolascimmia]

Kpoon, how fabulous! I love Italy...and I think Italy at Christmas will be busy, but not busy like the crazy summertime.

I agree that doing it first thing in the trip is a good idea, and that sounds like Venice. I''ve been there a few times, and I prefer your approach of finding somewhere you feel comfortable.

If I had to offer up a location, Venice is tougher to imagine that *one* spot...but everywhere I visit in Italy, I tend to climb to the top of the basilica or the companile (most have teeny stairways that lead you to the top, sometimes for a fee). The views are always amazing, and I think I''d love a proposal up there! Her heart will be beating from the climb, and you can take her breath away with the ring!

 

[Pandora II]

I lived in Italy for 8 years, 2 years in Como and 6 years in Arezzo, Tuscany.

I had an ex who lived in Venice so I went there every weekend for 2 years. I love Venice, but it can be so touristy. I also took BF there this year and he didn't like it that much. It is also a bit cliched.

Florence is not my favourite city, however there is a little town called Fiesole that is on a hillside just outside. It has the most beautiful views of Florence and gorgeous little hotels and restaurants. It's where all the Florentine elite have their villas. There is also a famous monastry where I think they do gregorian chanting.
It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

Sienna there is a fountain that I personally love called Fonte Branda in the Contrada della Oca. It's very very old and I used to go there a lot just to sit. They were doing the surroundings up so they weren't too nice last time I went. The piazza is very nice too. I went to a wedding there where the groom had a plane fly over when they came out of the townhall and drop hundreds of rosepetals and rosebuds all over everyone. I'm going to another one there next May.

Most of the nicest bits of Italy are a bit out of the way. Montepulciano is gorgeous if you get the chance to go there.

Rome I wouldn't go for - it's lovely, but very busy and touristy and lots of pickpockets. Although in 8 years I never got anything stolen.

Have a lovely time!

 

[Aloros]

I''ve recommended this spot before, and I''ll recommend it again! Palatine Hill in Rome! It''s above the Roman Forum and overlooks the city. There are ruins and these gorgeous trees. Not a whole lot of tourists go up there (the guidebook I had didn''t recommend it), so it wouldn''t be hard to get her alone. I thought it would be the most romantic place for a proposal. Just lovely, especially just as sunset is beginning.

Siena is very nice as well. It''s a medieval town, so all the streets are so very charming, especially at night, when they are lit up by christmas lights. It''s also a fair bit quieter at night.

Florence is a bit more modern-looking, and not as romantic, I think.

Venice I have no experience with.

Good luck!