The Romantic Night in the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy

A Night of Love in the Bentivoglio Village

The Romantic Night in the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy is the national initiative, promoted by the association 'I Borghi più Belli d'Italia' (The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy), which every year around the summer solstice transforms participating historic centers into settings dedicated to love and beauty. In Gualtieri, in the province of Reggio Emilia, the event takes place in the heart of the Bassa Reggiana, along the banks of the Po River, in one of Emilia-Romagna's most charming villages.

Piazza Bentivoglio and the Frescoed Palace

The village, an ancient fief of the Bentivoglio family, preserves the 16th-century elegance of Palazzo Bentivoglio, with its frescoes, loggias, and internal gardens. The scenic Piazza Bentivoglio, one of the largest monumental squares in Italy, becomes the open-air living room for the evening: here, toasts are made at sunset and dinners are enjoyed under the stars. Inside the palace, rooms such as the Salone dei Giganti (Hall of Giants) and the Sala dei Falegnami (Carpenters' Hall) host storytelling, exhibitions, and musical performances, while the Tower offers suggestive views from its panoramic balcony.

Love Stories, Dinner, and the Midnight Kiss

The program intertwines art, music, and gastronomy in an intimate and refined atmosphere. The evening features readings and love stories, aperitifs for lovers, and romantic dinners with the typical flavors of the Reggiana tradition, from tortelli to platters of cured meats and cheeses. The atmosphere is that of solstice nights: candles, music, and the famous midnight kiss ritual, which has always been the symbolic heart of the event.

A Village of Art and Memory

Gualtieri is also the land of the visionary painter Antonio Ligabue, to whom the village dedicates museums and events throughout the year. The Romantic Night is part of a rich summer calendar, which also includes the traditional Festa del Pozzo (Well Festival), linked to ancient solstice rites and the 'dew of San Giovanni'. Participating in the Romantic Night means discovering a village where art, history, and popular traditions coexist in a single, exciting evening.

Why Participate

• One of the largest monumental squares in Italy illuminated for the most romantic night of the summer
• Tours and storytelling inside the 16th-century Palazzo Bentivoglio
• Romantic dinners with the flavors of the Bassa Reggiana
• The midnight kiss ritual and the summer solstice atmosphere