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Saunter around arm-in-arm in this elegant park and take in a traditional puppet show, perhaps buy a puppet or two, check out the carousel, but most of all enjoy the views, considered by many to be the best in the city. If you happen to be here at noon, get ready for a shock when the cannon booms – a daily routine.

These gardens are the other most famous view of Rome, much cherished by Romantic writers since the early 19th century, when the gardens were designed by Giuseppe Valadier. If the exclusive Casina Valadier café/restaurant (long closed for restoration) should miraculously be open for business, no place is more romantic for a drink or a meal (see Villa Borghese).

The public Rose Gardens are a gracious, fragrant place to stroll in season, and then make your way on up the hill to the Orange Garden, where you can relax under umbrella pines and enjoy the view of the river, Trastevere and St Peter’s. Take the ancient Clivo di Rocca Savella back down the hill.

A huge park with innumerable fountains, benches, shady lanes, niches and glades. But by far the most appealing activity is taking a rowboat out on the lake, around the island with its Classical temple.

Everything you might require for romance can be found in this candlelit hideaway restaurant on an ancient street. The poetic decor has a ballet theme and the atmosphere is suitably soft and subdued. Rigatoni alla crema di cavoli (fluted pasta with cream of cabbage sauce) is the unusual house speciality, and the turkey breast with mozzarella and mushrooms is equally delicious.

Believe it or not, the Fascist complex of EUR has a truly charming restaurant with huge picture windows overlooking the lake, where during the day you can watch boaters go by and the ducks paddle about. The food is simple but is as elegant as its surroundings (see Lo Chalet del Lago, EUR).

With the subtle yet dramatic lighting, the three palaces on this hill take on an almost magical beauty at night (see Musei Capitolini). Make your way up the gentle incline, circumambulate the piazza once or twice, then head across and down to imbibe the vision of the Roman Forum and Colosseum, which are also evocatively floodlit.

Too often thronged with tourists, yet the sheer beauty and power of this creation are nevertheless overwhelming, day or night. It’s also a perfect opportunity to make any wishes you may have in mind, the more romantic the better. Have some coins ready for tossing in – backwards, of course – to ensure your return to Rome.

One day a week, part of the old Via Appia Antica is closed to all traffic except tour buses, making it perfect for a bucolic bike ride, or a very long walk if you want to cover it all. Lined with pines and cypresses, this is where the ancient Romans came to bury their dead, and many tombs still remain along the roadside (see Via Appia Antica).

A triple-chocolate bomb with a cherry in the middle and topped with whipped cream is the famous tartufo produced by this café. If you get it “to go”, it’s a bargain, but it’s probably more romantic to sit inside and share one – as long as you don’t fight over the cherry (see Tre Scalini).