A Virginia Beach couple is heading home safely after the Italian cruise ship they were on ran aground.

The Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Tuscany on Friday with some 4,200 people aboard.

The Virginian-Pilot reports (http://bit.ly/xgGXBF ) that Rick Langlands and his girlfriend, Karen Kennedy, were sailing on the ship.

Langlands called his brother from Rome on Saturday and Kennedy wrote to her sister about the experience.

Kennedy said they evacuated safety by lifeboat but said it would definitely be a trip they will talk about for a long time.

The Virginia Beach couple was taken to a hotel in Rome, but their passports and belongings were left aboard the ship. They were scheduled to return home Sunday.