Italy’s tourist hotspots are, in fact, popular for a reason – they’re normally the places that make us fall in love with the country in the primary place, and introduce us to the attractive essence of the place. If you happen to’re planning a marriage in Italy, though, they’re often not the perfect places to look to base yourself for the celebrations. Swapping the foremost cities and sightseeing hubs for this list of hidden gem wedding destinations in Italy can mean your budget goes further, your experience is more personal and exclusive, and you might even uncover an extra layer of authenticity and classic Italian hospitality.
In case your guests are travelling a good distance on your wedding (from the US, for instance), you might want to present them the chance to experience Italy’s highlights – so it’s comprehensible that you just’d wish to select a marriage venue in or near them. Having been within the business of planning destination weddings in Italy for greater than a decade, experience tells us there’s a balance to be struck. This glad medium is at all times something we take into account when helping our couples find their wedding venues, choosing a shortlist of options which might be well situated. Remember:
- In comparison with the US, Italy is a small country and may be very easy to get around. It’s well connected by airports and high speed rail, and hiring a automobile here to tour around is an experience in and of itself. Even in case your wedding venue relies very rurally, you’re unlikely to be greater than an hour’s drive from a significant city. Why not encourage guests to increase their trip!
- We sometimes design ‘two centre’ weddings for our couples, particularly when guests are travelling transatlantically. This provides everyone the chance to reach right into a hub reminiscent of Rome or Milan, spend a night there on your welcome party, after which move on to your hidden gem venue. One of the best of each worlds!
- If you happen to think about a free day or two to your wedding plans we might help organise trips and experiences, which might include typically Italian activities reminiscent of wine tasting, or walking, Fiat 500 or bicycle tours – this fashion, your guests don’t ‘miss out’ on all of the things that make Italy so wonderful.
One of the best hidden gem wedding destinations in Italy – tourist-spot swaps
Swap Lake Garda/Como for…considered one of the 1000+ others!
Unless you’re determined to catch a glimpse of George Clooney at home on its shores, Lake Como needn’t be your first selection for a waterside wedding in Italy. The prestige of the foremost lakes implies that, particularly in the course of the summer months, they’ll be heaving with tourists – yes, even in your wedding day! If you happen to don’t mind this and the value tag that goes together with it, the attractive big hitters are yours for the selecting. We predict, though, a number of the lesser known lakes are much more special to host your wedding.
Take Natasha and Marc’s wedding venue as an awesome example. Their lakeside wedding venue had all of the dramatic scenery and Italian charm of the Northern giants, but with added serenity and exclusivity you’d never get on their bustling shores. We planned their drinks reception and chuppah ceremony just feet from the lapping of Lake Massaciuccoli in Puccini’s Torre del Lago. The venue is only a 25 minute ride from elegant Viareggio with its long promenade, perfect for a beach-side amble, and the world is an ideal springboard for visiting other parts of Tuscany – a day trip to Lucca is perfectly possible, and Florence is a great next destination. Coast and countryside, highlights and hidden gems, all rolled into one.
Swap Florence for…lesser-known Tuscany
Next up on our rundown of hidden gem wedding destinations in Italy…Tuscany. Florence is Tuscany’s capital, famous for its Renaissance art, Brunelesschi’s tiled Duomo, and the gorgeous golden sunsets that set fire to the town’s terracotta roofs every evening. We’re under no circumstances suggesting you skip Florence in your wedding trip to Italy, but this region is alive with incredible wedding venues we expect you absolutely must consider. Getting just 20 minutes outside of the town, you’ll end up within the beating heart of rural Italy – those famous Cypress-studded hilly vistas and shambly, historic towns aren’t any rarity here, and there are various wonderful borgos which might house your entire guest list and offer you an utterly incredible experience.
Ferragamo-owned Il Borro and the Medici estate Artimino are each examples of lovely hamlets that you just hardly need to depart on your entire wedding duration – but should you do, Florence is just an hour away from each. Each has their very own little shops including Il Borro’s artisan shoemaker and goldsmith, and Artimino’s famous gelato spot that you just and your guests will share with locals and tourists alike. You’ll find all of the historic and cultural appeal of Florence, but with even higher views directly across unspoilt countryside.
If you happen to love the thought of looking at Florence as you get married, you’ll want to try A&A’s wedding venue in Fiesole. We also found essentially the most wonderful hidden gem venue for his or her welcome party right in the center of the town, which will be one other great option to scratch your sightseeing itch and get off the beaten path.
Take our Tour of Tuscany for a few of our favourite venues within the region.
Swap Rome for…Verona, or one other European city
Rome’s major appeal is the abundance of ancient architecture and ruins to marvel at, and the Everlasting City holds many highlights – stories of its wealthy (and sometimes gruesome!) past, remnants of the stages of those stories, and the fascinating Vatican and its renowned Sistine Chapel. But there’s no getting around it – Rome is busy, it’s filled with tourists, and you have got to know where to look to search out truly amazing and authentic Italian food.
Natalie and Marc’s wedding in Rome was a superb example of easy methods to get the perfect out of this city on your celebrations, starting with a rooftop welcome soiree and culminating in the marriage day on the outskirts – Rome itself became the backdrop, relatively than the major player.
If you happen to’re on the lookout for a spot that encapsulates the history and storytelling of Rome on a smaller scale, Verona within the north could possibly be a superb selection. You’ll find an amphitheatre here that dates back even further than Rome’s Colosseum, and Shakespeare’s tale of Romeo and Juliet within the air throughout. Because of this, nevertheless, Verona can still be a tourist trap. We predict Rome is pretty inimitable, but you would possibly prefer to explore other European city options with different atmospheres. Our list of the best wedding locations for US couples incorporates some more hidden gem wedding destinations in Italy, and covers the opposite countries we’re keen on for hosting your celebrations.
Swap mainland Italy for…Sicily
If you happen to’ve never considered getting off the Italian mainland and exploring the island of Sicily, we highly recommend it! You’ll find it has a completely different vibe to Italy itself, having been influenced by many alternative cultures over time including Greek, Spanish and Arab. A lot of your favourite Italian foods come from Sicily (cannoli, arancini, caponata…) and you may select from almost any style of landscape to host your wedding. Beautiful beaches and coastlines give option to lush meadows and volcanic mountainous regions, and the marriage venues listed here are just as diverse.
We could argue that Sicily encompasses the perfect of all of the Italian tourist highlights on the mainland, making it considered one of the best possible hidden gem wedding destinations anywhere. It’s got culture and history, incredible food, luxuriously modern hotels and rural hideaways, scenery in all places of each type, and one remaining natural lake in case your heart is ready on that!
Encouraging our couples to look beyond the plain and helping them find considered one of Italy’s little-known but very lovely locations is considered one of the nice joys of being a destination wedding planner, and it ensures that each considered one of your weddings feels truly one-of-a-kind and curated just for you. Our hope is at all times that we discover a venue that exceeds every expectation you had on your wedding, and that the sensation continues throughout the planning process, into your big day and beyond – that’s one reason we put together this list of hidden gem wedding destinations in Italy.
We’re experts in planning destination weddings in Italy, and enthusiasts for turning your ideas into magical, memorable moments. For your individual spectacular celebration in Italy or someplace else in Europe, get in contact.
Take a take a look at our Smashing The Glass features here and here.
