italy wedding locations

How do you go about deciding which of the many possible locations in Italy is right for your wedding?

The distinctive regional characteristics are such that, if you don't have a favourite area or somewhere already in mind, my advice would be to select the location that matches the personality, atmosphere or theme you're aiming for for your wedding in Italy.

Hopelessly Romantic

Verona

All of Italy is romantic, but if you are hopelessly romantic it has to be Verona, setting of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.

Set on the hilly banks of the Adige River, Verona is a cultural treasure-chest, with plenty of fine arts museums, and famous opera and theatre summer season. The Cloisters of the Church of San Francesco al Corso contains the tomb of Juliet and is said to have been where the star-crossed lovers were married. Nearby is the famous balcony, which is thought to bring everlasting love and luck to couples who visit it.

Best time to have your wedding:
If you want to take advantage of the concert and opera season, book in the summer, although you can expect more tourists.

Nearby attractions:
Italian Lakes

How to get there:
Verona Valerio or Brescia Airport, Shuttle bus or train (20 - 40 mins)

Essential viewing:
Romeo & Juliet, After Roberto, Les Amantes de Verone

Venice

Historically both straight-laced and absolutely decadent, Venice is a quietly romantic and beautiful location.

There is quite literally nowhere else like it in the world: fabulous architecture rises from the lagoon and lines the gondola filled canals, with not a whiff of a car or modern building in sight. Not only does the city look and feel phenomenal, like Verona it is also well known for fine arts and theatre, and has plenty of churches filled with famous paintings and frescos. Civil weddings can be held in the Town Hall which is situated in the 15th century Gothic Palazzo Cavalli, near to the Rialto Bridge.

Best time to have your wedding:
The summer months see Venice extremely crowded and sometimes swelteringly hot, and it is at this time of the year that the canals tend to give off an unpleasant smell. Winter is much quieter and cheaper, and although the weather can be frosty as mists roll in from the sea, we think this could be rather atmospheric and romantic! The Carnival is in February, for which you'll have to book well in advance - it's busy, but you could have this wonderful spectacle as a backdrop to your wedding, as people dance through the streets in bright costumes and sparkling masks.

Nearby attractions:
The Islands of Murano, Burano, Torcello, and Lido

How to get there:
Marco Polo or Treviso Airports. Water bus from Marco Polo (30 mins), shuttle bus and water bus from Treviso (1 hour)

Essential viewing:
Cassanova, Don't Look Now, Death in Venice, Summertime, Everyone Says I Love You

A Sense of the Dramatic

The Italian Lake District

Spreading out between Piedmont, Veneto, Switzerland and Trentio, where towering mountains descend to the lowlands, lies The Italian Lake District, an inspirational location for the Romantic Poets as well as modern-day writers.

The area offers several resorts, each as beautiful as the other but with individual characteristics, the most famous being Lakes Como, Garda & Maggiore.

Long and narrow, the deep blue waters of Lake Como are surrounded by Romanesque Villas, wooded mountain slopes and pretty, varied towns such as Bellagio, Menaggio and Como itself.

Lake Garda sweeps down from the northern mountains to the busy southern towns, and has many towns and villages along its banks, including medieval Sirmione, the quintessentially Italian town ofDesenzano del Garda, and hilly Malcesine.

The quieter shores of Lake Maggiore have a wilder, more majestic beauty. Among the cable-cars and popular islands are the towns ofStresa, Arona, Pallanza and the Borromean Islands.

Best time to have your wedding:
Through spring and summer, the lakes are at their most beautiful with nature in full bloom. There are plenty of lesser known but beautiful, charming towns in the area that will be calmer and more intimate than the more famous tourist traps.

Nearby attractions:
Verona

How to get there:
To Lake Garda - Verona Brescia Airport, connecting train (30 mins)
To Lake Como - Milan Airport, connecting train (40 mins)
To Lake Maggiore - Milan or Turin Airport, connecting train

Essential viewing:
Checkpoint, A Month by the Lake, The Luzhin Defence

The Amalfi Coast

Further south and on the western coast of Italy is the plunging, volcanicAmalfi Coast, with its pretty towns and villages teetering on the edge of the cliffs or clinging to the cliff-face.

Sorrento
Most famous of these towns is the bustling and sociable Sorrento, with its cobbled, winding streets and busy restaurants. Perched on a cliff-side of volcanic rock and overlooking the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius looming in the distance, it is not only a popular attraction in itself, but also serves as an excellent base for visiting all the local areas and coastal towns. There are several options when it comes to civil wedding venues, but the most popular is the 13th century stone-vaulted Cloisters of the Church of St. Francis.

Positano
Religious ceremonies aren't available for overseas brides in Sorrento, but that will cease to be a disappointment when you see the tiny Chapel of San Pietro in nearby Positano. Perched high above the sea it has breathtaking views, and the rather exclusive town built on the steep vertical of the mountainside has one of the only sandy beaches in the area. Civil weddings can also be celebrated at the Town Hall on a spectacular sea-view terrace.

Amalfi & Ravello
Further along the coast is Amalfi, a small but busy harbour town with a disproportionately large duomo, and even further along the coast is the real jewel of the coast, Ravello. Dizzyingly high on the cliff tops, it has a population of just 2,000, a small, peaceful town square, beautiful gardens, and one of the best views in the world; people visiting Ravello say that they feel closer to heaven than to earth.

Capri
A short ferry ride from either Naples or Sorrento is the island of Capri, famous the world over as a classy (and expensive!) holiday destination. One side of the island is full of jewellery boutiques and glitzy shops, but a short walk round to the other side reveals quiet garden squares, and peaceful gardens with walkways overlooking the rocky seashore.

Best time to have your wedding:
The best time of year to visit the Amafi Coast is after Easter through to early June, and September & October. Many hotels shut during the winter months, and the Lenten period isn't particularly conducive to celebration. It is inadvisable to visit the Amafi Coast during late June, July and August, as the sheer volume of tourists take away the pleasure of these normally relaxing towns, and the climate becomes very sticky and oppressive. In addition, since the major tour operators started to offer these locations as wedding destinations, you're likely to be sharing your wedding day and venue with several other brides if you chose to set your date during the peak summer months

Nearby attractions:
Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mt. Vesuvius, Naples

How to get there:
Naples Airport, connecting bus or train (1 hr to Sorrento/Capri, 1hr 30mins Positano/Amalfi, 2hrs Ravello)

Essential viewing:
Only You, The Talented Mr Ripley

Cosmopolitan & Fashionable

Rome

A heady mix of the modern and the ancient, Rome, "The Eternal City", has all the fashion and life of an up-to-date capital, interspersed with a thousand historical monuments and Roman buildings just perfect for a destination civil wedding in Italy.

This is a city where the ancient sits side-by-side with the modern and cosmopolitan, and the presence of the majestic Vatican in its midst has an additional significance for those holding a Catholic ceremony in the area.

Best time to have your wedding:
June is the hottest month and can be extremely uncomfortable, whilst in August virtually everything shuts down (including many businesses), although the Estate Romana organises many theatrical events which could be a good diversion for your guests. Winter in Rome is always fairly temperate, never particularly cold and with guaranteed sunshine. Around the Christmas period the churches are full of nativity scenes, and the atmosphere in and around the Vatican is incomparable.

How to get there:
Rome Ciampino airport

Essential viewing:
Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, Only You, Three Coins in the Fountain

Fine Art & Wine Lovers

Tuscany

The warm, fragrant wine-region of Tuscany calls to mind rolling hills where vineyards and olive groves are dotted with farmhouses and villas, all interspersed with medieval towns and cities full of Renaissance art and artifacts.

At the heart of the region is its capital, Florence, a city built to reflect the beauty of its surroundings. Set in the Tuscan countryside, its wealth of fine arts and breathtaking architecture have turned it into a heaving tourist destination, especially in the summer months.

Less busy but just as atmospheric are the charming towns of Siena, Arezzo, Cortona & Pisa, all of which are built on several levels overlooking the rolling countryside beyond, and are home to some wonderful frescoed churches and beautiful Duomi. For those looking for something more intimate, there is also the charming medieval town ofCertaldo.

Best time to have your wedding:
These locations are open all year so it's easy to avoid the busy summer months when Florence in particular becomes extremely crowded. As with the Amalfi Coast, we'd advise you to book between Easter and June, or September/October.

How to get there:
Florence & Pisa Airports, connecting trains.

Essential viewing:
A Room with a View, Tea with Musolini, Up at the Villa, Life is Beautiful (Arezzo), Much Ado About Nothing, Stealing Beauty

This piece on Italy has been written by Callie Copeman-Bryant, who with a love for all things Italian visits regularly. Callie and her husband James got married in Sorrento, on Italy's Amalfi Coast. Click here to view their beautiful wedding.