Italy’s tourist hotspots are, of course, popular for a reason – they’re usually the places that make us fall in love with the country in the first place, and introduce us to the beautiful essence of the place. If you’re planning a wedding in Italy, though, they’re often not the best places to look to base yourself for the celebrations. Swapping the major 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 may even uncover an additional layer of authenticity and classic Italian hospitality.
If your guests are travelling a long way for your wedding (from the US, for example), you may want to give them the opportunity to experience Italy’s highlights – so it’s understandable that you’d want to choose a wedding venue in or close to them. Having been in the business of planning destination weddings in Italy for more than a decade, experience tells us there’s a balance to be struck. This happy medium is always something we keep in mind when helping our couples find their wedding venues, selecting a shortlist of options that are well situated. Remember:
- Compared to the US, Italy is a small country and is very easy to get around. It’s well connected by airports and high speed rail, and hiring a car here to tour around is an experience in and of itself. Even if your wedding venue is based very rurally, you’re unlikely to be more than an hour’s drive from a major city. Why not encourage guests to extend their trip!
- We sometimes design ‘two centre’ weddings for our couples, particularly when guests are travelling transatlantically. This gives everyone the opportunity to arrive into a hub such as Rome or Milan, spend an evening there for your welcome party, and then move on to your hidden gem venue. The best of both worlds!
- If you factor in a free day or two to your wedding plans we can help organise trips and experiences, which can include typically Italian activities such as wine tasting, or walking, Fiat 500 or bicycle tours – this way, your guests don’t ‘miss out’ on all the things that make Italy so wonderful.
The best hidden gem wedding destinations in Italy – tourist-spot swaps
Swap Lake Garda/Como for…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 choice for a waterside wedding in Italy. The prestige of the major lakes means that, particularly during the summer months, they’ll be heaving with tourists – yes, even on your wedding day! If you don’t mind this and the price tag that goes along with it, the beautiful big hitters are yours for the choosing. We think, though, some of the lesser known lakes are even more special to host your wedding.
Take Natasha and Marc’s wedding venue as a great example. Their lakeside wedding venue had all 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 just a 25 minute ride from elegant Viareggio with its long promenade, perfect for a beach-side amble, and the area is a perfect springboard for visiting other parts of Tuscany – a day trip to Lucca is perfectly possible, and Florence is an ideal 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 city’s terracotta roofs every evening. We are by no means suggesting you skip Florence on your wedding trip to Italy, but this region is alive with incredible wedding venues we think you absolutely must consider. Getting just 20 minutes outside of the city, you’ll find yourself in the beating heart of rural Italy – those famous Cypress-studded hilly vistas and shambly, historic towns are no rarity here, and there are many wonderful borgos which can house your entire guest list and provide you with an utterly incredible experience.
Ferragamo-owned Il Borro and the Medici estate Artimino are both examples of lovely hamlets that you hardly need to leave for your entire wedding duration – but if you do, Florence is just an hour away from both. Each has their own little shops including Il Borro’s artisan shoemaker and goldsmith, and Artimino’s famous gelato spot that you and your guests will share with locals and tourists alike. You’ll find all the historic and cultural appeal of Florence, but with even better views directly across unspoilt countryside.
If you love the idea of looking at Florence as you get married, you’ll want to take a look at A&A’s wedding venue in Fiesole. We also found the most wonderful hidden gem venue for their welcome party right in the heart of the city, which can be another great way to scratch your sightseeing itch and get off the beaten path.
Take our Tour of Tuscany for some of our favourite venues in the region.
Swap Rome for…Verona, or another European city
Rome’s main appeal is the abundance of ancient architecture and ruins to marvel at, and the Eternal City holds many highlights – stories of its rich (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 packed with tourists, and you have to know where to look to find truly amazing and authentic Italian food.
Natalie and Marc’s wedding in Rome was a fabulous example of how to get the best out of this city for your celebrations, beginning with a rooftop welcome soiree and culminating in the wedding day on the outskirts – Rome itself became the backdrop, rather than the main player.
If you’re looking for a place that encapsulates the history and storytelling of Rome on a smaller scale, Verona in the north could be a good choice. You’ll find an amphitheatre here that dates back even further than Rome’s Colosseum, and Shakespeare’s tale of Romeo and Juliet in the air all around. For this reason, however, Verona can still be a tourist trap. We think Rome is pretty inimitable, but you might like to explore other European city options with different atmospheres. Our list of the best wedding locations for US couples contains some more hidden gem wedding destinations in Italy, and covers the other countries we’re fond of for hosting your celebrations.
Swap mainland Italy for…Sicily
If you’ve never considered getting off the Italian mainland and exploring the island of Sicily, we highly recommend it! You’ll find it has a totally different vibe to Italy itself, having been influenced by many different cultures over the years including Greek, Spanish and Arab. Lots of your favourite Italian foods come from Sicily (cannoli, arancini, caponata…) and you can choose from almost any type of landscape to host your wedding. Beautiful beaches and coastlines give way to lush meadows and volcanic mountainous regions, and the wedding venues here are just as diverse.
We could argue that Sicily encompasses the best of all the Italian tourist highlights on the mainland, making it one of the absolute best hidden gem wedding destinations anywhere. It’s got culture and history, fantastic food, luxuriously modern hotels and rural hideaways, scenery everywhere of every type, and one remaining natural lake if your heart is set on that!
Encouraging our couples to look beyond the obvious and helping them find one of Italy’s little-known but very lovely locations is one of the great joys of being a destination wedding planner, and it ensures that every one of your weddings feels truly one-of-a-kind and curated just for you. Our hope is always that we find a venue that exceeds every expectation you had for your wedding, and that the feeling 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 own spectacular celebration in Italy or somewhere else in Europe, get in touch.
Take a look at our Smashing The Glass features here and here.