La Foce · Chianciano Terme · Val d’Orcia
A New York wedding at La Foce
La Foce wedding photographer
A garden wedding above the Val d’Orcia
This couple came from New York to get married at La Foce, the estate above the Val d’Orcia between Chianciano Terme and Pienza. They asked me not to publish their names, so I’ll let the photographs speak for them.
The bride plans weddings for a living, so she knew exactly what she wanted from the day and from the people working on it. That made her choice of photographer feel like a real compliment.
The day started inside the villa, with the bride and her friends getting ready in rooms full of old furniture and soft light from the garden. The ceremony was held in the Italian garden, among the clipped box hedges, with the valley opening up behind the guests, and it ended, as Jewish ceremonies do, with the breaking of the glass.
The wedding
Best of a day at La Foce
After the vows
Dinner was served on a long table in front of the villa’s facade, under strings of lights, and after dinner everyone moved to the Limonaia to dance until late.
The venue
La Foce
La Foce is a historic estate in the Val d’Orcia, between Chianciano Terme, Pienza and Montepulciano. Its gardens, designed in the 1920s and 1930s by Cecil Pinsent for Iris Origo, are among the most beautiful in Tuscany: geometric box hedges, lemon trees, stone terraces and wide views over the valley.
Ceremonies are usually held in the garden. Dinner can be served outdoors in front of the villa for up to about 100 guests, with a stretch tent as a plan B for rain, and the Limonaia hosts the party after dinner.
The villa and the nearby farmhouses sleep around 48 guests. If you’re looking at the Val d’Orcia, have a look at Dominique and Matt’s wedding in Montefollonico, not far away, or visit the La Foce website.
The surroundings
The Val d’Orcia around La Foce
La Foce sits on the southern edge of the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of rolling hills, cypresses and old farmhouses. Just below the estate runs the zig-zag road lined with cypresses, one of the most photographed views in Tuscany.
Iris Origo, who lived here with her husband Antonio, told the story of the estate during the Second World War in War in Val d’Orcia, still one of the best books for understanding this corner of Italy.
Pienza, Montepulciano and the spa town of Chianciano Terme are all within about twenty minutes, and the tiny walled village of Monticchiello is even closer. Bagno Vignoni, with its old thermal pool in the main square, is a little further west.
Good to know
Planning a wedding at La Foce?
Getting there
La Foce is about 1 hour from Siena, 1 hour 45 minutes from Florence and 2 hours from Rome. The closest airports are Florence and Rome.
Stay
The villa and the farmhouses on the estate sleep around 48 people. Others can stay in Pienza, Montepulciano or the spa town of Chianciano Terme, all within 20 minutes.
Ceremony
In the Italian garden, among the clipped box hedges, with the valley opening up behind the guests.
Timing
The gardens face the valley, so the light is harsh in the middle of the day and beautiful in the late afternoon. A ceremony around 5 pm in summer gives soft light for the vows and golden light for the portraits afterwards.
Portraits
The garden terraces, the lemon trees and the famous zig-zag road lined with cypresses, just below the estate, are all within a few minutes’ walk or drive.
If it rains
Dinner can move under a stretch tent, and the Limonaia is already the natural place for the party.
Check my availability
Getting married at La Foce or elsewhere in the Val d’Orcia?
I’ve photographed weddings at La Foce and in many villas around the Val d’Orcia, Montepulciano and Pienza. Here’s how I work as a Tuscany wedding photographer, or tell me about your day below.
