Getting married in Tuscany: a practical guide for foreign couples

Where to get married in Tuscany

Whatever kind of wedding you have in mind, you’ll find the right place for it in Tuscany.
There are hundreds and hundreds of venues, from historic villas and castles to farmhouses, wine estates, monasteries and private houses rented just for a few days.
The hard part isn’t finding a beautiful place: it’s choosing the area that suits you, because each part of Tuscany has its own landscape, its own light and its own pace.

A note on this guide

This isn’t a complete guide to Tuscany, and it doesn’t try to be. It comes from years of photographing weddings here: the places I know, the roads I’ve driven, the light I’ve worked in. There are hundreds of beautiful venues and corners of the region that aren’t mentioned, and many of them would deserve a place on this page.
If you’re planning your wedding and have a question, about an area, a venue, the timing of the day or anything else, write to me and I’ll do my best to answer. And if you think something is missing, tell me: I’ll be glad to add it, so the guide grows a little with every couple who reads it.

Countryside or city?

In the countryside, everything usually happens in one place.
Guests stay at the villa or nearby, the ceremony, dinner and party are a few steps apart, and the day flows without moving anyone. You get space, privacy and the landscape, but you’ll need to organise transport for guests, plan for the heat and think about a plan B for rain.
In a city like Florence, Siena or Lucca, the setting is history itself: a civil ceremony in a medieval town hall, portraits in squares and narrow streets, hotels and restaurants within walking distance.
On the other hand, there are crowds in high season, limited traffic zones and stricter rules on music and evening events.
Many couples combine the two: a ceremony in town, followed by dinner and the party in a villa in the hills just outside.

Val d’Orcia

South of Siena, the Val d’Orcia is the Tuscany of postcards and a UNESCO World Heritage Site: soft rolling hills, lines of cypresses, wheat fields that are bright green in spring and golden in summer, and small hill towns like Pienza, Montalcino and San Quirico.
The landscape is open and wide, with few trees, so the light is spectacular at sunset and very strong at midday.
Venues are mostly historic estates and agriturismi, like La Foce and Terre di Nano, and villages like Montefollonico on its edge.
The hills just outside Siena hide some of the most elegant villas in Tuscany, with formal Italian gardens, lemon trees in terracotta pots and wide views over the countryside, like Villa Catignano.
Siena itself is twenty minutes away for portraits, dinners or a day of sightseeing.

The Crete Senesi

Just south-east of Siena, the Crete Senesi are made of bare clay hills, grey and pale in summer and green after the rain, with an almost lunar feeling.
Isolated farmhouses, rows of cypresses along the ridges and the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore rising above the ravines.
It’s quieter and maybe less known than the Val d’Orcia, with small villages like Montisi.

Chianti

Between Florence and Siena, the Chianti is greener and more wooded than the south: oak and chestnut forests, vineyards on every slope, stone villages like Greve, Radda and Castellina, and castles turned into wine estates.
It’s a good choice if you want vineyards and wine at the centre of the day, and Florence within an hour.

Valdichiana and Cortona

To the east, the Valdichiana is a wide, fertile valley between Montepulciano and Cortona, with gentler hills, farmland and villas surrounded by parks, like Villa Castelletto near Sinalunga.
Cortona, high on its hill, overlooks the whole valley and Lake Trasimeno.

Volterra and the west

Around Volterra, an ancient Etruscan town known for its alabaster, the landscape opens up and becomes wilder and emptier, with long views towards the sea. Fewer tourists, large estates and a sense of space, like at Borgo Pignano.
San Gimignano and its towers are not far.

Maremma and the coast

In the south-west, the Maremma combines the sea with a rougher countryside of woods, hot springs and hilltop villages like Montemerano.
For couples who want a beach or the sea nearby, it’s the most natural choice in Tuscany.

Florence

For a city wedding, Florence offers historic palaces, churches and the town hall in Palazzo Vecchio, with the hills of Fiesole and San Miniato a few minutes away for portraits and dinner.

Getting there

• Airports: Florence and Pisa are the closest. Florence airport is small and mainly served by European flights; Pisa is larger, with more low-cost connections. Rome Fiumicino has the best intercontinental connections and is about two to three hours by car from the Val d’Orcia and Siena.
  Bologna is another good option for the north of Tuscany and the Chianti. Many guests from the United States fly into Rome, or connect through a European hub to Florence or Pisa.
  
• Trains: high-speed trains link Rome and Florence in about an hour and a half. For the Val d’Orcia and Montepulciano, the closest station on that line is Chiusi-Chianciano Terme. Siena is reached by regional train from Florence. Trains are good for getting close, but from the station you’ll still need a car or a transfer.
  
• Renting a car: a car gives guests the freedom to explore before and after the wedding. Drivers with a licence from outside the EU usually need an International Driving Permit. Most historic town centres, including Florence, Siena and Pienza, are limited traffic zones (ZTL): driving in without a permit means a fine that arrives by post months later. Park outside the walls and walk in.
  
• Driving times: Florence to Siena is about one hour and ten minutes, Siena to Pienza or Montalcino about one hour, and Pisa to Siena about an hour and a half. Distances look short on the map, but country roads are slow and winding, and the last stretch to many villas is a gravel road.
  
• Guest transport on the wedding day: taxis are rare in the countryside and ride-sharing apps barely work outside the cities. A shuttle, or a few private drivers, between hotels and venue is the norm, and it means nobody has to drive after dinner. Book it early: in May, June and September the good companies fill up fast.

Combining your wedding with a trip around Italy

Many couples and guests turn the wedding into a longer holiday. Florence is the easiest starting point: high-speed trains leave from Santa Maria Novella station for most of Italy’s best-known cities, and Siena and the countryside venues are about an hour away by car.

• Rome, about 1 hour 30 minutes by train: the capital, layered with almost three thousand years of history, from the Colosseum to the Vatican. Easy to add at the start or the end of the trip, especially if you fly into Fiumicino.
  
• Venice, about 2 hours 15 minutes by train: romantic, unique and unmissable at least once in a lifetime. The train arrives right on the Grand Canal.
  
• Milan, about 2 hours by train: Italy’s capital of fashion and design, famous for its shopping streets, the Duomo and Leonardo’s Ultima cena.
  
• Bologna, about 40 minutes by train: a historic university city with miles of porticoes, and the home of handmade pasta, tagliatelle and tortellini. Perfect for a food-focused day trip.
  
• Pisa, about 1 hour by regional train: the city of the Leaning Tower, an easy half day, and convenient if you’re flying in or out of Pisa airport.

The best months to get married in Tuscany

May, June and September are the most requested months.
Days are long, evenings are mild, and the countryside is green in spring and golden in late summer.

July and August are very hot, especially in the Val d’Orcia, where temperatures above 35°C are common. Late afternoon ceremonies, around 5 or 6 pm keep guests comfortable.

August is Italy’s holiday month. Schools close in June and reopen in September, and many factories and offices shut for two or three weeks in August, so this is when most Italians go on holiday. Expect busier roads, more people at the beach and in the art cities, and prices that are often a little higher.
Until a few years ago many shops and restaurants closed for the whole month; today most stay open, but there is still one day when the country seems to stop: 15 August, Ferragosto. It’s a national holiday traditionally spent outdoors, with long lunches and barbecues among friends, and it’s the day when businesses and suppliers are most likely to be closed.

April and October are quieter, with beautiful light. The weather is less predictable, so a plan B for rain is essential.
Late September and October are also harvest season in the vineyards.

In every season, summer storms can arrive suddenly in the hills. A marquee or an indoor space for dinner is worth planning even when the forecast looks good.

How far ahead to book

In Tuscany, the earlier you book, the more choice you have.
The most popular villas for May, June and September are often booked 12 to 18 months ahead, and photographers, caterers, florists and planners follow the same calendar.
For weekday dates, smaller weddings or the quieter months, six to nine months can be enough, but the best options go first.

The same applies to intimate weddings.
Many couples with a small group of guests simply rent a villa or a farmhouse on Airbnb or a similar platform, as Margo and Mason did in Montisi.
The most beautiful houses in the Val d’Orcia and the Chianti are often booked a year in advance for the summer, by families on holiday as well as by couples.
If you go this way, check one thing before you pay: whether the owner allows events.
Many holiday rentals don’t allow parties, ceremonies or extra guests, or only with written permission. Ask clearly about the number of people, outside caterers, music and the latest time for the evening, and get the answers in writing.
A wedding that turns out to be against the house rules is a stressful way to start a marriage.

Once the venue is confirmed, book the people who can only be in one place on your date: the photographer, the officiant and, if you need one, the planner. Flights and hotels for guests can follow, but it helps to share the date as early as possible, especially for summer weekends.

Planning the day around the light

In June the sun sets around 8:50 pm, at the end of August around 8 pm, and at the end of September around 7 pm.
The hour before sunset gives the softest light of the day: it’s the best time for portraits and for the aperitivo, with dinner just after.

Midday light in summer is harsh, and outdoor ceremonies without shade are tiring for everyone.
Shade, parasols and water make a big difference.

Music and evening rules

Many venues in the countryside ask for amplified music outdoors to end around midnight, and some move the party indoors after that.
Ask your venue early: it shapes the whole evening.