Il Rigo wedding photographer – Nicole & James in the Val d’Orcia
Nicole and James’s wedding at Il Rigo
Nicole and James live in Connecticut, and we started writing to each other in the winter of 2025. We got on from the very first emails.
Nicole had lived in New York for eight years, and I was about to leave for a road trip between New York, Ithaca, Buffalo and Boston: she ended up sending me a list of tips for the journey, and by the time we met in Tuscany it felt like seeing an old friend again.
They had planned a small wedding, with their parents and a few close friends, at Il Rigo, a farmhouse on a hilltop above the Val d’Orcia, near San Quirico.
It was the end of July: a hot day, with a deep blue sky and big white clouds moving over the hills all afternoon.
Ceremonies at Il Rigo are usually held under the trees in the garden, which give some welcome shade.
Nicole had something else in mind: she and James said their vows on the small drive that leads up to the farmhouse, a white gravel road lined with cypresses, with the countryside opening up on both sides.
After the ceremony we had an aperitivo in the courtyard, then a short walk around the property for a few portraits, while the light started to soften.
Dinner was served on the lawn in front of the house, at two long tables decorated simply with colourful flowers, looking out over the hills at sunset.
Later the party moved into the courtyard for a live concert: that’s where Nicole and James had their first dance, and where the evening turned into a real party.
Wedding Venue
Il Rigo, Val d’Orcia: the venue
Il Rigo is a family-run organic farm in the countryside of San Quirico d’Orcia, about fifteen minutes from Pienza.
The guest rooms are spread across two old farmhouses: Casabianca, a sixteenth-century stone building that also houses the restaurant, and Poggio Bacoca, in red brick.
The farm grows its own grains, legumes and olive oil, and much of what you eat comes from the land around you.
It is run by Luisa and her husband, and you feel it: the atmosphere is relaxed, warm and genuinely authentic, more like being a guest in a family home than in a hotel.
The food is excellent, and the view, a full circle of soft Tuscan hills, is breathtaking.
For couples coming from abroad who want a real taste of the Tuscan countryside, it’s one of the places I recommend most.
San Quirico d’Orcia and the surroundings
San Quirico d’Orcia is a small walled village on the Via Francigena, the old pilgrims’ road to Rome, right in the heart of the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape.
It is quiet and easy to walk around, with a beautiful Romanesque church, the Collegiata, and the Horti Leonini, a sixteenth-century Italian garden of box hedges and holm oaks where you can find some shade on a summer afternoon.
It is also a perfect base for guests in the days around the wedding. Bagno Vignoni, with its thermal pool in the middle of the village square, is just down the road; Pienza and Montalcino are a short drive away; and the little chapel of Vitaleta, standing alone among the cypresses, is one of the most photographed corners of Tuscany.
For a wedding weekend this makes a real difference: your guests can spend the days before exploring villages, wineries and hot springs, and come back to Il Rigo in the evening, without ever feeling far from anything.
Planning a wedding at Il Rigo?
- Where it is: in the Val d’Orcia, a few minutes from San Quirico and about fifteen minutes from Pienza; around two hours from Florence and Rome.
- Size: Il Rigo is perfect for small weddings, with your closest family and friends, many of whom can stay on site.
- Ceremony: the usual spot is under the trees in the garden, in the shade. For something different, the cypress-lined drive is a beautiful alternative, as Nicole and James chose, but it has no shade.
- Dinner: the lawn in front of the house works beautifully for long tables at sunset; the courtyard is ideal for the aperitivo and the party.
- Summer: at the end of July the afternoons are hot, so plan the ceremony in the late afternoon.
If you choose the drive, think about water and parasols for your guests. - Light: the best light for portraits comes in the hour before sunset, when it falls low across the Val d’Orcia.
BEST OF IL RIGO WEDDING
Getting married at Il Rigo or elsewhere in the Val d’Orcia?
Tell me about your day: the venue, the date and a little about the two of you.
I reply personally within 24 hours with my availability and my price guide.
If you’re still choosing where to get married, I’m happy to share what I know about Il Rigo and the other venues in the area I’ve worked at.
