Italian Lakes Wedding Blog - Destination Weddings Italy

Isola Bella is the most famous of the Borromeo Islands and when you see it today you can hardly imagine it as the tiny fishing village it once was. In 1670 Count Vitaliano Borromeo started the building of a monumental baroque palace, and began landscaping the majestic scenery of the gardens for which the Island became so famous. The original name of the island was Isola San Vittore, but was son changed to the more suitable Isola Isabella, after Carlo’s wife and over the years it was shortened to Isola Bella. Local legend relates that the ladies of Borromeo’s household asked the Count to build on the island so that they would not have to listen to prisoners screaming in the dungeons of his mainland castle.

Today the island is famous above all for the magnificent Palazzo Borromeo and its gardens. A visit to the palace is a journey through the splendors of the past. The stately Borromeo residence contains priceless masterpieces: tapestries, furniture, and paintings by great masters. The Palace itself is full of ornate rooms which remind you of a past full of grand receptions and sumptuous feasts. Continue Reading »

From the early days of Sept Italian Lakes Wedding team welcome a new skillful professional: photographer Claudio Fogli of Studio Foto Pony in Pallanza on Lake Maggiore.
For more than 20 years Claudio Fogli has been working in wedding photography. His rich and elegant photographs are the ideal suggestion for couples that wish a fine and precious photo service.
You can have a look Claudio Fogli’s works on Lake Maggiore Wedding Venues Photo Gallery with its wonderful pictures shot in the most beautiful venues on Lake Maggiore: Villa Rusconi Clerici, Villa San Remigio and Hotel Majestic in Pallanza, Villa Volpi in Ghiffa, Hotel Dino and Hotel Lido Palace in Baveno, Villa Muggia and Hotel Bristol in Stresa.

Casablanca Lilies, the largest blooms of all Lilies!
A very fragrant flower, Casablanca Lilies are perfect for large wedding flower arrangements. From a decorators point of view Casablanca Lilies are important because they fit modern and traditional situations so well. They are individually unique and mass pleasingly and they are so fragrant. They are long lasting, holding up well when manipulated into wired floral pieces. Brides find them magically expressive of the beauty they are looking for and popularity makes Casablanca Lilies stylish and trendy.
The image on the left shows a flower arrangement with Casablanca Lilium and Roses created by me at Hotel Dino in Baveno, lake Maggiore.
The beauty of fresh Casablanca lilies offers a sweet fragrance and statuesque grace. No flower is more frequently used at weddings than this hybrid. These lilies were originally found in China and Japan. The first known use of lilies at weddings was by the Ming dynasty in China. A breathtaking lily, the Casablanca is known for its dramatic white blossoms and irresistible scent. Among the most famous of Lilies from the Oriental family, it’s as elegant as the name implies. The Casablanca takes its name from the Spanish “casa” (house) and “blanca” (white). These pure white Lilies exhibit three-to-five stunning flowers per stem, for a total of 30 or more flowers per bunch. A plentiful amount well suited for a truly spectacular display, gala event or thoughtful gift.

Warning: put a protective shield under the lily when using them as corsages. The anthers which project from the center of the flower will easily stain fabric. It is safest to remove the anther prior to using them in this manner. Continue Reading »

Isola Madre is the largest of the Borromeo islands and the most characteristic one, with its atmosphere of silence, meditation and enchantment. Flaubert, in 1845, wrote that ‘Isola Madre is the most sensual place that I have ever seen in the world’.

The Borromeo Islands are a group of three small islands and two islets in the Italian part of Lake Maggiore, located in the western arm of the lake, between Verbania and Baveno to the north and Stresa to the south. Stresa is Lake’s Maggiore’s main resort since 19th century, with many luxury hotels, villas and easy access to the Borromeo Islands.

In 1501 Lancillotto Borromeo, one of the five children of Giovanni III Borromeo and Cleofe Pio di Carpi, introduced the cultivation of citrus fruit to the island, the plants being brought from Liguria. It is known for certain that olives were cultivated here; the produce may have been employed for sacred purposes. In 1501 Lancillotto began the construction of the family residence on the island, which in the 1580s was extended in the renaissance style by Renato I Borromeo. The Palazzo Borromeo was built on the remains of the early church, cemetery and perhaps castle of San Vittore. In 1978 the 16th century palace was opened to the public. The visit is interesting for the reconstruction of the antique interior decoration and for the liveries, dolls and ceramics collection. Exceptional exposition of “Puppet Theaters” from the 18th and 19th Centuries. Continue Reading »

In the last years, especially in Northern Italy, there are many more civil weddings than in past times. In such town as Verbania, Como, Verona, Orta San Giulio and Stresa, civil bendings are more than religious ones.

Among the reasons that determined this new trend there: second weddings, that can be celebrated only at the town hall, the open-mindedness and swiftness of this kind of bending and also the increasing number of Destination Weddings.

Many think that civil weddings are less expensive and less formal than one celebrated in the church. But for sure it is not less important!
It is definitely a very important a sacred celebration equivalent to swear in a court. In fact Italian Law wants two witnesses present to the ceremony to be a guaranty, with their sign, of the absolute legitimacy of the bending that will bond between bride and groom.

In effect, civil ceremony is a celebration that has to be done in perfect agreement with Italian Laws instead of religious ones.
Civil bendings can be celebrated by mayors, or delegates and has to be done in authorized venues such as Town Halls, but also Villas, Castles, Hotels or even Garden, but all those places have to be authorized.

Your civil bending could be enriched by the beauty of many Town Halls, unforgettable villages, sinuous hills and hospitality of the ones who host bridegrooms for the celebration at the Town Hall.
For the couples that wish to celebrate their wedding on Lake Orta or Lake Maggiore, civil bending is available in almost every town: Stresa, Orta San Giulio, Verbania, Arona, Oleggio Castello, Baveno, Cannero Riviera, Laveno, Luino, Angera and Mergozzo. For a real fairy tale wedding the most wanted venues are Villa Bossi, Castello Dal Pozzo and Villa San Remigio.

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Weddings in Borromean Islands are just unique. Their incredible panorama, fragrant flowers, brilliant blue water and romantic walks make it a perfect location for your wedding in Italy.

The Borromeo Islands are a group of three small islands and two islets in the Italian part of Lake Maggiore, located in the western arm of the lake, between Verbania and Baveno to the north and Stresa to the south. Stresa is Lake’s Maggiore’s main resort since 19th century, with many luxury hotels, villas and easy access to the Borromeo Islands.

In 1817 the famous French writer Stendahl wrote, “What can one say of Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands…except to pity people who do not go mad over them.” Ernest Hemingway agreed, as well as a notable procession of famous others-Napoleon, Mussolini, Charles Dickens and English poets, William Wordsworth and Lord Byron.

These three marshy specks have stirred the imaginations of everyone from Napoleon to Stendhal, Dickens, Flaubert, Toscanini, and even Mussolini.
Isola Bella is undoubtedly the most famous of the Borromean Islands and when you see it today you can hardly imagine it as the tiny fishing village it once was. In 1632, Count Vitaliano Borromeo began its transformation with the construction of the palace and the ornamental gardens.
Isola Madre is the largest of the Borromean Islands and boasts a tranquil and enchanted atmosphere. It’s gardens are a pleasure to explore: filled with azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, ancient wisteria they are truly beautiful.
In contrast to the other Islands, Isola Pescatori has retained it’s original charm. The Island has remained a quaint, picturesque fishing village with the traditional fishing boats anchored along the shore.

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