Italian Lakes Wedding Blog - Destination Weddings Italy

We have lived abroad for many years now and have friends and family spread over various countries. When we decided to get married, we had no doubts: the only way to properly celebrate our big day would be together with all the people we love and hadn’t seen in a long time.
So when it came to choosing the photographer, we knew we wanted to have someone who could mix in with our friends and family and capture the atmosphere of that special day from within - and not simply as an external observer. We wanted the pictures to tell a story – with all its participants.
We found Diego and Estella by searching the web and when we saw their pictures we didn’t need much else to be convinced - they speak for themselves. When the big day came, I immediately knew our choice was the right one: Diego and Estella were everywhere and nowhere at the same time - capturing moments without ever intruding.
Looking at the pictures now is indeed like reading a story. And like in the best movies, every time we discover expressions and details we had actually missed during the wedding itself - and it is as if we lived that very special day once again.

Have a look to Eleonora and David’s photo gallery realized by photographers Estella & Diego.
For more information about weddings at the Villa Rusconi Clerici in Verbania Pallanza please contact us.

Together with Castello dal Pozzo, Villa San Remigio is today one of the best destination to celebrate a civil wedding on lake Maggiore.

Villa San Remigio is located on the top of Colle della Castagnola, near Verbania Pallanza and overlooks Lake Maggiore. Its garden was studied and realized from a young couple of lovers. It has a romantic and interesting story.
Musician and poet Marquis Silvio della Valle di Casanova and passionate painter Sophie Browne, after their wedding in 1896 decided to realize their dream, transforming into a villa an old grandparents’ chalet. They renewed the park that became their lover refuge.
After more than 100 years Sophie and Silvio’s dream this wonderful villa is now on the disposal of bridegrooms who want to crown their big day.
Just a touch of continuity and good fortune. Continue Reading »

The Sacro Monte della SS. Trinità di Ghiffa is located on Piemonte’s shore of Lake Maggiore very close to Verbania Pallanza. It is reachable from the lakeshore road that coasts the Lake aside of villas and parks.

Ghiffa is a touristy and wellness village on a small promontory and characterized by an all year warm weather. Ghiffa and its Sacro Monte with quiet Lake Maggiore and charming mountains near Verbania offer a harmonic combination of nature and culture that make those places the perfect frame for your wedding on Lake Maggiore. 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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Spring is the season for weddings. If you are having a spring wedding on the Italian Lakes, there is simply no better way to express your love for your future spouse than by carrying a bouquet of tulips. A bouquet of tulips signifies unending love and care. The is one of the world’s most easily recognized and loved flowers. It’s hard to imagine a better flower for a spring wedding in Italy: some varieties of tulips have become available year round, but the peak season with the widest selection is right now.

Used since ancient times to symbolize undying love, affection and enchantment, these colorful blossoms may add a fresh touch of elegance and class to your ceremony and reception.
The meanings of tulips coupled with the immediately identifiable shape of their colorful blooms make them a comfortable flower choice. They are not too elegant, too romantic, too big, too small, or too bright; the tulip is always just right.

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