A TUSCANY WEDDING

Beautiful, entrancing Tuscany! Poets and princes, artists and authors have rhapsodized about its charms. From the grandeur of its cities to the serenity of its country-side, Tuscany invites and enchants all to partake of its wonders. It is no wonder that visitors come from 'round the world, and that, today, it is a well-known and perfect destination for a dream-like romantic wedding.




The possibilities of where and how to be married in Tuscany are endless. The rumors of tortuous bureaucracy are over-blown and incorrect - if you have consultants who know how to work the system. There was a time when having a legal wedding anywhere but a town hall was impossible. Today, one can marry in a medieval castle, a garden of an historic villa, an hotel - practically anywhere, with an English speaking Protestant minister officiating. The minister will conduct either a civil or religious ceremony. This allows couples to write their own vows and alleviates the need for a translator, as well as providing an intimate and private setting for their Wedding in Tuscany

Catholic couples can choose from grand cathedrals to country churches in small villages. English speaking priests are available or interpreters can be provided. The rules for Catholic marriages are the same world-over and require documentation from the home church. This ceremony is totally legal and requires no additional civil wedding. A good wedding planner can walk one through the procedures.

Jewish couples can choose to be married in on of the exquisite, historic synagogues in Tuscany, notably in Siena and Florence. These synagogues are Orthodox and the rabbis require authorization from an Orthodox rabbi at home. Sometimes an Orthodox rabbi is willing to conduct the ceremony in a villa, hotel or other outside venue, so that a gorgeous Tuscan chuppah can be set up overlooking olives trees and vineyards in the rolling hills of Tuscany. In recent years, many couples of Reform or Conservative background have chosen Tuscany as their wedding destination. A Reform rabbi can perform the ceremony in any private location, without paperwork from home.



Little Tuscan town halls in extraordinarily charming towns such as Lucca, Siena and San Gimignano have been discovered and provide very romantic settings for ceremonies.

If one is searching for something very different, hot-air balloon weddings can be arranged. Pre-wedding festivities, such as wine-tasting parties, historic tours, and rehearsal dinners in local restaurants are added features for a "destination wedding".
Within the last year, some noble Florentine families have opened their homes for wedding ceremonies. This is an incredible opportunity to be married in their fabulous palaces or gardens with spectacular views of the city and surrounding countryside.



For town hall weddings and simple symbolic ceremonies, there are many agencies which can assist couples. Not all wedding consultants are licensed and recognized by the Italian state. It is, of course, paramount that only licensed agencies be used, so no unfortunate surprises occur. Only Weddings in Italy
by Regency is able to arrange the ceremonies with legal validity in private locations, such as those described above (palaces, villas, gardens, etc...). This wedding planning service has the exclusive ability for these ceremonies and arrange Catholic and Jewish weddings with legal validity.

Some agencies require paperwork done in the States but weddings in private locations can be organized by Regency doing all of the legal paperwork for U.S. citizens in Italy. That is an important advantage because you will save a lot of time and money. Regency is proud that many other agencies and luxury hotels come to them for assistance with the legal documentation. Having all such work done in Italy, preparation time and costs are much reduced.

The Wine Roads in Tuscany

The kind wine folk of Tuscany and Umbria, have made life that much easier for those with a healthy interest in wine by creating "Le Strade del Vino", wine trails leading through the areas that grow wine. These trails generally follow back roas, passing by a plethora of vineyards.In Tuscany it's commonto pass many "cantine aperte" where you can taste, buy and immerse yourself in wine.It is a fantastic incentive to combine the sampling of a few wines and a glimpse into the traditional farming lifestyle of these rural provinces.

Each Strada has its own district emblem, which you'll see on signposts in towns and through-out the countryside. Just look for a sign that has something resembling a bunch of grapes, and you are probably on the right trak. Every strada has its own map, with listing of wineries and sometimes agriturismi, restaurants, wine tasting enoteche and even open olive mills.

If you would like more information on wine roads please visit:
Strade del Vino

If you like the world of wine and you can also find useful information on this websites you should also visit

Italian Fine Wines and Regional Specilaties
Italian Wine Country

Giglio Island: The Tuscan Archipelago

The Hilly island of Giglio is Tuscany's second largest after Elba. Some 14 Km off Monte Argentario, its pristine waters are increasingly popular with divers. There is a regular boat service from Porto Santo Stefano make getting to this pretty little spot easy. You arrive at colourful Giglio Porto, once Roman port and now best spot to find accommodation. A local bus service will take you 6 km to the inland fastness Giglio Castle, dominated by Pisan Castle.

Asaide from a couple of patches of sand the size of the beach towel, the only beaches are on western side of the island in and around the modern resort of Giglio Campanese, built around the old watch tower

Tuscan's Sagras

Sagra is the Italian word for Food Festival. What can you expect to find when you go? Normally it is a group of locals in the Pro Loco (which means local promotional agency) who get together and prepare a menu with a theme. The money earned in these events is dedicated to buying things for the town folk or setting up parks and play area for the children.
So what does this mean for the average tourist? You will forever see florescent colored posters in the Tuscan countryside talking about Sagra, Sagra, Sagra.You're probably curious - but who knows what you will find when you actually walk into the town. For starters, if it is well known sagra on the regional level, you are very likely to compete with the locals for a place at a table. Tourist don't usually venture in this area - and they definitely miss out on a good meal at excellent prices all for a good cause. Not to mention the peak at a part of the "real" Toscana.

Also commonly defined as a local festival, very often involving food, and frequently a historical pageant and sporting events: when the sporting event is a historical recreation as well, such as a joust or a horse race in costume or armour.
In most cases there is a lunch and a dinner menu - but it helps if you can read the poster for the times (you don't need to know Italian for that)

When you arrive you will find a menu tacked to the wall, you place an order at the cash register, then pay and they give you a ticket. You are then ushered into a large general eating area where everyone shares the tables - and the food starts coming out!

It is charactized by the friendly environment with home cooked food. You will often children and young adults serving and cleaning tables while their Moms, Dads and Grandparents in the kitchen washing, peeling, frying and dishing it up.

You will normally find menus which highlight either a special ingredient or a special recipe from that area - like truffles, fritelle, olive oil, tortelli and much much more. In a land where food and religion are on the same level - you will find that the number of choices will overwhelm you.

More useful information can be found at Italia Mia guide to Italy and its products

Siena's Palio

Distinct Italian flair with the colourful costumes, horses in fancy dress and the detail to protocol makes this a true call back to yesteryear - there is nothing like listening to the drums and trumpets in the narrow city streets as they echo off of the medieval buildings, watching the colourful pageant of nobility, flag throwers and military men march down the stone paved roads.

Though one must admit the tourist attraction in Tuscany that these events draw - the origins of the modern day re enactments in Tuscany are more closely tied to local pride then anything else. Tuscan cat calls, cheers, chants and a wild display of colour in favour of their local Tuscan champion, they parade into the grand square and proceed to re enact a game of strength and skill, one can almost hear the calls and yells of the public...well almost is an understatement. The Italians take these competitions as serious as they do their soccer matches!


Perhaps one of the more famous - but not the only one for sure - is the re-enactment takes place in the famous square in Siena, Tuscany. Held twice during the year in Siena, once in May and the second in July, you will find a one of a kind horse race. The entire square in Siena is covered in sand and the route is well marked. Make a note on your Tuscan calendar of the main phases of the Palio, there are four days of celebration.

It's important to know that only ten of seventeen contrade run each time and that their participation is decided by a draw, which takes place at least twenty days prior to each Palio. The contrade is the way Siena has divided its town up into competing factions. Each with their own flag, colors and church - where most of them take the horse itself in for the blessing.

At the end of the Parade, a burst of canon fire announces the jockey's exit from the Entrone. Each jockey is given a whip made of ox tendon with which he may incite the horse and block his opponents during the race. They then draw close to the starting point, where two hemp ropes have been stretched across to allow the jockeys to line up between them. The entrance order is decided by luck: in fact, there is a special bottle-type mechanism, with a neck-piece grafted into an oval container, once the bottle is turned over, the balls randomly line up along the neck-piece, in this way deciding on the order of the start. This procedure is carried out three times so that the starter is able to use the two reserve starts if the first one is not possible.



Nine contrade are called to line up between the ropes according to the order of the draw, while the tenth take a run-up (only when he decides on the right moment) in the way deciding the moment of the start. At that point, the starter lowers the front rope and opens the race.

If the start is invalid, a cracker is let off to stop the horses which will then have to return to the starting point. The horses have to circle the track three times, for around 1000 metres and the first one to finish is the glorious victor, approved by the three winning's judges.

Even a horse, without its jockey, can carry its contrada to victory.

Elba Island Tuscany

Napoleon, should have considered himself lucky to have been exiled to such a pretty spot as the Isola D' Elba. Arriving in May 1814 he escaped within the year and went on to meet his Waterloo. Nowadays tourism has firmly supplanted iron-ore mining, for centuries Elba's main earner. Over a million visitors a year willingly allow themselves to de marooned here. They came to swim in Elba's glorious blue waters, lie on the beaches and eat fine food others are drawn by Elba's mountainous terrain, which offers challenging treks and staggering views.

Although Elba is the largest, most visited and most heavily populated Island of the Tuscan Archipelago, eat majors just measures just 28km long and 19 km across at its widest point. The Island 15 km southwest of the ferry port in Piombino is well equipped for visitors, with plenty of hotels and campsites. The main town are Portoferraio on the north side and Marina di Campo in the south.

If you can avoid August when the Island get unpleasantly crowed and reservations are essential.

If you are here for an active time pick up the multilingual tourist office leaflet "Lo Sport Emerge dal Mare". It ha s useful map and lists walking and cycling trails, thusfor scuba diving, wind surfing and other water activities.

Most people opt for the ferry boat, but there is a small airport. (0565 976011) @ LA PILA, just outside Marina di Campo.
Elba Fly (0565 91961) www.elbafly.it They fly from Pisa and Milan.

Boats are run by Moby (199 303040) and Toremar (199 123199) unless it is a Summer weekend or the month of Augut when queues can form simply by a ticket at the port. From 6 to 9,50 Euros per person, and 20 to 49 Euros per car (according to season) Toremar also operate a passenger only hydrofoil service 10 Euro 40 min from Piombino to Portoferraio.

More info on Elba here: Isola d'Elba

Ticket Museum In Tuscany

Getting the most for your time at the Tuscan  Museums:Why be bothered waiting in long hot lines, when you can reserve a spot in advance at one of the more famous museums in all of Tuscany.  Do it yourself, with contained reservation fees - read about this and other museums right here.
Or why bother waiting in any lines when you aren't sure if this is the right museum.  There are so many truely interesting places in the many towns of Tuscany - check out the places you might be interested in before you get to the ticket booth.



Organize before you arrive and save yourself the long hot and uncomfortable wait outside of the Uffizi to Botticelli or outside of the Academia to see the ever famous Davide by Micheangelo.  One of my favorite museums which has just opend up again after a few years of restorations is the   Palazzo Davanzanti  you can view a medieval home with various tools and furnishings which would have been present at this time.  Another off the beaten track - but very easy to get to is Bargello.  This Museum is famous not only for the wealth of material inside but also for the incredible building that houses it (its also very close to one of my favorite restaurants Yellow Bar)




Information and Booking
Contact Firenze Musei, Tel: +39 055294883
Booking charge : � 3,00 per person. plus the cost of the ticket into the museum
 
Call - they speak English!  They will reserve the date and time with you and you pay when you come to pick up the tickets at the museum.  CLICK HERE  for more details from the official site in English on the several museums which are open to the public, including the cost, the times they are open and the days they are open.

Got kids who might not sit through a museum tour -- but you are looking for something other ice cream for them to remember Florence by  Palazzo Vecchio in the city center has a few interesting options, including a tour of a secret passage way and guided tours of the cieling in the older rooms (walk among the rafters to see how the cieling was built!)  Check out the site below, it is in English and you can phone or email them for more info (in English!) for children of all ages --- including big ones (like those over 35 year old :))
CLICK HERE FOR KIDS MUSEUM INFO


Most people know they want to see Siena - they have heard lots of great stories about Siena but what is it really all about? 

• Keep in mind that Siena can get PACKED - and in the summertime it can get HOT - so what does this mean to you? 

Head over there early and enjoy the cool mornings and uncrowded bars and cafes or hang out there in the afternoon (in the summer after 5pm) when you can start to enjoy the locals come to life.  Early spring, late fall and the winter are great times to visit without lots of pushing, crowds and hot, long lines (even for the bathrooms!)
Of all the Museums the one which is probably most visited is the Duomo  or cathedral is a beautiful building, a mix of Gothic and Romanesque architecture with dark green and white marble in the facade.  One of its main attractions is the marble-inlaid floor, to which many artists contributed.  There is a line to get and a ticket - so check out the time schedule before roaing around (because there is no shade while you wait!!)



However the Museo Civico in the main square of Siena including the Torre di Mangia (a very tight trip to the top of the tower...if you are ambitious and explorative GO FOR IT!) is a close runner up.  For a virtual tour of the Museum itself  check out this link.
There is also a secret place that most don't know about in Siena is the underground water system and you can pick up more info and request a private tour at this link. 



According to the late fourteenth-century papers of Siena, in 1176 the friars of the Carmine Monastery dug and found a vein of water of some importance, a discovery that for a long time legitimated later searches and prolonged the story of the underground river. The Sienese squandered time and money for centuries in the search of this legendary underground river, to which they gave the name "Diana," even though no historical records ever proved its existence.
This link of Siena will give you an extensive view of the museums and their official sites in Siena as well as a lot of fun info on Siena itself.  You can even book ahead  for the Museo Civico,  I know the page is in Italian so I will give you a quick overview - you can send a fax (+39 0577 226265 o +39 0577 46829)  indicating the date you would like to visit the number of persons (and their ages so they can tell you if there are any special rates).
Include an email address and / or fax number so the office can confirm.  You will have to pay for the tickets in advance (probably by a money transfer or cashiers check in Euros at least four days before your appointment.)  The good things is they give you a discount for doing everything in advance!