CHIANTI CLASSICO
Known as “Chianti Classico” it is one of the seven geographical areas that make up the Chianti region, in the heart of Tuscany. To be precise Chianti Classico includes 14 municipalities that extend between Florence and Siena, about 70000 hectares of land where one of the most renowned wines in the world is produced.
With centuries-old history, the Chianti Classico wine is today identified by its unmistakable pink label, with a black rooster set on a gold background, created in 1924 to protect this product of Italian excellence. Obviously, Chianti Classico is not only wine, but also beautiful and uncontaminated landscapes where ancient towns live, full of life and traditions, perfect setting for refined and romantic weddings.
CIVIL WEDDING CEREMONIES
In Chianti Classico there is no lack of locations for civil weddings that can satisfy even the most demanding couples in terms of style.
Castelnuovo Berardenga, a delightful town that rises on top of a hill between the Malena torrent and the Ombrone river, offers couples who would like a Civil Wedding the Centro Studi di Villa Chigi for the ceremony: depending on the day booked, the ceremony is celebrated in the Council Chamber or in the Demographic Service Office.
The service is aimed at residents and non-residents alike.
Always in the province of Siena is Castellina in Chianti, another beautiful village where civil marriages are celebrated in the evocative “Sala del Capitano” in the Rocca Medievale (medieval fortress); the service is free if you choose a midweek day or alternatively €150 if the ceremony is held on a Saturday or Sunday.
The Town Hall is also the location for civil marriages in Greve in Chianti and Gaiole in Chianti, ancient towns surrounded by hills, valleys and woods; with regards to Gaiole, if at least one of the spouses is a resident, or registered with AIRE, the service is free, otherwise the cost is 500 euros.
RELIGIOUS WEDDINGS
The entire Chianti Classico is full of beautiful churches of different eras, styles and dimensions: it’s impossible not to find the perfect one to celebrate your wedding. Let’s look at some of the most loved and requested for the occasion.
The Church of Pieve di San Cresci, near Greve in Chianti, represents a “uniqueness” from an architectural point of view when compared to other Tuscan churches; the first feature that jumps to the eye is the presence of the narthex, a small atrium located between the nave and the main facade, which in ancient times was appointed to accommodate those sinners who were forbidden to enter the church proper. This sacred building, a jewel from every point of view, is one of the most ancient in the entire region.
In Castellina in Chianti is the Church of San Pietro, one of the most beautiful in Val d’Elsa. Sober and essential, it can be the ideal location for those who want an intimate ceremony and a clear taste of the past; dating back to the period between 1000 and 1200. The building houses a 15th century altarpiece and two ancient frescoes.
Pieve di Santa Maria in Spaltenna, near Gaiole in Chianti, is considered a perfect example of spontaneous medieval architecture. Typical Romanesque construction with stone walls and a circular apse. It passed, after its construction under the patronage of the Ricasoli family, to being one of the most illustrious in the region.
Pieve di San Donato in Poggio, in the province of Florence, is a typical example of the Florentine Romanesque style of the twelfth century; simple and essential as were all the sacred buildings of the same period, you will be pleasantly impressed by the meagre beauty of the baptismal font in terracotta, perhaps by Andrea della Robbia, and the crucifix certainly painted by the school of Giotto.
In Castellina in Chianti, not far from the village of Monteriggioni, in the locality of Rencine, stands the Canonica di San Michele, whose very wide stone facade shows a series of blind arches and columns. Having collapsed during the 1300’s, the church was then rebuilt and today has a simple but decidedly striking appearance.
Finally, it is impossible not to mention Sant’Appiano, in Barberino Val d’Elsa, with its spectacular entrance made up of columns and steps. Even if the structure suffered serious damage due to an earthquake that occurred in the 19th century, the interiors maintain all their ancient charm and certainly constitute a sensational setting for a wedding ceremony that nobody could forget.
WEDDING VENUES (RECEPTION)
A naturalistically varied and multifaceted landscape like the one that characterizes the Chianti Classico is an incomparable background for accommodation facilities that are in total harmony, hotels, restaurants and farms aesthetically cared for and impeccable services for equally successful receptions.
You can find locations throughout the area that can provide for any tastes that the couple might require: let’s see some of the best.
An architectural jewel where you can celebrate your wedding, ceremony and reception, can be found in Castelnuovo Berardenga: Villa Catignano, with an adjoining chapel, is a location with ancient charm but with all modern comforts. The banquet can be set up in the beautiful interior spaces, on the terrace or in the garden if the season allows, but whatever the choice it will always be amazing. The property has several apartments with independent kitchen where guests can stay overnight.
What do you think of the idea of a castle, as if in the happiest of fairy tales?
In Greve in Chianti you can find the Castle of Vicchiomaggio, a dwelling of the 1400’s located in the middle of a beautiful park; if you wish, you can celebrate the religious wedding here in the annexed Church of Santa Maria. A fully renaissance location with equally spectacular outdoor areas, it offers excellent quality cuisine, which in principle re-elaborates the best of traditional local gastronomy in an original and, always, refined way. Rooms are available for guests and there is also a swimming pool.
Imagine a tower with a manor house both surrounded by fifteenth-century fortifications to create an architectural complex in which time seems to have stopped: all this and more awaits at the Castello di Meleto in Gaiole in Chianti, a romantic location that has seen marriage ceremonies of numerous members of ancient families of the palace. The large frescoed rooms, the garden full of old trees, the panoramic terrace and the small chapel will be the dream setting for your “yes”.
The spacious and elegant living room of the Villa Vistarenni opens onto a magnificent garden ideal for staging aperitif, buffets and banquets, all in a natural setting that only Chianti can boast, of rolling hills and green that stretches as far the eye can see: it is really difficult resist the temptation to organize the reception here.
And that’s not all, because the structure offers customers a whole range of other services, from dj to hairstylist, from make-up artists to personal shopping, from live musical entertainment to wine tasting, for a perfect deluxe event. The in-house catering offers the possibility of choosing between various menus of local and international cuisine.
Style, elegance and simplicity are just some of the hallmarks of La Pieve Marsina, a magnificent stone structure immersed in an enchanting landscape and from which you can admire a breath-taking view. It is possible to celebrate a symbolic ceremony in the delightful unconsecrated church attached, a location that will certainly appeal to the most romantic.
LOCATION PHOTO
What can you not miss in your wedding photos?
If you have chosen to marry in the Chianti Classico it is because you have been irremediably attracted by what is its very essence: the landscape. In fact, there are few places like the Chianti Classico that are animated by such rich and luxuriant nature: kilometres of vineyards and olive groves that run through hills with rounded and sweet profiles, a “green lung” in the heart of Italy that is known and appreciated all over the world.
During your most beautiful day, in addition to being immortalized by the alleys, monuments and architectural wonders that abound in the villages of the area, do not forget to allow yourself some photos among the centuries-old olive trees and the rows of vineyards. An immense heritage from which the famous wine, that is an excellence and feather in the crown of national food and wine, originates.
FAMOUS WEDDINGS
As can be easily understood, not even VIPs manage to resist the call of Chianti Classico area and this is often the place where they decide to get married.
As did, for example, the showgirl Elena Santarelli and the former footballer Bernardo Corradi, who on the 2nd June 2014 said “yes” in Berardenga, while another ace of the ball, Wesley Sneijder, wed Yolanthe Cabau Van Kasbergen in the villa of Castel Monastero, near Siena.
Decidedly romantic at the time appeared to be the choice of Adriano Celentano and Claudia Mori, who after having originally married in Grosseto in 1964, wanted to renew their vows on the occasion of their silver wedding, always in Tuscany, although they chose Gaiole in Chianti for their second occasion.
