This is an easy one as out of the million companies who can arrange weddings in Italy, a million out of a million will deal with weddings in Tuscany. Why I hear you ask? It is really quite simple…..… it is because the whole of the world has a very special relationship with Tuscany. This is due to a range of historical reasons and its size, location, infrastructure, its very good marketing, the art and tourist attractions to name but a few. Located in central Italy, Tuscany has 2 airports to its name, Pisa and Florence, however even if you were to fly into Bologna or Genoa or even Rome, you would still be within good driving distance to the region of course subject to where you need to end up when in Tuscany.

Toscana (as the Italians call it) has an area of 22,990 square kilometres and a population of about 3.6 million and it is well connected to the other regions which border it. When you mention the word Tuscany and you can try doing this at a dinner party, the words which must follow are "…beautiful landscapes; hilltop towns; high culture; birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; Dante; Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, the Medicis, Uffizi gallery, Florence, Siena, Pienza, San Gimignano, Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano….. I can go on but will put a stop to it right here. If we add the Tuscan coastline and the countryside to this region, with a touch of Tuscan fare and top it with a glass of Chianti, we have perfection.

So all you wedding clients out there, well you are completely spoilt for choice. Tuscany can offer it all…. From the town halls and you have many to choose from as there are over 10 provinces here, some with up to 6 towns with each one providing their own town hall, some nicer than others but still providing originality and charm. My favourites are: The castle to the east of Florence which is also a museum, Certaldo, the open air town hall where the ceremony takes place in the lovely cloister of the ancient palazzo, Castellina, a medieval fortress, or Radda, a small medieval jewel with remnants of the wall and tower of the ancient fortified town. There is a frescoed loggia here where civil ceremonies may be performed outside in the loggia covered with frescoes which date back to the 14th century. Then there is Gaiole and Greve, Volterra and the Palazzo Priori, Colle Val D’Elsa with its frescoed hall and San Quirico, small and cute. Montepulciano which I love and Montalcino, Arezzo which is bigger than all the places mentioned above, with a recently restored wedding hall which is located in the 14th century palazzo Pretorio. Of course I cannot forget to mention the more popular locations… Siena with the beautiful Piazza del Campo as its true pinnacle, San Gimignano, which is the most expensive of town halls throughout Italy and where civil ceremonies are held in the Castello reached via an open courtyard, next to the frescoed Duomo. Pienza which is just adorable, Cortona which is beautiful and last but not least is the Green room of the palazzo Orsetti in Lucca. If you find the urge that you wish to be close to water then Tuscany has this too…the cloistered court of Pietrasanta or if you have had enough of old and architecturally beautiful, then there is the modern town hall of Forte dei Marmi.

For all those of you who want something a little more intimate and elegant, or simple and rustic or if you really just want to go over the top or want to work on a theme, the possibilities are endless… from the many beautiful churches which have been hand-picked and where it is possible for you to celebrate an intimate catholic or protestant wedding ceremony or you may want to arrange it all in a Tuscan castle, a villa, hotel, terrace, garden or even vineyard if you really want to! There are many wonderful places in Tuscany where it is possible to do it all and you can stay here, have your ceremony and reception here without having to think too much about moving from one place to the other. There are also many historical villas which you can hire for the day or for half the day and hold the event here, some of them even have a church or chapel on the premises, which is also a lovely touch. Some of these historical locations have been used in films like a Room with a View, Much ado about nothing and many places already mentioned feature in films like The English Patient, Stealing Beauty, Life is Beautiful ….

Tuscany provides couples with choice and each one is complimented by the other, so if the location of the ceremony is for you, then you have a choice of at least 2 to 3 places where you can enjoy your reception while still having an array of accommodation to suit your budgets.

Is Tuscany my top destination? I would not say number one as in 2009/2010 it came 3rd in the overall vote but Tuscany is a strong contender for being one of the best locations in Italy to experience a true Italian-style wedding and also for appealing to a range of budgets.