Lucca is a hidden gem. It truly is an authentic area of Italy and we recommend either staying in the walled city or visiting during your stay. From roaming the streets with a gelato, to venturing in to wine bars, to opting for pizza or pici (the traditional handmade Tuscan pasta), there is much exploring to be done. We recommend getting to Lucca on August 6 (or earlier!) so you have a day free to explore before all wedding activities.
Cocktail attire! This usually means lighter blazers or dress shirts for the gentlemen. No ties necessary. Ladies can think of midi or mini dresses. Opt for lighter fabrics that compliment the warm evening atmosphere.
Black-tie optional or creative black-tie preferred. Black tie usually refers to a tux or suit for the gentlemen and floor-length dresses for women. By creative black tie, we just want you to have fun with it - feel free to add color, be bold and embrace Italian glamour. Ladies: we highly recommend block heels as it is very common for all Italian venues to have fine gravel in many areas of the ceremony and outdoor dinner area. All dancing will be on a dance floor.
Pool party attire! By this we mean bring a bathing suit or wear it with shirts, dresses or cover-ups! There will be lunch and drinks served, music playing and a large pool for everyone to jump in. This is meant to be more relaxed and for us to embrace the Italian way of life - enjoying time with loved ones sipping a spritz.
Yes! There are several places that we recommend for this. The first is La Badiola, where our welcome party will be, they can facilitate both cooking and wine tasting. The second is L'arancera, where our pool party will be. They can facilitate cooking classes via their chef. If you are staying in Tenuta Di Tramonte, please reach out to them directly as they can set up both cooking classes and wine tasting.
Yes! Some great day trips from Lucca are below. Pisa - to view the infamous leaning tower of Pisa. This is a twenty-minute drive. Florence - to view the Duomo, walk along the Arno River, experience a larger Italian city and make sure you look out for Florence's secret wine windows all over the city! This is a forty-minute drive. We recommend doing this during the beginning or end of your stay in Lucca if you are traveling in/out of Florence. Forte dei Marmi - a local beach in Tuscany. This is a forty-minute drive. Cinque Terre - Cinque Terre is beautiful! Truly a hidden wonder, and many would call it the Amalfi of the north. We recommend starting in La Spezia and riding the scenic tram to Cinque Terre (which translates to the five lands). Each "land" refers to a group of villages in the Liquri region which is the start of the Italian Riviera. The five coastal villages that makeup Cinque Terre are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. La Spezia is about one hour and ten minute drive from Lucca. If you prefer not to take the scenic tram and want to be in the sun, we recommend a boat day starting at La Spezia.
Cristina and Sanzhar stayed in Montepulciano and absolutely loved it. This is closer to Rome, so if you are starting/ending your trip in Rome and want to stop along the way we highly recommend it. If you are thinking of spending the night, we have stayed at Precise Tale Poggio alla Sala and enjoyed it. Other popular areas of Tuscany are Chianti, Siena and Val d'Orca.
Cristina is bias as Rome is her favorite city in the world, so she would always recommend a stay in Rome, specifically Trastevere, Rome. If you are planning to travel to South Italy, like Amalfi we recommend flying in or out of Rome. Other notable areas in South Italy, such as Puglia, Bari, Sicily or Calabria can be reached by any Italian airport. If you are planning to travel to North Italy, like the Dolomites, Lake Como, Portofino, Venice, Switzerland or even the South of France, we recommend flying in and out of Milan. Please note, that you can plan your trip directly to or from Tuscany by flying in or out of Pisa or Florence. Usually this means making a connection. Our favorite way to do this is to fly to Paris before or after. We also find Paris flights to be much cheaper from the North East region and will often make an extended layover for this reason. Other popular options are London or major cities in Germany, such as Frankfurt for connecting flights.
Transportation will be provided to guests staying in the three recommended accommodations: Hotel Palazzo Alexander, Tenuta di Tramonte and Villa Guinigi. If you wish to stay at another location within the walled city of Lucca, it may be possible to use the transportation for Hotel Palazzo Alexander. Please reach out to Cristina or Sanzhar to confirm.
If you would like to drive to any of the wedding weekend events, there is parking at all venues: La Badiola, Villa Grabau and L'arancera. There is also free parking at the villas in the Tuscan countryside, including the villa recommendations we provided: Villa Guinigi and Tenuta di Tramonte. If you are staying in the walled city, we recommend driving to the hotel to check in and drop off your bags and then the hotel will recommend the nearest parking garage. Hotel Palazzo Alexander has a very close parking garage right outside the walls and it costs five euors.
You know we love italy! If you are heading to Amalfi, we recommend Casa di Peppe in Positano. If you are heading to Lake Como, we recommend the Grand Hotel Imperiale in Moltrasio. In Rome, the bride's parents love to stay at Donna Camilla Savelli Vretreats. And although we have never been to Puglia, we have our eyes on Borgo Ritella in Fasano.
Please do!!!! We are so grateful that you are celebrating our wedding with us and we want to make your travel experience as smooth as possible. Please call, text, whatsapp, email, message, whatever is easiest for you! We would love to chat more with you and make plans!
We will have a silent vegetarian option on the wedding menu. If you have any other dietary restrictions please email Sanzhar or Cristina before March 30.