Borgo Bucciano is a whole hamlet in the hills of San Miniato, halfway between Pisa and Florence, and a wedding here is held among the buildings of a seventeenth century villa and farm rather than inside a single hotel. Couples marry in front of a consecrated chapel in an Italian garden, dine on a terrace above the hills and sleep in apartments named after the plants of the estate.
A hamlet built around a villa and a farm
The borgo dates from the 1600s and grew up around a villa and a working farm. Villa Lorenzelli, which is also seventeenth century, still faces the garden, and the old Fattoria stands beside it. Both have been carefully restored and are now used for stays and for weddings, so the day is spent among stone, terracotta and old beams that belong to the place.
San Miniato is a hill town in the Tuscan countryside between Pisa and Florence, known for its white truffles, which are celebrated each November. The hamlet sits in the hills below it, among vineyards, olive groves and quiet country roads, and both the Pisa and Florence airports are within reach.
San Miniato and the road between Pisa and Florence
San Miniato stands on the Via Francigena, the pilgrim road that crosses Tuscany on its way to Rome, and the Rocca, the fortress tower associated with Frederick II, rises above the town. In November the town fills for its white truffle fair, so guests who come in the autumn arrive to streets busy with food and visitors. Pisa, with its leaning tower, lies in one direction and Florence in the other, which makes the borgo an easy base for a few days either side of the wedding.
Where the vows are said
The garden is the heart of the ceremony. A clipped-hedge Italian garden holds a consecrated chapel, and couples can marry in front of it with guests seated in the garden. A seated ceremony in front of the chapel suits up to 30 guests, while a symbolic ceremony on the panoramic terrace can take up to 70 and one in the central piazzetta up to 85. The olive grove is a further setting for a ceremony, and the indoor rooms are ready if the weather turns.
Dinner on the terrace, in the villa or in the cantina
Dinner can be laid on the terrace, which takes up to 85 seated and looks across the valley, in the rooms of the villa, or in the cantina, which seats up to 50 indoors. The piazzetta also holds a dinner for 50. For the largest celebrations the hamlet can receive up to 300 guests, so a small ceremony can be followed by a much larger party.
The kitchen cooks Tuscan menus built on local produce. The estate grows grapes for its wine and presses extra virgin olive oil by traditional methods, and both appear on the table. Buffets can be laid out in the courtyard under parasols.
One way to shape the day
A ceremony in front of the chapel can lead straight into drinks beside the pool or on the terrace, with dinner laid on the terrace, in the cantina or in the courtyard as the light changes. Because the apartments are on the estate, nobody needs a coach at the end of the night, and the party can stay on in the courtyard or by the pool. The morning after begins with a breakfast buffet, and guests who want to see more of the area can set off for the hill towns, for Pisa or for Florence.
Staying in the borgo
The hamlet can be taken for exclusive use, which turns the whole estate into one wedding party. The apartments are named after plants of the estate, among them Pino, Olivo, Melograno, Fico and Limone, and they combine terracotta floors and beamed ceilings with modern comforts. Below the villa a panoramic pool has a whirlpool bath, and the borgo also has a gym with Technogym equipment and free private parking. A breakfast buffet is served the morning after the wedding.
Planning a wedding at Borgo Bucciano
Start by deciding how the day divides between the chapel garden, the terrace and the cantina, because each space has its own numbers. Ask what a wedding costs for your date, what exclusive use covers, when the music must finish and how many of the apartments the wedding party can have. It is also worth asking whether the chapel can be used for a religious ceremony and what the arrangements are if it rains during the aperitif. It also helps to ask how guests will travel from the Pisa and Florence airports, and when the truffle season will bring visitors to San Miniato.
A Tuscan wedding in a hamlet of your own
Borgo Bucciano suits a couple who want a chapel garden, a terrace dinner and a night in an old Tuscan hamlet without leaving the estate. Check your date through the Borgo Bucciano page on 5 Star Weddings, or look at more wedding venues in Italy.
