The days around a Tuscan wedding fill most easily with three things already close to the venue: a spa, a drive through the Val d’Orcia and a few hours in Siena. Below is what each involves, and which of our venues put it on the doorstep.
Spas at the venues
- Castello di Velona, near Montalcino: the OLISPA spa of more than 1,500 square metres, fed by a natural spring at 36 degrees, with four connecting pools.
- Castel Monastero, near Siena: Spa Monasterii, with eight treatment rooms, two indoor pools, a sauna, a hammam and three outdoor pools.
- Castello di Casole: the Essere Spa in the vaulted former wine cellar, with a couples’ treatment room, steam rooms and a jacuzzi.
- Relais La Costa: L’Eremo del Benessere in the old cellars, with a heated hydromassage pool, a sauna and a Termarium. The wedding fee includes exclusive use of the spa.
- Villa Mangiacane: a heated indoor pool, Finnish sauna, steam room and three treatment rooms, with treatments booked 72 hours ahead.
Treatment rooms are few, so book the wedding party’s appointments before you travel. Ask each hotel whether guests staying elsewhere can use the spa.
The Val d’Orcia
The Val d’Orcia, south of Siena, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. At Bagno Vignoni the village centre is a large rectangular pool of thermal water beside the Colonnade of Santa Caterina, and bathing is offered by the village’s spa hotels, according to Visit Tuscany.
Castello di Velona is about 10 minutes from Montalcino and five from the Abbey of Sant’Antimo, so guests staying there are already in the valley. From venues near Siena it is a day out: Velona puts Siena about an hour away.
Siena
Castel Monastero is about 20 minutes from Siena and Relais La Costa 20 to 25 minutes, by the venues’ figures, which makes a morning in the city easy before an evening wedding.
Check the calendar first. The Palio horse race is run in Siena’s Piazza del Campo on 2 July and 16 August every year (Italia.it). The city fills on those days: a reason to go if guests want to see it, and a reason to keep the wedding schedule well clear of it if not.
Cooking and the table
Villa Castiglione, outside Florence, offers cooking lessons through its group, and its restaurant cooks local dishes such as peposo dell’Impruneta. A lesson followed by lunch works for a mixed group, including guests who do not drink.
How much to plan
One organised thing a day is enough. Guests who travelled want time by the pool as much as an itinerary, and a free afternoon before the wedding keeps everyone fresh for the evening. For seasons and areas in more depth, see the Tuscany Wedding Atlas.
Questions couples ask
Can wedding guests use the venue spa?
Staying guests usually can. At Relais La Costa the wedding fee includes exclusive use of the spa; elsewhere, ask the hotel about guests staying off site.
When is the Palio di Siena?
On 2 July and 16 August each year.
How far is the Val d’Orcia from Florence?
Castello di Velona, near Montalcino, gives Florence airport as about 1 hour 30 minutes (130 km) by road.
Updated 18 October 2026
