Hold the welcome dinner in Florence if most guests sleep in the city the night before, and at the venue if they are already staying there. The deciding factor is the drive: most of the Tuscan venues we list are between 20 minutes and well over an hour from the centre, and nobody wants that journey twice in one evening.
Florence or the venue: the trade-off
Florence wins on arrival day. The T2 tram links Florence airport with Piazza dell’Unità, beside Santa Maria Novella station, in about 20 minutes, according to Visit Tuscany, so guests can land, check in and walk to dinner.
The venue wins on the wedding morning. Castello di Casole gives itself as about an hour from Florence airport, and Relais La Costa as 55 to 65 minutes from Florence by car. With a city dinner, every guest makes that journey the next day on a coach timetable.
A middle way is a villa on the edge of the city: a short transfer from central hotels, with gardens and a view instead of a street.
In the city: The St. Regis Florence
The St. Regis Florence stands on Piazza Ognissanti facing the Arno, a short walk or taxi ride from Santa Maria Novella and about 15 to 20 minutes from the airport, by the hotel’s figures. Its frescoed ballroom, the Salone delle Feste, takes up to 250 seated or standing, with menus from the hotel kitchen.
The hotel has 80 rooms and 19 suites, so a large share of the guest list can sleep upstairs from the dinner. For a smaller group, ask the events team which of the other rooms suits your numbers: the hotel publishes the ballroom figure only.
Tell guests not to drive. GOV.UK notes that you need a pass to drive into the historic centre of many Italian cities, and that cars entering a ZTL zone without one are caught on camera and fined (GOV.UK travel advice for Italy). Book taxis, or ask the hotel how a minibus can reach the door.
On the edge of the city
Villa Castiglione, a former Franciscan convent at Impruneta about 5 km from Florence, has gardens looking across to the city and the cathedral dome. Its restaurant cooks Florentine dishes such as peposo dell’Impruneta and bistecca alla fiorentina. With 12 rooms and a bridal suite, it suits a dinner where most guests sleep elsewhere.
Villa Mangiacane, 12 km from Florence at San Casciano in Val di Pesa, is about 20 minutes from Santa Maria Novella station by the venue’s figure. Its frescoed Renaissance loggia looks back towards the city, and if the wedding is there too, up to 58 guests sleep on the estate.
Villa Il Cerretino, in the Montalbano hills above Poggio a Caiano, gives Florence as under half an hour by car. Its indoor rooms take up to 180, which the villa says lets an event go ahead in any weather: a useful fallback for a dinner planned outdoors.
Timing and practicalities
- Set the start time after the last afternoon flights have landed and guests have checked in, and print it on the invitation.
- Choose a place within walking distance, or one short transfer, of where most guests sleep.
- Book the dinner space when you book the wedding venue: May, June and September, the favoured wedding months, are busy months in Florence too.
- Keep it shorter than the wedding. Speeches can wait for the next day.
For airports, seasons and the regions beyond Florence, see the Tuscany Wedding Atlas.
Questions couples ask
Should the welcome dinner be in Florence if the wedding is in the countryside?
Only if most guests stay in the city. If they are booked at the venue, hold it there and save everyone a second transfer.
Can guests drive into central Florence for dinner?
Not without a pass. The historic centre is a restricted traffic zone (ZTL) and cameras fine unauthorised cars, so book taxis or a transfer.
How many guests can The St. Regis Florence seat?
Up to 250, seated or standing, in the Salone delle Feste, according to the hotel.
Updated 18 October 2026
