Tuscany is the region brides and grooms love most, and it’s not hard to imagine why. Great living, attractions and villages, marvellous backgrounds for your wedding photographs, fantastic scenery, magnificent reception, wonderful food and excellent wine! In the heart of Tuscany, Gambassi Terme is a wedding destination that, thanks to its strategic position, facilities and operators, earns the trust of hundreds of couples every year.
Here’s a practical guide [updated regularly] to getting married in Gambassi Terme: locations, civil & religious ceremonies, where to sleep, what to do with your guests before and after the ceremony!
LOCATION | WEDDINGS AT LA TENUTA IL QUADRIFOGLIO
Looking out over the spectacular Valdera, on the Volterra side of Gambassi Terme, the Tenuta Il Quadrifoglio is an ideal location for large ceremonies and events. The hall – with a veranda and space for musical entertainment – can seat up to 280 people. The facility – for those who wish to stay for one or more nights – can sleep up to 105 people in various rooms and apartments.
The rooms have all the amenities: independent air-conditioning and heating, telephone, minibar, safe, satellite TV, linens, private bathroom with shower and hair dryer, wi-fi. The Tuscan-style apartments can sleep up to 9 people and have everything you need to be comfortable.
The park is the ideal setting for your civil wedding – an agreement with the Municipality of Gambassi Terme allows for the celebration of ceremonies and civil unions on-site – for an aperitif and, naturally, for your photographs.
LOCATION | WEDDINGS AT SANT’ILARIO
This estate lies in the hills of the Florentine Chianti, among fields, olive groves and centuries-old woods. Its property includes three small hamlets, Cabbialla, Cabbiallina and Casetta, connected by a network of roads and private paths. The vast park surrounding the buildings provides different settings. The small church welcomes couples in an intimate, evocative atmosphere in complete harmony with the surrounding landscape.
The estate’s restaurant – with a professional kitchen and internal staff – can accommodate up to 70 people, while the adjacent gardens provide a comfortable solution for 50/60 people. If there are more than 100/120 guests and the wedding couple request it, it is possible to hire an external catering company. The entire property of La Tenuta Sant’Ilario can also be rented for only one day, and can sleep a maximum of 52 guests among its B&B rooms, apartments and villas. Thanks to an agreement with the Municipality of Gambassi Terme, you can celebrate your civil or religious wedding here; some choose the small, deconsecrated church, while others prefer the suggestive hundred-year-old oak tree in the park.
CIVIL WEDDINGS
In addition to the facilities mentioned above that have agreements with the Municipality of Gambassi Terme, here are a few more solutions in the area, places we recommend both for their charm and because they come out very, very well in photographs.
In Certaldo, in Piazzetta del Vicariato in the upper village, you may find Palazzo Pretorio, whose red brick facade covered with coats of arms and bas reliefs is the finest icon of Boccaccio’s hometown. In addition to the building’s internal spaces, the deconsecrated Church of San Tommaso e Prospero, with its fresco of the Tabernacle of the Executed by Benozzo Gozzoli, is available for civil weddings.
Call +39/0571 661219 or write to musei@comune.certaldo.fi.it for information on the availability of the wedding halls of Palazzo Pretorio. For information on rates and procedures, call the municipality’s marital status office (Ufficio di Stato Civile) at +39/0571 661206.
In Castelfiorentino, you may find Castello di Oliveto, a spectacular fortified castle from the 1400s designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and commissioned by the Pucci nobles of Florence.
Call +39/0571 64322 or write to info@castellooliveto.it. For information on rates and procedures of the Municipality of Castelfiorentino, call the municipality’s marital status office (Ufficio di Stato Civile) at +39/0571 686360.
CHURCH WEDDINGS
Pieve S. Maria a Chianni in Gambassi Terme
A jewel of Roman architecture, one of the most beautiful country churches in Tuscany.
Call the parish at +39/0571-638208
Chiesa di San Frediano in Montignoso
Sanctuary and pilgrim destination, the small church of San Frediano hosts a community devoted to Our Lady of Fatima.
Call +39/0571 678081 or +39/334 2939809 or write to icmsmontignoso@live.it
Chiesa di Santa Verdiana in Castelfiorentino
An elegant, baroque sanctuary ten minutes downhill from Gambassi Terme.
Call the parish at +39/0571-64096 or write to verdiana@dedalo.com
In San Gimignano you may find:
the majestic yet simple Church of Sant’Agostino was built in Romanesque style and holds priceless artistic treasures. Contact Father Ian or Father Brian at +39/0577-907012 fax +39/0577-940383.
For information on the Duomo di San Gimignano, call the Information Office at +39/0577-940316.
WHERE TO STAY
If you arrive with a small group of friends and family, or you’re organizing a ceremony worthy of Bollywood, Gambassi Terme offers different options, for price, capacity and type of stay: from charming villas you can rent for your exclusive use, to rooms and apartments in agritourisms – there’s a wide choice of hospitality. And even if you can’t find room for all your guests in the same facility, if you consider travelling time, you’ll see that you will still be able to manage them easily.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR GUESTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE CERIMONY?
If your wedding is the chance for your guests to spend a few days in Tuscany – if, in other words, you saying I DO is the crowning moment of a vacation in the heart of this beautiful region – we recommend that you look through our extensive catalogue of experiences: group cooking classes – a great classic that is always fun, wine and cheese tastings, private running sessions and ebike excursions, wellness sessions, the Via Francigena Thermal Baths and night walks with astrophile friends…as a couple or with children, The Gambassi Experience can help you create great memories! [We share ours on Instagram and Facebook! If you want, tag us at #thegambassiexperience]
IN NEED OF WEDDING FAVOR IDEAS?
What about something local and tailored, a memory from Tuscany, something usefull or yammy?
This is a random set of suggestions! Treat your guests with a bottle of wine, find out our best wineries!
Honey brings luck, Thomas Salvi‘s one is delicious! Surprise your friends with unexpected flavors’ combination: you might discover Maria Elena’s saffron and jams from Fattoria La Taverna. Small cans of olive oil are always very much appreciated: Renai & Monte, Pompone e Pola and others sell their delicious EVO oil [the harvest is in November, ask for the most recent production]. If you want to give your table set a personal touch, Irina Leoncini is a goldsmith with very nice ideas for charms, place cards… and she also engraves on glass!