Nestled in the tuscan countryside admist the olive groves and rolling hills lies this gem of a tuscan wedding venue, Villa Pazzi Al Parugiano (fondly called Villa Pazzi). With easy access to the city of Florence and about 30 minutes drive to both Pisa and Florence airports, Villa Pazzi is an ideal location for your destination wedding in Tuscany.
From its name, you’d be right in thinking that this tuscan wedding venue has some connection to the medieval Pazzi family (the Florentine banking family who were sworn rivals of the famous Medici family. The Medici’s brought renaissance to Florence at the turn of the 15th century)
The venue itself used to be the tuscan countryside home of the Pazzi family. Legend has it that the family frequented their countryside estate as an escape when running affairs at their Pazzi bank in Florence got a bit too much.
Villa Pazzi has oodles of character and history and a mild connection to the Medici story (albeit not in the most flattering context but still!). It is one you will certainly appreciate getting married at if you are a lover of history like me!
Today though, I’m shining the spotlight on this beautiful Tuscany wedding venue as a great venue option for your destination wedding in sunny Tuscany. One that is a bit off the beaten path and might not necessarily be among the ones you have added to your bucket list of tuscan wedding venues for your upcoming wedding celebrations.
The villa is blessed with vast grounds and each part can be designed to meet your preference. From rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies through to your wedding reception and post wedding brunch, the venue has the space to suit your needs and accommodate the most deserving of clientele.
There’s accommodation inside the villa for you and your closest guests to stay over. Accommodation is also available locally that are very close to the villa for larger guest numbers (although not part of the villa) making it a great choice for your multi-day destination wedding celebration in sunny Tuscany.
I know lockdown and covid has scuppered most of our travel plans for this year but, let me walk you through some of the spots that will be great for your wedding celebrations in sunny Tuscany so that once lockdown is over (and we can all travel again), you can start to plan again and add this venue to your list of venue choices for your multi day destination wedding celebrations in Tuscany!
The ceremony
The venue has it’s own private chapel that is licensed for wedding ceremonies. It can hold up to 50 people inside so perfect for intimate wedding ceremonies. There is also an outdoor annex that can accomodate more of your guests if you have guest numbers larger than 50.
The chapel is a private one and can be used for both civil, symbolic and religious ceremonies. The vast grounds of the villa are also licensed for civil ceremonies so great for having outdoor wedding ceremonies under the open tuscan skies! You’ve got to love that kind of flexibility, right?
The reception
As with the ceremony, Villa Pazzi has various beautiful options for where to hold the wedding reception whether indoor or outdoors under the open heavens, that leaves you utterly spoilt for choice.
There is the glorious grounds of the lemon garden – this is one of the hidden gems of this venue – where you can set up an outdoors wedding reception party for your guests with the lemon garden as your backdrop. The lemon garden bursts forth with new life usually from late April right through the wedding season to early October.
There’s also the tree lined grove adjacent to the lemon garden that is great for intimate wedding receptions, Perfect for long banquet tables with your friends and family. In terms of outdoor options for both alfresco and formal dining on the vast grounds, whether for rehearsal dinners, welcome pizza parties through to wedding reception and post wedding brunch, plenty of options and choices abound.
For indoor wedding reception (especially if the weather is not dry and sunny – it can happen even in Italy!) or you want to escape the harsh afternoon tuscan sun, there is the upstairs terrace pavilion that is part of the annex of garden with views overlooking the lemon garden on one side and views across the rolling hills and olive groves on the other side.
When I say indoor, I mean its more of a gazebo style than an enclosed space with lots of natural light. There is also the downstairs pavilion that leads directly onto the lemon garden which is equally good for an intimate wedding reception.
As you can garner from the above, there are lots of options for where you can have both your ceremony, reception and other wedding related activities. The grounds are also great for activities like a treasure or scavenger hunt for pre-wedding guest activities.
There is the indoor courtyard or the indoor dining area for a welcome brunch, rehearsal dinner and post wedding brunch. If you want the beckon of the outdoors for your celebrations, there are lots of ample spaces outdoors for beautiful alfresco dining for both pre and post wedding celebrations.
The villa has plenty of spots to take stunning wedding pictures, different nooks and crannies of the grounds of the villa that provides a much varied palette and appeal to your senses. You can also venture out of the grounds to take pictures in the stunning surrounding neighbourhood.
The inside of the villa is just as stunning with its restored features and the most amazing wall frescos that is so reminiscent of the florentine renaissance. Each fresco is different and feels like you entered a different world as you enter each of the rooms. The villa has onsite accommodation too. There are six double bedrooms and a bridal suite onsite that has all been beautifully renovated.
The venue is about a 30 minutes drive away into the city of Florence so handy for guests who want to see a bit of the beautiful city. There is an aged wine cellar on the grounds for wine connoisseurs and we can organise wine tastings for you and also an olive press where they produce fresh olive oil on the grounds.
There are also nearby local attractions to explore like the textile mills in montemurlo and I can certainly help you to plan activities for your guests when you’re ready to.
Villa Pazzi is a real gem of a wedding venue in the tuscan countryside. The images here and online do not do the venue justice at all. You need to see to take in all it has to offer! You will be completely spoilt for choice in choosing spots to host your various festivities.
Alongside hiring specific spots, the venue is also available on an exclusive use basis so you can have the villa all to yourself for you and your close friends and family, just ideal for your multi day destination wedding celebrations.
Of course, if you need help to book and plan your destination wedding at this villa (or any other in the tuscan countryside) then do get in touch, I’d love to help you bring your wedding dreams to life at this beautiful Tuscany wedding venue!
Cynthia x
Images by Benedetto Photos
