Finally, here is part II! Following on from the last blog where we had spent a few days in Rome with Helen and Steven (and bump), we were now driving to Roccastrada, a 2.5 hour journey north of Rome in the heart of Tuscany. This is where Francesco, Lindsey's soon to be husband, calls home. His family have a holiday home which backs onto the wedding reception venue and it is quite simply stunning. The reception venue is a rustic fairytale of a castle, a small one but beautiful all the same, which has been renovated over the past 12 years by the owner, Bruno. Bruno I may add doesn't speak one word of English, nor does anyone else it seems in Roccastrada, as this part of Italy remains relatively untouched by tourists. Time to get the phrasebook out! Vorrei un bicchiere di vino bianco, per favore!
Arriving in Roccastrada, we turned into the dirt track that would lead us to the 'castle' and a few minutes later, we could see why Lindsey had decided on celebrating her wedding here. If you imagine a small castle, with 12 or so apartments in a horseshoe fashion, all with windows looking down onto the main outdoor dance floor/reception area, it was like a little community once everyone had arrived for the wedding. We had arrived on the Tuesday prior to the wedding on the Saturday and by the Thursday, most people had moved into La Civitella. It was almost like staying in Halls of Residence at uni; there was always someone in the courtyard with a bottle of wine open and it was a great way to meet the guests prior to the main event. With Lindsey being Scottish but speaking fluent French, and Francesco obviously being Italian and having been schooled in London and now living in Brussels and speaking French, there was definitely an eclectic mix of people to socialise with! From American to Finnish, to German and Belgian, combined with a healthy batch of Scottish and Italian peeps, it was sure to be an interesting wedding!
Our accommodation was brilliant. Simple and rustic (the occasional cold shower etc) but very Tuscan and we had our own little balcony to have our breakfast on in the sunshine every morning. There was a small mishap with the balcony umbrella and some wind but we'll not dwell on that too much....Most of Lindsey's friends, some of her aunties and uncles, the minister and his wife and some of Margaret and Russell's friends were all staying at La Civitella, but the remainder of those who had travelled to the wedding were dotted around Roccastrada within a 5-10 minute drive of the venue. All very stressful to organise I'm sure but it worked out very well.
The few days before the wedding were spent helping with the preparations, picking family members up from the train station (cue hairy right side of the road driving and the occasional scream from me as I hope for the best entering a roundabout), drinking wine, getting to know people and of course making time to go to the beach. The night before the wedding, the girls were invited to a pool party at the resort Lindsey was staying at before the wedding. Absolutely stunning, with 'aperitivo' nibbles and Prosecco and some larking around on the inflatable lilo in the pool. A perfect way to spend a Friday night!! It was an early one for the ladies, while the lads were being entertained at the Mancini holiday home. I believe they enjoyed a spit roast and quite a few glasses of red wine judging by the merriment when they arrived back at La Civitella. All good fun swapping stories in the courtyard before getting some beauty sleep before the big day.
The morning of the wedding and the sun was shining, with not a cloud in the sky. Bob was up early, enjoying a caffeine fix while he studied his spreadsheet in which all his master of ceremony duties were outlined. It was up to Bob, and Francesco's sister Letizia, to ensure the day ran smoothly and to keep everything on time. Due to the heat, the wedding ceremony was starting later than usual, at 430pm and so in order for the ceilidh band (yes, there is one in Tuscany!) to start on time, they needed to keep things efficient. Bob's job for the morning was to ensure that our hire car was washed and down the bottom of the dirt track to get it's wedding ribbons attached. Sure enough, Bob got the car washed and parked it down the bottom of the dirt track, only for another couple of cars to fly past and splatter a fresh batch of dust all over the car. Splendid! About 2.45, we set off for La Melosa, where Lindsey was getting ready, with Margaret in our car. Glitch number one, Russell (who was already at La Melosa) phoned to say he had left his tie in the car. No tie was to be found. Hmmm. Luckily enough, cue husband of a bridesmaid to come up with a spare navy blue one. Not quite matching but will do the job!! Dress on, bridesmaids ready and some snaps taken, the bride was on her way to the chapel, which was about 45 minutes drive away. It had begun!
The ceremony was lovely, a little more complicated than our own but only because they had to say their vows in Italian and therefore had both an American Presbyterian minister to conduct the ceremony and the Italian priest to ensure all the legal procedures were followed. The bride was piped in and out by the piper in the kilt much to the amazement of the Italian onlookers who were probably quite intrigued by all the kilted men! And so the newlyweds drove off in Francesco's dad's white convertible Mercedes to get some more photographs taken.
Back to La Civitella for some aperitivo on the terrace and then a sit down meal with pasta, T-bone steak and fruit salad, not to mention the wedding cake that had survived the journey from Scotland with only a slight hint of bubble wrap print on the icing - only required a mild touch up!
All in all, a fantastic day with the 'disco' lasting into the wee small hours. Speeches were great, first dance was great, ceilidh was funny! Congratulations Lindsey and Francesco! xx
(the photos on this blog, the last 6, are the professional ones from photographer Marco Miglianti)
(the photos on this blog, the last 6, are the professional ones from photographer Marco Miglianti)
