Getting married at a museum

The village of Vinci, Leonardo’s birthplace, allows couples to celebrate a civil wedding in places associated with the life and times of the town’s beloved son. At the Museo Leonardiano, parties can be held under Leonardo’s striking wing, at the Conti Guidi castle or at Palazzina Uzielli.

Lovers of history and genius inventions can celebrate their wedding in Leonardo’s House Museum in the locality of Anchiano, just 3 km from Vinci. Have a fairytale wedding among centuries-old olive trees with a breathtaking view of the Montalbano hills.

The Coccapani Ceramics Museum in Calcinaia is housed in the premises of an old ceramic workshop in the historic centre. The museum allows visitors to discover ceramic art through the presentation of tools, products and decoration techniques that characterize this type of craft activity. The kilns make it an unique and extraordinary place, which offers a blend of old materials, structures and architectural features: the perfect place for a wedding imbued with history and culture.

The impressive Archaeological Area in Fiesole is the place to choose for a ceremony celebrated while surrounded by history and with an extraordinary view of Florence. Declare eternal love in the Roman amphitheatre or on the terrace in front of the Archaeological Museum.

The Museo di San Pietro all'Orto in Massa Marittima preserves the city's unique heritage with works dating to the 1300s and 1400s. Artefacts include the wooden Crucifix and original sculptures by Giovanni Pisano, Pietro Lorenzetti’s Crucifix and Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Maestà painted on wood.

The Sala del Concistoro, in Siena’s Civic Museum, hosts ceremonies in the beautiful ancient Roman setting. This room once held meetings of the republican government and is romantically painted pink. It's accessed through a magnificent 15th-century doorway believed to be by Rossellino. One of the masterpieces of Italian mannerism is immediately on display, a fresco cycle with examples of public virtue taken from Greek and Roman history, painted by Domenico Beccafumi between 1529 and 1535.

If you prefer a location closer to the sea, head for Livorno’s Giovanni Fattori Civic Museum, where you can get married in the Hall of Mirrors of the 19th-century Villa Mimbelli. The museum houses works by local artists such as Fattori, Corcos and Nomellini) and others (Lega, Signorini and Boldini).

Getting married in the embrace of vineyards, among barrels, barriques and vats, is possible at the I Lecci Wine Culture Centre in Montespertoli. The Centre houses the Museum of Grapes and Wine, where a path illustrates all the stages of production (from the harvesting of the grapes through to vinification and bottling) and celebrates the value of this tradition.

If you love local handicrafts, consider marrying at Empoli’s Glass Museum, in a former salt warehouse, surrounded by green glasses, jugs and vases.

Empoli is also the location of painter Jacopo Carrucci’s house museum, better known as Pontormo. The rooms where one of the greatest Mannerism artists was born in 1494 set the scene for your wedding.