One of the many things that Luciana and Greg share in common is a great love affair with Italy. So, when it came to thinking about possible venues for a destination wedding, the choice of location was simple. Greg and Luciana have independently visited Italy many times before, especially the Tuscany region and have always enjoyed all that this part of the country has to offer. But now, together as one, they have decided to make Italy more of a permanent part of their lives and host their ceremonial wedding there. They have chosen the small Italian Hilltown of Cortona, situated in eastern Tuscany to serve as the center point and hub of their wedding activities. Cortona is a beautiful, quintessential Italian Hilltown that was founded by the Etruscan civilization in 800BC that has deep roots in Italian history. It is conveniently geographically positioned to allow easy access to many of the major cities and towns such as Florence, Siena, Assisi, Pienza, San Gimignano, Volterra, Lucca, Arezzo, and Montepulciano just to name a few, and is a short two hour drive north from the Rome (FCO) airport.

Monday - 22 September 2025

Evening. Informal get together and introductory cocktail party for all attending guests at the Galleria Il Pozzo in Cortona where everyone will have a chance to meet each other and get to know one another. Tuscan wine, drinks and local snacks will be served. The venue is at our good friend Ivan’s beautiful art gallery, the best in Cortona. Ivan will be kind enough to host us for the evening where he will share his wealth of information on local Etruscan history and Italian cultural ways.

Tuesday – 23 September 2025

Early morning departure. Greg and Luciana will provide private bus transportation to Florence, Italy for the day. Approximately an hour and twenty minutes northwest of Cortona lies the birthplace of the Renaissance, and the heart of Tuscany. We will have a dedicated guide at our disposal for the morning. The day will be filled with a mixture of cultural moments of the city and key points of interest. Following this, our guests can be free to enjoy the city on their own for shopping, culinary delights, etc. We plan on return to Cortona together by the same bus in the evening.

Wednesday – 24 September 2025

Morning departure. Private bus transportation to two beautiful Italian hill towns; Montepulciano and Pienza, two of our nearby favorites, and both easily reachable within 45 minutes of Cortona. The first stop will be to a pecorino cheese farm near the town of Pienza. Here we will have a private tour of the farm and understand the cheese making process from start to finish, and of course sample the various varieties of the local pecorino cheeses that this region of Italy is so well known for. We will have a picnic lunch at the farm, sampling the typical flavors of the region. Following lunch the bus will take us to the town of Pienza where you will be on your own to explore this magnificent Tuscan gem. The afternoon will be spent touring the town of Montepulciano followed by a private tour of a local winery and private tasting for our group. The bus will return us back to Cortona in the early evening just in time for dinner at your choice of one of Cortona’s wonderful local restaurants.

Thursday – 25 September 2025

Mid-Morning departure. Private bus transportation to a local “frantoio”. The frantoio is the Italian name for the local olive mill that produces, or presses olive oil from raw olives. We will have a private tour of the facility located very near Cortona by Lorenzo who is a fifth generation olive presser and current owner of the local frantoio. He will educate us on the life of the olive from the orchard, through the harvest and cultivation and eventual pressing. We will learn how to care for and select a good oil and of course taste various varieties that vary depending upon their age and acidity. We will return to Cortona in the early afternoon to allow the guests to relax for the afternoon and evening and further explore Cortona at their own pace.

Friday – 26 September 2025

The big day! As mentioned previously, the wedding will take place at 5:00pm at the church of Santa Maria Nuova in Cortona. The church is located just outside the walls of the town and is easily reached within a five minute walk. There will be a reception following the ceremony at a location to be determined. More information on this with will be forthcoming as the details develop. Transportation for the guests will be provided to the reception from the church and back to Cortona at the end of the evening from the reception location.

Saturday – 27 September 2025

There are no activities planned for today. We are assuming that people will be traveling home today, or that they will be making other plans to visit other locations within Italy, etc.