WEDDINGS IN UMBRIA - UNIQUE, UNFORGETABLE …YET AFFORDABLE

Salve tutti,
The Royal Wedding is coming up and we are going to be advertising in BRIDES (UK) magazine's April - May Issue which will feature Weddings Abroad and especially Italy as a #1 destination. But, I just wanted to give you a sneak preview and share a little bit of what we offer couples looking for a uniquely personal wedding celebration. The Royal Couples Wedding will be unique and unforgetable, but certainly not affordable (duh!!).

Allora, at Il Convento Mincione, some couples choose to add a blessings ceremony to their civil ceremony.  These blessings are usually performed in our romantic 12th century medieval courtyard with its panoramic views of the Val Racchiusole.
This video peeking through the 13th century arch into the courtyard was made one Easter Sunday morning at 8:00 AM. I was the only one here. The day was quite overcast, but the thing I like the best about this clip is the sound of the birds chirping.                                                                                

The shot below was taken late one mild afternoon in September.  The couple and guests had a fabulous day and in this shot, the sun is just starting to set over the hills to the northwest.  That's the direction of Preggio about 10km distant (more about Preggio later...please read until the end).

                                         
An  intimate wedding celebration with a sumptuous, Italian country wedding banquet below...

And, yet another banquet table set up on the piazza in a U-shape overlooking the valley...

After the festivities couples like to visit the pool for a photo op...

And, when the big day is done, our California hot tub seems to be 'the' place to be...

 At 927 meters, Mt. Acuto is the tallest mountain in the area and can be seen from near and far. We are located within the 'Ecomuseum Colli del Tezio', in triangle Assisi-Gubbio-Perugia, in a hilly rural area-approximately 450 km2.  An eco-museum is a protected zone. Ours is  in the remote northwestern tip of Umbria which surrounds Mt. Acuto. Multiple walking trails allow guests to explore the natural beauty that and encircles Il Convento Mincione and leads to the top of Mt. Acuto. Arceologists has found the remains of an Etruscan temple at the top and more recently a South American shaman has created a messa at the top. Both are protected by a fence, but you can see them.  I am a little ashamed to devulge that I have never reached the top of Mt. Acuto, nor have I attempted to climb this famous peak.  Maybe this year...
(Who believes me?)

And, Luigi will almost always be there waiting for you in the parking lot, when you get back.

                                                                     
Unless, like he does some days, he decides to accompany you. This very hot day in the beginning of July that I am thinking of in particular, Luigi decided to accompany our guests who were very seasoned  hikers.  They (the father and daughter and Luigi ) set out on a circular walk around 8:00 AM on a route that would take them near Preggio and back - down the valley up the hills and through the fields. Remember I mentioned Pregio at the beginning of this entry?

Well, what they told me when they got back was that everything was going great, until they started on their way back.  By this time, the sun was high in the sky and Luigi had started huffing and puffing. They, the father and daughter, had given him water each time they had taken some themselves, but Luigi just wasn't going to make it back.  So, the father picked Luigi up and carried him home.  I don't remember just how long he carried Luigi, but it must have been at least a kilometer or two.

Luigi never left Jacques side after that.  Here they are together, taking a rest and contemplating their adventure.

Ciao,
And please let me hear from you. Your comments are appreciated.
Joan
Press Release January 17, 2011:
WEDDINGS IN UMBRIA...UNIQUE, UNFORGETABLE...YET AFFORDABLE