Romantic Wedding in Cefalù (Sicily)

Available all year except August and December

Basic proposal only for Bride and Groom includes:

Unforgettable Religious or Civil Ceremony.
Interpreter for the Ceremony (when English speaking priest or civil official is not available).
Staff assistance with paperwork and legalities.
Coordinator present to assist you the day before and through the event.
Legal fees for the Civil Ceremony or donation to the Church.
Bouquet for the bride (hand-held round), buttonhole for the groom.
Music for the Church (organist for the Church) or Town Hall (one instrument).
Professional photographer service for the whole day (50 photos 20cmx30cm colours). It includes negatives.
Elegant car for the whole day.
Elegant Wedding reception at magnificent monastery with aperitif in the garden (for bride and groom, wine and champagne, small Wedding cake included).
Floral centrepiece with or without candle.
One night stay at the monastery, a four stars grand suite with breakfast in the room.
Bottle of Spumante and fruits for your special toast in the room.
ncludes IVA (i.e. VAT or sales tax) and general duties.

Extras:

Elegant Wedding reception for your guests, optional accommodation.
Two witnesses.
Transfer from and to the airport.
Floral arrangement for the Church, or Town Hall.
Posy for the maid of honour.
Hair styling on the day at the hotel room.
Full makeover (make-up, manicure and wax) on the day at the hotel room.
Music for the ceremony (if different from proposal above).
Music for the reception.
Professional Video in NTSC or PAL.

This is a Wedding Idea, which means it simply is a combination of one or more Ceremony styles, locations for the Reception and some specific services. It has been created to give you new ideas for your romantic Italian Wedding and should be considered a starting point only.

Please visit our Wedding locations page to discover where we operate or contact us to schedule a Wedding .

Ceremony

Cefalù's most appealing feature is its cathedral, which dominates the town. If you want to plan a Catholic ceremony in a majestic -almost regal- setting then this cathedral is difficult to beat, in Sicily or anywhere else. For civil weddings, we can arrange a ceremony in a Castle, which is a charming setting (a Baglio) redolent of the rural, fifteenth-century Sicily you've seen in the movies.

Reception

There are several medieval monasteries in the Madonie Mountains (pronounced "mah-do-NEE-yeh") which have been converted into hotels or restaurants, but this is our undisputed favourite. Founded in the thirteenth century, it is located on an estate with vineyards. An undiscovered treasure. As a condition of hosting your reception or dinner, the owners require that you spend at least one night as their guests in the castle-like suites (it's a most delightful obligation, no more expensive than a suite in a good hotel, and we can't think of a more romantic place for your wedding night!). For the reception and lodging, the estate can easily accommodate a wedding party of thirty.

Location

This magnificent Idea is located in Cefalù, one of the most beautiful towns of Sicily.

Historical crossroad for maritime trade in the Mediterranean, Sicily maintains a large artistic and cultural patrimony, with contributions by foreign dominators over the centuries. The region is also rich in natural beauties, from the beaches of Taormina to the Gulf of Castellammare near Etna, a still-active volcano.

Sicily is more than an island! Discover Sicily and discover the world. The world's first multicultural society, Sicily is Italy's (and Europe's) most historically cosmopolitan region, having been ruled by Asians, Africans and Europeans. Sicily is black and white and a million shades of gray. There's no other place on Earth like Sicily. Our island is a unique place full of art, archaeology, history, folklore and breathtaking scenery. And, of course, great food. Sicily is almost a nation unto itself. The enchanting land where Archimedes taught and Saint Paul preached was a Greek colony, a Roman province, an Arab emirate and a Norman kingdom. The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Swabians, Angevins and Aragonese made Sicily their own, leaving behind an eclectic history that you can still touch today. And Sicily will touch you. Sicily is Europe, Africa and Asia on one island. Greek tyrants, Arab emirs, Norman knights, Byzantine bishops and Holy Roman Emperors made Sicily the place it is. Experience their legacy in Phoenician settlements, Punic cities, Greek temples, Roman amphitheatres, Norman Arab castles and Aragonese churches. Thirty centuries of history expressed in the Classical, the Romanesque, the Gothic, the Baroque...

And God created Sicily. The place where the mountains meet the sea. Sicilia, the island in the sun, is home to Heavenly beaches, majestic mountains and Europe's greatest natural wonder, Mount Etna. Sicily's coasts are gold with orange and lemon orchards. In northeastern Sicily you'll find lush forests. In the central regions you'll encounter rugged land and rolling hills. Dignified vineyards, ancient olive groves, hardy almond orchards and endless wheat fields complete the picture. Summer is amber land under a sky of blue. Winter finds palm trees dusted with snow in a surreal symphony. Spring is a rainbow of wild flowers set against greenest fields...

This Wedding Idea is featured in Cefalù, one of Mediterranean's undiscovered town jewels. This captivating seaside town is beneath a steep mountain. It has a beautiful beach, winding, narrow, medieval streets, and delightful restaurants overlooking a rocky coast. All under the ever present gaze of the Norman-Arab-Byzantine cathedral, one of the greatest churches of southern Europe. Nestled between the Madonie Mountains and the sea, its mountain boasts the ruins of a large fortress and an ancient Sicanian-Greek temple. The view from the summit is inspiring.

This city is very beautiful, even though it doesn't have as quite as many restaurant, lodging and shopping choices as other cities, and some of the attractions (the abbey, the Baglio) are some distance outside the town (in a beautiful countryside). It's a serene place to spend a few days with your new spouse, very intimate and less crowded than famous cities like Taormina. It's the kind of setting we usually suggest for couples who want to spend a little time together away from everything except each other.

On the northern coast, 75 kilometers east of Palermo, from which it is about forty-five minutes by car, a bit longer on an express train, Cefalù (with the accent on the last syllable) is a medieval town built on the site of an ancient Sicanian and Greek settlement. In fact, its name derives from the Greek word for a cape; the ancient city was called Cephaloedion. Except for a few archeological items in the local museum, all that remains of these ancient cultures today is a small structure, the Temple of Diana, on the mountain overlooking the town. the foundation of this simple enclosure is said to be one of the oldest structures still standing in Sicily. Though the fortress itself crumbled long ago, the battlements atop the mountain were built during the Norman rule of the island in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. A few segments of this outer wall are restorations; most are original. For the stout hearted, the summit, with its magnificent view of the town, cathedral, mountains and sea, is well worth the climb. (Only Taormina's seaside view rivals this coastal vista.) Viewed at night from the coast to the west, the illuminated mountain and cathedral make for an inspiring site, evoking much of the city's medieval grandeur.

Begun in 1131 during the reign of Roger II, the cathedral and the adjoining abbey and cloister were completed some years later. The floor plan and artistic style, typical of those of many cathedrals built in Northern Europe during the same period, differ somewhat from the simple Romanesque lines of Monreale's cathedral, especially when viewed from the outside. The church, with some Gothic features, was one of the first Sicilian cathedrals built on the Western model, with a long nave and distinct transept. This indicates an influence more Norman than Byzantine or Arab, though the icon of Christ in the apse leaves no doubt about the Eastern (Orthodox) tradition still very much alive in western Sicily at the time the church was built. Cefalù Cathedral lacks the extensive mosaics of Monreale; its ambience is altogether more Gothic than Byzantine, though purists would point out that its style shows only partial signs of early Gothic forms. Do keep in mind that the cathedral is closed in the afternoon from 1 to 4.

During the the War of the Vespers, Charles the Lame, son and heir of the King of Naples, was imprisoned in the citadel by the Aragonese following a naval defeat. While the royal visitor's imprisonment could not have lacked for splendid views or fine cuisine, one senses a certain isolation here. The prince survived his stay at Cefalù to be crowned Charles II of Naples upon his father's death in 1285, though his dynasty had to renounce their rights to Sicily in favor of the House of Aragon.

Near the ruins of the fortress at the top of the mountain are the remnants of the so-called Temple of Diana, probably a Sicanian structure. Its portal and cut stone reflect Greek and Roman construction, and in fact the cult of Hercules worshipped here. However, the temple's foundations are actually far more ancient, dating to the ninth century BC if not somewhat earlier.

Several medieval buildings still stand in the city itself. These include the lavatoio (lavandai), a medieval wash house fed by freshwater springs, and the Osteria Magna (Great Guesthouse), where King Roger stayed during his visits to Cefalù. A maze of charming medieval streets make Cefalù a pleasant spot, whether you stay for a morning or an entire day.

High in the Madonie Mountains nearby, some 15 kilometers away, is Gibilmanna Sanctuary. The church itself is unremarkable but the wooded area surrounding it is beautiful.

Castelbuono, a mountain town about 25 kilometers from Cefalù, boasts a castle once owned by the Ventimiglia family, feudal lords of several towns in the area. Castelbuono is a charming locality in an attractive wooded location, though a bit remote for the casual traveler. Like Caccamo, Castelbuono (literally "good castle") has vestiges of medieval architecture, but its castle, which was modified somewhat over the centuries, is usually closed to the public.

Should you want to know more on Matrimoniando and the services we offer or on the Wedding idea above please read the Frequently Asked Question or visit the contacts page to get in touch with us.

To schedule this Wedding Idea please fill in the schedule a Wedding form.