In this section, you will find locations where you will be very welcomed even if you are only in two without guests or with very few guests. The event fee will not exceed €1000, and in some cases, you will not have to pay at all for the rental of the place for the ceremony (compensating with the reservation of on-site accommodation or a wedding dinner).
These can be not only small private villas but even castles. Hotels can provide their terraces with unique panoramic views on an exclusive basis, subject to payment for a wedding banquet, and if there are only two of you, the event fee will be advantageous compared to the standard rates for large weddings.
Below you will find the largest selection of wedding venues for elopements or little weddings in Sicily. Click on the photo to read a short description. If you like some variant, take a screenshot and send it to me, afterwards you will receive a detailed description of this place as part of the first free consultation.
Sicily is located in the heart of the Mediterranean and it has a unique historical and cultural heritage. Whoever has not conquered it – from the northern Vikings to the southern Phoenicians. Each nation has left its own cultural mark, which is reflected in unique architectural artefacts. All of them are under state protection, and many are included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. In recent years, the management of some cultural sites have begun to provide unique services for holding private events on-site, for example:
– at the Ancient Greek Theatre of Taormina:
Pinterest photo
– at Tonnara di Scopello inside of the Lo Zingaro reserve:
– at Latomie del Casale inside of Syracuse Neapolise (with the view of the Ear of Dionysus):
– at the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento overlooking the Temple of Concordia:
– at the completely unearthly theatre of Andromeda in the mountains of central Sicily:
These wedding locations are not for everyone. They are chosen by couples who seek a unique experience and full immersion in the history of Sicily and Italy, who would like to surprise their guests and to have a truly exclusive experience.
The beach season in Sicily lasts from May to October with rare temperature peaks at +20-30 Celsium degrees even in winter.
Sicily is the sunniest region of Italy with 300 sunny days a year, the sun shines here 2,700 hours a year, compared to 2,000 hours on average in Italy. Winter average temperatures range is from +15 to +20 degrees on the coast, summer temperatures can reach +40 degrees in the shade (July-August). For some northern European countries, I may say that Sicily is in eternal summer 🙂
At the same time, of course, it’s not a desert, it also rains here, so do not neglect Plan B while planning your destination wedding in Sicily.
Sicily is surrounded by three seas – the Ionian from the East, the Mediterranean from the South and the Tyrrhenian sea from the North. The number of beaches is striking in its diversity: from charismatic black rocks near Catania to snow-white with Caribbean colours sea in the province of Syracuse and at the north-west of the island.
Types of beach wedding venues in Sicily:
– HOTEL type, when the hotel is placed on the shore with its “private” beach and it rents out the entire beach or part of it for an event. The convenience of such locations is in easy logistics, in well-organized catering, and in possible accommodation for newlyweds with or without their guests. It can be suitable also for elopements.
– LIDO or equipped paid beaches. Beach life is in full swing in such places from morning till afternoon, and the evening (after 5-6 p.m.) is usually reserved for events. Usually, in such properties, there is a restaurant where you can have a wedding banquet, but you will have to look for accommodation nearby and include a guests transfer in the budget if the beach is remote.
– RESTAURANTS by the sea, subject to beautiful panoramas and available spaces for a ceremony. Sicily has few restaurants by the sea authorised for civil weddings.
– WILD BEACHES. In such places, Plan B can not be provided, unless there is a suitable cave or grotto nearby where you can hide from the rain in the warm off-season. This option is more suitable for adventurers with a wedding type of elopement.
– CASTLES. Yes, exactly, Sicily has several castles by the sea with private beaches, some of them are authorised for civil weddings. Good shot, isn’t it?
– UNUSUAL VENUES by the sea, for example, an old dimora inside of protected natural reserve or a private YACHT OR SHIP. The symbolic ceremony, honeymoon or romantic photoset in the sea opposite Taormina overlooking the approvingly flaming volcano Etna will guarantee intense emotions for all your life!
There are still a lot of nuances: the natural light during a wedding (it is different on different coasts), logistics of the place, isolation of the beach from onlookers, and even the ban on shooting with a drone in some exclusive hotels.
To understand all this great diversity you should contact a local professional for the first free consultation: wedding@etnamare.org
You can find below the most full photo gallery of the beach weddings in Sicily, just click on the photo to read a short description.
Do you know how many castles are in Sicily? Over 500, including dilapidated and fortified. About 20 of them specialize in weddings and private events, a good situation for an island, isn’t it?
There are castles ancient and modern, with accommodation for guests, on the seashore and among the endless fields of citrus and olive groves. For every taste and even .. budget (from 500 euros rent for 2 hours of the official ceremony to thousands of euros for full exclusivity).
If you want to combine a European-level wedding fairytale with a honeymoon in an exotic country, then you are definitely going to Sicily. The gallery presents examples of castles in Sicily.
For a personal selection of a wedding castle for your celebration, just write me a request.
This is usually an ideal option if the number of guests does not exceed 5-20. You will get of course 100% exclusivity and, often, good loyalty of the owners on many issues. The pluses could be usually a favourable price compared to other options and accommodation of guests on the territory. The minuses could be a small selection of catering services (it is profitable for them to work here at least from 30-40 people); a little experience in organizing events (positive reviews of the LEASE are not in count), lack of space for ceremony or reception, absence of the covered areas in the case of Plan B.
From a possible and quite important minus for many may be the environment of such a Villa: neighbours usually do not care what you have there for the event, and by law, they can also turn on loud music at certain hours. Therefore, when choosing such a location for your wedding, it makes sense to check the distance to the neighbours of the Villa, to avoid unpleasant surprises on the spot.
I have several trusted and inspected private properties in Sicily where you will feel comfortable during your important Day and without any unexpected “surprises”. Most of them have direct access to the beach, beautiful views of the sea or mountains. Some of them are available to even for elopements or wedding for only two! Snow-white terraces reflecting the sapphire sea, infinite pools, direct access to the Caribbean-coloured sea in Taormina, Giardini-Naxos or Syracuse.
Recently some private properties in Sicily have been receiving authorisation for civil weddings, which means you do not need to go to a town hall for a ceremony and then be back for reception, you may celebrate all in one place. It is still a rare option and you may find one of such villas in the gallery below. Click on the photo to read a short description.
Have you already rent such a villa or (it is better) you are going to rent it for your event? Contact me for the opinion of a local expert. I can save you from fatal mistakes!
Are you an owner of the private villa which can hold symbolic or civil wedding ceremonies with accommodation starting from 2 pax and you would like that the photos of your villa will appear in this gallery? Send me the full description of your property on wedding@etnamare.org for further evaluation.
Wineries in Sicily are absolutely perfect for those looking for authenticity, outdoor recreation, good cuisine, and of course, excellent wine.
To the pluses, we add the more frequent availability of apartments in the own agriturismo of a winery. Of the minuses, a small number of rooms (usually no more than 10-15 rooms), absence of the sea nearby (for whom it is a minus).
There are several well-known producers of red wine DOC on the slopes of the mt Etna, in which sophisticated connoisseurs and gourmets can be interested.
Hotels with spectacular views of the sea (for example, in Taormina ), or of the sea and the volcano (like the “Etnamare” view), which, you will agree, is even more beautiful and unusual. You will receive the best service here, of course, the convenience of simultaneous guests accommodation, ceremony and wedding banquet in one place.
Often you may receive a free allocation of the site in the semi-exclusive use when booking for example 5-10-20 rooms for guests(depending on the size of the hotel).
As for minuses, as a rule, you cannot choose catering for the banquet (it is understandable), while alcohol and drinks are paid at the prices of the hotel menu, which can greatly affect the budget for fans of abundant feasts:); often quite strict restrictions on the duration of the wedding reception and dinner (unless, of course, you do not intend to rent the entire hotel just for yourself).
You may need a wedding day coordinator when planning a marriage in a wedding hotel. The best time for consultation is at least 6-2 months before the date.
There are a huge number of wedding villas on the island of Sicily. Weddings here are a multi-million dollar business since local people usually marry once and for life, there are usually a lot of relatives, so the prices for renting such properties can reach stellar heights. For destination weddings, there are more modest options, including the possibility of the free rental when booking local catering. As the pluses, of course, there is maximum professional efficiency. These properties are created mostly and specifically for events, so maximum freedom of choice of contractors will be given to you here: from banquet to decorations.
Absolute exclusivity. If you are at the hotel when you go outside the designated area of your event you are risking crossing with other guests. Differently here you usually have all the spaces of the wedding Villa, gardens, terraces, pool/s, banquet halls, and everything just for you, and, as a rule, there are no problems with night disco.
Minuses can be: separate rental price only for the property starting from 1500 to 5000 euros, evening weddings are more expensive than daytime ones. Lack of accommodation in the location (there are few exceptions).
Difficult to figure out the huge variety of wedding villas in Sicily? Write to me about how you see your wedding, the number of guests and other preferences. Afterwards, I will contact you for a free consultation.
