Rome & Lazio

Domes, umbrella pines and warm ochre walls — the city, and around it villas, lakes and hill towns.

Rome is a city to marry in and to walk through afterwards: fountains, piazzas, church steps and viewpoints over a skyline of domes, with the whole historic centre a UNESCO World Heritage site. The light seems warmer here, caught in ochre and terracotta walls.

Around the city, Lazio has country villas and gardens, volcanic lakes ringed by hill towns, and the old towns of the Tuscia to the north. One good plan: the ceremony in the city, the dinner outside it, where there is room and quiet.

A couple on a bench at a viewpoint over Rome at sunset

The Tiber in autumn, with Castel Sant’Angelo and its bridge

Through the year

When to marry in Rome & Lazio

Spring and early autumn are warm and bright; Easter week is very busy in the city. July and August are hot, and around mid-August many Romans leave town — the lakes and hills nearby stay fresher. Autumn rain arrives in October; November is the wettest month.

January: Quieter
February: Quieter
March: Good with planning
April: Best
May: Best
June: Best
July: Good with planning
August: Good with planning
September: Best
October: Best
November: Quieter
December: Quieter

SpringWisteria over old walls, gardens in flower and easy days for walking the city. April can still bring showers.
SummerHot days and late, warm nights: the city lives outdoors after dark. Midday is for the shade; ceremonies and portraits move to the evening.
AutumnRomans have a word for October’s warm, golden days — the ottobrata. Softer light, fewer visitors and the grape harvest in the hills.

Places

Where couples marry here

The kinds of places — ask your photographer which ones they know well.

Historic halls and churches
Civil ceremonies in historic halls of the city, and churches of every age for a religious wedding.
Rooftops and viewpoints
Terraces over the domes for drinks at sunset, and the city’s hills for portraits as the lights come on.
Villas and gardens outside the city
Country houses with long avenues of pines and cypresses — room for a big dinner and dancing.
Lakes and hill towns
Volcanic lakes in the hills south-east and north-west of Rome, and small towns with views over the countryside.

Light

How the light falls

Rome’s colours — ochre, terracotta, travertine — glow in the last hour of the day, and several viewpoints look west over the domes at sunset. In the famous squares the crowds come early: photographers who want them empty start at sunrise.

Travel

Getting there

Fly into Fiumicino, Rome’s main airport, or Ciampino. Cars are restricted in the historic centre; the countryside around is an hour or less away by car.

Photographers