The Eternal city is very well known for its numerous fountains and churches. With its 900 churches it has the World record for number of houses of worship.

There’s something to suit everybody’s fancy: ancient early Christian, Medieval, Gothic or Renaissance, Baroque… even modern churches.

Rita and Francesco, a lovely Lebanese and Italian couple from Rome living in Dublin, chose San Giorgio al Velabro, a VI A.D. century church right in the centre of Rome. It rises next to Argentari Arch and Janus Arch in the place of the Cloaca Maxima. The church is near the legendary Bocca della Verità that everybody remembers featuring with Audrey Hepburne and Gregory Peck in Roman Holidays movie. Remember the scene?

The building was a former Roman one that Pope Gregorius I converted in a Basilica. The plant is composed by a portico with ionic columns in the main entrance, with a characteristic bell tower. The interior is irregular with three naves with different columns recovered by ancient Roman buildings. The apse is raised from the floor, all in marble and surmounted by the frescoes initially attributed to Giotto, but the discussion in the art critics is still open…

Our groom Francesco arrived with his best man in a glorious vintage red Alfa Romeo Spider. This is arriving in style! He parked it right outside the church, and welcomed his guest, waiting for the bride to come. She arrived walking directly from the next door Kolbe Hotel.

Her bridal dress was simple and yet very elegant and refined, the look was completed by the romantic white and pink bouquet made of roses.
Decorations inside the church were wild and romantic with long green cascades of white and pink flowers that enriched the altar and the benches. Everyone loved it!

They chose to have a traditional Roman Catholic mass for their wedding that made the ceremony very solemn. Bride and groom invited guests coming from ever part of the World: all religions joined together to be part the touching moment of a Roman Catholic union.

After the ceremony the couple left driving their vintage car to have some wonderful wedding pictures all around enchanting Rome. While their guest were taken to the beautiful wedding reception: Villa dei Quintili.

Wedding venue is build on ancient Appian Way, in front of the original ruins of the Roman villa belonging to Quintili family, in an magic archeological context. Building architecture has a Spanish style which testifies the relationship between the owner family and Spanish Royal family. It is surrounded by a huge park on levels. Great director Woody Allen took some shooting in this amazing Villa for his To Rome with Love movie which made the place famous to the great public.

The guests had the opportunity to taste a rich Italian aperitif in the garden, with delicious meats and cheeses spots, and wait for the arrival of the couple before enjoying the wedding dinner in the patio.

For the after dinner party, Rita called a Lebanese DJ that delighted all the guests with electronic Oriental and Western fusion music. At 3am some people still stood on the dance floor and did want to leave the part!

We wish to thank Alessandro Zingone for the great job and beautiful wedding photos you can see here.
Villa dei Quintili and its stuff for making this possible, and of course the couple that gave us the opportunity to be part of their special day.