If you’re traveling from a significantly different time zone, it may be best to arrive in Florence/Europe at least a day or two in advance to adjust to the time difference and allow for any delays. However, it’s up to you to decide for how long you’d like to stay in the city!
To get to Florence, many of you may choose to fly into Florence’s airport (abbreviation FLR - make sure you don’t end up in South Carolina!). There’s also the option of flying into Rome or Pisa and taking the train to Florence, depending on the structure of your trip. A multi-day rail pass could also be a great option, depending on how much traveling you’ll be doing.
We will only be hosting our immediate families at the villa. For accommodations near the villa, there are plenty of hotel and vacation rental options in the city of Florence that you can choose from! Please see below for more information on accommodation options.
Because Florence has such a wide variety of places to stay, and everyone’s budget is different, we haven’t blocked any hotel rooms, though we do have some suggestions. For families or large groups of people traveling together, we suggest looking at Airbnb and HomeAway for lodging with more amenities and conveniences than a standard hotel room at a lower price. For couples or anyone who wants a little more privacy, there are hotels in every price range. We’ve listed a few below:
If you want to make sure you get the best deals on plane tickets, use flight-comparison sites like Kayak or Skyscanner to get an idea of when to buy. You can try setting a low-fare alert for flights to Europe so you’ll be notified of sales. If you’re traveling lightly, check out Norwegian Airlines - they allow limited baggage to offset their lower fares. A tip for those of you flying from the United States to Europe: flights that lay over in the UK have far higher taxes than those that lay over in the US. You can save hundreds of dollars by avoiding those! Here are some more tips about taxes on flights.
For more advice and ideas on where to stay, things to do, and how to get around Florence, please check out Tripadvisor!
The beginning of June 2016 was warm and sunny, with highs in the mid-70s and lows around 60. Keep your fingers crossed that it will be the same on our wedding day! In the weeks before your trip, check the weather to get a better idea of what to expect. The venue has plenty of greenery to provide shade if it gets too hot, and there will be plenty of wine to keep you warm if it’s a little chilly.
You should wear whatever makes you happy and comfortable! We don’t have a dress code, but if you’d like some guidance, aiming towards semi-formal or formal is probably the safest choice. Josef will be wearing a three-piece suit, and Paloma will be wearing a fairly simple lace dress - nothing extravagant! We know you’re all making a journey to be with us at our wedding, and we don’t want to complicate things by making you lug around a garment bag!
There are some more practical considerations to keep in mind:
Because it may be cooler towards the end of the day, we suggest a light layer and/or a jacket for later in the evening. For women’s footwear, we advise flats or low wedges, as heels may sink into the grass or slide on stone. For both men and women, in case of rain (as unlikely as it is) we advise against flip flops or anything not secured to the foot.
You should arrive on Saturday, June 3, at 2pm. There’s no need to come early unless we’ve asked you to. See you there!
The Villa’s address is: Via di Careggi, 2A, 50139 Firenze, Italy
Getting to the villa is up to you. The easiest way would be using Uber (get $20 off your first ride with code 6vuc9). You can also take a cab. And if you’re a fan of public transport, it takes around 40 minutes.
For getting back to your hotels, we’ll be booking a taxi service. Please let us know beforehand if you’re interested in this option!