If you are thinking to get married in a historical tuscan village, we can suggest you Caprese Michelangelo.
Caprese Michelangelo owes its name to Michelangelo Buonarroti. Indeed, the artist was born here on March 6, 1475, when his father Ludovico was serving as a Podestà. The village is located on the Apennine Ridge, in the greenest area of the Tuscan Val Tiberina and a few kilometers from Aghiari, the town where the famous Guelphes-Ghibellines battle took place. With the 1860 plebiscite Caprese, like all Tuscany, became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, before becoming part of the Kingdom of Italy.
This valley is defined also as “The little valley of God” because of its peaceful and secluted beauty.
The “Strada dei Sapori Valtiberina Toscana” crosses the valley for about 155 km on the Romagna-Umbria-Marche border. It is here, in Caprese Michelangelo, which is surrounded by chestnut woods, that the famous and exquisite “marrone” is picked.
Caprese Michelangelo is also known for its delicacies, especially mushrooms and truffles, which play a key role in its economy and culinary tradition. Here, in the vast pastures, is raised in a semi-wild state the renowned Chianina, PGI certified and known all over the world for the Bistecca alla Fiorentina.
Known also for The St Francis Way or Cammino di Francesco, Caprese Michelangelo is the proof of Francis’ visit: the “Eremo della Casella”. The earliest testimony of the structure goes back to September 30, 1228, the day when the saint started his walk. The building, which rises on Monte Foresto, is composed by a tiny church and a Franciscan hermitage.
The memory of Buonarroti remains in the Church of Saint Giovanni, and inside of the Mura Castellane which contain the Museo Michelangiolesco: the Casa Natale, the Palazzo Clusini, nowadays a public office for civil marriage. Here we have met the councillor Enzo Baccanelli, who told us how the town council had decided to open these monument’s doors to the couples who are yearning for saying the fatidic “Yes, I do”, surrounded by an historical atmosphere and by the beauty of the panorama. In addition to the visit to Michelangelo’s house, it will be possible to organize, in the ancient castle’s garden, a welcome cocktail or the wedding reception too.
The house of Michelangelo is not the only place where to offer to the guests a wedding banquet. There is also the Il Cerro restaurant. Annalisa and Alfredo, sons of long-time restaurateurs, have warmly received us. The spacious halls and rooms inside and the amazing well-kept garden which surround the restaurant, can host important ceremonies.
Their passion for great cuisine offers the opportunity to taste different types of typical dishes, abundant with fragrances and flavours from the best products of the region. The fresh egg pasta, the key ingredient of a lot of first courses, is rigorously handmade and stretched with the traditional wooden rolling pin. The only mushrooms and truffles allowed to be part of the cuisine are the seasonal ones, like all the other food which is cooked at the restaurant. These are some of the suggested dishes for the marriage banquets: Meat “agnolotti” with truffles, grilled fillet steak and porcini mushrooms cooked in all the possible ways.
For those who would like to stay, the agritourism “Terra di Michelangelo” is situated in San Polo near to Caprese Michelangelo: a little spot of peace and tranquillity where to relax and taste the local flavours. The 6 holiday apartments of the “Terra di Michelangelo” have been realized to satisfy all guests’ needs and to make the holiday a lot more enjoyable. To the complete guests’ disposal there’s a huge swimming pool in the big park which surrounds the farmhouse and in which it is possible to spend a pleasant day in complete relax.
One of the greatest panoramas you can enjoy in Caprese Michelangelo is the one offered by the panoramic terrace of the agritourism Terra di Michelangelo. The terrace faces the valley underneath, and if on one side it is possible to admire the Fumaiolo mountain and the “Alpe della Luna” mountains, on the other side there’s a breathtaking view offered by the Montedoglio lake and by the Tuscan and the Umbrian Valtiberina; in distance, on bright days, it is possible to spot the line of the “Monti Sibilini”. The 200 square-meters of this terrace, fully equipped with tables, chairs and roofing, are the ideal place where to have dinner on summer evenings, with a refreshing breeze even in the warmest days. The perfect location also for outdoor ceremonies and events, aperitifs and buffets, or to add to your souvenir photographs the magic of an unforgettable panorama.
In Caprese Michelangelo there are two beautiful and historical churches: the Church of San Polo, which dates back to the XI century, close to the agriturism Terra di Michelangelo and a small one down the castle for an intimate wedding ceremony
Here italian and foreign couples will be able to celebrate their religious catholic marriage in Tuscany
