Castello di Vicarello sits in the hills of southern Tuscany: a stone castle, now a small hotel with its own gardens and its own kitchen. I filmed Anthony and Jasmine’s wedding here on 7 September 2022 — an American couple, around ninety guests, and one of the most elegant weddings I have shot in Italy.

What follows is what I learned filming a full day at this venue. What a Castello di Vicarello wedding gives you, what it asks of you, and what I would want to know before choosing it.

Both of you can get ready at the castle

Anthony and Jasmine both got ready on site — him with his best men, her with her bridesmaids, in separate parts of the property.

That is worth more than it sounds. In most Tuscan weddings the morning is split across two hotels and a drive between them. Here it happens in one place. The day starts calm, nobody is watching a clock, and for a videographer it means the whole preparation gets covered properly instead of being cut in half by a transfer.

If you are building a timeline for Vicarello, keep the morning on site. It is the part of the day couples most often underestimate, and it is what gives a film its quiet opening.

The one thing to know before you book: the climbs

An honest note, because it is the thing you only discover on arrival. The castle is built on a hill and its spaces sit on different levels. Moving between them means steep paths and steps — not a long walk, but a real climb, repeated through the day.

It matters for three practical reasons: choose your shoes accordingly, think about your older guests, and build a few extra minutes into every transition in the timeline, because ninety people move more slowly than a plan assumes.

Is it worth it? Without hesitation. The castle looks the way it does precisely because it sits where it sits. But it should be a decision you make knowingly rather than a surprise on the morning of your wedding.

It rained — and the day was better for it

It rained during Anthony and Jasmine’s wedding. We spent part of the day indoors, and it stopped shortly before the ceremony.

Which brings up something specific about this castle: the interiors are not a fallback. Stone rooms, thick walls, light coming in low through deep windows — they are genuinely beautiful, and among the best places here to film. A wet hour at Vicarello does not cost you the day. It changes its texture.

And rain in Tuscany usually passes. What follows it is air with the dust washed out of it, and light that no dry afternoon produces.

The ceremony outside, dinner under a marquee

The ceremony was held outdoors, once the rain had cleared.

Dinner was under a marquee — a sensible choice at this venue in September, when the evenings turn cool as soon as the sun drops behind the hills. A marquee lets you keep the whole night outside instead of moving ninety guests indoors after dinner.

The food came out of the castle’s own kitchen, and it was some of the best I have eaten at a wedding. That is not something I say often.

The moment the film turns on

During the vows, Anthony went for the wrong hand.

Jasmine noticed, laughed, and gave him the right one — and the whole thing became a small unscripted exchange between the two of them, in front of everyone. It is in their film, and it is the best thing in it.

It is also the argument for how I work. That moment lasted a few seconds. Nobody could have planned it, and if a camera had been repositioning or a videographer had been directing at that instant, it simply would not exist. You get moments like that by being ready and staying out of the way.

Why couples choose a castle wedding in Tuscany

A castle wedding in Tuscany is a different proposition from a villa or an agriturismo, and it is worth being clear about why.

A castle is usually exclusive-use: you and your guests have the whole place, for two or three days, with nobody else passing through. The architecture does half the work a decorator would otherwise be paid for. And the interiors give you a real second option when the weather turns, which in Tuscany it does.

What you trade is convenience. Castles were built on high ground for reasons that had nothing to do with weddings, and that shows up in your timeline. Vicarello is a clear example: small, self-contained, extraordinary to look at, and vertical.

If you are comparing castles, I have also filmed at Castello di Celsa, near Siena, which handles the same brief in a completely different way.

What I would tell a couple considering Vicarello

It is a castle that rewards an unhurried day. The distances are short but vertical, the interiors are as good as the views, and the property is small enough that a wedding takes it over completely.

Give the morning room, build time into every transition, and do not panic if the forecast turns. The wedding I filmed here rained, and it is still one of the most beautiful days I have shot in Tuscany.

The team behind the day

Venue & catering @castello_di_vicarello · Planning @sinclairandmoore · Photography @janawilliamsphotos_ · Film @ivancaiazzafilms · Chef @chef_kevinluigifornoni · Rentals @preludiodivisionenoleggio · Florals @chiaraspertifloralevents · Cake @sugarcups_cake_design · Paper @plumecalligraphy · Headpiece @erinrhyne · Dress @moniquelhuillierbride · Hair & make-up @laranavarrinimakeup

Planning a Castello di Vicarello wedding, or weighing it against other castles in the region? Get in touch — and you can see more of my work as a Tuscany wedding videographer.