A Secret Elopement To Florence

Our guest contributor is Mhairi Clarke who specialises in luxury travel and lifestyle experiences. Mhairi is Founder of tourism and hospitality PR agency Shine PR; in her spare time she’s also a freelance travel writer – with articles published in three of Scotland’s biggest-selling newspapers; The Herald, the Daily Record and The Scotsman.

Still riding high on cloud nine, after her recent marriage, Mhairi shares with us an account of her special day in one of Florence’s most stunning properties, Villa La Massa 

Read on to discover more about an elopement to beautiful, romantic Florence.

I met my husband in January 2020, six weeks before lockdown. Like everyone, we didn’t see friends or family much during the pandemic (or at all during the first 10 weeks); we didn’t have the normal opportunities to be ‘us’ in the world, so most people weren’t able to travel on our relationship journey with us.

When we started planning our wedding, it just didn’t feel right to have the ‘big show’. So, on a dank and dismal February afternoon, I let my mind drift further away than I’d been in two years.

Florence. An elopement to beautiful, romantic Florence.

After floating the idea by both families and receiving a big ‘Yes!’ from both, we had two return flights booked for a week in July; our secret squirrel planning had begun.

I’d visited Florence once before, staying at Villa La Massa, a 16th-century Medici villa, home to Tuscan aristocracy for hundreds of years before it was turned into a luxury hotel in 1953.

My memory of the hotel was sitting in the restaurant terrace overlooking the river Arno, watching the calm waters running slowly towards the rolling Chianti Rufina hills, a glass of Prosecco in hand, the golden, mellow mid-Autumn sun shining; my mind slowly hypnotised by the nearby wood smoke drifting downstream against a backdrop of endless vineyards and Cypress trees.  It felt like one of life’s perfect moments.

It’s a special place. David Bowie and Iman had their wedding here; so if it’s good enough for the Thin White Duke…

I didn’t want to say ‘I do’ and then fly off and lie on a sun lounger. I wanted to wed the love of my life in the serenity of a Tuscan Iris garden and embark upon an adventure we’d remember forever, soaking up all of the cultural experiences and treasures of one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Read our guide to the best hotels in Florence

Villa La Massa sits majestically in 25 acres of lush gardens with lemon trees, olive groves and iris flowers (Florence’s official flower), just five miles downstream from Florence at the gateway to the Chianti region. It’s perfectly placed for a tranquil escape with easy access to Florence and a variety of cultural and gastronomical experiences on your terracotta doorstep.

The hotel has 51 rooms, each one with a unique style, layout and interior, spread throughout its five properties. Our home for the week is a traditional style suite in The Mill with sitting room and terrace which stretches the length of the 50sq m space. The feel is rustic elegance; the room’s colour palette reflects the hotel’s Renaissance splendour with hues of rich burgundy, warm terracotta and muted teal running through the interiors.

Exposed beams, traditional shutters and antique furniture create an authentic, Tuscan feel with a charming embrace of colour and personality running through the three rooms which make up the suite. The level of discreet, understated luxury and the craftmanship in the interiors is one of the many reasons why Villa La Massa has the accolade of being one of the Leading Hotels of the World.

The hotel has two restaurants; Restaurant Il Verrocchio is an elegant, refined but entirely comfortable and relaxed dining experience. The menu offers a choice of gourmet Italian and Mediterranean dishes and some must-try Tuscan specialities such as the wild boar tortellini.

Dine by candlelight, embracing the dusky warmth of day while taking in the spectacular panorama of Tuscan countryside, the River Arno gently flowing by. Return in the morning for an al fresco breakfast in the sunshine with fresh juices, fruit, local meats and cheeses, cereals, breads, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and of course Prosecco.

L’Oliveto Bistrot is the hotel’s daytime restaurant, a former barn impeccably restored, offering a comfortable and relaxed indoor and outdoor casual dining experience on the poolside terrace.

If you can bear to tear yourself from the warm breeze and Tuscan sunshine, take a visit to the subterranean spa, exercise in the state-of-the-art gym (if you must) and experience the sauna, steam room, water therapy and relaxation room. Treatments use products inspired by the fragrances of Villa La Massa’s gardens, made by the famous Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which dates back to 1221.

A few days of gentle wind down and our wedding day is upon us. We’ve chosen to get married late morning for the best light and to avoid the intense heat of the afternoon sun. Our ceremony is short and meaningful; a lifetime memory created in a moment. After a Champagne Zoom to family, our arrival on Cloud 9 is complete; we’re out of our wedding finery, into something much cooler and heading towards Florence for an afternoon and evening of adventure, discovery and to soak up the romance and passion which the city exudes in abundance.

We’re lucky to be in town for ‘Donatello, The Rennaisance’, a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition reconstructing the career of the Rennaisance master; the first exhibition devoted to the sculptor’s work for 40 years. We float around the Palazzo Strozzi in our newly wedded bubble, feeling otherworldly in our bliss.

What we want to do next is eat, so we go for a sandwich. Yes, a sandwich. Forget Pret, this is next-level lunching. All’Antico Vinaio is the last word in sandwiches and one of the most-reviewed eateries in the world. The doorstops to your sandwich of dreams is schiacciata, a flatbread similar to focaccia but thinner and chewier. I go for La Boss (in keeping with my new position in life…) – prosciutto, pecorino cheese, and truffle cream. Truffle everything will become part of your life.

A meander along the banks of the Arno follows; late afternoon is a dreamy time of day in Florence. There’s the anticipation of the evening ahead and a mellowness which emanates from the golden, ochre buildings and the peachy skies. Negroni o’clock comes and goes as we while away a couple of hours people-watching at Café Gilli, the oldest café in Florence and a must-visit (don’t forget to take a tin of Orange and Chocolate Biscotti di Prato to bring a bit of La Dolce Vita into your desk day coffee breaks).

We choose La Garga for our wedding celebration for two, a well-known Florentine family-run restaurant, famous for its colourful décor, celebratory vibe, classic Tuscan dishes and legendary cheesecake.

We talk for hours, no distractions and float out to the twinkling lights of Florence with two happy hearts.

La Boss was right. Florence was the best possible destination for our elopement; a new chapter with many Italian adventures ahead.