A Wedding in Italy!

It's been a long time comin', this trip to Italy. Originally planned for June 2020, my friend Matt was getting married to his Italian fiance, Laura. Well, we all know what happened in 2020 and thanks to Covid, the wedding was delayed for two years. 

But we made it! The journey over was not ideal with the Canadian airports being a mad mess of delays, luggage worries, an 8 month old as a seat partner for the red eye, and unfortunante digestive issues ("it's not a trip til Susan ____"), but we eventually made it. Only about 5 hours later than planned. 

I was traveling on the same plane as Matt, Laura and Matt's parents so I luckily scored a pick up in Milan by Laura's family and we drove to the small town of Erba, near Lake Como. 

The wedding and the next three days was spent at Castello di Casiglio, a castle in Italy! It dates back to the 1400's. It's served noble families and the bourgeoisie of the area. And now it serves us. :)

After dealing with jetlag, the next morning we spent exploring Lake Como. We stayed in the Duomo area of Como, helping friends buy new suits and dresses whose originals had been lost in transit. We met up with Nick and Rob who had joined us from a pre-italy trip to Switzerland. Then, we all enjoyed a drink in the shade of the basilica (most had the classic Aperol Spritz but my heart belongs to anything that has guava in it so I got a mixed cocktail).

The Duomo, or the Basillica de Como was gorgeous, even moreso on a quick glance inside but we decided to forgo the admission fee and take a walk down by the lake instead.

Lake Como is located in the shadow of the alps and we walked a bit around the area where a lot of small yachts were moored. There is a reason George Clooney loves this place. After a walk about and seeing the outside of Volta temple (in honour of Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the electrical battery) we headed back to the castle hotel for pool time.

That night, Matt and Laura hosted a welcome dinner at a pizzeria nearby and I called an early night for myself to prep for the wedding the next day!

Lauren - my bajan bestie, and I slept in next the day and further enjoyed our lack of wedding responsibilities by hanging poolside most of the day until the big moment arrived.

The wedding was absolutely 💯 Bella. Laura's dress was the perfect embodiment of an Italian fairy tale princess with detailed embroidery on the bodice, intricate lacing and a back to die for. They got married outside under the Italian sun and I won't lie, a few tears were shed.

The aperitivo was served after with aperol spritzes, bubbly, and a kiwi cocktails to go around. The meat, seafood and cheese platters were amazing with most of my attention spent on the latter. This girls heart is betrothed to the dairy industry in Italy I think. 

The dinner (and later, dancing) was held in the basement area of the castle and the decor was medieval boho chic. Our table was a fun bunch and it was great getting to know more of the "friend group" of the trip. Meals and speeches commenced. 

However I do need to bring particular attention to the delicious and slighty crazy vegetarian option of roasted vegetables, potatoes and an entire baked brie. It was amazing and just what I love, but probably not great for my gut later haha.

We went outside for cake and then returned to end the night with dancing to a ridiculously close-minded DJ intent on refusing to play our requests. Closing the night, we ended up by the pool with beverages and as many limoncello wedding favors as our little arms could carry.

The next day was a hungover relaxing on by the pool with an amazing evening dinner (beat risotto with creamy cheese, ice cream with fresh blueberries, and of course, red wine) to end our time at the Castillo. Onwards to our next adventure, an air bnb villa for the friend group in Tuscany.