Italy Honeymoons
The Amalfi Coast, Lake Como, Venice and the hill towns of Tuscany sell romance on reputation alone, and the honeymoon-specific questions are different from the resort-quality ones we ask about elsewhere. Italian civil marriage for foreigners runs through an Italian consulate and a document called a Nulla Osta, which most couples do not want to start six weeks before a wedding, so nearly every ceremony booked through a hotel here is symbolic, and we say which properties handle that well and which oversell it. We also check whether a converted palazzo with twelve rooms can actually give you a terrace to yourselves for a proposal or an anniversary dinner, and what the honeymoon suite adds over the room one floor down.
- 1
A converted 14th-century Dominican monastery perched 400 feet above the Ionian Sea in Taormina, Sicily, with 111 rooms many featuring private plunge pools, clifftop dining overlooking Mount Etna, and the absolute privacy of a hilltop resort where you can see both water and mountain from your terrace.
- 2
The only ultra-luxury hotel occupying multiple palazzos on the Grand Canal, with private gardens, Jean-Michel Gathy interiors, and the Palazzo Kitchen Table for two. Venice's most exclusive property for honeymooners who want to live in the city as guests of a palazzo.
- 3
An 11th-century palazzo in Ravello overlooking the Amalfi Coast, built for privacy and romance with suites opening onto terraces or private gardens, a clifftop infinity pool, and exclusively romantic dinners set up just for you on the water.
- 4
The only luxury hotel on its own island in Venice, accessible only by private boat from St Mark's Square, with 95 rooms all overlooking the lagoon, Michelin-starred dining, and a private garden where honeymooners are entirely separated from Venice's crowds.
- 5
Taormina's grand palazzo hotel with views of the 2000-year-old Greek Theatre and Mount Etna, offering the option to rent the entire property for exclusive honeymoon ceremonies and the chance to experience Sicily as the sole guests of a historic landmark.
- 6
A fortified medieval castle in Siena's countryside with sprawling vineyards, a vaulted spa in a wine cellar, and intimate venues for renewing vows or symbolic ceremonies among Tuscan hills.
- 7
A legendary Positano cliff-top property with 58 rooms perched 70 meters above the Mediterranean, Michelin-starred dining, and a sea-facing terrace that has hosted some of the coast's most romantic ceremonies for decades.
- 8
A 1910 Belle Époque palace on Lake Como with private suites, rooftop Jacuzzi pools, and candlelit gardens. One of Europe's most romantic hotel settings.
- 9
A clifftop Amalfi Coast sanctuary with only 62 rooms, each with private sea-view terraces and direct beach access. Intimate, secluded, and built for two.
- 10
A sprawling 560-acre resort on Sicily's southwest coast with 200+ suites, private villas, beachfront dining, and a championship golf course. Private within scale.
- 11
A 40-acre resort designed as a traditional Apulian village with 28 private-pool villas, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and its own beach club, offering total seclusion and structure within a designed resort experience.
- 12
A 22-room Tuscan estate on 300 acres with dedicated honeymoon packages, candlelit dinners in intimate gardens, and on-site options for both symbolic and legal civil ceremonies.
- 13
A 40-room luxury masseria in Puglia surrounded by olive groves, offering private gardens with each suite, a private beach club, and a rooftop bar ideal for romantic sunsets on the Adriatic coast.
- 14
An 18th-century villa on Lake Como's shore with just 24 rooms and suites, offering complete privacy for couples who want a genuine hideaway rather than a resort.