Destination Wedding or Italian Honeymoon on the Tremiti Islands
One such location is a group of tiny islands, known as the Tremiti Islands, located near the “spur” in the boot region of Italy known as Puglia.
Destination Weddings or Italian Honeymoons in the Tremiti Islands
The Tremiti Islands, otherwise known as the “pearls of the Apulian Adriatic Sea”, are a beautiful archipelago located about 12 miles off the coast. The Tremiti Island beaches are a favorite weekend retreat for Italians, but are rarely visited by tourists. Plan your wedding during the week and you will practically have the island to yourself. The islands can easily be reached from several nearby major towns on the mainland by hovercraft, ferries etc, and also by helicopter from Foggia’s airport. Numerous sailing companies operate ships which sail around the islands in summer, including a glass bottom pleasure boat, and many cruise lines include the Tremitis in their itinerary. The three larger islands, referred to as the green San Domino, the rough San Nicola and the wild Capraia/Caprara, provide a multitude of options for that one-of-a-kind destination wedding event or Italian honeymoon.
Because of the exquisite beauty of the underwater plant and animal life, the underwater caves, and grottos accessible only by boat, most of the underwater area has been designated a protected natural marine reserve. There are only 300 permanent residents year round, although thousands of tourists crowd the islands during summer, all charmed by the beauty of the islands, and by the pace of the local lifestyle, which is in perfect harmony with the peacefulness of nature.
One of the main products of the Tremiti Islands are the capers, famous in Italian cooking for their distinctively sharp, Mediterranean aroma. Naturally, the food on the islands is aromatic and fragrantly tempting, focused on seafood prepared with a Mediterranean style. The restaurants, though all clearly family style, vary widely from elegant seafood restaurants to pleasant trattorias where you can find delicious pizza.
The islands are accessible by boat or hydrofoil from the ports of Termoli and Pescara, or by helicopter from Foggia. There is also a small runway on San Domino. The boats dock at San Nicola, where you can get a boat taxi to San Domino or other locations.
If you love the beach, marine life, romance and beauty in natural surroundings; if you enjoy scuba diving or kayaking or boating – the Tremiti Islands may be the perfect destination for your special destination wedding day or Italian honeymoon. Options for a destination wedding on these tiny islands abound. A formal ceremony in a church, town hall or hotel event room, a beach wedding or a wedding aboard a yacht or cruise ship. You could probably even arrange an underwater scuba wedding for that really daring couple!
Destination Wedding or Italian Honeymoon on San Domino
The Island of St. Domino is the largest of the Tremitis, but is still only .81 square miles and can be crossed by foot in 20 minutes. It is a perfect destination for your once-in-a-lifetime destination wedding day, with its vegetation emitting a scent of pine and orange blossoms. No need to spend a fortune on scented flowers when the island provides you with its own wedding day fragrance.
The San Domino coastline is dotted with fjords and caves, and romantic lagoons and picturesque grottoes such as Bue Marino, Viole, and grotto of the Rondinelle. Imagine the exquisite backdrops you will have for those important wedding photos. Whether you choose to hold your ceremony in a hotel meeting hall or garden, or on one of the incredible white sand beaches, the vistas will be spectacular and the photographs incredible.
San Domino hosts the majority of the islands’ hotels and restaurants, although a few are now beginning to appear on San Nicola. Ranging from quaint village stands to 4-star hotel and dining experiences, these locations offer you the opportunity to have any type of ceremony you may choose.
A Destination Wedding Cermony or Italian Honeymoon at the Hotel Waikiki
Surrounded by pinewoods and a half-mile from the water, the Hotel Waikiki is San Domino’s 4 star houtel. The hotel is in the middle of one of the villages, and nearby are shops, nightclubs, boutiques and a church. It is also very close to the Matana cave, the silhouette of the Abbazia Benedettina, the Lateranensi fortifications and the Borbonic constructions.
Destination Wedding or Italian Honeymoon on San Nicola
Separated from San Domino by a 500-meter wide channel, San Nicola has the only village occupied year round, and it also serves as the administrative center of the islands. It is also rich in historical and religious significance. The magnificent 9th century abbey/monastery/castle-fortress, Saint Maria a Mare, now forms the center of the town hall. An incredible mosaic from the 11th-13th centuries decorates the floor, and several precious religious icons, including a wooden crucifix, adorn the altar. A ceremony here would not be your typical city hall wedding.
Destination Wedding or Italian Honeymoon on Caprara
Caprara, the smallest of the larger islands, is uninhabited. There are only two buildings – the Casa dei Coatti (first used as an isolation site for prisoners and later as a farm) and the Faro della Marina (lighthouse). A favorite destination of tourists on this island is an evening excursion to Picco delle Diomedee to hear the strange cries of the birds known as calonectris diomedea, or Cory’s shearwater. A rare species of bird, they nestle at sunset on the rocks and let loose a mournful cry. Legends say that the birds were once the “companions-in-arms” of the warrior Diomedes, for whom they are named. After his death and burial in Troy, their grief was so overwhelming that the goddess Venus turned them into the splendid, wailing birds.
