Please see La Preghiera on www.tripadvisor.com, and also, here is one of the letters we received from one our many happy couples!

Hannah and Russells' Wedding on 5 August 2007 at La Preghiera

Dear Liliana and John

Well, the real purpose of this e-mail was to send a huge, warm and heartfelt thank you for all your hard work in organising the Caulton-Sanderson wedding and for everything that you have done for us over the past 2 years. You have been truly amazing.

We returned to England on Thursday 8th August however our memories of our time at La Preghiera, in particular the weekend of 3rd –5th August 2007 when we celebrated our marriage remain etched in our memories and our smiles aren’t fading yet (the tears have stopped for now though!).

The time that we spent at La Preghiera before our wedding was lovely and relaxing despite increasing excitement and Hannah’s constant questions, that seemed to add to those already though of by yourselves! Then when our guests started arriving the excitement grew even further and with each new face came more smiles of pleasure in finally seeing the beautiful surroundings, which we had chosen for our wedding. The complements about La Preghiera were flowing.

The Pizza and Ice Cream evening was a wonderful event which joined all our guests together the night before our wedding. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves due to the wonderful setting, food and atmosphere. Our special thanks go out once again to the World Champion Ice Cream chef – we can still taste the amazing flavours that we tried in particular the cookies ice cream, which was Hannah’s favourite!

Then the wedding day arrived with an early morning trip to the Commune in Umbertide and the excitement was definitely reaching an all time high. Many thanks Liliana for accompanying us and for translating the ceremony, you were wonderful and we couldn’t have done it without you. We think that we speak for everyone when we say that the ceremony at the Commune was more that we imagined (definitely in a good way!) and that we all found it a little emotional (some of us more than others!). There are also some quirky moments from our visit that we will always remember including the little lady with the dog that frightened the life out of Hannah’s mum! These all serve to make the day even more memorable than it already was.

Back at La Preghiera we started to get ready and the hairdresser was wonderful. All the guests who had their hair done said how fantastic she was and there were even plans at one stage to try to smuggle her away or invite her to come back to England with us!! Please pass on our thanks once again to her. Then there was the beauty therapist…what can we say – a master at all trades. My nails lasted for a week and I even treated myself to a manicure set in Pienza to see if I could do it myself! Once again all the ladies that had their nails done said how great the beauty therapist was. In addition to this my makeup on the day was perfect. I couldn’t have wished for it to be any nicer and thanks once again.

The wedding day was perfect. We don’t know what else to say. Neither Russ nor I couldn’t have wished for it to have gone any better and looking back now there is absolutely nothing that we would change. Our special thanks go to the Pastor, the harpist and also to John for your translation – once again, without you it wouldn’t have been possible (thanks also for the handkerchief!). We would also like to send our thanks to the team of photographers who spent the day at La Preghiera and made us feel as though we were celebrities being followed by the paparazzi!!! We await the photographs with excitement! We would also like to send our thanks to the florist. All our flowers were beautiful and were exactly what we requested. On the photographs that our guests took, the flowers really stand out and look wonderful. The atmosphere of the day was made even more special by the Jazz Trio (Grandad’s favourite!). Thanks especially for “Just the way you look tonight” which was perfect and also for organising the I-pod! The day was filled with complements from our guests about the setting, food, atmosphere and organisation, the whole wedding party send their thanks to everyone who helped out in front of and behind the scenes! You are amazing.

Finally the meal at Il Vecchio Granaio on the Sunday was wonderful and was a lovely way to complete our time at La Preghiera. By this stage there were 32 exhausted but thoroughly happy guests.

La Preghiera is a truly remarkable and special place in terms of its history and setting and it is made even more special by the people who work there. You are a magnificent and wonderful team who work hard to successfully achieve the dreams of your guests. Thank you for everything and for giving us a wedding weekend beyond our wildest imagination. You have created and been a part of many happy memories that will remain with us for a lifetime. We will definitely be back to see you all in the future and wish you continuing success.

Many thanks once again

Hannah and Russell x x x