Ancient Italian Fort Makes History With First Indian Wedding

Hotel Abbadetta in Italy will host the first Indian style wedding in the medieval fortified village of Acquaviva Picena from the 4th May to 6th May 2007. A golfing entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom will marry his fiancé in a lavish ceremony in front of 150 guests from around the world within the walls of the Acquaviva Picena fort. This will be the first time the fort has held a ceremony like this, and the first time a wedding ceremony has taken place within the walls of Acquaviva Picena for 500 years.

The traditional Indian wedding will last three hours, with all guests wearing traditional Indian dress. The ceremony is to be conducted by an Indian priest flown in from London and will include an elaborate handmade gazebo, thrones and a circle of fire.

The couple chose Acquaviva Picena over a number of other options including Lake Como, and became aware of Hotel Abbadetta through an article in The Guardian.

Groom, Mr Patani said, “We loved being here from the minute we arrived. The setting is so romantic and beautiful, and the hotel management of Abbadetta Hotel could not have been better in understanding our requirements.”

During the week of festivities, the hotel will be serving a variety of vegetarian meals for all 150 guests. Bride, Miss Shah added, “The abundant variety of fresh and delicious vegetables the region had to offer, and cooked to perfection at Hotel Abbadetta were another deciding factor in choosing this wonderful area for our wedding.”

Friday 4th May will showcase a Mendi party in the grounds of the hotel, where the bride and others will be exotically painted in Henna, a tradition going back thousands of years.

The weekend of festivities will end with a spectacular firework display within the hotels gardens on Sunday evening.

Mrs Marcella Giandomenico, a director of the Hotel Abbadetta said “We are delighted to be welcoming this VIP wedding to our hotel and Acquaviva Picena. We will continue to promote the hotel and region as the perfect place for memorable weddings, christenings and birthdays throughout the coming year and beyond.”

The 75 bedroom hotel has a large swimming pool and tennis court in 13,000 sq metres of its own grounds and comes with its own vineyard and olive groves. Standing majestically at the highest point in the area – 400 metres above sea level, each of the bedrooms has a balcony to enjoy views of the Sibilini Mountain range, olive groves, vineyards, historic villages and the white sands of San Benedetto del Tronto. It is ideally placed to discover the many mediaeval and modern treasures of the region and is easily accessible from UK regional airports.

To find out more about the hotel, visit Hotelabbadetta.it