We can give you a thousand and one reasons for saying “I do” in Italy. If a dreamlike wedding villa isn’t enough to convince you to seal your vows in this magical country, factor in the scenic landscapes, warm weather, and gourmet cuisine that will accompany the celebration.
When it comes to your wedding in Italy, you can decide between a symbolic, civil and religious ceremony. While the latter has a set of rules and rituals to follow, the former two are more open to imagination. Both civil and symbolic ceremonies allow for more freedom when it comes to tailoring your wedding ceremony, and that includes your vows and choice of music.
If there is something we have learnt in these 30 years renting villas in Italy, is that the Italians are one of the most romantic and passionate people. To help you “zhuzh” up your ceremony, we’ve picked our favourite romantic Italian love poems and songs. Ask your friends to read them for you, use them in your speech, dance to them, or simply practice your Italian pronunciation with passion.
Italian Wedding Vows: Say “Ti Amo” like an Italian
Each couple has their own special memory, poem, and story to share. But if you are still deciding on the perfect words to say “I love you” or want to simply add a bit of Italian flavour to your ceremony, here are 4 of our favourite Italian love poems (and their translations) for inspiration.
I met in you the wonders by Alda Merini
I met in you the wonders
wonders of love so open
that looked like shells
where I could smell the sea and the desert
hasty shores and there in that love
I got lost like in the storm
always keeping this heart still
which (I knew) loved an illusion.
Ho conosciuto in te le meraviglie
Ho conosciuto in te le meraviglie
meraviglie d’amore sì scoperte
che parevano a me delle conchiglie
ove odoravo il mare e le deserte
spiagge corrive e lì dentro l’amore
mi son persa come alla bufera
sempre tenendo fermo questo cuore
che (ben sapevo) amava una chimera.
Two by Erri De Luca
When we will be two we will be watch and sleep
we will sink in the same flesh
like the milk tooth and its follower,
we will be two like the waters, fresh and salty,
like the skies, of day and night,
two like the feet, the eyes, the kidneys,
like the times of the heartbeat
like the beats of a breath.
When we will be two there will be no half
we will be a two that nothing can divide.
When we will be two, no one will be one,
one will be like no one,
unity will be found in the two.
When we will be two
we’ll even change the name of the universe
it will be diverse.
Due
Quando saremo due saremo veglia e sonno
affonderemo nella stessa polpa
come il dente di latte e il suo secondo,
saremo due come sono le acque, le dolci e le salate,
come i cieli, del giorno e della notte,
due come sono i piedi, gli occhi, i reni,
come i tempi del battito
i colpi del respiro.
Quando saremo due non avremo metà
saremo un due che non si può dividere con niente.
Quando saremo due, nessuno sarà uno,
uno sarà l’uguale di nessuno
e l’unità consisterà nel due.
Quando saremo due
cambierà nome pure l’universo
diventerà diverse.
Letter by Elsa Morante
But the heavenly sentence, that my mind hears,
I can’t repeat it to you, there is no note or word for it.
I will tell you: you are all the good there is, each hour,
this grace of loving you is my sweet companion
I wish my love could comfort you as it comforts me
oh you who are my only certainty.
Lettera
Ma la frase celeste, che la mia mente ascolta,
io ridirti non so, non c’è nota o parola.
Ti dirò: tu sei tutto il mio bene, ad ogni ora
questa grazia di amarti m’è dolce compagnia.
Potesse il mio affetto consolarti come mi consola,
o tu che sei la sola confidenza mia.
Illiterate Heart by Antonio De Curtis (Totò)
This illiterate heart
You brought it to school,
and it learnt to write,
and it learnt to read
but only one word:
“Love” and nothing else.
Core analfabeta
Stu core analfabbeta
tu ll'he purtato a scola,
e s'è mparato a scrivere,
e s'è mparato a lleggere
sultanto na parola:
"Ammore" e niente cchiù.
Your Italian Wedding Playlist
If poems are a way to express your feelings, you need songs to make them fly. We’ve put together a Spotify playlist with our favourite Italian love songs. Below you can find a small sample with translations and lyrics to weave into your ceremony.
Il Cielo in Una Stanza by Gino Paoli
Published in 1960, this is one of the best Italian love songs of all time. It describes the lovers’ feeling of having no limits when they are together and being the only ones in the universe.
Our favourite lyrics:
When you are here with me
This room has no walls anymore
But trees
Infinite trees
Mi Sono Innamorato di Te by Luigi Tenco
Tenco is one of the best Italian songwriters. No one can express romantic nostalgia as he does with his nuanced lyrics. In this song, Tenco is trying to convey that sudden and inexplicable emotion of falling in love without a reason.
Our favourite lyrics:
I fell in love with you
Because I didn’t have anything else to do
During the day
I wanted someone to meet
During the night
I wanted someone to dream
La Prima Cosa Bella by Nicola di Bari and Mogol
This song was so successful that it has been recorded many times. This version is a recent cover by Italian pop singer, Malika Ayane (2010). The lyrics tell the story of the singer and how he learns to play the guitar to express his love — the first beautiful thing in his life.
Our favourite lyrics:
The first beautiful thing
I had in my life
Is your young smile, It’s you
Caruso by Lucio Dalla
This song is internationally known and has been sung by some of the greatest artists in the world including Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Fabian, Julio Iglesias, Mercedes Sosa and Celine Dion.
Composed in 1986, in a hotel room in Sorrento, the song speaks of the life of the opera singer, Enrico Caruso, and his last love. The heart-breaking melody conveys the power of love, a love that wins over death.
Our favourite lyrics:
I love you so much
But so so much, you know
It is like a chain by now
That melts the blood in our veins.