The Grand Hotel Santa Maria sits on one of
Italy's finer Mediterranean beaches, next door to an Italian prince's
palace. It is located at the edge of the town of Castellabate -
a United Nations (UNESCO) protected historic town. Castellabate
is composed of three medieval villages - the seaside village of
Santa Maria, the historic hill-town of Castellabate (one of the few
remaining Italian hill-towns utterly unspoiled by tourism), and the ancient
and charming fishing village of San Marco. Directly across
the bay from the hotel sits the mountains of the Amalfi, and in distance is
the Island of Capri - both of which can be accessed by boat tours.
The town is sprinkled with delightful and authentic eateries and cafes.
Several kilometres away are the famous
three Greek Temples of Paestum -
the author's favourite site in Italy just to sit and marvel.
These surroundings (beach, history and
mountains) make the Grand Hotel Santa Maria a wonderful , wonderful wedding
venue - enhanced by the genuine Italian warmth of the owner and manager.
The Mayor
of Castellabate is extremely flexible about weddings. He is the only
mayor that allows the outdoor ceremony first then he walks the couple back
to the town hall for the paperwork signing. Santa Maria is several
hundred yards from the town hall. For American citizens,
he offers the no-hassle approval - this takes only 2 hours and
involves simply the couple coming to Italy with passports and un-translated
divorce papers (if any), even if either of the couple has been divorced.
