Italy · Puglia · Venue guide

A Wedding at Borgo Egnazia, Puglia

Borgo Egnazia looks like a Puglian village that has always been there – pale local stone, porticoes, little piazzas and olive groves running towards the Adriatic. In fact it opened in 2010, and in just a few years it became one of the most famous wedding venues in Italy. I filmed Christina and Donato’s wedding here in June 2023 – getting ready by the pools of the borgo, a church ceremony in a baroque church nearby and a reception under the stars that their guests will never forget.

Aerial view of Borgo Egnazia among the olive groves by the Adriatic

Where: Savelletri di Fasano, between Monopoli and Ostuni
Stay: 184 rooms and villas – La Corte, Il Borgo and Le Case
Airports: Brindisi about 50 km, Bari about 60 km
Best months: Late May, June and September

A village built for celebrations

The resort was created by Aldo Melpignano and designed by Pino Brescia, a stage designer from Fasano, in local stone and rough tufa. It is made of three parts: La Corte, inspired by a traditional masseria; Il Borgo, a village of houses around a central piazza; and Le Case, villas with private pools spread across the estate. There is a private beach on the Adriatic, a spa and golf nearby – which is why many couples turn their wedding into a whole week with their guests.

Stone stairs with bougainvillea above a pool at Borgo Egnazia

It is a place used to big moments: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel married here in 2012, and in 2024 it hosted the G7 summit.

The wedding celebration

Christina and Donato got ready at Borgo Egnazia with their families and bridesmaids, married in a baroque church and arrived back in a white vintage convertible, cheered on by their guests. The white stone glowed in the last light as the aperitivo began; dinner was served in a courtyard open to the sky, followed by the first dance, the cake and a party until late. The venue and the planners can set the celebration in the piazzas, on the terraces or among the olive trees.

A bride and her bridesmaids by the pool at Borgo Egnazia on the wedding morning

A bride walking down the aisle of a baroque church in Puglia

A bride and groom dancing their first dance at Borgo Egnazia

Getting there and around

Brindisi airport is about 50 km away and Bari about 60 km – each roughly 45 minutes to an hour by car. The whitewashed towns of Ostuni and Monopoli are close, and the trulli of Alberobello and the cliffs of Polignano a Mare make wonderful day trips for guests.

When to marry in Puglia

Puglia is warm from May to October. Late May, June and September are the most comfortable months for a wedding; July and August are hot and busy. I plan the portraits for the golden hour, when the stone turns honey-coloured and the olive trees throw long shadows.

In Italy a civil marriage is celebrated by the comune, so ask your planner about the legal ceremony. More about weddings in Puglia.