Sacro Monte di Varese isn’t a typical wedding location and that’s exactly what makes it work. A UNESCO World Heritage sanctuary perched above the city, reached by a steep, winding path lined with chapels, it’s a place built for pilgrimage, not for weddings. Riccardo and Diana chose it anyway, and I think it’s one of the more striking locations I’ve filmed a ceremony in.
They got married inside the main church at the top, with that particular kind of hushed, elevated atmosphere you only get at altitude the whole borgo, the lake views, all of it lending a weight to the day that a more conventional venue just can’t match. Afterward, everyone walked over to a restaurant right by the church, up on its own white terrace looking out over the valley, for the reception.
Photography was handled by Bottega Incontroluce Valeria and Maurizio, who I’ve worked with many times at this point. On second camera was Daniele Mileto, known as Keydioma, whose background is actually in music video direction a slightly different eye than most wedding second shooters bring, and it showed in the footage.
Vendor Credits
- Ceremony — Santuario di Santa Maria del Monte, Sacro Monte di Varese
- Photography — Bottega Incontroluce
- Videography — Alex Sofo Wedding Films
- 2nd Camera — Daniele Mileto “Keydioma”