Cutting the cake under the dome, guests applauding from the balconies

Wedding venues on Lake Maggiore

Wedding at Regina Palace, Stresa

Stresa, an icon of the Belle Époque

The newlyweds from behind on the balustrade, facing Isola Bella.

Ahead, the gulf and its islands

The Regina Palace was built facing the water: the balustrade along the lakefront holds Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori and the mountains behind them in a single frame.

It is the spot the wind always reaches. The veil lifts on its own, and there is nothing to ask of anyone: you just wait for the right gust.

A wedding at the hotel that symbolises the Belle Époque

The Regina Palace was created by the Società Anonima Italiana per gli Alberghi del Lago Maggiore, founded in Milan in December 1906; the following January the company purchased Villa De Martini, a nineteenth-century residence that was demolished to make way for the new hotel, designed by Swiss architect Giuseppe Pagani and opened on 8 March 1908.

Open in Google Maps

Built entirely in Liberty style, the Regina Palace quickly became a landmark of the Belle Époque on Lake Maggiore, drawing an international clientele attracted by the luxury of its architecture. Its period halls and lakeside gardens today accompany a wedding with the same elegance as the early twentieth century.

In a setting with such a strong historical character, I try to balance period details with people's spontaneity, so the story doesn't stay just a postcard.