FLORENCE, Italy – James Atkinson and Samantha Fortino toured a Tuscan vineyard and learned to make pasta and a Bolognese sauce alongside their family and friends in Florence. Atkinson discovered a penchant for chianti, while Fortino fell for Italy’s hugo spritz – a cocktail that posed no risk of staining her wedding dress July 24.

Italy has hosted a number of star-studded weddings in the past decade, most recently Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez ’s extravaganza in Venice. Away from the spotlight, tens of thousands of ordinary Americans have set their sights on the country for their special day in recent years.

“Weddings in America can be a little too grand and a little bit too big and it ends up not really being about the couple,” said Fortino, 28, a neonatal nurse from Skaneateles, New

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