Villa Borromeo

Nearly ten years ago on a warm evening in July, my very nervous husband (then fiancé) and I gathered at Villa Borromeo with my parents, siblings, friends and family. For many of them, this was the first time they met my American husband. We were seated at a long table outdoors, surrounded by green vines in the luscious garden of the villa. So why were we nervous? Because this was the night we announced our engagement, and we had chosen Villa Borromeo to have our (small) party. By European standards we were young to get engaged, though we had agreed to wait several years. I remember little of our dinner that night, but I will always remember our beautiful surroundings as we told our family that we were getting married.
Four years later we returned to Villa Borromeo, this time with about fifty friends and family members, to celebrate my birthday and to welcome everyone as they arrived in Italy for our wedding. The villa opened up their rarely seen upstairs room for champagne, and we talked and laughed as I opened my presents and simply enjoyed having everyone together again in one place. After the drinks, we went downstairs into their beautiful cellar restaurant where they had set up large tables for our six course meal. And my god, the food kept coming: Crostini with porcini-​truffle spread and chicken liver spread, delicate meats and cheeses, large plates of fresh pasta, meats, ice cream, fruits. A true feast that went down easily with a rich selection of velvety Chianti wines. We could barely finish all the food, it was wonderful. Everyone went home filled to the brim with fine Tuscan foods and wine (no drunk driving, my father had arranged a bus).
Villa Borromea was a generous host that made both our special events absolutely perfect. We couldn’t have chosen a better location to announce our engagement, celebrate my birthday, and welcome our guests before our wedding. A big thank you to all the amazing staff!