Umbria Wedding Photographer & Videographer

Umbria is often called the green heart of Italy: hill towns of pale stone, olive groves and oak woods, castles and old family residences, between Rome and Florence. It has the same hills and golden evenings as Tuscany, with fewer crowds and a slower rhythm, and many estates can be booked entirely for the weekend. As an Umbria wedding photographer and videographer, we love it for exactly that: privacy, space and light.

Cinemotions Films is a luxury wedding photography and film studio founded by Luca Cristofari. Our studio is in Rome and our registered office is in Fratta Todina, between Todi and Perugia, so Umbria is home ground for us. We photograph and film weddings here for couples from all over the world, we accept a limited number of weddings each year, and the founder is personally present at every celebration.

In September we photographed Hadi & Suzanne’s welcome party at Palazzo di Bagnaia, a seventeenth-century residence in a private park in the hills outside Perugia. Ochre walls under the ivy, a pond full of water lilies and koi, friends all dressed in white and Suzanne in pale yellow feathers: it looked like a scene from La Dolce Vita, which was exactly the idea.

Many weddings in Umbria begin like this, the evening before, with a relaxed party in the garden. For venues, seasons and practical tips, read our guide to a destination wedding in Umbria, and for castles, our guide to castle weddings in Italy.

Umbria is small, and most of its most beautiful places are within an hour of each other. These are the areas couples ask us about most.

• Perugia and Lake Trasimeno. The regional capital, with its own small airport, villas and castles on the hills around it, and the largest lake in central Italy a short drive to the west.
• Assisi and Spello. The town of Saint Francis, built of pink and white stone and listed by UNESCO, and Spello next door, famous for the flower carpets of its Infiorata.
• Todi and the Tiber valley. A hill town with one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, above a valley of farms and estates. Our registered office in Fratta Todina is a few minutes away.
• Orvieto. A town on a cliff of volcanic stone, with a cathedral façade that glows at sunset and white wines from the hills around it.
• Montefalco and Spoleto. The land of Sagrantino, and Spoleto with its arts festival in early summer, a wonderful extra for guests.

A few things we plan around at every wedding in Umbria, so the weekend feels effortless for you and your guests.

• Getting there. Most guests fly into Rome or Florence and drive about two hours; Perugia airport has a smaller number of flights. Coaches through the hills are a lovely way to start the weekend.
• The light. The hills hold the sun for a long time, and the stone turns warm just before sunset. Early mornings often bring mist in the valleys, beautiful for a portrait session.
• Festivals. Umbria Jazz in Perugia in July and the Spoleto festival in early summer fill the hotels, so book accommodation early if your date coincides.
• Hill towns. Historic centers have narrow streets and limited traffic zones. We plan short walks and shuttles with your planner.
• Legal ceremonies. Many town halls in historic palazzi host civil weddings. Your planner can tell you which venues are authorized for a legal ceremony.