Italian weddings by the team of wedding planners at Wedding Italy ®

At only 1.5 hours from Venice, in the beautiful hills of the Collio, immersed in vineyards and olive trees, this ancient Rocca dominates the surrounding valleys.

There are no rooms in the castle, but nearby there are many beautiful castles, farmhouses, villas and hotels to host many guests. The main nearby cities of Udine and Gorizia (bith 30 min. away) offer wide range of possibilities and a lovely social life espesiacially in the evening and during market days.

Italian wedding receptions in this beautiful castle can be arranged in many different areas of the castle.

The Noble floor can host receptions up to 60 guests in beautiful rooms with antique furniture. The outdoor garden is also ideal for 60/70 guests so you can also enjoy one of the most beautiful views in Italy. The ancient cellars hall instead offer a large space for up to 150 guests!

Any type of music is allowed and late hours parties are welcome!

A little history

No other noble enjoys such a splendid location as the Rocca, which stands in a classic Italian setting of ancient cypresses and graceful vineyards with a spectacular view over a vast swathe of countryside. This was the fairy-tale scene where in the sixteenth century, the Counts Valvason Maniago built a residence of great architectural value.

Although the building is often referred to as a castle, it is actually a villa, or rather a model for an ideal villa. In short, it is an elegant family home in the simple style of a country house in harmony with nature. The external appearance is reminiscent of a fortified construction for it comprises four wings with cylindrical towers at the corners. The slits in the towers give the complex the air of a defensive military redoubt, a role it never played for Rocca Bernarda was designed exclusively as a country residence in a peerless panoramic location. Rocca was not built on the remains of an older feudal castle because there are no traces of fiefs or political divisions in the area where it was to be situated.

When it was created in 1567, it was a purely private construction. Nevertheless, its erection did express a certain kind of aristocratic authority that was a source of irritation for the town of Cividale. At the time, the Republic of Venice itself was opposed to the building of a Castle almost at the gates of Cividale but the Counts Valvason Maniago had little difficulty in demonstrating that Rocca Bernarda was not conceived for military purposes.

The walls, never more than seventy centimetres thick, were no more imposing than those of other country houses of the day. They would not have been able to withstand even the most cursory siege, if we bear in mind that by the late Middle Ages castle walls had to be at least three metres thick. The towers were erected to defend nothing more than the family's aristocratic dignity.

Even the slits do not command strategic positions but are instead placed where they can be seen. Moreover, the entire complex is in a precarious position near the border.