Whether the nuptials take place in Rome, a castle or on a beach, authorities in Lazio are paying €2,000 (£1,670) to couples marrying in the region as they seek to save the wedding industry from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
The initiative, called “In Lazio with love”, is open to Italians and foreigners who marry or enter into a civil union in the region between January 1 and December 31, 2022.
Couples can apply, providing a maximum of five receipts, from Monday and, if accepted, will receive a €2,000 refund on money spent on Lazio-based wedding services, including wedding planners, wedding outfits, venues, catering, flowers, car rental and photographers.
The region has reserved a total of 10 million euros for the initiative, and requests for reimbursement can be made until the end of January 2023, or until the fund is exhausted.
“The program is necessary to support a sector which has suffered greatly from the economic crisis,” said Lazio president Nicola Zingaretti. “We have put in place significant investments also with an eye on the tourism sector, and with the awareness and pride of being able to boast of every part of our region, with many of the most magical and fascinating places in the world. thanks to an unparalleled cultural heritage.
Since the start of the pandemic, 9,000 couples have married in Lazio, compared to more than 15,000 in 2019.
The Lazio region offers a wide variety of places to choose from, including the Italian capital, a multitude of medieval towns perched on the hills and the sand dune beaches that border the Circeo National Park. Among the most famous weddings that have taken place in the area is that between the now divorced Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who was married at Orsini-Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano in 2006.
“Let’s relaunch a sector that has been on the back burner for a long time – the whole wedding chain has suffered economically in the last two years,” said Valentina Corrado, Lazio’s tourism advisor.
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