Castello Odescalchi

The Castello Orsini-Odescalchi overlooks Bracciano and its lake from an older stronghold on which Napoleone Orsini began building in 1470; his son Gentil Virginio completed it around 1485, with three rings of walls and five towers. Weddings entered its history at once: for the marriage of Paolo Giordano Orsini to Isabella de' Medici in 1560, the halls were frescoed by Taddeo and Federico Zuccari, while Antoniazzo Romano had painted Gentil Virginio's triumph around 1490, and Pope Sixtus IV had stayed in the Sala Papalina, in the tower, in 1481.

In 1560 the Orsini called in the Zuccari brothers to fresco the halls for a wedding with the Medici: the castle has hosted important marriages for almost five centuries.

In 1696 the castle passed from the Orsini to the Odescalchi, the Como family of Pope Innocent XI, who still own it: since 1952, under Livio IV Odescalchi, it has been open to the public as a museum, now run by the Fondazione Livio IV Odescalchi, with furniture from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, antique arms, a Renaissance picture gallery and Etruscan and Roman finds. Events are handled by a family company with its own dedicated contact.

The rest was written by the news: on 24 April 1998 Eros Ramazzotti and Michelle Hunziker married here; on 18 November 2006, after three days of celebrations, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, with arrangements overseen by Princess Antonietta Pacelli Odescalchi. Before them, Martin Scorsese and Isabella Rossellini.

Where the ceremony takes place

The castle is one of the few great houses in Lazio where a civil ceremony is legally valid without a trip to the town hall: the municipality performs it in the Granary Garden, overlooking the lake, and in cold or wet weather in the Old Granary, a light-filled rectangular building with the same view. Religious and symbolic ceremonies use the Court of Honour, the Secret Garden or the halls. For couples from abroad, an Italian civil wedding needs documents prepared in advance: it is the planner's first job.

The reception: halls and gardens

Around twenty halls are available for events (the portals count fifteen, the Italian Historic Houses listing twenty): the Sala dei Cesari and the halls of the noble wing for a seated dinner or buffet, the Sala Papalina for more intimate moments. In fine weather the reception moves out to the Court of Honour, the Secret Garden or the Granary Garden, with marquees for the tables. There is also a ballroom and on-site parking, a rare thing for a castle in a town centre.

How many guests

Industry portals give up to 500 guests; the Italian Historic Houses listing goes up to a thousand for large events, combining halls and garden marquees. The castle also works for intimate ceremonies: a single hall, the Secret Garden, a dinner in the noble wing. The right number is worked out with the family's events company, which decides which spaces to open.

The Old Stables, the other venue

A short distance away, the Antiche Scuderie Odescalchi are a separate venue belonging to the same estate: three halls linked by arches, the Carriages, Saddles and Bridles halls, with coffered ceilings and period fireplaces, for 500 guests, and the option of a civil ceremony in the gardens or indoors. It is the alternative for those who want the Odescalchi name with a fully indoor reception, or the plan B for a wedding at the castle.

Where to sleep: Bracciano and the lake

The castle is not a hotel and has no guest rooms: you sleep in Bracciano, in the lakeside villages (Anguillara, Trevignano) or in Rome, 34 kilometres away. For the couple and their families, planners usually use the lake's historic houses and small hotels; for large numbers of guests, Rome with shuttles. It is the first thing to solve, even before the catering.

How guests get there

The castle is in Piazza Mazzini, in the centre of Bracciano. From Rome it is 34 kilometres: about 40 minutes by car, 47 minutes on the FL3 regional train from Roma Ostiense, which runs every half hour between Cesano and Bracciano. Fiumicino airport is 34 to 38 kilometres away, about an hour. The castle has parking; for groups from Rome, coaches and shuttles are arranged.

When to marry here

From May to October the lakeside gardens are the reason to choose Bracciano, with June and September the most requested months; July and August are hot, but the stone halls stay cool. The castle works year-round, and the civil ceremony in the Old Granary makes a winter wedding in the frescoed halls possible, with the grey lake outside the windows: a different picture, not a lesser one.

The museum is open to the public every day except 25 December, from 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays and until 7 pm on weekends and holidays: event timings are agreed around this.

How much it costs

The castle publishes no rates on its website: they come from the family's events company, on request. The portal Matrimonio.com gives 15,000 to 22,000 euros for the reception hire, for up to 500 guests, varying with season and services included; catering is paid separately. Older accounts from couples married here put catering at around 120 euros per head, but they are a few years old and should be taken as an order of magnitude.

The civil ceremony in the Granary Garden carries the municipality of Bracciano's fee, separately. Figures for the rest of Italy are in our guide to luxury wedding costs.

What to ask before signing

• which halls and gardens the proposal includes, and the capacity of each;
• whether the civil ceremony in the Granary Garden is included and how it is booked with the municipality;
• the rain plan (Old Granary or halls) and whether marquees are included;
• from what time the castle is closed to museum visitors on the day of the event;
• catering: whether the house has appointed suppliers or you can bring your own;
• hours and limits for music, the castle being in the middle of town.