Last Friday we were happy to welcome a group of Italian friends who had come to Gandía to celebrate a wedding. The bride (Carme) is a local girl who now lives in Italy, is marrying an Italian man, and who had returned to her hometown for the ceremony. This group of 16 friends were the guests of the groom, and Villa Florencia was the ideal base for them to stay together for a weekend that combined time spent at the ceremony and party, as well as a chance for a short self-catering break in the sun.
Most of them arrived on the Friday in the late afternoon, although a few followed on in the early evening, having come in on later flights. They had decided that a villa rental would be the best option for them, and would give them a greater degree of flexibility and freedom, rather than staying in a hotel. They very quickly organised themselves with shopping trips for food and refreshments and settled in to an evening around the pool, before setting off to the bride’s family’s house for a pre-wedding party.
Saturday was the actual day of the ceremony, but they only had to leave at 8.00pm for the celebrations, so the whole day was a chance for them to catch up with each other – they had all known each other for a long time, but of course did not now all live close together. Much time was spent around the pool, in the gardens and socialising over a long barbecue lunch. Later in the day it was time to get ready to leave for the celebrations that had brought them here – the wedding itself – and provided a great opportunity for all the girls to dress in their finest. The men also wore smart suits or jackets, and the group looked the epitome of Italian style as they departed!
In true Spanish custom, the celebrations went on well into the small hours, and most of them only returned around six o’clock on the Sunday morning. One unfortunate member of the group, however, had to leave on an early Sunday morning flight, so went straight from the party to Valencia airport, and three others of the group had to follow slightly later on the Sunday morning. Work commitments demanded that they be back for Monday!
The rest of the party were staying until the Monday morning, however, so they were able to make the most of their time relaxing around the pool and in the gardens on the Sunday. They gradually appeared during the course of the morning and early afternoon, and spent the day enjoying each other’s company, before going out to Playa de Gandía for a meal and some drinks in the evening.
Monday morning dawned, and it was time for them to leave, although some were returning to Italy, whilst a small group were travelling to the north of Spain for a week’s holiday there, and one couple was heading off to catch a ferry to the holiday island of Formentera. They may have been going in different directions, but they all agreed that they had very much enjoyed their time at Villa Florencia, and that the self-catering villa rental option had been the perfect way for them to visit the Gandia area and celebrate the wedding of their friend. We were glad to have them visit us, and happy that they felt their trip was a success.
