For some time now, I have been working on a personal project that aims to introduce the most authentic part of Sardinia to all those foreign couples who decide to get married on our island.
In the minds of soon-to-be-wed travellers, Sardinia is associated with beaches and the crystal clear sea. They do not know that in addition to this they can find fascinating old villages, traditions, breathtaking scenery and many places that deserve to be discovered and appreciated.
In an attempt to change this, I decided to conduct a series of photoshoots to show the future bride and groom what their wedding could be like in central Sardinia, involving some of the best suppliers in the industry such as Donatella Ciusa and Egidia Carta for the decorations, Chez Domi by Teresa Formisano for make-up and Montiblu for catering.
The first was created on top of a mountain called Monte Ortobene in Nuoro. We imagined a wedding in the woods with a ceremony under a century-old tree and dinner among the trees and moss. The idea of the arrangement with the tables hanging on the trees was inspired by a famous photo by Tim Walker, reinterpreted by Donatella Ciusa and Egidia Carta.
For the second service, we chose Lollove, a charming, almost abandoned village just a few kilometres from Nuoro. The project became popular on social networks and some local and national radio stations thanks to the name Lol-Love, which made a splash in the collective imagination immediately after its publication. The village is part of the Deleddiano Park (together with other towns in the Nuoro area where a novel by Grazia Deledda was set). To get into the right mood and find inspiration I reread many of her novels, collecting ideas and quotes that I later combined with a collection of images by famous photographers (among others Francesca Woodman) and photography magazines (Unvael magazine).
The last service came to life in the extraordinary Antica Dimora del Gruccione hotel located in the centre of Santu Lussurgiu. In October 2018, I visited the hotel as a customer thanks to my colleague and friend Laura Francesconi who had offered me a weekend among friends and, on that occasion, I also performed her maternity service. I literally fell in love with that place. The things that impressed me the most: a magical atmosphere, a very strong identity, a very high level of hospitality and excellent food. On Valentine’s Day 2019, I came back with the whole team for an inspection and to decide the details of the service that we were going to perform a few months later.
Sardinia deserves to be discovered, explored and cherished in its entirety. If you have ideas and places to suggest or proposals to make to me, write to info@francescafloris.it
