Luciana and Simone are from Conversano, and when they began to imagine their wedding they felt no need to look far: they chose home, the places they have always known and the people who had walked beside them all the way there. They said yes in the Cathedral, in the heart of the old town, and then followed the road out into the countryside, to Masseria Le Cerase, where the day became a celebration.
I was lucky enough to film that day, and in these lines I'd like to take you inside this place with me: what it feels like to live it, how the light changes through the hours, and which moments it can give a couple on their wedding day. And if you're thinking of getting married here, I'd also love to leave you a few tips drawn from that day.
Where Masseria Le Cerase is
Conversano is a small hill town in the province of Bari, in Puglia, the heel of Italy. Its old town of stone lanes gathers around a Romanesque cathedral, and the Adriatic coast is only a short drive away.
Couples and guests travelling from abroad usually fly into Bari. Masseria Le Cerase sits just outside town, far from the bustle, surrounded by olive groves and open countryside.
The season for outdoor weddings here runs from late spring to early autumn, when long evenings let you stay outdoors well into the night.
A 17th-century fortified masseria
A masseria is a traditional Puglian farm estate, and Le Cerase is one of the fortified ones, built in the 17th century. Its whitewashed stone and lime, its arches and vaulted ceilings carry the marks of time, and it was restored with traditional materials and techniques, with a respect you can feel in every detail. Today it's a wedding venue in Puglia, yet it hasn't lost any of its soul.
All around stretch centuries-old olive groves, cherry orchards and vineyards, while inside, flower-filled courtyards open up, with bougainvillea climbing the white walls and bringing colour to every corner. On the first floor, five bedrooms with vaulted ceilings and stone walls can host up to ten guests.
And there's one thing that, to me, matters more than anything: the masseria hosts one wedding at a time. For a whole day it belongs only to you, from the ceremony to the last dance, with room for up to 200 guests outdoors. You can feel that exclusivity: no rush, no comings and goings, just your people and the time to be with them.
From the Cathedral to the countryside
Luciana and Simone married in Conversano Cathedral, beneath the great Romanesque rose window on its façade. That day the lanes around the church were dressed in crocheted lanterns and red flowers, and walking through them it felt as if the whole town had dressed up to celebrate with them.
After the ceremony came the drive out to the countryside. It's a passage I love to film, because in such a short journey everything changes: from the stone of the old town to the olive trees, from the hush of the church to the open air, from the emotion of the vows to the lightness of a party about to begin.
If you'd rather have your ceremony at the masseria itself, there's the Pine Grove: an intimate corner in the shade of monumental pines, made for civil and symbolic ceremonies. For many couples coming from abroad, it's a lovely way to keep the whole day in one place.
A place for every moment
One of the things I love most about Le Cerase is that every moment of the day finds its natural place, without forcing anything.
There's the Pergola, under the green of the vines, perfect for aperitivo and the first portraits. There's the Piazza, the masseria's ancient threshing floor, made for dinners and parties under the Puglian sky. There are the Ancient Lamioni, halls with exposed stone barrel vaults, where you can be indoors without losing the soul of the place. And there's the Lawn, among olive and carob trees, which can host a marquee if needed.
Luciana and Simone's long table was set outdoors, right beside the masseria. I'll come back to it in a moment, because that's where the most beautiful light of the day arrived at sunset.
When you tell the story of a wedding with a camera, this variety is a precious gift: textures, light and perspective change with every step, and the film breathes along with the day.
The light
If I had to choose just one moment to tell you about, it would be the sunset.
That evening was spectacular. The sun went down exactly behind the masseria and, filtering through the branches of the olive trees, reached all the way to the long table and turned it to gold. For a few minutes everything seemed suspended, wrapped in a warm light no set designer could ever recreate.
With Luciana and Simone we took a few minutes to walk among the olive trees, away from the party for a moment, as the sun went down behind them.
Then, as the sky darkens, the string lights come on above the table and the masseria changes its face: it becomes more intimate, closer, warmer. It's the moment when dinner slowly turns into a party.
Tips for your wedding at Masseria Le Cerase
Luciana and Simone's wedding was beautifully run from start to finish, and I took a few things away from that day that I'd love to share with you.
Keep the sunset free. Here the sun sets behind the masseria, and the light filtering through the olive trees is a gift you don't get every day. Give yourselves a few minutes alone, away from your guests: those are often the truest, most intimate images of the whole day.
Make the journey part of the story. The drive from the church to the masseria isn't just a transfer, it's a chapter of your story. Enjoy it, look around, and let it become a memory too.
Don't worry about rain. At Le Cerase even plan B is beautiful. If the weather turns, the ceremony can move into the Ancient Lamioni, under the stone vaults, and the Lawn can host a marquee lit by chandeliers and garlands of lights. When you're planning from abroad, knowing there's an alternative this lovely lets you arrive at your wedding day with peace of mind, whatever the forecast says.
Leave room for the party. For Luciana and Simone it was the most genuinely “them” part of the day: a night with their oldest friends, vinyl records, dancing in circles and laughter at full voice. Joy you could read on every face, and that never needed to pose.
Luciana & Simone's film
Below is their wedding reel, a small taste of that day. You'll find their story on Luciana & Simone's film page, and if you're looking for other masserie for your wedding, here are all my Puglia wedding films.
A limited number of stories each year.
Let’s see if yours is one of them.
Credits
Venue: Masseria Le Cerase, Conversano
Ceremony: Conversano Cathedral
Photography: Angela Trabocchi
Flowers: Maxima Flowers
Make-up: Francesca Coscia
Fragrances: Enfleurage