S P E N D O U R Special Day W I T H U S
If you've ever wanted to take a trip to Italy, here is your chance!
Use our wedding as an excuse to take a trip of a lifetime to Northern Italy. It's a two-in-one: a wedding and a vacation. It's a win-win!
If you read our Save-the-Date letter, you already know a little bit about Cherasco (where the wedding will take place) and what pricing can look like while traveling there.
Cherasco is an incredibly special place to us. It has some of the best food and wine in all of Italy! With it's location being just a couple of hours from France, Switzerland, and Monaco, it gives you the option to explore more of Europe, too.
We hope this website provides you with everything you could need while doing your research for booking a trip to Italy. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us or our parents.
As also mentioned in the Save-the-Date letter, ask to join our Facebook group, Hops Down the Aisle, so that we can let you know when we see cheap airfare!
THE
WEDDING
W H E N
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 21
2023
W H E R E
CHERASCO,
ITALY
ATTIRE
FORMAL / BLACK TIE OPTIONAL
LOOSE THEME
OLD HOLLYWOOD / PEARLS / SUCCULENTS
#HopsDowntheAisle
THE V E N U E S
C E R E M O N Y
Auditorium Horszowski
Via del Carretto 16
Monforte d'Alba, 12065 CN, Italy
15% Off All Items
R E C E P T I O N
Antico Borgo Monchiero
Località Monchiero Alto 3
Monchiero, 12060 CN, Italy
15% Off All Items
THE
WEDDING PARTY
MAID OF HONOR
AMANDA WRIGHT
BRIDESMAID
ALYSSA CAIN
BRIDESMAID
NATALIE HOPS
Best friend of Olivia that she met through her former Unbaked helper, Erin, up in LA!
Best friend of Olivia that she met in French class freshmen year of high school!
The little sister of Olivia who is actually much taller than her.
GROOMSMAN
ED SILLA
GROOMSMAN
MICHAEL ONTIVEROS
RUDY ALARCON
GROOMSMAN
Best friend of Alex that he met at Rotten Tomatoes who he
co-hosts a podcast with!
Alex's cousin who shares his love of all things super-heros and video games with!
Best friend of Alex that he met in high school and have been friends ever since!
W E D D I N G
E V E N T S C H E D U L E
Welcome Dinner
Join us the night before we say "I do" for a special Italian Dinner, on us!
8:00pm
WHERE: TBD
Welcome Buffet
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20
THURSDAY, SEPT. 21
Arrive to the venue early to enjoy a Welcome Buffet and glass
of Prosecco.
4:00pm
Ceremony
We'll (finally) make it official!
5:00pm
Cocktail Hour
Enjoy cocktails or wine and mingle while we get photos taken.
5:45pm
Reception / Dinner
Enjoy more food (we are in Italy, after all), hear some funny stories, dance, eat dessert, and party!
7:00pm
Conclusion
Head back to the hotel (and drink more wine, probably).
12:00am
...and they lived hoppily ever after...
C H E R A S C O
PRONOUNCED CARE-AH-SCO
A B O U T
Cherasco is a charming little town in the Piemonte region of Northern Italy. Since it's only a few hours away from France, it's food is heavily influenced by French cuisine. You won't find lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs (or any thick, red sauces) here!
Cherasco is known for its lumaca, or "snails" in English. Each year the town hosts a week-long festival dedicated entirely to their snails. If you're feeling adventurous, try some at one of the local restaurants!
Situated in wine country, Cherasco is completely surrounded by vineyards. It's actually completely surrounded by The Alps, too. If you look carefully, you may be able to catch a glimpse of them on a clear day.
The Visconti Castle, Cherasco's castle (yes, it has its very own castle, just like almost every other Italian town!), is a Medieval one, built in the 14th century by the the Lord of Milan. It's made entirely out of bricks and even has it's very own drawbridge.
Cherasco has a rich history, as many Italian towns do. Napoleon Bonaparte was a part of this. In 1796, Bonaparte signed the Armistice of Cherasco. Every other year, the town reenacts the signing of this treaty and throws a festival all about it.
GETTING
THERE
AIRFARE INFORMATION
You will want to fly into either Milan or Turin.
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Milan is about a two hour drive from Cherasco (similar to the drive from San Diego to LA, but way less traffic). This is where we fly into.
Turin is about a 40 minute drive from Cherasco, but flights here are usually rarer and more expensive due to it's small size.
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RENTAL CAR INFORMATION
Rental Cars are available on-site at both airports.
When looking for rental cars, keep in mind that many of the cars in Italy are manuals, so make sure you pay attention to if you're reserving a manual or automatic. If you can drive a manual, bonus for you! They're usually a lot cheaper to rent than an automatic.
Look on DiscoverCars.com and EconomyBookings.com for cheap rental cars.
Also, keep in mind that some of the rental car agencies are in the terminal and some are not (meaning a bus ride is required). We suggest trying to book from an agency inside the terminal for easier access.
*If you know other people who are also coming to the wedding, we suggest sharing a car to keep cost downs.*
H O T E L S
While we don't recommend booking your flights too crazy far in advance, September is the start of high season in this area of Italy, so we do recommend booking your hotel as soon as possible. You can always cancel your reservations for free later if you need to.
Below are a few hotels in and around Cherasco that we highly recommend.
All come with breakfast included!
You could also look into local Bed + Breakfasts.
We know several people who have their own, so don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like their info!
*Booking a room through the hotel's website is sometimes much cheaper
than booking through a third party site, so check there, too.*
T H I N G S
T O D O
BELOW ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITES THINGS TO DO AND PLACES TO SEE IN AND AROUND CHERASCO.
Torino (Turin in English) is about a 35 minute drive from Cherasco. It is home to some incredible museums and sites that we definitely recommend visiting. We've listed them below.
Explore Torino
Auto Museum: Even if you don't like cars, this museum is amazing to walk through. It features everything from the first cars to F1 cars.
Egyptian Museum: Outside of Cairo, this is the #1 rated Egyptian museum in the entire world! They even have real mummies.
Cinema Museum: Movie posters, celebrity head shots, and props line the halls of this museum. If you can, make sure you go up in the Glass Elevator while you're there!
Royal Palace: Take a tour of this baroque-style building to see incredible architecture and learn about the history of Torino.
Shroud of Turin: This is the actual cloth that Jesus was buried in! While the real one only comes out on display every 7 years, there are countless photos and replicas.
Go Wine Tasting
I'm sure this goes without saying, but get out and go wine tasting! We suggest checking out the cities of Barolo (home to the "King of Wines") and Barbaresco. There is a wine museum in Barolo you can tour, too.
*If you're interested in going wine tasting, let us know. We can help set up tastings with our friends who own wineries in the area.
If you like to golf, Cherasco has it's own golf course!
Go Golfing
Visit Alba
Alba is home of the White Truffle. These truffles are incredibly expensive, costing over $200 per OUNCE! This is the only place you can find white truffles in the entire world. And you can't grow them. Only specialty trained dogs and pigs can find and dig them up.
Shop in Cuneo
Cuneo's unique Renaissance architecture is filled with shops and eateries. It's also near the base of Monviso, a mountain peak in The Alps. This area offers trails and hiking if you feel like some adventurous exploring.
The Lakes
If you feel like driving, Cherasco is situated only a couple hours drive from the three main lakes of the region: Garda, Maggiore, and, of course, Como. Our favorite is Maggiore, which has the Borromeo islands. The main island, Isola Bella, has a palace you can tour. It features incredible art and architecture, along with immaculate gardens that take up over half the island (and feature white peacocks!). It's also full of shops galore for buying trinkets to take home.
P L A C E S
T O E A T
OUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT ITALY? THE FOOD, OF COURSE!
BELOW ARE LOCAL (AND OUR FAVORITE) PLACES TO EAT.
LA ROSA ROSSA
Nice restaurant owned by our friend, Raquel. Try the tajarin!
Cherasco
IL GHILOT
Casual pizzeria owned by our new friend Francesca. Try the Pizza Gorgonzola!
Cherasco
PANE E VINO
Upscale restaurant owned by Flavio, who is exactly how you'd expect someone named Flavio to be.
Cherasco
PIZZERIA DA TONY
Casual pizzeria we've been eating at since '00. Tony may look grumpy, but he makes a mean pizza.
Bra
VITTORIO VENETO
Upscale restaurant owned by our friend, Mimo. End your night with a drink from their bar!
Cherasco
OSTERIA UMBERTO
Nice restaurant owned by the man who we bought gelato from 3 times a day as kids.
Cherasco
WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND TRYING THE FOLLOWING FOODS IF YOU SEE THEM ON A MENU...
TAJARIN
A special pasta made only in this area of Italy. It's bright orange color is due to the 30 egg yolks that go into each batch. Try it with just butter and some parmesan!
RAVIOLI TARTUFO
Black truffles (tartufo) are also very typical to this part of Italy. Watch out for the white truffles though, they'll cost you a pretty penny!
GNOCCHI CASTELMAGNO
Castelmagno is a type of cheese that is special to this area of Italy. It tastes similar to gorgonzola. Gnocchi Al Castelmagno is a very traditional local dish!
FLAN DI VERDURE
Think vegetable (verdure) souffles topped with cheese sauce. Regardless of what vegetable it's made with, if you see this on a menu, GET IT!
MILANESE
While this dish is often one of the most expensive on menus at Italian restaurants in the US, it's actually just a simple inexpensive pizzeria dish in Italy. Nonetheless, it's delicious. And don't forget to order a side of patate fritte (french fries).
BACCI DI DAMA
These addictive hazelnut cookies are sandwiched together with chocolate and are special to this area of Italy. The Hops Family lovingly calls them "butt cookies"...
F A Q s
T H E ( D O ' S + ) D O N T ' S O F I T A L Y
BELOW ARE THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO AVOID DOING WHILE IN ITALY.
Don't drink the tap water. There's nothing wrong with it, so don't worry! But it can give you an upset stomach since our bodies aren't used to it. Brushing your teeth with it is still totally fine.
Don't tip at restaurants. Tipping is not a thing in Italy, regardless of how fantastic the service is.
Don't wait until the afternoon to shop or eat a late lunch. Shops all close for several hours in the middle of the day (usually around 1-4pm). Lunch service is usually stopped around 2:30pm.
Don't try to eat dinner before about 8:00pm. Most restaurants will still be closed.
Don't ask for "to go" containers at restaurants. They do not exist.
Don't drive in the fast lane (left lane) on the autostrada (freeway) unless you are actively passing a car. Pass the car and then go immediately back into the right lane. No exceptions!
Don't expect people to stop at stop signs. They are more of a "suggestion" in Italy.
Do eat and drink as much wine as you want. You won't gain weight or get a hangover!
U S E F U L I T A L I A N V O C A B
W E A T H E R
DAYS: LOW TO MID 70s
NIGHTS: 50s-60s
CHERASCO AVERAGE WEATHER IN SEPTEMBER
The weather in Cherasco in September is usually sunny and in the 70s, though there are chances of clouds and showers, and the nights tend to cool off.
*The ceremony will take place outdoors if weather permits.*
REGISTRY
We know flying half way across the globe is a ginormous ask, so please do not feel like you need to buy us a gift on top of that. Having you there on our Big Day is the best gift we could hope for!
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If you do feel so inclined, you can click below to view our registry.
