Wedding at the Tonnara di Scopello: what now?

A wedding at the Tonnara di Scopello is not possible at the moment: the Tonnara has been closed since the end of September 2026, and its weddings are cancelled until further notice. Around Scopello, though, several bagli with a wedding offer lie within about an hour's drive, and Castellammare del Golfo, where the registry office is, is 8 km from the villa. Below are the venues with driving time, the paperwork for foreign couples, and Villa Giulietta as a place for you and your family to stay.

Getting married around Scopello at a glance
Topic	As of October 2026
Tonnara di Scopello	Closed since late September 2026; weddings cancelled until further notice
Booked there already	Ask the operator for written confirmation
Foreign partner	Needs a nulla osta from the home country (Art. 116 Civil Code)
Venues nearby	Four bagli between 14 and 66 minutes by car
Villa Giulietta	A place to stay for up to 6 guests, not a wedding venue

Source: Il Post, 1 October 2026; Linkiesta, 29 September 2026; Italian Ministry of Justice; OSRM, own calculation; Villa Giulietta

What happened to the Tonnara weddings

According to Il Post (1 October 2026), the operator cancelled every wedding at the Tonnara "until a date to be fixed". In July the civil court in Trapani had suspended the lease and operating contract of La Storica Tonnara, and the municipality of Castellammare del Golfo withdrew its permit. Linkiesta reports that the Tonnara hosted around 60 weddings a year, with couples from the USA, Australia, India, France and England. The operator refunded the sums paid and arranged replacement venues in Sicily at its own cost. The background of the site is in our article on the Tonnara.

The cause is a dispute among the owners. Owners holding 3.5 per cent in total obtained the interim order at the end of July, and the court requires the unanimous vote of all 32 owners for decisions (Linkiesta). The operator calls it a legal dispute between private parties that has nothing to do with its management (TP24). The first hearing on the substance is set for January. If you booked there for 2027, get the current position confirmed in writing.

Wedding venues near Scopello, with driving time

The table lists four places with a wedding offer or a directory entry, with driving times from the villa. They are our own calculation with OSRM, without traffic. Ask each venue for availability and prices.

Wedding venues in the area, driving time from Villa Giulietta
Venue	By car	Details from
Hotel Baglio di Scopello	14 min, 6.2 km	Directories
Baglio Strafalcello, Castellammare	25 min, 13.7 km	Directories
Baglio Sorìa, Trapani	58 min, 35.5 km	Operator site
Baglio Oneto, Marsala	66 min, 53.1 km	Operator site

Source: OSRM, own calculation from the villa, 31 October 2026, no traffic; operator websites and directories as listed in the sources

Baglio Sorìa, near Trapani, lists "Wedding" and "Event Planning" on its website and has 16 rooms, a restaurant and a pool. Baglio Oneto near Marsala has a wedding page under its events and offers tastings and cellar visits. Both are on the A29 side of the trip, an hour or a little more from the villa.

Closer to home, Baglio Strafalcello in Castellammare del Golfo has vineyards and sea views; La Lista gives a capacity of up to 200 guests and says couples may bring their own caterer. Hotel Baglio di Scopello, 14 minutes away, is listed with a capacity of up to 150 guests. Torre di Scopello, the watchtower above the Tonnara, appears on wedding portals for weddings from April to November; ask whether the closure affects it before you plan around it.

When to marry and how early to book

Planner blogs name May, June, September and October as pleasant months and July and August as hot, full and dearer. They recommend 9 to 12 months of lead time for popular venues; at the Tonnara, bookings were usually made around a year and a half ahead.

Marrying in Italy as a foreigner: the paperwork

The Italian Ministry of Justice sets out the general rules for couples of different nationalities. The points that matter most:

The foreign partner gives the registrar a statement from the authority of the home country that there is no impediment to this specific marriage, the nulla osta under Art. 116 of the Civil Code.
Neither partner may be already married or in a registered partnership, and close relatives cannot marry. Women generally wait 300 days after a previous marriage ends, with exceptions.
The banns are posted for at least eight days, and the wedding takes place no earlier than the fourth day after publication.
The civil ceremony is held at the town hall before the registrar, or, on application, in another municipality.

Contact the registry office of Castellammare del Golfo directly (+39 0924 592111, appointments through the town's online portal), and ask your own embassy about the home-country document. If your country belongs to the 1980 Munich convention, ask the registry office whether a certificate of marital capacity can replace the nulla osta.

Villa Giulietta: a place to stay, not a venue

Villa Giulietta is not a wedding venue. Parties and events are not allowed, and we do not take hen or stag groups. What it offers is a house for up to 6 guests with three bedrooms, a heated pool and free parking, which suits a couple or a family on the days before and after the celebration. Rooms for the wider guest list have to be found elsewhere. Details are on the villa page, and the rates page has prices and enquiries. Ask us before you book if you have a special request about your stay: contact.

From the villa

Castellammare del Golfo, where the municipality and its registry office are, is 8 km from the villa, about 20 minutes by car. Distances to Scopello and the airports are on the location page. If you arrive in Palermo, our article on the drive from Palermo to Scopello shows the way, and the article on Sicily in October covers a month that planners also recommend.

Questions and answers

Can I still marry at the Tonnara di Scopello?

At present no. The Tonnara has been closed since the end of September 2026, and the operator cancelled its weddings until further notice. If you booked there, ask for written confirmation.

What venues are there near the Tonnara di Scopello?

Baglio Sorìa near Trapani (58 minutes from the villa) and Baglio Oneto near Marsala (66) list weddings on their own sites. Baglio Strafalcello (25) and Hotel Baglio di Scopello (14) appear in directories. Ask each for availability and prices.

What documents do foreigners need to marry in Sicily?

The foreign partner must present a nulla osta from the authority of the home country (Art. 116 Civil Code). The banns are posted for at least eight days. Ask the registry office of Castellammare del Golfo about further documents, and whether a Munich convention certificate can replace the nulla osta.

Can we hold our wedding party at Villa Giulietta?

No. Parties and events are not allowed. The villa takes up to 6 guests as a place to stay, for example for the couple or family before and after the wedding.

Sources

Sources accessed on 31 October 2026 unless noted.