Hi,

Just so you, more than half of what is posted in this thread about getting married in Italy is totally incorrect. At least a million miles off base. If you still need information about what you want to do, you should speak with the nearest Italian consulate or Embassy.

There is no point in going to anywhere scenic on the Italian Riviera in the last half of October without knowing for sure it will be sunny during the days you plan to be there. That includes Santa Margherita Ligure, where it no more interesting to sit in a hotel while it pours outside than it is le Cinque Terre. You can only know the weather on Riviera by seeing a very short term forecast (48 hours or less).

<more than half of what is posted in this thread about getting married in Italy is totally incorrect.>

Which half?

The other half.

<I>As far as I know only civil marriages are legal in Italy - the church wedding is an extra but not necessary - or binding legally.</I>

No. Catholic Church and other registered denominations in Italy can conduct valid marriages recognised by the state. The trouble is, especially involving foreigners, the rules are so convoluted and procedure so time-consuming that many, perhaps most priests refuse to have anything to do with it (they don't want to get into trouble with civil authorities over an oversight or document error etc and spend hours on something that has little to do with their parish responsibilities).

For the OP:
I see. But if you are marrying canonically in the States, there is no ceremony to undergo in Italy, and 'blessing' of marriages is unknown in the Catholic Church in Italy. If the priest in San G is Irish, perhaps he is doing it informally. Or is he convalidating your civil marriage you are undergoing in US? Then you only need church formalities, as in the eyes of the Italian law, you are already legally married .

A civil marriage is not recognized as a marriage in the Catholic Church. A marriage has to be conducted in a Catholic church plus a few other requirements for it to be considered valid (aka a sacrament) in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

With 15 days on the ground, and a wedding, I would not try and add Paris. I would also not include CT, due to weather at that time of year. I would fly into Venice, get over your jetlag and soak in the sights for 3 days. Then train to Florence, pick up a car and go to the place you want to stay near San G, stay there for a week, getting married and driving around for day trips. Then drop the car in, say, Chiusi or Orvieto, and train to Rome, where you can spend the rest of your time.

<I>A civil marriage is not recognized as a marriage in the Catholic Church. A marriage has to be conducted in a Catholic church plus a few other requirements for it to be considered valid (aka a sacrament) in the eyes of the Catholic Church.</I>

True to an extent. When a couple where at least one of them is a Catholic have married civilly or in another denomination without church consent, they can make their union sacramental by convalidation. It's not a new marriage ceremony but a consent freely entered into in the presence of a cleric and two witnesses, provided they are able to do so under Canon Law (i.e. there is no diriment impediment).
I think this is what the OP is trying to do in Italy.