Sandra Pistoia looks good - have you been there?

When I wanted, as a European citizen, I searched high and low for countries that I could marry inside the EU but not the UK (where I live). Italy was by far the easiest so I think you have chosen the right first step

Thanks Bilbo, yes similar to that France was on the list but way too many hoops to jump through there with residency issues !

Yes, I have been Pistoia and I quite like the charming town, but I am not familiar with the place in the link I gave you. You would need to track down reviews. I also didn't see a pool option at that particular place, but there might be other place there might be other places at the edge of town. Pistoia has several truly excellent restaurants, so if you are getting married in a church you could skip hiring a villa and go directly to a good restaurant.

With 10 children, would you consider beach swimming instead of a pool? A charming Tuscan town closer to beach swimming would be Pietrasanta. It is further from Florence than Pistoia, but within reach of Pisa, Lucca and le Cinque Terre by train.

Not all of the Italian Riviera is super-pricey. You can cherry pick towns along the train line that are not famous, but are still lovely. Some good options with kids that are within reasonable reach of Pisa airport are Sestri Levante, Bonassola and Levanto. These are places with beach swimming, although you might find a pool here or there. Again, if you are marrying in the church you could use a restaurant as your reception venue rather than renting a villa -- but the best food on the Riviera is strictly seafood, so keep that in mind! It is easier to get sunny weather but not the crowds on the Italian Riviera if you can do your wedding between June 15 and July 15.

I like Bari, and I think from there it would be easy for your group to take public transportation to another nearby town and find a sufficiently large masseria to do everything you need, and maybe at a lower cost. But after that, trying to get around Puglia by public transportation is really tough.

Near Rome, some places conveniently attached to the city by public transportation that might have swimming are Sperlonga and Fregene, and there are places at the periphery of Tarquinia with swimming pools, and Tarquinia has a train station. Ditto the more expensive Orvieto in Umbria, just an hour from Rome by train, and Orvieto is well connected to a few Tuscan towns of interest and charm like Chiusi and Cortona.

But I think you probably need to work this backwards: If you've already identified the best Ryan Air-serviced airports for your group that are also well connected to local public transportation in Italy, then perhaps you need to find which churches in those target zones are willing to do the ceremony for non-residents.

On second thought, I am going to take back my suggestion of Levanto on the Italian Riviera because the beach has waves, and if the kids are under 12, it isn't optimal. But Sestri Levante is great for kids, and Bonassola is worth looking at if the idea of the Riviera appeals to you at all.

And I thought of one more area near Rome that might be worth checking out because you don't need a car to get there. A lot Romans go out there to get married in several of these towns:

http://www.dreamofitaly.com/public/R...s-in-Lazio.cfm

What about the Lake Como area?

When we looked the prices just climbed as you went further north

I suspect bilboburgler is generally correct that north is more expensive than south. For the north, you need to find someplace under the radar. If you want a lake, a less famous lake (like Lago d'Iseo) might turn out to be cheaper than Lago di Como in summer.

But the most important thing, I think, is to find a place town near a convenient cheap airport where the church will marry Irish folk!

From other debates last year I think you may need to talk to your local priest to see if the church can make a friendly contact in an Italian area.