Rome Just Celebrated Its First Same-Sex Civil Union

L’amore was definitely in the air this past weekend when the first same-sex civil union took place in the city of Rome. Francisco Raffaele Villarusso and Luca de Sario tied the knot in a historic wedding (talk about added pre-nuptial pressure!), officiated by the Mayor of Rome, herself.

Dressed in dapper purple top hats and matching ruffled cumberbunds, there was no taking your eyes off of Villarusso and de Sario, who were declared husband and husband by the newly-elected Mayor Virginia Raggi. And their “I do’s” were certainly a longtime coming for this darling duo. (Same-sex civil unions were finally legalized in Rome just three months ago, after all!) With their love not recognized at home, the couple originally packed up and moved to Spain, with the intention of tying the knot there. But with the recent passage of the Civil Union bill, they ditched the destination wedding for an at-home ceremony. “We had already decided do it and we moved abroad, but when the bill was approved we packed up all our things and came back to Italy,” Villarusso explained to EuroNews.

With this summer’s legalization of same-sex unions, Italy became the last country of the European Union to legally recognize LGBT relationships — but life is still not all sunshine and rainbows (or rainbow flags for that matter) for couples like Villarusso and de Sario. The bill’s controversial clause to ease the process of adoption for LGBT couples ended up being dropped after it faced fierce opposition from the Catholic church and protests across the region. And name changes, tax, and identity problems still exist for same-sex couples who call the city of the Roman Catholic church home.

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Still, Villarusso and de Sario’s “I do’s” (seen in the video below) are reason to celebrate! With their long-awaitted first wedded kiss, the couple welcomed a new strive for equality in Rome — and that couldn’t be more bellissimo!