How The Italian Villa became Dorset’s favourite event venue in under a decade

The Italian Villa at Compton Acres has, in less than a decade, become the most decorated and popular events venue in Dorset.

The venue, which hosted around 200 events last year – ranging from weddings to award ceremonies, gala dinners and other private and corporate events – has won no less than 25 awards in the past three years alone.

The Tuscan-styled Villa is the only venue of its kind, anywhere in the UK. It was part of the development of the popular themed garden attraction, Compton Acres, in Canford Cliffs, Poole, having been conceived in 2002 and completed in April/May 2007.

Work on the Villa brought the Compton Acres complex into the 21st Century as a visitor attraction, now boasting a three-storey function centre and wedding venue, neatly adjacent the mesmerising Italianate Garden.

The venue was commissioned and built by Bernard Merna, who owns Compton Acres. In the first year of operation, the venue hosted approximately 30-40 events, catered by various catering companies.

In 2010 the venue was leased exclusively by multi award-winning event caterers, Beales Gourmet Ltd., who continue to run the venue to this day.

Managing director of Beales Gourmet and The Italian Villa, Tony Beales, explains how his company became involved: “It feels like just yesterday when we were just one of several companies who catered at The Italian Villa for weddings and events.

"We loved working at the venue because it is so strikingly unique to any other venue and customers clearly loved it as much as we did.

"When the opportunity came around in 2010 for us to take over the running of the venue exclusively, we grabbed it and haven’t looked back since! Of course, the core of our business at The Italian Villa is weddings, but we host so many other great events here now, including all manner of corporate events – with some truly spectacular ones coming to mind – and some very special birthdays, anniversary parties and even baby naming ceremonies.

"We’ve continued to invest in the venue, making modernisations and we are now proud to boast one of the finest event kitchens in the county, which is hugely important for us as a catering business.”

Spread over three glamorous floors, The Italian Villa is licensed to perform civil ceremonies and partnerships, with its elegant Medici Suite capable of seating 180 guests for a wedding breakfast.

Well appointed with lifts to all three floors, air conditioning, built in sound systems and speakers, a stage, and audiovisual screens, the Villa’s superb facilities enable couples to theme and create a truly memorable occasion.

“Making our customers and their guests happy is why we got into this business in the first place," continued Tony.

"We are incredibly proud to have won the number of local and national awards celebrating our work and of course, celebrating this stunning venue.

"The real accolades, however, come from our customers and their continued fantastic feedback – most of which they share online – it drives our team to even greater heights!”

One of the obvious draws of the venue is the setting of which it occupies. Set upon ten acres of magnificent themed gardens, the Villa’s guests have plenty of wonderful photo opportunities. From the ornate Japanese Garden to the Heather Garden and the Wooded Valley, each will leave guests spellbound.

More about The Italian Garden The Italian Garden is an impressive structure, scale, and formality so important in Italian design. Symmetry and formality are the prime characteristics of the Italian Garden, which is arranged around the central focal point of the ornamental lake, with its carved stone fountains, exquisitely coloured water lilies and flashing shoals of Koi Carp to delight the eye.

At each end of the lake there is a statuary that compels attention. At its head, the famous bronze Wrestlers of Herculaneum face each other in perpetual competition. Behind them, York Stone steps lead up to the terrace on which stand two ornate Venetian bronze lanterns, bearing the winged lions of St. Mark, patron saint of Venice. Below there is a central stone grotto housing a bronze bust of Mr. J. Stanley Beard the second owner of Compton Acres.

Dominating the far end of the lake is the domed temple of Bacchus supported on stone pillars and ‘the Roman god of wine’ is beautifully sculptured in Carrera marble.

Arranged around the central lake are formal grass bordered beds massed with tulips in spring and replaced with summer annuals at the end of May. Permanent planting is backed by 32 columns of weathered Bath stone, rhododendrons form a massed background of dark foliage and protect the gardens from all inclement winds, while letting in all available sunshine.

Enter the enchanting Grotto under an impressive Bath Stone archway leading into this delightfully unique stone lined walkway, maintained for many years as a living tunnel. Leading through to the expertly maintained Italian Garden, its distinctive walls can be lit with hundreds of candles for a magical and atmospheric entrance.

For more information about The Italian Villa, visit the-italian-villa.co.uk.