Wedding Magician & Mentalist · Portofino
Portofino Wedding Magician
Matteo Cammisa is an Italian magician and mentalist who performs close-up magic at Portofino weddings — the villa gardens and terraces above the harbour, and the coast from Santa Margherita to Camogli. Guest to guest, in Italian and English.
Portofino · Santa Margherita Ligure · Rapallo · Camogli
500+
Events performed
30+
Countries
Magic Circle
& FISM member
The Setting
Weddings on Portofino
Portofino is a village-sized stage set — one piazzetta, one harbour, a handful of villas in the pines above — and its weddings borrow that intimacy. Guest lists are tight, venues are gardens and terraces rather than ballrooms, and the yachts in the harbour are part of the wedding's furniture, sometimes literally hosting the welcome party.
The scale rewards this format the way Capri's does: at eighty guests on a garden terrace, close-up magic reaches everyone properly across an evening, with the couple's own story worked into the material. Nothing is staged in a village where nothing could be.
Ligurian weddings run aperitivo-first — the golden hour above the harbour is the day's centre of gravity — and the performance's natural home is exactly there, then table to table as dinner runs under the pines. Native Italian with family and venue, English across the international tables.
The Experience
Why couples add magic to the day
Fills the gap the day already has
Cocktail hour is the longest unscripted stretch of a wedding — the couple is with the photographer and two families stand in their own circles. Close-up magic occupies exactly that window and mixes the room as a side effect.
Nothing required from the venue
No stage, no sound, no lighting, no power. A clifftop terrace, a beach club or a villa courtyard is exactly as workable as a ballroom — which at a destination wedding removes a whole category of planning.
Works across languages
The impossible moment happens in the guest's own hands and needs no translation. Matteo performs in English and Italian — at a destination wedding, the difference between everyone being included and half the room watching politely.
Built to be photographed
Reaction shots from close-up magic are often the strongest candid images of the cocktail hour. Matteo works with the photographer rather than in front of them.
Real weddings — Matteo Cammisa at work
Your Day
Where it fits in the running order
- 01
Welcome drinks
The hardest part of a destination wedding is that half your guests have never met. Close-up magic gives strangers something to react to together — the fastest way to turn two guest lists into one room.
- 02
Cocktail hour
The gap while you're away with the photographer is the single best hour for magic. Guests are standing, drinking and unoccupied. Matteo moves group to group so nobody is left waiting.
- 03
Dinner, table to table
Between courses, Matteo visits each table for a few minutes. It keeps the evening moving through the long stretches of a seated dinner, and every table gets a moment that belongs to them.
- 04
A moment for the two of you
Optional, and often the piece couples remember most: something staged privately for the bride and groom, away from the room, that the photographer can catch.
The Offer
Wedding packages — Portofino
Signature
60 minutes
- —Close-up magic through cocktail hour
- —Guest-to-guest, no stage or sound needed
- —Performed in Italian and English
- —Coordinated with your planner's timeline
Intimate celebrations up to roughly 80 guests
Request this packagePremium
90 minutes
- —Cocktail hour close-up magic
- —Table-to-table magic during dinner
- —A personalised souvenir card for each guest
- —Split across the evening so the energy never dips
- —Coordinated with your planner's timeline
The format most destination weddings book
Request this packageGrand Experience
120 minutes
- —Welcome drinks, cocktail hour and dinner
- —A private moment staged for the couple
- —Mentalism set piece for the full room
- —Personalised souvenir cards for every guest
- —Present across the whole event window
- —Photographer-friendly — built for reaction shots
Multi-day weddings and full-evening celebrations
Request this packageAll packages are all-inclusive for Portofino — travel included, no hidden extras. Every wedding is quoted individually once we know your date, venue and guest count.
Matteo Cammisa
@matteo_cammisa
Social Proof
From those who have experienced it
Matteo's performance was the highlight of our wedding. He had everyone mesmerized. People are still talking about how he made our special day truly magical.
We were blown away by Matteo's close-up magic at our reception. He was not just a magician, he was like a part of our family that day, making everyone smile and bringing us all closer together. Absolutely unforgettable.
From the moment Matteo started his performance, he captured the hearts of all our guests. His magic is top-notch and his ability to connect with every person in the room was just amazing.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know
What wedding entertainment works in Portofino?+
Portofino has no venue that could host staging and no wedding that would want it — the village's whole register is intimate. Close-up magic works the aperitivo hour above the harbour and the dinner tables under the pines, with nothing for a garden terrace to accommodate.
Can you perform at a welcome party on a yacht?+
Yes — harbour-moored or under way. A yacht is one of the few venues where close-up is effectively the only workable entertainment: nothing to set up, nothing to secure, nothing that minds the water.
Do you cover the wider Ligurian coast?+
Yes — Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, Camogli and the Cinque Terre side. One coast, one register, no equipment to move along it.
How far ahead should a Portofino wedding book?+
May, June and September are the strong months. The village's few venues book early; six to twelve months out is comfortable for entertainment.
Limited dates
Check your Portofino wedding date
Matteo takes a limited number of weddings each season. Tell us your date and venue and you'll have a reply within 24 hours — usually with a reference video from a comparable wedding.
Or email management@matteocammisa.com