Two former nuns, Federica and Isabel, on Wednesday formally registered that they are in a civil union in a sober, private ceremony in the town of Pinerolo, near Turin.
Italy does not recognise gay marriage but it recently passed a law acknowledging civil unions that gives stable couples of the same sex many of the rights enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.
Federica, a 44-year-old from southern Italy and Isabel, who is from South America, met at a convent and then fell in love while working together at a centre for drug addicts.
The couple decided to move the ceremony forward by a day to avoid being at the centre of media attention after Turin daily La Stampa reported on their plans to seal their union. "It was a simple ceremony but one that the couple were profoundly moved by," said Pinerolo Mayor Luca Salvai, who presided over the ceremony.
"They decided to bring the union forward by 24 hours to avoid a media hubbub and keep the maximum degree of privacy.
"We in the council are not looking for publicity either," added Salvai, a member of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S). "It's their celebration and, personally, I'm happy to have helped them realise their desire". After the civil ceremony the couple were set to have another, private one, presided over by a former priest.
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