A thousand-year-old castle hotel on a 3,700-acre private estate in the Umbrian hills, with horses, a candlelit bathhouse and two restaurants.
Reschio is the Bolza family's life's work: three decades of restoring a castle and the farmhouses around it on a 3,700-acre estate of woods and meadows. The hotel rooms are inside the castle walls and no two are alike. Some are grand, some are small with windows built for defence rather than views, and the family's own design studio has furnished them with a lightness of touch that stops it ever feeling like a museum.
The estate is the draw. Count Antonio's Spanish horses live here, and guests can take lessons in the covered Teatro Equestre or ride out through the nature reserve; children learn on ponies. There are tennis courts, two gyms, e-bikes, a lake to row on and walking trails through old woodland, and the Bathhouse in the former wine cellars is one of the most atmospheric spas we know.
It is deep countryside, so plan on a car or the hotel's drivers; Perugia, Florence and Rome airports are all in range. Travellers who want to walk out of the door into a hill town for dinner will find that a drive away. For families who ride, or anyone who wants Umbria at its most considered, it is hard to beat.
The more intimate rooms inside the castle walls, smaller than their neighbours but just as carefully equipped and furnished.
Spacious rooms at the heart of the castle, each inspired by characters from its history, looking over the courtyard garden and the hills.
Larger suites full of antiques and detail; the twin-bedded corner suite on the second floor suits families or friends.
Four light-filled suites in the former Vestry beside the San Michele church, just outside the ramparts, some with private gardens.
A two-bedroom suite in the oldest part of the castle, rising over five floors to a rooftop terrace with daybeds and a freestanding bath.
There are two restaurants: the hotel restaurant inside the castle, with a sunset terrace and a refined menu, and Alle Scuderie at the centre of the estate, open at all hours with garden tables and live music. Menus draw on the organic kitchen garden. Bar Centrale, the Palm Court Bar in the castle courtyard and Il Torrino by the pool cover drinks, and private dinners can be set up in the Colombaie, the Lake Cabin or on a picnic.
The Bathhouse sits in the old castle wine cellars and beyond, offering bath rituals, lymphatic massage and dry-brushing in a candlelit setting. There are two gyms, tennis courts and a pool surrounded by pines.
Families are welcome, and some castle suites are laid out for them. Instructors teach younger guests to ride on the estate's ponies. Ask us about room configurations for children.
| Estate | About 3,700 acres of woods and meadows |
|---|---|
| Castle | Dating from around 1050, the oldest tower earlier |
| Restaurants | Two, plus three bars |
| Spa | The Bathhouse, in the former wine cellars |
| Riding | Lessons and estate rides with Spanish horses and ponies |
| Arrival | Driver service from Perugia, Florence, Bologna, Pisa or Rome airports |
| Nearest station | Terontola di Cortona, on the Florence to Rome line |
Lisciano Niccone, Umbria, near the Tuscan border, Italy
A few of the things we plan for guests in Italy.
The coast road is slow in summer, so see the coast from a boat. A private day takes in the Li Galli islands, the narrow inlet at Furore and a swim stop below Praiano, with lunch at a beach restaurant reachable only by sea. Go on a weekday in late May, June or September, when the water is warm and the ferries are less full.
South of Siena, the Val d'Orcia is the Tuscany of cypress avenues and rolling wheat fields. Base yourself in a farmhouse near Pienza, buy pecorino in the village, and spend a day tasting Brunello in Montalcino and Vino Nobile in Montepulciano with a driver. September and October bring the grape harvest and a softer, lower light.
Venice changes completely once the day visitors leave. Stay at least two nights so you can walk across Piazza San Marco at seven in the morning and spend evenings in the bacari of Cannaregio eating cicchetti. November to March is cold and misty but the city is at its calmest.
Four nights on an organic farm estate in southern Tuscany, with a spa that uses its own herbs, then three inside the walls of an Umbrian castle with a candlelit bathhouse in the old wine cellars. Siena and Montalcino in between.
Three nights in Rome between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, with a private guide for the Vatican and the Forum, then the fast train south and five nights on the cliff outside Positano with a lift down to the sea.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability, suggest the right room and send a price.
