On a secluded estate along the border of Umbria and Tuscany, Castello di Reschio rises from the landscape like something imagined in a Renaissance fresco. Once a crumbling 10th-century fortress, the castle has been reimagined as one of Italy’s most extraordinary hotels: a place where centuries-old stone meets contemporary design, and where la dolce vita is distilled into its purest, most atmospheric form.
A Family Vision
The estate of Reschio, spanning 1,500 hectares of rolling hills, olive groves, and vineyards, has been in the hands of Count Antonio Bolza and his family since the early 1990s. Over decades, they painstakingly restored not only the castle itself but also the estate’s farmhouses, transforming Reschio into a working community where design, nature, and heritage intertwine.
The hotel opened in 2021, and under the creative direction of Count Benedikt Bolza — an architect and designer — the castle’s interiors combine respect for history with a distinctly contemporary sensibility.
The Design Language
At Reschio, history is not frozen but enlivened. Original stone walls and vaulted ceilings frame bespoke furniture designed by Bolza himself. The palette is tactile and timeless: burnished brass, handmade terracotta tiles, olive-green velvets, and linen curtains that sway with the Umbrian breeze.
Lighting is treated as sculpture; staircases spiral with theatrical flair. Throughout, the aesthetic is one of restrained opulence: rustic bones elevated by design precision, where every chair, table, and handle feels considered.
Rooms and Suites
The hotel offers just 36 rooms and suites, many of them carved into the castle’s ancient structure. Each feels at once intimate and grand — four-poster beds beneath vaulted ceilings, freestanding tubs with views across the olive groves, fireplaces that glow at dusk. The attention to detail is almost monastic, yet the effect is utterly luxurious.
Food, Wine, and Atmosphere
Reschio’s culinary offerings are deeply rooted in the land. Seasonal menus celebrate estate-grown produce, truffles, and game, paired with Umbrian wines. Dining unfolds in spaces that feel both historic and contemporary: the former stables transformed into Ristorante Al Castello, or alfresco tables under the shadow of medieval walls.
For aperitivo, the Palm Court — with its soaring glass roof, fern-filled interiors, and live piano — evokes a timeless European elegance.
Wellness in the Depths
Beneath the castle, the former wine cellars have been converted into a spa of otherworldly atmosphere. Candlelit stone chambers house a salt-water pool, hammam, and sauna. Treatments draw from local botanicals and traditions, reinforcing the castle’s ethos of rootedness and renewal.
The Estate Beyond the Walls
Castello di Reschio is more than a hotel; it is a living estate. Guests can ride through the hills on horseback, learn Italian cooking, cycle past vineyards, or simply wander through olive groves where silence feels as curated as the design indoors. The estate also restores and rents private farmhouses, each a masterpiece of adaptive reuse.
How to Experience Reschio
- Best Rooms: The Tower Suite — occupying the castle’s highest point, with panoramic views of Umbria and Tuscany. For something more secluded, book one of the estate’s private farmhouses.
- Best Activities: Horse riding from the Reschio Stables, truffle hunting in the autumn, private wine tastings, and cooking classes with estate chefs.
- Best Seasons:
- Spring (April–June): Wildflowers, fresh produce, and fewer crowds.
- Autumn (September–October): Truffle season, golden landscapes, and harvest festivals.
- Summer (July–August): Poolside glamour and long Umbrian evenings.
- Don’t Miss: Aperitivo in the Palm Court, a sunrise swim in the spa’s salt-water pool, and sunset horseback rides through the olive groves.
TL;DR
Castello di Reschio is not luxury as spectacle, but luxury as atmosphere: a place where time seems suspended, where design is inseparable from history, and where every detail tells a story of patience and vision. In its rebirth, Reschio captures the essence of Italian elegance — rooted in the past, alive in the present, and unforgettable for those who enter its gates.
Discover more: http://www.reschio.com
My World of Interiors 