Discover Reschio: a hidden gem in Umbria showcasing Italy’s timeless art, design, cuisine and cultural heritage.
In the rolling green heart of Umbria, near the border of Tuscany and within sight of Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, lies one of Italy’s most remarkable estates: Reschio. Set across 3,800 acres of pristine countryside, this thousand-year-old domain is more than a luxury hotel; it is a living, breathing celebration of Italian art, craftsmanship, design, and culture.
Stepping through Reschio’s gates feels like crossing into another time. Yet, behind its medieval stone walls and olive groves lies a thoroughly modern vision of comfort and creativity. Count Benedikt Bolza, his wife Donna Nencia, and their family have transformed this once-abandoned corner of Umbria into a vibrant sanctuary of slow living, artistry, and timeless beauty.
A Castle Reborn
At the heart of the estate stands Castello di Reschio, a 1,000-year-old fortress that has been meticulously restored into a 35-room masterpiece of contemporary Italian style. The transformation is the culmination of three generations of the Bolza family’s devotion, a project that began in 1994 when they began reclaiming the estate’s crumbling farmhouses and overgrown hillsides.
Inside, the castle is a symphony of Italian craftsmanship. Locally woven linens, handmade tiles, and artisanal stonework sit alongside furniture and lighting from the B.B. for Reschio collection–pieces designed by Count Bolza himself and handcrafted by master artisans in wood, marble, and bronze. Every detail tells a story, from bespoke lamps and minimalist campaign beds to the elegant ironwork that threads through the interiors. Guests enchanted by the aesthetic can purchase these designs through the BB for Reschio brand, bringing home a tangible piece of the estate’s creative spirit.
The Estate Experience
Life at Reschio unfolds at a gentle, unhurried rhythm, guided by nature, tradition, and the deep connection between land and people. Mornings might begin with a ride through the dew-drenched forest and lake where sunlight catches on cobwebs.
The equestrian center, one of Count Bolza’s great passions, is home to a stable of Andalusian dressage horses of exceptional grace. Riding lessons, countryside hacks, and twilight performances bring to life the ancient bond between human and horse. For the Count, these animals embody the spirit of Reschio: strength, elegance, and quiet intelligence. Guests can also explore falconry, archery, cycling, and guided nature walks through forests rich with wildlife. Wild boar, deer, and hares inhabit the Umbrian foothills, while truffle-hunting excursions with the chef offer a delicious link between land and table.
The castle’s interiors reflect this same harmony between heritage and modernity. Each room nods to traditional Italian design, filtered through the Count’s keen architectural eye–a combination that evokes the old-world chic of Claridge’s, the rustic-luxury aesthetic of Soho Farmhouse, and a generous dose of La Dolce Vita.The Bolza family’s eclectic collection of vintage paintings–anonymous portraits of 19th-century aristocrats and elegant strangers–adds a layer of whimsical intrigue. Many of these artworks are for sale, inviting guests to recreate Reschio’s distinctive blend of classic and contemporary in their own homes.
Gastronomy
At Reschio, gastronomy is not merely an indulgence but a reflection of place. The estate produces its own organic vegetables, olive oil, honey and wine, all of which feature prominently across its restaurants.
Within the castle walls, Ristorante Al Castello serves refined Umbrian cuisine crafted from estate-grown produce, such as handmade pasta with shaved truffles or lamb roasted over local wood. The Palm Court, with its glass roof and soaring palms, channels the elegance of a 19th-century Parisian salon, perfect for evening cocktails. Outside the castle is Il Torrino, a converted watchtower by the pool and Ristorante Alle Scuderie near the stables serves convivial Italian classics in a bright, airy setting with a breathtaking view of the Umbrian rolling hills.
Even the floral arrangements are part of the artistry, composed daily from wildflowers, herbs, and grasses gathered from the surrounding fields. It’s this layering of craft, nature, and design that makes Reschio a sensory experience as much as a destination.
The Bathhouse: A Roman Reverie
Beneath the castle’s vaulted stone cellars lies The Bathhouse, a spa inspired by ancient Roman baths. Guests can move through a sequence of salt-water pools, hammams, and saunas, lit by candlelight and scented with bay leaves and rosemary gathered from the estate’s hillsides. Treatments are restorative rituals rather than routines, emphasizing touch, texture, and the play of light on stone. In The Private Room, a tepidarium with a roaring fire, guests can sink into deep tubs and emerge renewed.
Even the staff uniforms reflect the estate’s design ethos–crafted from organic cotton in earthy tones of sienna, olive, and burgundy, with baker-boy caps adding a nostalgic cinematic flair reminiscent of Peaky Blinders meets Italian countryside chic.
The Creative Heart of Reschio
A short walk from the castle lies the Tabaccaia, once a tobacco factory and now the creative engine of the estate. Here, Count Bolza and his team of architects and designers conceived the castle’s restoration and continue to transform the estate’s derelict farmhouses into elegant homes. The building now houses the B.B. for Reschio design studio, an architectural atelier, and an art gallery showcasing antiques, modern classics, and bespoke furniture.
Stepping into the Tabaccaia’s lobby feels like entering a temple of Italian design: marble-topped tables, mid-century chairs, and sculptural lamps coexist with patinated walls and high, sunlit windows. It’s a place where ideas take physical form – where the Count’s imagination meets the hands of master artisans.
For design enthusiasts, the B.B. Reschio collection offers exquisite pieces that distill the estate’s aesthetic: bronze coffee tables, minimalist four-poster beds, art deco–inspired “Poggibonsi” lamps, and sleek writing desks. Many are handcrafted from local materials by artisans whose techniques have been passed down for generations.
Among the artists drawn to Reschio’s creative energy is British sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green, celebrated for his monumental equine sculptures. After a chance meeting in London, the Count invited him to the estate, where Fiddian-Green established a studio and began crafting bronzes and Carrara marble works inspired by Reschio’s Andalusian horses. His equine sculptures now punctuate the landscape, emerging majestically from the Umbrian earth. Encountering one on horseback, framed by olive trees and mist, is a moment of pure poetry.
A Legacy of Renewal
Reschio’s story is ultimately one of renewal. When Italy’s agricultural system changed in the 1970s, farms across Umbria fell silent. The Bolza family’s gradual restoration of this forgotten land has not only revived its architecture but also rekindled the spirit of self-sustaining rural life. What began as a family refuge has evolved into one of Italy’s most visionary cultural and hospitality projects.
Today, Reschio is more than a hotel, it’s a philosophy of slow living full of beautiful art, cuisine and design. Guests are encouraged to slow down, savor meals drawn from the soil beneath their feet, and reconnect with the natural rhythms of the countryside. Visiting the estate offers an experience of having touched something enduring and profoundly Italian.
A Place Apart
The estate’s setting in the foothills of the Apennines is both cinematic and serene. Cypress trees rise like green exclamation marks against the sky; olive groves ripple in the breeze; and the light – golden, diffused, painterly –casts the entire valley in soft focus.
Yet for all its beauty, Reschio never feels contrived. Its magic lies in its authenticity: the scent of rosemary in the spa, the sound of horses’ hooves echoing across the courtyard. It’s a place that celebrates not spectacle, but soul.
For travellers seeking a destination that combines art, architecture, culinary excellence, and nature, Reschio is an immersion into the very essence of Italian culture. It is a sanctuary of craftsmanship and creativity, a place where the art of living is both practiced and perfected. Count Bolza’s visionary approach, blending design with reverence for heritage and landscape, has created something rare: a destination that feels eternal yet alive, steeped in history yet filled with possibility. At Reschio, the past and present meet in exquisite harmony, and in that meeting, Italy’s cultural heartbeat is felt anew.
For more information on Reschio visit: https://www.reschio.com
