This Reborn Hotel Feels Like a Fairytale Castle Set in Italy’s Green Heart

The water felt like a heat embrace as I immersed myself within the out of doors hydrotherapy pool on a cool autumn day. I let the water from the jets therapeutic massage my legs, watching my husband because the water from one other jet pounded his shoulders and higher again. Even when it began drizzling, we didn’t wish to go away the pool. The mist simply made the setting appear much more magical.

Earlier that day, we trudged uphill in Perugia by way of the pouring rain. We had pushed about half an hour to have lunch at a comfortable restaurant and discover the town, however even with rain jackets and a giant umbrella, we have been soaked once we reached the automobile. Again at Borgo dei Conti Resort, which simply emerged from the primary section of a big renovation, we became our swimsuits and headed all the way down to the spa. In spite of everything, what might be higher than some spa time on a wet day?

We walked by way of a leisure room and immersed ourselves within the indoor jacuzzi. The sauna and steam room beckoned, however we headed to the out of doors pool earlier than sundown. As I stared out on the olive timber, I spotted it was precisely what we wanted. In spite of everything, “spa” is an acronym for the Latin phrase “salus per aquam,” which suggests well being by water. The traditional Romans realized it two millennia in the past, they usually introduced their methods of life to Umbria lengthy earlier than it was a part of the fashionable nation of Italy.

This specific nook of Italy has a wealthy and interesting historical past that may be felt at each flip. Borgo dei Conti occupies the positioning of a Thirteenth-century fortress, however it started to take its present type within the nineteenth century, when Lemmo Rossi Scotti, Depend of Montepetriolo, remodeled it into a country nation property the place he and his household might go to flee the town. Rossi Scotti, a painter well-known for his panoramas of Perugia and portraits of the town’s excessive society, added the neo-gothic limonaia and planted the gardens.

In subsequent years, the property modified arms a number of instances, however when the Babini household acquired it in 2002, they set about restoring it to its glory days, impressed by Depend Rossi Scotti. After an preliminary 2010 renovation, they launched into a much bigger and extra bold venture to rework the resort into among the best resorts in Umbria. They tapped Milan-based agency Spagnulo & Companions to renovate the property and The Hospitality Expertise — the hospitality group behind The Place Firenze (one of many best hotels in Florence) — to run it.

My husband and I seized the chance to discover the property extra absolutely the next day when the solar lastly got here out. After breakfast at Cedri, we roamed the grounds surrounding the villa. Within the park behind the resort, the leaves on the timber have been turning yellow, and manicured hedges lined the pathways. Trying up on the turret, I felt like I had entered a fairytale. That’s one of many issues I like about visiting Umbria — the area referred to as Italy’s inexperienced coronary heart — historical past is palpable and instills a way of surprise in each place you go.

Learn on for my full overview of the reimagined Borgo dei Conti Resort.

The Rooms

All the pieces concerning the rooms and suites at Borgo dei Conti conveys a powerful sense of place, from the muted colours — sage inexperienced, grey, and shades of brown — to the curtains and headboards that includes designs impressed by medieval Umbrian textiles. Some rooms have authentic wood beams on the ceilings, whereas others are embellished with frescoes, like those within the Contessa Suite that depict looking scenes.

All rooms have comfy beds, Nespresso machines, and complimentary non-alcoholic drinks within the minibars. The crème de la crème is the Conti Suite, which has a sitting room with a big fire, wood-beamed ceilings, and antiques, a separate bed room with ceiling frescoes, and a copper bathtub within the spacious rest room.

Meals and Drink

The resort has two eating places and a bar. Cedri, the connoisseur restaurant, serves breakfast and dinner within the villa’s historic limonaia. I cherished the selfmade plum jam made with fruit grown on the property. Within the night, Govt Chef Emanuele Mazzetta serves elegant tasting menus and pasta, risotto, meat, and fish, which can be found a la carte.

My risotto with goat cheese and 22 Mediterranean herbs was gentle and delicate, whereas my husband’s lamb had extra sturdy flavors. The informal Osteria del Borgo serves conventional Umbrian delicacies and Neapolitan pizza on a laid-back terrace overlooking the out of doors pool. Room service is out there 24/7.

Actions and Facilities

The property presents numerous out of doors actions that immerse you within the Umbrian countryside and traditions. Apart from stress-free by the pool, you possibly can discover the 16-acre park on foot or by bike. Deep throughout the park is the Casa della Contessa, an enthralling little cottage the place the resort’s workers can arrange romantic candlelit dinners. They’ll additionally arrange a picnic within the olive grove, truffle looking expertise, wine tastings, cooking courses, and an out of doors cinema for films beneath the celebs.

The Spa

The spa is an expansive oasis of calm and wellbeing. You’ll undoubtedly wish to put aside a while to chill out within the Finnish sauna and steam room, Himalayan salt room, emotional bathe, indoor jacuzzi, and out of doors hydrotherapy pool. Remedies embrace massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures.

Household-friendly Choices

Youngsters are welcomed with family-friendly actions like climbing, biking, tennis, picnics, and visiting the apiary and vegetable gardens. Employees-led childcare is out there for kids over 3 for just a few hours every day. Whereas there aren’t technically any connecting rooms, households can guide adjoining rooms with a hallway door they’ll shut for privateness.

Accessibility and Sustainability

There are ADA-compliant rooms, and all public areas, together with the pool and spa, are absolutely accessible. The resort follows Relais & Châteaux’s sustainability pointers, which set up measures for environmental conservation, sustainable delicacies, and social empowerment. Borgo dei Conti grows its personal greens and herbs and produces honey on-site. The property goals to cut back single-use plastic utilizing aluminum tubes for tub merchandise within the rooms and cotton luggage as a substitute of plastic.

Location

The resort is positioned within the countryside, about half-hour from Perugia, considered one of Italy’s best-preserved medieval cities. The concierge can arrange visits to the Museo Atelier Giuditta Brozzetti, a historic textile workshop, and the Studio Moretti Caselli, a family-run stained glass studio in Perugia, in addition to visits to close by wineries and olive oil mills. Different factors of curiosity embrace Lake Trasimeno, Solomeo (Brunello Cucinelli’s cashmere manufacturing facility), Assisi, and Orvieto. If you wish to discover the realm, renting a automobile is a good suggestion.

The best way to Get the Most Out of Your Keep

Borgo dei Conti is a member of Virtuoso, Nice Lodges and Resorts, Signature, and Serendipians, and has associated advantages.