Hotel Review: Reschio
After six nights in Tuscany (spent at COMO Castello del Nero and Borgo Pignano), we moved onto Umbria for three nights at Reschio - having spent three nights apart from my family, Oliver and I were reunited with my parents and sister for the final leg of our trip. Since opening its doors for the first time in May last year, Reschio has enjoyed rave reviews and been heralded as one of Italy’s most exciting luxury destinations. Sitting on the cusp of the Tuscan-Umbrian border, and set within an ancient 3,500 acre estate, the property is in the heart of the Umbrian wilderness, and an approximately 2 hour drive from our previous destination. Read on to find out whether it lived up to our expectations…
First impressions: 5/5
A medieval wilderness that has been lovingly restored to twenty-first century tastes, the 3,500 acre Reschio estate encompasses a restored castello that dates back to 1050 (which is the main hotel for guests to stay in), as well as several different properties that are privately owned, and eight beautifully designed houses that can be rented for private hire by larger groups. Roll up to the driveway and check in at a little shepherd’s hut (it’s small details like this, as well as the clear attention to detail in the hotel’s design that instantly made us all coin Reschio as Italy’s answer to The Newt), before pulling up to the sand coloured castello, where at least four different members of staff will be there to greet you, and whisk away your bags. We were then led inside to the Palm Court, the hotel’s lobby-come-bar, where we were plied with coffee and biscuits during check in: we were off to a very good start.
Palm Court is a beautifully designed greenhouse-like space where leafy fronds abound and guests can kick back on lime-green sofas underneath elegant lampshades, or sip a drink at the bar. Up to the bedrooms next, most of which are in the main castello, or located just outside in buildings encircling the lawn - San Michele suites are located within the hotel’s ancient chapel. Ranging in size from ‘Rooms’ to ‘Grand Suites’, you can expect beautiful four poster beds, bathrooms gleaming with marble and brass hardware, plush furnishings in rich tones, and fully stocked complimentary minibars (home baked chocolate cake and other nibbles are waiting for you upon checkin). Details are carefully considered, with the entire property designed by owner Benedikt Bolza.
Due to the property’s ancient configuration, some of the rooms are very dark - you may also want to request a room that isn’t on a higher floor, otherwise you can expect low ceilings too. My parents and I both wanted to switch to different rooms, but the hotel was fully booked over the Easter weekend, so Oliver and I ended up staying in our original bedroom, which although dark, was luckily not in the eaves, so still benefitted from a high ceiling and luscious four-poster bed. There is definitely a lot of variety between each individually designed room: my sister’s was the best of all, boasting several windows and a skylight - it was also spacious enough to have a seating area and bathtub in the room, neither of which my room nor my parents’ boasted, despite being in the same category.
To do: 4/5
A highlight of the hotel is definitely its stunning outdoor pool, which is oval-shaped and nestled in a glade of towering stone pine trees. The water is heated to the perfect temperature, and reflects a beautiful glass-like appearance (make sure to head up to the rooftop for an incredible aerial view). This is where you’ll find most guests gathered during the afternoon, stretched out on the surrounding sun loungers.
All guests are also welcome to a 45 minute complimentary spa session at the hotel’s Bathhouse during their stay. These sessions are entirely private, meaning that you will have the entire space to enjoy by yourself or the rest of your party: the facilities include a candlelit, subterranean Roman bath and shower, which is pretty magical to relax in, as well as sauna and steam rooms. There’s also a separate treatment room for private treatments, but other than this, the spa isn’t super extensive - visits must be booked in advance, so make sure to get your slot secured as soon as you check in. Surprisingly, the hotel doesn’t have a proper gym, and instead only has a few outdoor machines located by the pool.
An impressive equestrian centre is located a few minutes from the castello: a keen appreciation of horses is noticeable throughout the entire property, with horse sculptures dotted around the estate among a few other nods. If you’re a horse lover, this would be the perfect place to visit the stables and go for a ride, but no one in my family is particularly keen on horse riding, so this wasn’t a facility that we were interested in taking advantage of.
There are also e-bikes on offer to explore the estate, which again, must be booked in advance. This is a great way to explore the grounds, as the roads are pretty rough and gravelly - you could spend hours discovering the estate, although it’s not very well signposted. Other activities such as truffle hunting, fishing, and tennis lessons can all be booked too. Meanwhile, if you want to explore further afield, the beautiful towns of Arezzo and Cortona are less than an hour’s drive away - we dedicated one of our days here to visiting both.
Food and drink: 3.5/5
The hotel has two restaurants, the first being the main restaurant located in the castello. Dinner here is a fine dining affair: in the hotter months, the doors to the outdoor balcony are opened to allow for golden light to bathe the entire restaurant, creating a pretty a magical evening experience. The menu isn’t super extensive and dishes are very meat-focussed, so you will feel more limited options-wise if you have dietary requirements; dishes are tasty and beautifully presented (expect elegant portion sizes and expensive prices), and you can expect little treats such as petit fours at the end of your meal. The main restaurant is also where breakfast is served every morning, where you’ll find a generous continental spread of cheeses, meats, homemade jams, pastries, and fruit, all laid out beautifully and constantly replenished. Cooked options such as scrambled eggs and tomatoes, or French toast and berries can be ordered from the kitchen - portion sizes are very delicate, so make sure to stock up on pastries from the buffet.
The hotel’s second restaurant, Scuderie, is located a ten minute walk away from the castello, past the equestrian centre - it’s worth noting that the hotel doesn’t yet have buggies to shuttle people over like most luxury hotels. The space is stunning, oozing a similar elegance to the rest of the property: expect marble tables, unique lampshades and soaring ceilings, as well as lots of space to eat outside. The menu here is more laidback, featuring salads and sandwiches throughout the day (including a delicious roast vegetable and parmagiano panino that we ordered every day), and cooked meats at dinner time. In general, both restaurants could be improved with more extensive or creative menus - or at least daily changing specials for guests who are staying for several nights so that meals don’t get too repetitive.
A bar by the pool also opens in the summer months, as well as a deli and cookery school - all of these weren’t yet open during our stay. During the day, if you’re looking for a quick nibble or snack, you won’t be able to easily find this (Palm Court only serves drinks): this means that you’ll need to walk all the way over to Scuderie for a bite, which as mentioned, is a pretty long walk away (which may be a problem for elderly or very young guests). However, a third restaurant is set to open later this year, which will offer another dining experience to guests.
Comfort and service: 3.5/5
Overall, Reschio is a stunning property within a truly unique setting. However, based on what you pay to stay here, guests will naturally expect flawless service, and unfortunately, quite a lot more than we expected went wrong during our time here.
During the first two nights of our stay, we encountered mistakes with our orders at almost every single meal: on one occasion, I was served (and accidentally ate!) meat ravioli despite clearly stating my vegetarian dietary requirements. The staff were extremely apologetic, but this definitely wasn’t the kind of mishap that you would expect from such a luxury property. At breakfast, incorrect coffee and food orders also arrived on multiple occasions, which didn’t set a great tone for the rest of the day; we found that service was seriously dependent on which member of staff was looking after us, and naturally more junior members of staff seemed less clued on. As previously mentioned, we would have appreciated a greater variety of choice at both restaurants - including the possibility of ordering snacks or light bites throughout the day. For the price that you’re paying for your meals, you might expect the food to absolutely wow you; while we didn’t have a single bad meal here, the food definitely wasn’t the most memorable part of the hotel.
Another mishap was our experience booking e-bikes. On our first day, we were told we needed to book activities as quickly as possible, as the hotel was fully occupied: we therefore made a point to book the e-bikes for the following morning with the concierge. However, at the dedicated time of our e-bike session, there weren’t actually enough bikes available as these had been taken by other guests, and this meant that we couldn’t go out for a cycle as a family; instead, we spent 25 minutes waiting for staff to fetch bikes for us - and only three of us were able to cycle together due to all of the other bikes being taken. Upon check out, we were also charged for bike hire, which hadn’t been stipulated previously, and which was pretty ridiculous based on the experience that we’d had. If anything, bikes should really be included in the room rate here, as it’s the only way for guests to explore the estate - and the experience needs to be improved with better signposting around the grounds, and a more organised booking system.
That being said, there were some exceptional moments during our stay: the pool is easily a highlight of the hotel, as well as the design of the bedrooms and the hotel interior as a whole, which is impeccable. The cutting-edge design is really one of the main selling points of the property, and unlike anywhere else we have stayed in Italy. Staff in the spa and on front-of-house in particular were also extremely polite, friendly, and willing to please; like many hotels, Reschio has suffered from staff shortages since the pandemic, but there were certain members of staff who made a point of looking out for us during our stay, making an effort to check in with us on a daily basis, which was very much appreciated.
Overall, based on the price you pay to stay here (an entry-level price of 800 euros a night per room), we were definitely expecting there to be fewer issues during our stay. There also needs to be a wider variety of activities to take part in that aren’t chargeable, and the addition of an indoor gym should be a priority. Reschio is certainly a stunning property, combining five-star luxury with cutting-edge design. However, if you want five-star service, it might be worth waiting for the hotel to comb through some teething problems before booking your visit. While the location and estate is incredibly beautiful and unique, you also can’t help feeling like more could be done to allow guests to explore the grounds more easily. Would we return to Reschio? Yes absolutely, but I’d hope that enhanced dining options and additional guest experiences are on offer before revisiting - I’d also expect it to be more of a smooth-running ship before I return.
