Inside Umbrian Country Estate Reschio

Fee Drummond visits Reschio, an Umbrian idyll of care and tradition

Hotel Review: Reschio, Umbria

After a ten-hour drive from Monaco through relentless rain, arriving at Reschio after many years of anticipation felt like crossing into another world. My two daughters, entranced by Greek mythology podcasts, fell silent as we approached the gates of this 3,855-acre Umbrian estate. We were greeted by uniformed doormen and the warmth of a generous roaring fire in an open stone hall filled with cut flowers; there was no reception desk to be seen, reflecting a quiet, unassuming luxury that set the tone for everything that followed. 

Reschio – once a medieval fortress, now a hotel – has been painstakingly restored by the Count and Countess Bolza. Their family’s creative vision is embedded in every detail, from the hand-dyed yarns in the shop to the velvet slippers laid at our bedsides. This is not just a hotel, but a home shaped by three generations of passion, craftsmanship and reverence for the land. Surrounded by forested hills steeped in heritage, Reschio invites guests into a slower rhythm. The family lives by the seasons, drawing inspiration from the smallest natural shifts. Their ethos – of presence, patience and attunement – informs every corner of the estate. Nowhere is this more evident than in the stables; the horses of Reschio are integral to the estate’s identity. 

Count Benedikt discovered his deep love of horses in his fifties, transforming Reschio into a world-class centre for classical dressage. Today, it is home to 32 Spanish horses, including a blend of Andalusian and Lusitano breeds known for their agility, elegance and intelligence. The estate’s bit-free riding philosophy resonates with me as I explore my own deepening relationship with horses. My guide, a former showjumper, shared how her so-called ‘incurable’ horse was transformed here under the count’s guidance, prioritising empathy and compassion over control, and using a completely different set of tools that has kept her at the estate for 15 years. 

Over breakfast with the Countess, we swapped stories about raising children close to nature. Her creativity permeates the property: she dyes the yarns, presses the flowers, and designs the daily details that elevate the everyday. That morning, my daughters and I delighted in the estate’s almanac of ancient activities, choosing a day of pottery and foraging. 

Reschio is a place where time unfolds deliberately, with grace. Here, luxury is not defined by extravagance but by care of the land, in design and the rituals of daily life.

Taste of Tradition

Our first meal was a midnight minestrone, made with beans freshly picked from the estate gardens. The method is the same I use at home, only here it is poured from a silver teapot by an immaculate but casually dressed butler, neatly encapsulating Reschio’s signature blend of grandeur and ease. 

Yoga in the Chapel

At dawn, I took a solo yoga session in the estate’s 16th-century chapel. As shafts of light streamed through arched windows, the atmosphere turned both mystical and sacred; I breathed in the building’s long history as I flowed in and out of the poses.

The Spanish Horses of Reschio

Riding with my girls across wildflower fields and through shallow streams, lost in a romantic vision of this Tuscan idyll and a life lived so purely. Later at the estate’s Teatro Equestre, we watch mesmerised by the Spanish schooling and silent command, taking turns in horse whispering. 

Cave Bathing Beneath the Castello

Reschio’s spa, a network of stone caverns beneath the castle, is a sanctum combining modern wellness practices with ancient ritual. With the girls, we slipped in and out of steam rooms and candlelit cave pools, scrubbing each other with salt and honey balm and bathing in cast-iron tubs by a crackling fire, enveloped by a sense of peace, blissfully lost in time. 

A Return To What Matters

Reschio is more than a retreat, it is a living philosophy. It offers not escape, but return: to nature, to rhythm and to taking care – to live presently, in togetherness. We’ll be back.

BOOK IT: reschio.com