1,000-year-old Italian Castle Repurposed into a Hotel
Hotel Castello di Reschio just opened in the spring of 2021. The castle is situated at the northernmost tip of the 3,700-acre Reschio estate owned by Count Benedikt Bolza and his family. Below, on the right, is the church of San Michele.
The castle dates back to the 10th-century. Count Benedikt trained in London to become a qualified architect. The castle has been meticulously restored and transformed by Count Benedikt and his family.
They created custom furniture for the suites, restaurant, and spa that pay homage to the castle’s history. Many original features, like the stone fireplace in the mud room, were kept in tack.
The castle’s original oil press has been incorporated into Room 10, known as Frantoio (after the olive).
The family lived in the stone castello for a decade as they worked to protect and restore the architecture. The hotel includes a library for guests to read and relax.
Then they worked on creating interiors that respected the ancient building that also offered modern comforts. Countertops were fabricated from grey Bardiglio marble from Carrara.
The family sourced furniture, art, and antiques throughout Italy, much of it from the biannual Mercanteinfiera antiques fair in Parma.
The room below was the center of family life during the decade long renovation. It was known as the ‘old kitchen’. It was converted to a small sitting room furnished with lamps, sofas, chairs, and a coffee table all designed by Count Benedikt.
All the bedrooms in the castle are different shapes and sizes, with some common features, like bare plaster walls and wooden beams.
Each is furnished with a number of custom-designed pieces, including a campaign bed with monogrammed linen. Each bedroom is also equip with a custom designed dressing table.
The verdant Palm Court, below, is a new structural addition emulating Victorian conservatories. The double height, steel framed glasshouse was built within the old castle walls. The area is a space where guests can read, converse, and enjoy cakes and cocktails from the adjacent bar.
All of the rooms were decorated with terracotta-brick or wooden floors, hand stitched linen curtains, Italian fabrics, and locally crafted marble and brass vanities.
“Benedikt has embraced an organic approach to the design, championing local craftsmanship and creating thoughtful, whimsical spaces that are filled with comfort and wit, while artfully nodding to the fascinating characters who once resided within the castle walls,” said the family. – Dan Howarth (https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/05/hotel-castello-di-reschio-umbria-italy/)
The spa was built into the vaulted stone cellar, where hammams, saunas and plunge pools are lit by sunlight that seeps through the narrow slits and windows.
There are many cozy places that guests can explore outside the castle. Giving them a chance to feel what time was like when the castle was first built.
In one of the bars beamed ceilings, custom lighting, furnishings, and antiques can be enjoyed by guests. The castle’s conversion to a hotel was no small feat. What a great opportunity to see historical restoration at it best.
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