From left: the fire-lit Boot Room; the finde-siècle-inspired Palm Court, one of the estate’s two interlinked courtyards 26 DEPARTURES THE BEST STORIES inevitably involve a bit of luck. So it was for Antonio Bolza, who happened to be browsing the property section of the Süddeutsche Zeitung one morning in 1983 when he came across a listing for a collection of ruins in the hills of Umbria. A year later, the Hungarian-born count – who had been expelled from his native land after World War Two – was the proud owner of an almost comically dilapidated farmhouse, which sat atop one of the countless, densely forested hills north of Lake Trasimeno. Even more unexpected was Count Bolza’s discovery that his new purchase was surrounded by the extensive estate of Castello di Reschio, a fortress dating back to the Roman Empire and the last papal stronghold in the war against the Habsburgs. Fascinated by the region’s primordial beauty – and driven by the idea of establishing a home for his family here – Bolza put to use his considerable powers of persuasion and was, after some years, able to convince the owner to sell him the entire 1,500ha tract, complete with the castle and another 50 ruins. “Once I had completed my studies in architecture in 1999, I followed my parents to Umbria,” recalls Antonio’s son, Benedikt, who has since taken The saltwater pool at the Bathhouse spa, in the castello’s erstwhile wine cellars over Reschio from his father. “I was excited about the idea of breathing new life into these decrepit buildings.” Benedikt has made good on his plans, and now nearly half of the structures have been renewed and sold. “My family takes care of all the details; we restore the properties based on the customer’s wishes, design the interiors, guarantee prices and schedules, recruit service personnel, handle administrative matters and, on request, take care of its rental and, increasingly, its resale,” says Benedikt. “Our owners come from around the world; they arrive without keys and find everything in perfect condition.” Still, the most ambitious project had yet to begin: the property’s crown jewel, the castle, was still awaiting its resurrection. “After our wedding in 2000, my wife and I moved into a part of the castello,” the younger count recalls. “We hadn’t planned on living here for a very long time – it was, proverbially, falling apart over our heads. When it rained, we carried the water back out, bucket by bucket; we warmed ourselves on the open fireplace, very keenly feeling the spirit of the past. It was during this time that we had the vision of opening up a hotel here.” The most difficult task in the course of the three-and-a-half-year, complete reconstruction was to preserve the soul, character and history of the building, which dates back more than 1,000 years. All the rooms – a total of PHILIP VILE
From top: the cypress-lined path leading to the castle; inside one of the 36 suites; Andalusian horses, from Count Antonio Bolza’s stables, roam the property 36 suites spread across 4,500 square metres, as well as a spa and restaurant – remain architecturally unchanged. “Ultimately, we wanted to give the impression that the castle had been continuously lived in. I wanted to convey continuity, a straight line that in the course of the centuries had never been interrupted,” says Benedikt. It was, of course, advantageous that Count Benedikt had been able to make contacts among the local craftsmen: artists, carpenters, upholsterers and blacksmiths who could infuse his vision with a local mentality, lending the oft-overused concept of authenticity a certain credence. The outsized hearths, stone floors, arcades and wooden beams had to be expertly combined with the demands of the present day. At once subtly graceful and perfectly harmonised, the space now has a beguiling mixture of historic paintings, antique furniture and pieces designed by Benedikt himself and produced on-site, which include canopy beds, dressers, lamps and super-chic vanities and bars made of marble and brass. Moments of wonder and beauty abound: there is a courtyard with seating areas under pines and cypresses; the five-storey Tower Suite features a bathtub on the rooftop terrace; a stone olive press resides at the centre of another room; the former wine cellar has been converted into a spa; and then there’s the wonderful winter garden, an exotic-seeming fin-de-siècle homage to the joy of living, the perfect place to take in the past and revel in the masterpiece of restoration that is Castello di Reschio. And now we’re once again confronted with luck – the bad variety. The hotel opening was planned for July, everything was ready, the guests had been invited, the orchestra had been booked,” explains Benedikt, “and then came something that no one could have expected.” In spring 2021, the doors to this one-of-a-kind place will finally be open. reschio.com RETURN TO SPLENDOUR 27 DEPARTURES PLEASE CHECK THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE BEFORE BOOKING TRAVEL OR DEPARTING ON ANY TRIP
