Discovering the enchanting Castello di Reschio - My honest review
All the details about the style, food, activities and THAT pool! #70
I have a very long review of Reschio for you today, in advance of posting it on the blog where I’ll add many more photos. Have a read and let me know if you have any questions.
As this is long and because I was in your inbox only a few days ago, I won’t post my usual musings. But I will share my friend
‘s post which is very close to how I feel about the current events. She is a former journalist and a much better writer than me and I encourage you to read it.
My honest Castello di Reschio review
Mr Bigg did well with his surprise trip to celebrate our 20th anniversary to the marvellous Castello di Reschio. We were very lucky with sun all the time and temperatures reaching 26 degrees during the day! Here is what I thought about the location, the style, the food and more!
Castello di Reschio is located just at the border of Umbria and Tuscany.
Location 4/5
It is about two hours from Florence, but can also be reached from Perugia or Rome. When arriving from Florence, the road allows for a stop in Arezzo, which is a very beautiful town with a unique square in the shape of a diamond. We stopped there for a quick visit and lunch as I told you in my itinerary post.
The arrival at Reschio is through wooded hills and then the typical cypress trees of Tuscany and a winding road that leads up to the castle. Very cinematic!
You enter the hotel through the old stone portal into a courtyard surrounded by the castle's main building and tower and the former stables in a semi-circular shape. The fortified castle was built around 1000 years ago to defend the southern territories from the rampaging north and looks stern but welcoming nonetheless.
The solid stones, orange walls and greenery are the more prevalent visual elements. Most of the castle remains with the only addition being a winter garden with a green metal roof, lots of plants and flowers.
In a corner of the courtyard, you go through another door and steps hidden in the massive walls and emerge on the other side to discover the fabulous pool. Surrounded by cypress trees and with fabulous views of the umbrian hills on the left and right, the oval pool has this fabulous mirror effect that reflects the beauty of nature. It is extremely calm and serene.Probably the most beautiful pool of a hotel I ever saw.
Attention to details and glamourous stylish design
Style 5/5
The attention to detail is very, very strong everywhere. You can clearly see that no expenses were spared.
The furniture is a mix of antique pieces and custom-designed pieces by the castle's owner, who is a count and architect. The materials used are of high quality, such as marble for the bathroom sink, metal for the shelves, and beautiful faucets. The room's architecture also showcases the old beams, tiles, and floor tiles, which have been redone but in the original style..
Across the hotel, I really loved the fabrics: fluffy towels in the bathroom, delicate linen table sets in the restaurants, high quality cotton sheets, velvet covered furniture in the lounges etc...
Fresh flowers are carefully arranged in the various rooms and the “boot room” shows them before the florist does her magic.
The best from the poolside experience!
Pool 5/5
As mentioned, the outdoor pool is the star of the show.
It is 32 square meters long and approximately 12-13 square meters wide and is heated to 28 degrees until the end of October.
I loved going there early in the morning to do several laps. With the cypresses, parasol pines, birds singing and mist rising over the hills, it was a timeless and fabulous moment that I absolutely recommend. It was worth getting up early and braving the sometimes chilly morning.
Of course most people go there during the day to relax. There are lots of chairs around so you can be sure to always find a sport. There were no umbrellas when we stayed as shade was provided by the trees bordering the pool.
Showers and changing rooms are available beneath the deck of Il Torrino, the bar in the tower next to the pool.
Pool service is attentive and as soon as you arrive they bring you water, or a soft drink and a welcome plate of fresh fruits. You can also order drinks at any time and lunch poolside. Simple dishes like salads and sandwiches made with the regional Umbrian flat bread or hot deliciously crispy pizzas coming straight from the wood oven of the restaurant.
A very attentive, discreet, warm service, but present just when you need it. We loved it.
If you have money to spare, you can also, for an extra fee, rent a separate caban next to the pool with comfy sofas and the ability to be served your meal there and to receive treatments.
Unique and stylish Rooms
Rooms 5/5
Most of the rooms are located in the semi-circle part of the castle, with a few in a separate former chapel.
We stayed in a second category room called the Grande, which had a double perspective, to the courtyard on one side and the hills on the other. You couldn’t fault the taste and upon entering it, immediately felt special. This was also helped by the beautiful anniversary bouquet that Mr Big had ordered for me!
Our room was very spacious and beautifully decorated with warm Italian tones, such as copper, red, beige, and pink, as well as family heirlooms. It featured beautiful black cast iron radiators and touches of dark green, reminiscent of the surrounding nature's colours.
The count, the general manager told us, likes dim lighting and while it creates a very glamorous and romantic atmosphere, it could feel too dark in some rooms. Some rooms on the higher floors had small windows from what I could see so it’s worth inquiring a bit more about what light you’ll get.
Each room offers a bar where you can make your own cocktails and drinks, generously stocked with fruit juices, Amaro spirit, a coffee maker, snacks, all with beautiful glasses. There was a delicious homemade gluten-free chocolate cake and fruits welcoming us.
Heads up that there is no TV in the room as you are supposed to really disconnect and unwind. Not something we missed except for the one night where both England and France were playing the Rugby World Cup quarter finals!
Multiple options available for families
While most rooms can’t add an extra bed, some rooms can be booked side by side and the tower suite can accommodate an extra bed.
I didn’t see many families, only one with a small baby and another one with a kid under 12. This could be due to the fact that it was the first week of vacation for us but not a common vacation week for the rest of England or other countries.
The spa and the bike tour, the best activities at the hotel
Activities 3/5
I give a lower rating here not because there are not many activities, there are actually a lot of them, but because many of them are extras and at a very high price. Given that the hotel is not cheap to start with, that is a bit of a disappointment.
In terms of free activities, you can enjoy two Astroturf tennis courts complete with a tennis pavilion, and miles of mountain bike tracks and a free session at the bath house every day.
The Bath House is in the castle's ancient wine cellars. Warm stone steps lead down to a tranquil sanctuary of interconnecting spaces. The star of the show is the large, ethereal salt-water pool, lit by a high-up window. Sink into the water and float across through a vaulted stone arch, to wallow in the connected circular base of the three-storey tower where you can release the tropical rain shower, which cascades dramatically from the ceiling.
The space is quite small so you do have to book your session in advance at a certain time.
The treatments menu is quite limited and our body massages were nothing special with the masseuses clearly going through the motions and maybe were more suited to facials. However, the service was top notch and they kindly accommodated a lot of the changes I asked. They also called a lady from outside of the hotel to come and give me a reflexology treatment when I inquired about it and she was fabulous. So my recommendation is to ask for her!
The other recommendation is to rent the e-bikes (yes there’s a fee for them too) to cycle all around the estate. It took us about an hour and a half and we came across hidden meadows, stunning restored houses with elevated positions and undoubtedly a fabulous view over the surrounding countryside, lakes, colourful hills, forest, olive groves, paths lined with cypresses.. It was quiet and peaceful with not a soul and was truly superb.
Tasty food in beautiful settings and great music atmosphere
Food 4/5
There are two restaurants at Reschio: Rastello, which is the gourmet one and Alle Scudiere, the more relaxed restaurant a 5 minutes walk away from the castle.
Breakfast is served at Rastello, which has an outdoor terrace from where you can admire the view of the hills. It is also from this terrace that you can climb to the towers and have a panoramic view of the hotel, the swimming pool and the surrounding countryside.
Breakfast is simple but very good. Hot drinks and baskets of bread and pastries are brought to your table and you can help yourself to savory and sweet dishes, very good jams, fresh fruit, salads, ham and absolutely superb Italian sausages at the buffet. You can even have soup and then obviously yogurt and fresh fruit and homemade cakes. There is a fairly short menu of dishes you can order, mainly eggs cooked in different ways.
The gourmet restaurant had a superb presentation of dishes, very elaborate. The food did lack a bit in taste and seasoning, which is surprising for a hotel of this quality. However, the chocolate souffle was delicious! Very good wine list, not cheap, but good advice from the sommelier. The overall atmosphere is very pleasant. We were there in October so the terrace was not open, but it was still very nice. I imagine that in summer with the open terrace it must be fabulous.
We really liked Alle scuderie. There is a broad outdoor terrace which is lovely in warm weather but inside is as inviting with its long, marble Bar Centrale.
The menu here is more simple in appearance but actually the dishes were original and really well composed. The starters were original and really hit the right note. The mains are mostly barbecue dishes accompanied either by salads, vegetables or elaborate sauces. You can of course also have simple pasta. The second evening I had blueberry tagliatelle with beef ragu and it was delicious. And the dessert, a chocolate cake with orange one night or a pistachio based one the second evening were yummy.
They also regularly organize musical evenings. Our first evening we heard from a pianist and enjoyed a great evening of music the second evening with a slightly jazzy duo, guitar, saxophone and oboe. It was so good we were the last ones to stay and to see them starting to jam and enjoy themselves. Fab!
Where to go for simple local and delicious food
As we were staying 5 nights, we needed a change. On the advice of the castle, we went to Ristorante Simone Corsetti, a ten minutes drive from the the hotel. The decor was nothing special but all the style was in the food! Francesco greeted us as soon as we opened the door and proceeded to explain everything on the menu and the origins of every dish and ingredient, all local. We were the only tourists in the restaurant, which is always a good sign. They are extremely generous: they don't charge for the bread and cutlery, immediately bring you a selection of homemade breads, as well as a glass of sparkling wine, made champagne style, so not Prosecco as he was at pains to specify. Olive oil was fresh and tasty, no wonder as it was their own production. We enjoyed truffle pasta, as it was truffle season, a stunning beef, which was extremely well cooked, accompanied either by peppers, mushrooms or potatoes. If you are a vegetarian, it won’t be for you but if you like meat, go there, I highly recommend it.
Castello di Reschio - our verdict
We will definitely return to Castello di Reschio.
The cinematic setting in the cypress-lined hills provides an idyllic Italian backdrop that feels like stepping into a fairytale.
The romantic interiors and attention to detail create a glamorous yet cozy aesthetic. The fabulous oval pool is undoubtedly the highlight, offering serene hilltop views that reflect the beauty of the surroundings. We loved the service with staff being warm and discreet, available just when you need them, epitomizing Italian hospitality.
Food could be a notch above in the gastronomic restaurant but the relaxed Alle Scuderie restaurant delivers creative dishes and has a lively ambience.
It was the perfect place for our twentieth anniversary of meeting up, and we’ll have fond memories of our time there.
Thanks for sharing my post <3