Calitardo

Just five suites, all of them vastly spacious and stylishly comfortable, are carved into the blueprint of Calitardo. Two are located in the authentically restored stable block; three reside within the solid confines of the main casa. All come with heated floors, modern kitchens(with dishwasher, oven, refrigerator and Italian cafetière), terrazzo floored bathrooms and living spaces.

Private outdoor spaces, secret gardens, hidden loggias, designer furniture and space, lots of it, characterise the suite-apartments where you can happily feel at home. The largest of the apartments are the cheerfully named Buongiorno Principessa suite and the Salve Nonna Lina, which both have two bedrooms and are set over two floors.

Wake up to restorative views over the Umbrian hillocks, meadows and forests; saunter to the pool for a few laps before heading to the communal bar for a reviving coffee, fresh cornettiand figs freshly plucked from the tree. Here life is as relaxed and easy as you’d like it to be and the bar is central to your day – a spot for tea and cake, more coffee, aperitivo with guests or a post prandial night cap. 

The apartment kitchens are more than well-equipped to rustle up a meal or two, the gardens are bursting with fresh produce to pick and you’ll never be short of olive oil at Calitardo. However, Umbrian cuisine will surely call – speak to your owners about the local culinary hotspots.

As if the set up couldn’t get much better, allow us to introduce to you Calitardo’s spa. An underground cavern meticulously decked in stone, wood and terracotta, take a tour around its oak-panelled sauna, herbal steam bath and hammam, finishing with the Furo Bath, a Japanese onsen-inspired hot pool of 40 degrees, that comes with a soundtrack of trickling water to send you bliss-wards. Massages are easily arranged too.

The meditative views that surround Calitardo place you firmly in the green valleys of Umbriaand from your vantage point you can easily immerse yourself in its archetypal vistas. Gaze down on Val di Chiana which leads to the verdant shores of Lake Trasimeno, Italy’s fourth largest lake and a lovely spot for sunbathing on its sandy coves or swimming. 

Getting here is usually a case of international flights to Perugia or Milan with a connecting train to Chiusi-Chianciano Terme. You can also board the night train from Munich or Vienna. 

Once here and settled after a few days relaxation, you’ll want to explore - Città della Pieve is a medieval town that’s pretty as a picture and Chuisi, just inside Tuscany, is the place to gen up on Etruscan civilisation at the National Etruscan Museum; you can also spot Ionic and Corinthian Roman columns alongside the cathedral of San Secondiano, one of the oldest churches in Tuscany, dating back to the sixth century AD. Glorious Italian landscaping is in evidence at La Foce, designed by the English architect Cecil Pinsent, the garden works in perfect harmony with nature and the views of Val d’Orcia. Further afield are more well-known Umbrian and Tuscan hotspots like Perugia, Montepulciano and Assisi.

A long-time search yielded few results for Andreas and Peter, who sought the perfect spot in peace and quiet, yet cradled in atmospheric history. Not finding a place that embodied these true components, the duo decided to create it themselves. Like all great hoteliers, Calitardo became a passion project, borne from a desire to do something differently despite challenges. With a full restoration of the house and stable, Calitardo is a unique take on Italo living where a boho commune is set against serious design credentials, layered with a thoughtfulness that makes being here a simple joy. Surrounded by the beauty of Umbria, Calitardo is a beacon of all that is good in the world of Italy.