Reschio Hotel — Hotel in Lisciano Niccone

The Castle is grand and picturesque and incredibly editorial in photos, but has the facilities and infrastructure of a modern city hotel – rain showers that feel like you are weathering a monsoon and exquisite ventilation and heating systems. Perhaps most surprising was that, against all laws of the known universe, including the physical constraints of solid stone walls and a fairly remote physical location, my Wi-Fi signal never faltered, and my ping averaged about 50 ms around the estate. Staff was always on hand to respond to our requests, but never so close that we felt our privacy was intruded upon. Before our arrival, we worried that the food might be overly fussy and the portions would be small. And to be sure, the dishes do come out of the kitchen looking like an awful lot of intention has gone into their presentation. But the flavors are there too and the portions get the job done. And the complimentary breakfasts…Gott in Himmel. Our favorite dishes in the evenings were: La Gaillina Fa Dehi Poached Egg, potatoes, and malt And Affumicato Spaghetti, smoked butter, turnip green and baby squid The former dish was served as a delicious and thick potato soup with added richness from the egg yolk. The spaghetti doubled down on the richness, with the greens (which actually varied during our stay from broccoli rabe to leek) providing texture, and in the case of the rabe, bitterness to balance the richness. The breakfast buffet was ample. Hot items were available upon request from a small selection that managed to cover all the bases. The fried eggs with sausage and mushrooms and the French toast were our particular favorites. The French toast was very thin and crusty – possibly the best I’ve ever had. Bad or even unexceptional food would have been a deal breaker for us, and it is probably the area in which we are the hardest to please. The food at Reschio ended up being a selling point. We stayed in one of the standard rooms – the least expensive category they offer. It was enormous and incredibly charming with a slanted roof and exposed beams. Two smallish windows provided picturesque views towards Tuscany and ample breezes. A large peaked skylight at one end of the room brought in light and emphasized the high ceilings and architectural details. The doors to the rooms are extremely solid, and once in our room, we had complete privacy. Our bathroom also had a very large window which was charming and made our showers appealingly breezy. The common areas of the castle really are just as beautiful as you see in the pictures. There’s a truly admirable confidence at work in all of the spaces. There were only as many notes as were needed – no more and no less. And there are so many points of interest on the grounds of the estates – including the various out-buildings and recreational facilities, an amazing diversity of views, the morning mists, and the incredible heated pool. Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of our stay was the warmth of the staff. They told us to treat Reschio as if it were our home, and in our experience, they meant it. I’d like to give special thanks to Andre, Rooms Manager at Reschio, for making our stay so relaxing and inviting and luxurious. This vacation was a particular splurge for us, but we consider it money extremely well spent given the fineness of the accommodations and service and the incredible facilities that come with the room. The spa facilities included an extremely large Hammam, a steam room and sauna, and two misting rain showers. Currently, due to Covid, these facilities must be reserved meaning that you have them all to yourself. Even without this luxury, they would be impressive. But with the added privacy, they really are an unmatched indulgence, and one that is included...

Absolutely stunning property with extensive grounds.||It's a 1000 year old castle so the rooms can be a bit odd. Every room is different and some are just way too themed out and feel like being in a Disney world period piece room. Some of the rooms on the first floor have giant windows that look into the courtyard so you won't have privacy. It's really tricky. We requested a bright, airy room with a view months before going and then they tried to put us in a dark room with a bathroom in a dungeon with no window. We moved immediately but they made a huff about it. Also we were supposed to get an upgrade via the service we booked through subject to availability but they said they didn't have any upgrades (but then ten minutes later offered us a larger room which was one tier up upgrade but said they would have to charge us the price difference of 1000 euros. We declined.)||When we were being shown around our new room, we were given this strangely serious speech about not being allowed to post on social media which makes no sense as there are a ton of photos of the hotel all over social media from guests. And then the lady looked at me and just repeated that there was no posting on social media. The Kardashians, Gwentyh Paltrow, and Rosie Huntington Whitely have all posted their stay, some extensively! Of course I posted as did everyone else staying there. ||Room was very well equips with homemade snacks, radio, slippers, and amazing bedding! I was very pleased with the amenities. ||The hotel is all new and pretty and we enjoyed walking the grounds. The views are amazing and the grounds are well kept. ||Spa was really cool but the staff was not the friendliest. ||We loved the live music in the palm court.||Food at both restaurants is hit or miss.||Pool is gorgeous and the lunch at the pool was very good. Service was also very good by the pool for the most part.||Service otherwise was lacking all around from the top to bottom. There were two waiters who were very on top of it but otherwise it wasn't up to par for this hotel class and pricing. Despite them knowing my allergies, I was served these items accidentally which is not OK. When we discussed this with the hotel manager he gave us a laundry list of excuses and then said "next time it won't happen." It was very off-putting.||Then, when we went to make a reservation at the fancier restaurant for dinner one day, they told us the time we wanted wasn't available and they would try and accommodate us at 8 vs 7:30. We asked to sit outside and they said they cannot garuntee it because of bookings and other requests. When we arrived at 7:45 we were one of two couples in the entire restaurant and the entire outside was empty. At 8:30 two other tables showed up. They had PLENTY of space. ||At the pool we went to just take a photo of this little cabana and the attendant ran over and asked if we had reserved it. We had not and did not even know we could. She was very anxious we were there for some reason and asked us to leave the cabana which we did. Nobody showed up to use it the entire day. (We weren't even trying to use it we just took a photo!)||Reschio is stunning but everything seems to be difficult. I really don't get the feeling that they want to be accommodating at all and when they do it's a whole thing and they act like they just laid out the red carpet when all they did was let you show up to an empty restaurant without a...

What a bizarre and disturbing experience Reschio was. I came across Reschio on previous travels and was intrigued because from the photos, it looked like paradise on earth. We were staying at Hotel Brufani in Perugia and decided to have dinner at Reschio to experience it firsthand, with the possibility of staying there on a future trip.

We booked a table for 19:00 and arrived at 17:00 to spend some time there, maybe have drinks at the bar, and explore the grounds. Upon arriving at the estate entrance, the gatekeeper informed us that we could not enter and would have to return at 19:00. We asked if we could wait at the bar and were told that there was no service available. This seemed strange since Reschio is one of the top luxury hotels in the region, and it seemed unlikely that there would be no way to welcome two guests two hours early. The gatekeeper’s manner was decidedly unwelcoming, though I kept my anger to myself.

Returning to Perugia made no sense, so we explored the region. After 1.5 hours of driving in circles, we returned to the estate and parked at a different gate, deciding to wait the remaining half hour. I walked along the perimeter of this part of the estate, admiring the well-kept field and the beautiful horses. In the distance, I saw the Castello di Reschio and the surrounding houses on their hill, overlooking these fields. It was odd. We were supposed to be up there enjoying ourselves, but instead, we were waiting by the roadside like hookers.

After a while, a voice spoke from the intercom system next to the gate. We were asked what we were doing there and if there was a problem. We explained the situation and were then asked to move our car to avoid blocking the road, though there was no danger of that. We complied. A car arrived from within the estate to check on us, but again, we were not invited to enter. Up until this point, the tone with which we were spoken to was short and condescending. Then we noticed a camera at the gate. Frustrated, I decided to relieve myself in a roadside bush, not caring if they saw me. I had had enough.

Finally, it was time to enter. We drove back to the other gate, passed the ghastly gatekeeper, and entered the stunningly beautiful estate. However, it was hard to appreciate the beauty after how we had been treated. Upon entering the Castello, we were not surprised to find the bar packed with guests and service. To get our revenge, we had a drink at the bar, which, sadly, was awful. Soon the restaurant staff was asking for us, demanding that we come to our table. Having been reduced to roadside hookers for the past hours we were now herded in like the Andalusian studs that are bred at Reschio.

The dinner was uneventful, the food edible. The service was friendly but forced, with far too many well-meaning interactions, which ultimately felt unprofessional. When we were ready to pay, we asked if it was possible to leave a tip, which was met with a brisk NO (apparently it is not possible to leave a tip with credit card payments), leaving us feeling like fools. Good-mannered as we are, we scraped together our cash and left.

On the way back, we felt our stomachs rumbling. The next two days, we agonized in our suites at the wonderful Brufani Hotel in Perugia with food...