Locanda Palazzone

In the United States, a hundred-year-old hotel is a big deal; and even in the great old cities of Europe, two hundred years is close to the practical limit. On any scale you choose, however, this place, on a hilltop deep in the Umbrian countryside, has more than its fair share of history. According to the best available archaeological evidence, the Locanda Palazzone served as a hostel more than seven centuries ago, providing lodging for travelers on their way to Rome for the First Jubilee, in the year 1300 — maybe one of the first ever roadside motels.

To today’s travelers the landscape, all rolling hills and ordered vineyards, looks familiar enough — it’s not so very different from Tuscany, a region we’ve all got a working mental picture of. And though it’s not far off the A1, the Rome to Florence motorway, it’s no longer a stop on a pilgrimage to Rome, but more likely the destination of a pilgrimage all its own.

Behind that ancient stone facade the suites are contemporary in style, almost jarringly so. If not for the mullioned windows, the balconies with their stone columns, the views of the estate’s vineyards, this could pass for modern urban loft living — the hardwood floors and simple, primary-colored modern furnishings show signs of having been redesigned rather more recently than the 14th century.

Here you can expect a quieter time of it than you would have had at that first Jubilee; there’s not much going on besides a fine restaurant, an extensive wine cellar, an outdoor pool, and the lush and hilly country that surrounds. These days, however, that in itself is cause for a pilgrimage — guests here are more likely on their way out of the city than on their way there.

How to get there:
Locanda Palazzone is approximately a 45 minute drive from Perugia-Sant'Egidio Airport.