Set on the Umbria-Tuscany border near Orvieto, in a restored 19th-century rural residence, this is the kind of Italian hotel that makes it very difficult to leave.
There is a corner of Italy, where Umbria quietly becomes Tuscany, that most travellers miss entirely. The rolling hills around Monteleone d’Orvieto are not on the obvious route. That is largely the point of The Monteleone, which has just opened in a restored 19th-century rural residence in the midst of them.
The hotel has 17 rooms and suites, each individually designed with private gardens, sun loungers and an outdoor table. The suites were designed by Rome-based architecture and design firm Studiotamat, and the aesthetic throughout is pared back: raw plaster, weathered stone, cotto Toscano tiles and iron and wood elements crafted by Umbrian artisans, sitting alongside contemporary pieces in a neutral palette.
Natural light is taken seriously here, and the rooms feel more like well-considered private spaces than standard hotel accommodation.
The food is a genuine draw. The Bistrot at The Monteleone serves refined, seasonally led dishes built almost entirely on produce from small Umbrian suppliers. Breakfast alone is worth noting: freshly baked bread, the hotel’s own ciambellone, seasonal jams, local cheeses and cured meats.
The wine list leans into regional producers, with Orvieto and Montefalco (understandably) well represented. The Pool Bar opens through the summer months, and themed evenings including barbecues and an open-air cinema fill out the programme.
The outdoor spa has a sauna, hot tub and a sensory barefoot path made from natural textural elements. The seasonal pool is the other focal point. Beyond the property, the hotel can organise truffle hunting in the surrounding woods, winery and olive mill visits, and guided tastings of Umbrian extra-virgin olive oil.
For those wanting to push further, the Tuscan towns of Cetona, Chiusi and Cortona are within reach, as are the wine estates of Montepulciano.
The Monteleone is open now. More at themonteleone.it