This boutique hotel in Umbria sits among 1,000 olive trees and hosts communal pasta evenings

Senior Travel Writer Natalie Wilson checks into 14th-century palazzo, Rastrello, for a break in the ‘green heart of Italy’

Aug 25, 2026 - 15:15

0 7

This boutique hotel in Umbria sits among 1,000 olive trees and hosts communal pasta evenings

This restored palazzo in Umbria unites guests and locals over olive oil, spaghetti and botanical spritzes. With unrivalled views over Lake Trasimeno, it’s giving its Tuscan neighbours something to talk about

Location

At the edge of “Italy’s green heart” of Umbria, Rastrello sits in Panicale, a town with a permanent population of around 500. The hotel offers a great base from which to explore well-known Tuscan and Umbrian towns including Siena and Assisi, with the closest airport, Perugia San Francesco d’Assisi, a 45-minute drive away.

If you’re travelling from Florence or Rome (which are equidistant to Rastrello), it’s best to take an affordable regional train to Chiusi-Chianciano station – a 20-minute drive from the hotel. Car hire is advised to reach Rastrello from the station, with parking available out front.

Panicale’s best sights – the Cesare Caporali Theatre, Tulle Museum and the Renaissance frescoes in the Church of San Sebastiano – are all no more than a five-minute walk from the hotel.

The vibe

There’s an obvious star of the Rastrello story: olive oil. There are around 1,000 olive trees on its land, most over 400 years old. A farmhouse feel starts with wall art of the olive harvest, then drips onto the terracotta interiors of the restored 14th-century palazzo.

Rotating exhibitions in the intimate ground-floor lounges of the hotel highlight work by local artists, though the main exhibit is outside – a sparkling view of Trasimeno, Italy’s fourth largest lake.

Rastrello officially opened in 2020

Rastrello officially opened in 2020 (Rastrello)

Look out of one window and you’ll see locals savouring espressos on Piazza Umberto I, as children kick a ball around the fountain. From another, cypress trees dot tumbling Umbrian hills.

Instead of in-room minibars, an early evening aperitivo is laid out to encourage conversation. So, from 4pm to 7pm, guests gather in the lounges and on the terrace of Rastrello for house wine, charcuterie and to chat over the buzz of birdsong and the last of the golden light.

Service

Staff here are local Umbrians who know Panicale like the back of their hands. Reception staff are as happy to walk you the three minutes to your town tour as they are escorting guests to the best evening aperitivo spot. Check-in is warm and welcoming, akin to a greeting from family.

Bed and bath

The hotel has 14 rooms, seven in the original building and seven in the new garden annex, following an extension in spring 2025. There are also two private apartments in the town with full kitchens and washer-dryers for those staying longer. Design-led rooms by Pelizzari Studio, from standard doubles to suites, are washed in earthy Umbrian tones. All offer lake views, and feature restored original features and windows with electric blackout blinds that you’ll want to keep open.

Design-led rooms were curated by interior architect Pelizzari Studio

Design-led rooms were curated by interior architect Pelizzari Studio (Rastrello)

Four-poster beds can be forgiven for creaking – the king mattresses are like clouds. I’m informed by general manager Chiara Verdacchi that the reason for the rooms being minimal and wardrobes wide, is to “allow space for wine, olive oil and shopping bags”. In-room steamers are a useful addition, as are large full-length mirrors and USB-C bedside charging ports.

Bathrooms have brick floors, marble rainfall showers, and exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, with Grown Alchemist toiletries sat on twin sinks.

Food and drink

Rastrello means “rake” in Italian, a nod to the tool used to hand-pick olives before they are turned into indulgent lashings of own-brand extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), featured heavily on tables in the Cucina & Giardino restaurant. The cosy ground-floor farm-to-table restaurant delivers an ever-changing menu of unfussy seasonal dishes by chef Nicola Fanfano. Local Umbrian produce is championed in the dishes, from the charcuterie to the herbs grown in the hotel garden used to garnish plates, and the hotel’s house martini is made from vodka infused with the property’s liquid gold EVOO.

Take breakfast on the Rastrello terrace

Take breakfast on the Rastrello terrace (Rastrello)

I recommend staying over a Sunday to join the feast at one of the communal monthly spaghettata pasta dinners, curated by a beloved Panicale nonna or nonno. On my menu was a hearty bowl of rigatoni with fava bean and artichoke scafata, paired with a local white wine and a mushroom, potato toast I won’t be forgetting quickly.

But this isn’t a hotel that gate-keeps its guests. As there’s no lunch service at the hotel, you’re encouraged to head into town for truffle gnocchetti at Masolino, antipasti at Il Caffè della Piazza or tiramisu from Lillotatini.

Breakfast is a compact continental buffet offering of fresh cold cuts, cheeses, Greek yoghurt, granola, warm chocolate chip cake and your choice of eggs; taken in the lounges or on the garden terrace. Dietaries are well catered for with adapted dishes. For example, I was given a personal fruit salad to accommodate my kiwi allergy.

Facilities

Exploring Panicale is the best pastime here, but new dedicated wellness spaces opened alongside the annex in 2025. There is a meditation room for solo sound baths, a small basement spa and an outdoor dipping pool with sunbeds. I highly recommend a massage with EVOO-infused treatment oils.

Rastrello lays on afternoon aperitivo for guests in its lounge

Rastrello lays on afternoon aperitivo for guests in its lounge (Rastrello)

The complimentary one-hour private sauna session is a standout amenity. Be sure to book this ambient sanctuary in the annex with lounge chairs, a shower and herbal detox teas.

Rastrello can also organise off-site seasonal activities for guests, from olive oil and wine tastings to pasta cooking classes, to truffle hunting, forest E-biking, and private Lake Trasimeno boat tours.

Accessibility

The hotel has two accessible rooms and two accessible public bathrooms, with adapted fire alarms for deaf guests. Lifts are spacious enough to allow wheelchair access to all rooms except those on the rooftop, which are reached by stairs; however, gravel on the lower terrace and cobbled steps connecting the sites of Panicale aren’t easy to navigate if you have mobility needs.

Pet policy

Small, well-behaved pets are welcome to stay at Rastrello on request for a flat fee of approximately €25 (£21) per visit.

Check-in/check-out

Check-in is from 4pm, check-out is 11am.

Rastrello sits in Panicale, a medieval hilltop village in Umbria

Rastrello sits in Panicale, a medieval hilltop village in Umbria (Rastrello)

Family-friendly?

Yes, although the peaceful boutique hotel is better suited to adults. Extra beds can be added to junior suites or apartments for children, and a dedicated connecting family suite can be booked to include a living space for up to six guests.