Italy's 12th century Castle Revival Brings Luxury To Umbrian Countryside

Umbria, known as the Green Heart of Italy, is popular for its medieval cities, rolling hills, rich cultural legacy and delicious food. While the region is right next to Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, it has mostly remained anonymous. But the nation's best-kept secret won't remain that way for long, as Umbria's Castle of Antognolla is now transforming into a Six Senses luxury resort, reported CNN. 

Six Senses Antognolla will feature an initial 71-key hotel (16 suites of which will be located in the original castle), a 3,000-square-meter wellness centre and 17 custom residences. Spread across a network of vineyards, olive groves, and numerous cypress trees, the resort is scheduled to open in late 2026. 

The accommodations will provide a panoramic view of the site's crown jewel, an 18-hole golf course that aims to challenge the dominance of Spanish and Portuguese golf hotspots on the continent.

Previously the burial site of Saint Herculanus, patron saint of the Umbrian capital of Perugia, the castle was embroiled in a long power struggle between several aristocratic families in one of the few landlocked regions of Italy. Pope Boniface IX granted the fortress to Ruggero di Antognolla in 1399, but the Baglioni family took control of it before the Antognollas brutally reclaimed it in the early 16th century.

Nobleman Cornelio Oddi purchased the estate in 1628 intending to turn it into a holiday destination. Even if ownership has moved multiple times since then, recent events indicate that Oddi's goals will live on.