Rastrello, Umbria - A Secret Garden Above Lake Trasimeno
There’s a certain magic to arriving in Panicale. The winding roads lead you higher and higher until the rest of the world feels far away, replaced by endless hills dotted with cypress trees and the glint of Lake Trasimeno in the distance. At the very top of this medieval jewel sits Rastrello - not so much a hotel as a lovingly kept secret, waiting to be discovered.
Housed in a fully restored 14th-century palazzo on the border of Umbria and Tuscany, Rastrello has always felt like a place apart. With the recent addition of its new Garden Annex - once an abandoned building, now beautifully reimagined by Pelizzari Studio - that feeling has only deepened. The expansion brings the room count to just sixteen, each suite uniquely designed and offering sweeping views of the lake. The annex also introduced thoughtful spaces for wellness and connection: a serene meditation room, a sauna tucked quietly beneath the gardens, and a dipping pool where you can float while gazing out over olive groves and vineyards.
Our room was a cocoon of quiet luxury in the new garden wing - cool stone floors, soft sheets, handpicked antiques - all bathed in the golden Umbrian light painters have long chased. Mornings began with birdsong and espresso, the rooftops of Panicale glowing as the sun spilled across the countryside.
Days here unfold gently, at their own pace. One morning, we set out truffle hunting in the nearby woods, following the dogs as they zigzagged through the undergrowth until they struck gold. Back at Rastrello, those same truffles were shaved over silky handmade pasta, paired with a glass of local Sagrantino - the kind of meal that you remember for a while. Another afternoon, we walked among the estate’s centuries-old olive trees, learning about the award-winning oil that Rastrello still presses. Tasting it straight from the mill was almost transcendent: peppery, grassy, and so alive with flavour it made even a crust of bread feel like a feast.
Between adventures, the annex lounge became a favourite spot - a light-filled room where guests gather for breakfast, play a quiet board game, or linger over aperitivo. Every evening, complimentary house wines and small bites are laid out, and the atmosphere feels more like someone’s elegant country home than a hotel. Outside, the gardens flow seamlessly between the palazzo and the annex, dotted with rosemary, lavender, and the soft splash of the fountain in the new dipping pool.
Evenings at Rastrello are best spent slowly. Aperitivo in the garden as swallows swoop overhead, followed by dinner at Cucina & Giardino, the farm-to-table restaurant led by celebrated chef Nicola Fanfano. The menu is unfussy but perfect - handmade pastas, vegetables pulled straight from the garden, olive oil cake that tastes of sunshine. Almost everything comes from either Rastrello’s own organic gardens or trusted local producers - wines, grains, cheeses, charcuterie. With the terrace overlooking Lake Trasimeno, it’s hard to imagine a more romantic place to linger over a meal.
What stays with me most, though, is not a single dish or detail, but the rhythm of life here. By the end of our stay, we knew the faces in the piazza, waved to neighbours as we strolled into town for morning coffee, and felt - in some small but certain way - like we belonged.
Rastrello is more than a place to sleep. It’s a pocket of Umbrian life, rich with history yet quietly modern in its comforts, a reminder that true luxury isn’t about doing more, but about slowing down enough to simply be.