Enter the Bolzas
In 1984, the Bolzas arrived. As Count Antonio’s son, Count Benedikt Bolza, tells it, his father was looking for a holiday retreat when he found one of the old houses on the property for sale. Buying and restoring the property, Antonio decided he wanted to expand his garden and asked the owners to let him purchase a bit more property. Each time he was denied. Then, after six attempts, the Church, who owned the property, came back to him with a counteroffer: they would sell him more land, but it would have to be the whole lot – all 3700 acres. Benedikt said his father, a Hungrian refugee whose family lost all their holdings when the Communists invaded, always wanted a place of his own, a home. So, Antonio sold what was a very successful art publishing business he had built to buy the property.
As the story moves forward, a person thinks of the claim of Galileo: “behind every problem there is an opportunity.” Apparently, having spent all his earnings buying the property, Antonio had no money left to restore the castle or rejuvenate the property. But there were roughly 50 dilapidated homes scattered about. Antonio saw an opportunity: it just might be that like-minded people, interested in restoring properties and living in an idealistic country setting, would be willing to purchase a home if it was well-restored and set within a tranquil natural environment designed for sustainability.
Antonio’s instincts were correct, and the concept was first sold to an American, a woman from Santa Fe, New Mexico, who had started Sotheby’s international real estate magazine. Antonio and his son – who had lived in London since he was 13 and had become trained and licensed as an architect – never looked back. Since completion of the first two properties, Benedikt moved to Reschio. He has now overseen the design, remodel, and sale of 28 total properties. Profits from the sale of homes, which range in price from 5.5 million to 20 million euros, went into capital improvements – roads, water, sewers, etc. – that would serve to upgrade other homes on the property. Ultimately, profits became enough to start work on the castle in 2015. To date, all has been done without taking on debt.
The Crown Jewel: Hotel Castello di Reschio
Hotel Castello di Reschio is undoubtably the crown jewel of Antonio and Benedikt’s vision. Tucked upon a hill amidst pine trees, overlooking a valley in Umbria known for its tobacco, the 36-room hotel stands as a testament to tradition and innovation. Benedikt, who returned to the property in 1999 and now oversees all operations, has been quoted as saying “he’s always looking backward,” but his layout and designs anticipate a long future.
A lot has been written about the thoughtful design of Hotel Castello di Reschio, from the general restoration of the stonework of the castle and church to the many amenities such as the glass-encased Palm Court which serves as home to concerts and recitals, to the large boot room which serves as an entrance to the hotel, to the old kitchen which serves as a meeting place for friends in search of company and/or a drink, to the library which serves as a quiet retreat for those seeking solitude.
Yet, it is the attention to detail exhibited in the rooms that reveal how serious the Bolzas take their charge. Each room has been designed by Benedikt to honor the history of the place; but each contains uniquely contemporary takes on furniture and accessories also designed by Benedikt and produced by local craftsmen under the brand of B.B. for Reschio. Bedstands, grated fireplace stands, marble sinks, and lamps incorporate or build off materials found in and around the property, including those discovered in the old tobacco processing plant that has now become the design studio (see, The Tabaccaia, below). And where a new need is found, a new product is made. A favorite example is that told of the coffee machines, which can be found throughout the castle. Finding it impossible to locate a coffee machine that eliminated all plastics, Benedikt returned to the company who made the machine at the main bar and asked them to invent a new one.
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