An oasis of natural beauty: Tenuta San Masseo hotel offers panorama like no other

Boutique farm hotel, Tenuta San Masseo. Photo: Ana Lanzon

 ASSISI- Shrouded in a haven of green and tranquillity, Tenuta San Masseo, a family-run boutique farm resort, boasts a spectacular panoramic view of Assisi in a backdrop of art, design, luxury, and relaxation.   

 Tenuta San Masseo 

 Amidst the “green lung” of Umbria, Tenuta San Masseo, part of Condè Nast Johansen's luxury hotels, offers a film-like background to its eight luxury rooms and suites, providing an enchanting setting for weddings and other events. 

 Practically located, a 12-minute drive from Perugia San Francesco d’Assisi Airport and a five-minute drive from Assisi train station, the boutique hotel hosts 20,000 square metres of land, an oasis of nature that provides a sense of serendipity to its guests who, while walking around, can discover a myriad of hidden spots, each one giving the impression of being in a completely different location altogether. The hidden tables that were once used for olive pressing, laced by grapevines to give way to a fairy-tale like passage; climbing plants cover arches that frame a view of the famous Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi; a bright purple wisteria that hangs over the dining table facing the city. 

 The Carloni family’s Farmhouse

 A typical Umbrian Stonehouse bordered by cypress trees that line the driveway leading up to it hosts eight luxurious rooms as well as a Spa and another double room in this. The ‘relax lounge’ in the lobby ornated with sculptures and art works from the owner’s travels, giving the farm boutique a personal touch. The farmhouse has been owned by the Carloni family for generations and over the years has been transformed from an old tobacco drier into a family home and then to a boutique hotel. 

 The eight rooms combine luxury with simplicity, furnished in a delicate and refined marble and travertine opened out into the grounds to allow the sun to beam in during the day. The impressive Cardinale Charme suite features a glass wall, lighting up the surrounding green panorama into the make-up of the room. 

 As the sunset descends over the surrounding hills, it throws the grounds of the hotel into a magical atmosphere, illuminated by Assisi, animated at night and the beaming lights of the Basilica di San Francesco. 

 A glass marquee in the gardens looks out onto this view, providing a dreamy and elegant space for weddings and business events with a capacity up to 250 people.

 On offer to guests

 Spanning along the breathtakingly panoramic gardens is a pool with sun-loungers flanked by olive trees in maximum relaxation. Visitors of the Tenuta also have access to a hot tub in the gardens, as well as a spa, equipped with a sauna, a hamman, halotherapy and wellness room for massages and treatments. The outdoor spa lounge has a fireplace, completing the warm and rustic atmosphere.  

 A fresh continental breakfast with home grown ingredients was served with a view over the hills and out onto Assisi starts the day in tranquillity. In the grounds is a real wood oven where they make Neapolitan pizza for the guests. During events and weddings, “pizza parties” and aperitives are offered to the guests in the grounds and around the pool. I was told the pizza parties are a popular hit with the “booming English crowd” that frequent the hotel, especially for weddings. There is also a barbeque with seating around to allow for show-cooking, with the lights of Assisi at night as a backdrop. Resident, Michelin-star chef, Marco Gubbiotti conjures up artistic and authentic dishes fit for the calibre of events that take place in the rich, verdant paradise. Guests can take cooking classes with the Umbria based chef. Also on offer are fine wines from Umbria and other Italian regions, as well as a certified IGP BIO extra virgin olive oil, straight from the olive trees in the Tenuta. Local wine and food tasting experiences are available for events and visitors.

 Staff at the family-run hotel confirmed to me that a restaurant with a view of Assisi is currently in the works, adding to the farm boutique’s abundant appeal. 

 Amongst the greenery of the gardens is a paddock where the hotel offers horse-riding lessons to its guests. For lovers of the outdoors, there is Subasio Mountain guided trekking, as well as E-bike guided tours and even rafting under the Marmore waterfall, an hour from Assisi.

 The hotel also owns six boutique apartments in the centre of Assisi for those more drawn in by being in the centre of the action. 

 Tenuta's outstanding location

  Assisi, a UNESCO world heritage-protected city carries a rich and fascinating history, a once in a lifetime visit. The medieval city with its narrow streets and spiritual feel is famous for being the birthplace of the 12thcentury Saint Francis, one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history. Assisi, home to the oldest Gothic church in Italy, is built on a 400m height, entirely in the white and rose stone of Mount Subasio. The Umbrian region maintains an authenticity, more untouched by tourism than its Tuscan sister, the idyllic place to be immersed into a true Italian experience. 

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View from the Cardinal Charme suite. Photo: Ana Lanzon
Assisi, a UNESCO heritage site. Photo: Ana Lanzon

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