Park Hotel Ai Cappuccini ★★★★

A mesmerising sprawl of rolling hills, dramatic valleys, thick woodland and babbling streams, all dotted with historic hill towns, Umbria is as beautiful as it is charming. Life in the picturesque rural villages is traditional and quaint, while the fertile hills also yield some sumptuous produce, used to create a simple but delicious cuisine and some excellent wines. It is known as the ‘green heart of Italy’, and hidden in the quiet outskirts of Gubbio VeryChic has discovered a hotel with plenty of heart and soul of its own…

The Park Hotel Ai Cappuccini provides a magical setting, residing in an old 17th century monastery which has been masterfully renovated to retain all the beauty of its original architecture as well as its spiritual atmosphere. Religion plays an important part in the heritage and history of Umbria, home to several famous saints, so the hotel helps to capture the very soul of the region. It also provides just a small teaser of some of the spectacular architecture you can expect to find once you venture into the centre of Gubbio, renowned as one of Umbria’s most thoroughly medieval, unspoiled towns.

The hotel itself inevitably provides a nod to the history of the town, which you can feel seeping out of its ancient walls. The walls are decorated with 15th century frescoes, old Flemish tapestries and fine Renaissance paintings, while rooms are also strewn with antique furnishings. However, the décor successfully mixes these markers of the monastery’s long and fascinating history with some striking modern details. The hotel’s impressive art collection features some bold and abstract contemporary paintings and sculptures, which sit harmoniously alongside elegant, centuries-old pieces.

Perhaps the finest example of the Park Hotel Ai Cappuccini’s flair for dazzling contemporary details is the magnificent spa. This old, historic and spiritual building provides an ideal setting for a spot of rest and recuperation, yet the spa itself feels rather more futuristic. In the swimming pool room a large main pool, a children’s pool, a counter-current pool and a hydro-massage area are brought to life by twisted, bright green fountains, a whimsical wall mural and spectacular ceiling decorations. Elsewhere the futuristic décor is matched with even more ultramodern, top-of-the-range facilities, with many hydrotherapy facilities and an extensive gym to complement the superb range of spa treatments, including an ancient Roman-inspired ‘Raxul’ treatment.

This is therefore an ideal spot to rest and unwind between forays into the Umbrian countryside, the centre of Gubbio and other nearby historic towns. And if an afternoon in the spa has you feeling so relaxed that you do not want to leave the hotel for the rest of the day then you’re also in luck, because the hotel’s restaurant serves up some delectable food along with a great selection of wines.

The food has its roots in traditional Umbrian peasant cuisine, meaning that dishes are not overcomplicated in order to get the most out of the exquisite flavours of the local produce. However, every dish is prepared with a certain amount of modern flair and culinary expertise, and served up in a truly enchanting room which completes a perfect dining experience. The sumptuous Umbrian cuisine is the icing on the cake at this outstanding hotel, just one of many ways in which the Park Hotel Ai Cappuccini truly captures the essence of the ‘green heart of Italy’.