I Borghi dell'Eremo – Umbria's glassmaking abbey reborn

In the hills between Umbria and Tuscany, a Camaldolese abbey that once guarded Rome's secret for melting glass has become one of the region's most quietly considered retreats. I Borghi dell'Eremo sits on a 500-hectare estate outside Piegaro, built around two restored hamlets: San Giovanni, the twelfth-century abbey turned resort, restaurant and spa, and La Crocicchia, kept for weddings and private events. Fifteen suites, a single restaurant and a spa designed for total privacy are set among olive groves, woodland and gardens the Galletti family rescued from decades of neglect, opening the San Giovanni project in 2021. The MICHELIN Guide awards it Two Keys, a distinction that fits a house built on restraint rather than spectacle: long views toward the Val di Chiana, produce from the estate's own organic farm, and very few other guests in sight.

01The house

Long before any monk arrived, these ridgetop paths linked the Etruscan cities of Chiusi and Perugia, and archaeologists still visit the estate, trying to pin down an Etruscan temple to Diana, goddess of the hunt, thought to lie beneath the remains of the monastery, itself raised over a seventh-century watchtower. The Benedictine abbey of San Giovanni dell'Eremo rose here around the 12th century, and by 1206 Camaldolese monks had taken it over, melting glass in furnaces hidden among the fern-covered woods using a method inherited from Rome. The order's skill was prized enough that it was later commissioned to make the stained-glass windows of Orvieto Cathedral, in 1295 — a craft Piegaro's own glassmakers still carry on in the town below.

The abbey's fortunes faded after Pope Sixtus IV suppressed the monastery in 1471, and a line of cardinal commendataries then held the estate for centuries, down to the Moretti family and later owners who ran it as a working farm. When the Galletti family took over, restoration began with the land itself — bringing abandoned olive groves back into production — before turning to the buildings. In 2016 they decided to restore the ancient abbey and its adjoining farmhouse to create an area of hospitality, dining and wellness, a project that opened as San Giovanni in 2021. The estate's three historic hamlets — San Giovanni, La Crocicchia and Corvignano — were built to hold different kinds of suites, indoor and outdoor spaces and villas; today San Giovanni runs the resort, restaurant and spa, while La Crocicchia, with its glasshouse-style Greenhouse pavilion, is kept for weddings and events.

02Rooms and suites

At full occupancy, the San Giovanni hamlet's rooms and suites sleep up to thirty-six guests, and can also be booked in their entirety for an exclusive takeover. Fifteen suites are spread across seven categories, from Superior Rooms to a Presidential Suite, each named rather than numbered: the Piazzetta, on the ground floor, looks onto the garden in a style reminiscent of the past, in terracotta and stone; the Contadina has an elegant bedroom over the hills and its own private patio; the Graziosa is reached by a master staircase and decorated in a romantic, refined register.

Insider tip

Reached via Piegaro, around forty minutes from Perugia; adults-only, booking required for the spa.

Throughout, Etruscan terracotta and Apuan onyx sit against exposed stone walls and contemporary furniture, keeping the rooms rooted in the place rather than imported. The Presidential Suite goes further still, with its own private spa, a cinema wall and a gazebo opening onto a 180-degree view across the valley.

03Where to eat

Essenza, the estate's single restaurant, sits in San Giovanni behind a glass wall that floods the room with light by day and holds the Umbrian sunset by evening, the view running from nearby hill towns out to the Val di Chiana. Chef Federico cooks a seasonal, territorial menu built on the estate's own organic farm — extra-virgin olive oil, vegetables, eggs, honey and saffron — filled out with produce from small local producers. In summer, dinner moves onto the terrace, to the sound of crickets and the warm Scirocco wind off the hills.

04The bar

A first-floor lounge bar with its own fireplace sits above the restaurant, for after-dinner spirits and cocktails, or an aperitivo taken on the terrace as the light drops over the hills. The wine list leans toward the estate's own organic labels and other Umbrian and Tuscan names, with a shorter run of national bottles alongside.

05Spa

Eterea spreads over 300 square metres and works to a single rule: one party at a time. Reservations run for a minimum of an hour, with sole use of an indoor whirlpool with submerged sunbeds, a steam room, an ice waterfall and a sensory shower, plus a herbal-tea and detox corner.

Outside, an aromatic-herb sauna looks through a glass wall onto the valley, and a heated whirlpool, a Kneipp path, a zen garden and a fire brazier complete the circuit. Treatments — massages, facial and body work, mud baths in a wooden tub — take place in a cabin built into one of the estate's old towers, some scheduled after dark, under the stars.

06The neighbourhood

The medieval site was once home to monastic retreats, its stone buildings and forest trails still carrying the atmosphere of meditation and simplicity the monks left behind. The estate also backs local traditions, sponsoring Piegaro's annual chestnut festival and the medieval Palio dei Terzieri, staged in a nearby fortress. The towns of Città della Pieve and Panicale, Lake Trasimeno and Montepulciano across the Tuscan border are all within easy reach, with Perugia around forty minutes away by car.

07Making the most of a stay

The estate farms its full five hundred hectares organically, with geo-mapped trails for walking or e-bike and a water-recovery system that feeds its own irrigation — a working landscape as much as a backdrop. The resort is adults-only, welcoming guests from the age of twelve, which keeps San Giovanni's gardens and pool as quiet as the abbey's original occupants would have wanted them.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.