Palazzo Seneca

From the Hideaway Report

August 2012 Hideaway Report

The ancient hilltop town of Norcia lies an hour to the east. Famous as the birthplace of St. Benedict and home to a large community of Benedictine monks, it is celebrated all over Italy for its extraordinary food, including delicious charcuterie, wonderful cheeses — aged Pecorino, salted ricotta — and black truffles.

We had opted to stay at the 24-room Palazzo Seneca, set within an exquisitely renovated 16th-century stone palace. It proved to be one of the most charming small hotels we’ve found in Italy for a very long time. Owned by the Bianconi family, who have run the Granaro del Monte restaurant in the Hotel Grotta Azzurra across the street since 1850, it is an exceptionally well-managed property that offers alert and generous hospitality.

On arrival, we were warmly greeted, provided with a variety of information about what to see and do in Norcia, and given an extended tour. The public areas contain an inviting lounge with leather sofas in front of a vast stone fireplace, a salon where tea and homemade pastries are served throughout the day, and a beautiful wood-paneled library with two armchairs in bay windows where you can draw thick curtains for privacy. A wellness center in the basement includes Jacuzzi, sauna and steam; massages are also offered by appointment.

Our Junior Suite, #100, was small but charming, with an exceptionally comfortable four-poster bed made up with heavy linen sheets, a coffered and beamed ceiling, and oak parquet floors. Furniture included a magnificent antique secretary with marquetry and ivory detailing. The bath was faced in chocolate-brown travertine and was appointed with an oversize shower with a built-in seat and two rainfall showerheads.

That evening, we enjoyed an excellent dinner at the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, Vespasia, which serves updated versions of local classics. We particularly enjoyed field peas with cheese gnocchi in lentil cream, and bucatini all’amatriciana, followed by two lamb dishes: lamb shank with gremolata (a condiment of lemon zest, garlic, parsley and olive oil) and a casserole of lamb cooked with potatoes and black truffles. (The meat comes from local farms situated in nearby Monti Sibillini National Park.) Breakfast the following morning was first-rate, too, and we left the hotel with every intention of returning soon to take cooking lessons and to go truffle-hunting.

Illustration © Melissa Colson

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