A fifteenth-century villa near Assisi
Relais Parco dei Cavalieri stands at Petrignano di Assisi, in the middle of Umbria, in a park of 10,000 square metres with tall trees, lawns and an outdoor swimming pool. The house began as a noble country residence, built by a landowner at the end of the Middle Ages or the start of the modern era. The name of the builder has not survived.
The villa changed over the centuries. In the seventeenth century or the one after, the southern wing was extended to take in a cellar. In the nineteenth century the property was divided, and in the twentieth it was joined up again. The stone front is crenellated, the old stone and exposed beams have been restored, and the house now runs as a three-star superior hotel for weddings, events and stays.
Ceremonies in the park
Couples can exchange vows in the garden under the open sky, then walk to the pool for an aperitif. The grounds and the rooms of the villa are both available, so a ceremony and reception can be kept small and private or made much larger.
The swimming pool sits in the garden with the villa behind it, and is used for the aperitif and by guests staying over.
Tables are also laid outdoors beneath the garden pergola, close to the house, and a long banquet table has been set up in the park under festoon lights.
The banquet hall and the kitchen
The indoor halls hold up to 300 people. The banquet hall looks out over the park and is set with round tables or long ones. The hotel cooks for the wedding itself: the restaurant opens only for banquets and events, and the kitchen builds the reception around themed buffet areas, running from the antipasti to the desserts.
The hotel’s wedding planners guide couples in choosing suppliers and in organising the wedding from beginning to end. Wedding prices are given on enquiry.
Five types of room
Guests stay in the villa itself, which sleeps up to 53. Every room keeps the old beams and period details, with air conditioning, a minibar and free wifi.
The Suite with terrace has two rooms of 35 square metres for up to four guests, with a private terrace, a view over the park, a bathroom with shower and a second with a whirlpool bath. The Junior Suite is 30 square metres for two guests, with a canopied bed. The Junior Suite Family is also 30 square metres and takes up to four. The Superior room is a bright double with a table and chairs and a view of the park, and a third or fourth bed can be added. The Standard room is a 22-square-metre double or twin looking onto the park.
Assisi and Umbria on the doorstep
Petrignano di Assisi is two minutes from the hotel by car, Assisi eight, Perugia fifteen and Perugia airport about six. Gubbio is twenty-four minutes away, and Spoleto, Todi and Lake Trasimeno about thirty each, which leaves guests a free day of hill towns, lake and countryside around the wedding.
The Basilica of San Francesco, with its upper and lower churches, is the best-known sight in Assisi, the city of peace, and the old centre around it can be walked. Perugia, the regional capital, rises around Corso Vannucci and the Fontana Maggiore, with palaces, churches and a long tradition of chocolate making. For more on the region, read the Umbria Wedding Atlas or browse more wedding venues in Umbria.
Getting there
The hotel is at Viale Giacomo Matteotti 47, Petrignano di Assisi. Bastia is the nearest station, 3.8 km away in a straight line, and Assisi station is about 6.7 km away. Parking at the hotel is free of charge.
Guests who have reviewed the hotel on Google call it a romantic place that also suits large events, and describe a fabulous setting in a large park with a swimming pool. The rooms, the wedding spaces and the surrounding area are described on the Parco dei Cavalieri website.
