Village inspirations

By Editorial Staff - 20 April 2026

Designed by Pelizzari Studio for two American business partners, the Rastrello Boutique Hotel is located in Panicale, a hilltop village between the Umbrian hills and Lake Trasimeno. After previously restoring the main building – a 16^th century palazzo – the clients wanted to expand the property by reclaiming a long-vacant adjacent building and converting it into a second hotel, the Garden Annex. The two structures connect through historic gardens, now designed as spaces for social interaction and quiet that mediate between architecture and landscape.

Reflecting the way the project treads carefully between conservation and interpretation, the palazzo’s original structure has been preserved to highlight the existing fabric without altering its original form. Following the clients’ design brief, each room was approached as a unique narrative. The suites are personalized with textures, design pieces, and vintage pieces to create a mosaic of history and contemporary sensibility.

Garden Annex – Rastrello Boutique Hotel © Mattia Aquila, courtesy Pelizzari Studio

Maintaining continuity with the medieval village’s historic and architectural fabric guides the overall project. Along the ancient walls at street level, a bistro specializes in Umbrian cuisine with furnishings that evoke the atmosphere of local trattorias. The health spa occupies the former cellars where oil was once stored, while a dedicated yoga and meditation area offers a sheltered retreat from the urban pace. The materials, textiles, and finishes recall the village’s bricks and pietra serena – the light-gray sandstone typical of the northern Apennines – to create a visual continuity between interior and exterior. Soft, calibrated lighting helps define a sense of intimacy and contemplation. A striking installation by the entrance lights the original staircase and visually links the building’s levels.

The interior design foregrounds local atmospheres within a hospitality project coherent with its context. The project embodies Panicale’s medieval legacy in its concentric plan, while foregrounding a Renaissance heritage linked to Perugino, who painted the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian here. Against this backdrop, every space maintains an ongoing dialogue with both history and the landscape. From inside the hotel, a large glass and weathering steel door frames sweeping views and anticipates the garden’s role as a place for quiet contemplation. Technology and comfort coexist, never overwhelming the building’s historic identity.

Pelizzari Studio has delivered a well-calibrated project that celebrates the spirit of the village while expanding the hotel’s contemporary role. The result is an hospitality venue that seems to have been shaped by its location, respecting its memory, materials, and evocative qualities.

Garden Annex – Rastrello Boutique Hotel | The color palette gives the interiors a recognizable, coherent character. Earth tones in surfaces, textiles, and floors establish a continuity with the landscape, while color accents draw on the village’s Renaissance traditions. © Mattia Aquila, courtesy of Pelizzari Studio

Garden Annex – Rastrello Boutique Hotel | Materials play both a structural and perceptual role in the project. Natural materials, such as stone and wood, convey authenticity and a measured but striking sensory quality. © Mattia Aquila, courtesy of Pelizzari Studio

Garden Annex – Rastrello Boutique Hotel | © Mattia Aquila, courtesy of Pelizzari Studio

Garden Annex – Rastrello Boutique Hotel | The wellness spaces pair contemporary comfort with the building’s structural heritage. Effe’s custom Sky sauna features expansive glazing that, combined with diffused lighting, creates an intimate and serene atmosphere. © Mattia Aquila, courtesy of Pelizzari Studio

Garden Annex – Rastrello Boutique Hotel | The guest rooms integrate harmoniously into the project narrative. Large windows modulate light and depth, encouraging guests to connect with the landscape. © Mattia Aquila, courtesy of Pelizzari Studio

Location: Panicale, Perugia, Italy
Client: Rastrello
Completion: 2025
Gross Floor Area: 550 m²
Architect and Interior Designer: Pelizzari Studio
Main Contractor: Impresa Edile Scargiali Mario

Consultants
Structural: ConstruIngegneria Studio Associato
Lighting: Laboratoriodiluce
MEP: Fabrizio Mercanti

Photography: Mattia Aquila, courtesy of Pelizzari Studio

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