For almost a millennium, the Castle of Antognolla has punctured a skyline of seemingly endless rolling forested hills. Once the site of a Benedictine monastery, it has been a battlefield to bloody sieges, a tomb to a patron saint, and a seat to distinguished noble families.
Now, the towering monument is transforming to usher in a new, more peaceful era, one that developers in the Umbria region — Italy’s oft-overlooked “green heart”— hope will see Europe’s leading luxury resort spring forth.
Scheduled to open in late 2026, Six Senses Antognolla will see an initial 71-key hotel (16 suites of which will be located in the original castle), a 3,000-square-meter wellness center, and 17 bespoke residences surface among the network of olive groves, vineyards and myriad cypress trees lathered across the undulating 560-hectacre estate.
Rooms will offer a panoramic view of the site’s jewel in the crown, an 18-hole golf course with ambitions to break the Spanish and Portuguese hegemony over premier golf destinations on the continent.
The sloping 6,884-yard (6,112-meter) setup is the brainchild of prolific designer Robert Trent Jones Jr, and first opened in 1997. Major renovations in 2018 have helped the course to age well, but its lifespan is the blink of an eye in comparison to the castle that towers over its 18th green.
When walls inside the crypt below the castle chapel recently fell out, it revealed paintings that date back at least 1,000 years, according to Antognolla director of golf César Burguière, shedding new light on the 6th-century Benedictine monastery that the wider fortress was built around roughly 600 years later.
Formerly the resting place for the remains of Saint Herculanus, patron saint of the Umbrian capital of Perugia, the castle became the subject of a long-running power struggle between various noble families in one of Italy’s few landlocked regions.
Having been given to Ruggero di Antognolla by Pope Boniface IX in 1399, the castle was conquered by the Baglioni family before being bloodily wrested back by the Antognollas in the early 16th century.
In 1628, the estate was bought by nobleman Cornelio Oddi, who wished to make it a holiday resort. Though ownership has changed hands several times since, including to the prominent Agnelli family — owner of Italian icons Fiat and Juventus – current developments ensure that Oddi’s ambitions endure.
Step by step
Despite its grand plans, Antognolla has had to work hard to match the popularity of the courses sprawled across the Iberian Peninsula.
Although it was recognized as Italy’s best course at the World Golf Awards in both 2020 and 2022, Burguière admits that the site’s relatively remote setting has presented challenges in attracting an international clientele.
Last year’s Ryder Cup host Marco Simone Golf Club is one of the few championship courses within range, yet is still more than a two-hour drive away in Rome. However, Burguière believes the successful staging of the biennial competition is helping the region stake its claim as a worthwhile visit.
“We are not a golf destination … [but] A lot of people that are coming are not necessarily coming to play golf,” he told CNN.
“They’re coming to Italy and then they see that there are good courses, and they decide to play golf. So it’s true that Italy is not perceived as a golf destination like, for instance, Spain or Portugal would be, but I think this is changing step by step.”
The plethora of visual, cultural and consumable delights offered up in the region may well be the ace in the hole for the future prosperity of the course and resort.
From Sagrantino to Grechetto, Umbria is a haven for a host of native and adopted grapes that make it fertile ground for winemaking. Antognolla’s own vineyards are overseen by oenologist Riccardo Cotarella, with merlot made on site set to pour following the opening of the resort.
Truffle hunting in the surrounding forests is a popular excursion, and guests can taste the fruits of such labors at the course’s Ristorante La Boiola, which promises diners a menu that covers the spectrum of rustic local flavors, from black truffle to pork cheek.
The resort is set to boast its own organic farm and an Earth Lab that will run workshops on wine fermentation, while an Experience Centre will offer cooking classes.
“If you enjoy gastronomy and culture, this is definitely a place you will really enjoy,” added Burguière.
Heading out beyond the confines of the estate to the forests affords opportunities to see deer, wild boar, and even wolves. Ventures further into wider Umbria reveal Gubbio and a swathe of other medieval towns, as well as the stunning Lake Piediluco and Marmore Falls, the tallest man-made waterfall in Europe (165 meters), which was created by the Romans in 271 BC.
“The wildlife and nature here in Umbria is quite amazing,” Burguière said. “Wherever you go, it’s beautiful.”