Eremito Hotelito del Alma

Eremito is a modern-day monastic retreat with daily yoga sessions, organic eats and countryside views… from the hot tub.

Created by former fashion designer Marcello Murzilli, Umbria’s Eremito Hotelito is a monastic mashup of agrarian architecture, Catholic iconography and rich textiles from North Africa and India.

In the cross-vaulted common area, piles of cushions, futons and antique wooden furnishings sit on slate floors between stone arches, while long, stained wooden rectory tables line the candlelit dining room. Upstairs, a small chapel-like area awaits, and, outside, a courtyard and terraces beckon guests with stunning views of the rolling, tree-covered hills.

Hardly Ascetic

For the Eremito (Italian for hermit), owner Murzilli conceived the rooms as monastic dwellings, and, as such, he designed them to be a bit cell-like: cozy, if not downright small, with simple white plaster walls, slate floors and single beds (the width is somewhere between a Twin and Double).

It’s hardly ascetic, however. The square windows, which have petite window seats, perfectly frame the countryside views, and soft hand-embroidered linens cover the beds. Each room has an en suite bathroom and an altar-like marble basin set into a stone alcove in the bedroom.

Wellness

Murzilli’s brother Sergio oversees the kitchen and the refectory-style dining room, which serves simple but hearty vegetarian breakfasts, lunches and dinners using traditional local recipes — some based on dishes from actual monasteries — plus the bounty from the Umbrian countryside, including what comes from a small on-site garden.

The wellness area, meanwhile, includes a large light-filled room for yoga plus a stone steam room and a dramatic chromotherapy hot tub dug out of the hill’s bedrock.

Check availability for Eremito Hotelito del Alma: Booking.com | Tablet Hotels | Expedia or see what others think on TripAdvisor.

— Review by Andrew Sessa, courtesy of Jetsetter.com.

in our opinion

What we love

• Its beautiful monastery-style architecture sits tucked away in the quiet countryside of Umbria, just a 90-minute drive or train ride from Rome.
• The cuisine: all vegetarian, all local, all delicious, all included and all overseen by the owner’s brother, the chef.
• Eremito is a very special place. Away from the outside world and overlooking rolling hills of green, it’s the perfect escape for relaxation.

What you should know

• In keeping with the hotel’s monastic vibe, the 14 rooms (96 square feet) are outfitted with a one-person bed and for single occupancy only.
• Digital detox: There is no WiFi, there are no TVs, and the cell phone service is extremely spotty, when it exists at all.
• Silence is encouraged, even at meal times, though is not mandatory.
• There's no air conditioning, though it isn’t really necessary; there is underfloor heating for the cooler months.