Palazzo Seneca: Exquisite Umbrian Hideaway

The ancient hilltop town of Norcia in the central Italian region of Umbria lies about a two-hour drive northeast of Rome. 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.

Here, set within an exquisitely renovated 16th century stone palace, the 24-room Palazzo Seneca 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, which has run the Granaro del Monte restaurant in the Hotel Grotta Azzurra across the street since 1850, it is a well-managed property that offers alert and generous hospitality. We were warmly greeted and given an extended tour, along with information about what to see and do in Norcia.

Public areas include 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. Palazzo Seneca's 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 a coffered and beamed ceiling, oak parquet floors and an exceptionally comfortable four-poster bed made up with heavy linen sheets. Furniture included a magnificent antique secretary with marquetry and ivory detailing. The bath, faced in chocolate-brown travertine, held an oversize shower with rainfall shower heads.

That evening, we enjoyed an excellent dinner at the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, Vespasia, which serves updated versions of local classics. Breakfast the following morning was first-rate, too, and we left the hotel with every intention of returning soon to take cooking lessons and go truffle-hunting. -A.H.