Corte della Maestà
Deeply literary and intensely personal. Think antique-dealer's home meets living history museum meets warm family residence. Zero corporate polish. Each room is named after a literary or operatic figure — Stendhal's Abbess, Bellini's Sleepwalker, Virginia Woolf, Borges. The owners live next door and it shows: Cristiana's two Labradors, Olivia and Ortensia, greet guests at the gate.
Luggage transport by tractor from the parking lot runs 9–13:00 and 14–18:00; plan arrival accordingly or pack light
Why It Matters
One of only a handful of B&Bs in the world to hold three Michelin Keys — the guide's highest hotel distinction — and the only overnight accommodation within the walled village of Civita di Bagnoregio. The village itself, nicknamed 'la città che muore' (the dying city) after a 1685 earthquake, sits on an eroding tuff plateau with fewer than a dozen year-round residents. Corte della Maestà occupies the historic Episcopal Palace dating back over 1,300 years, and was directly inspired by film director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso), who asked to use the restored building for a film meeting.
The former Archbishop's Palace of Civita di Bagnoregio — a medieval village built on crumbling tuff rock and reachable only by a 300-meter pedestrian footbridge — now holds Italy's most improbable three-Michelin-Key property. Owners Paolo Crepet, a prominent Italian psychiatrist, and his wife Cristiana Melis opened the guesthouse in 2013, filling four suites with personally collected antiques, period frescoes, and objects that give each room its own literary or operatic identity. There's no restaurant and no television, but there's a wine cellar, a 1924 Forneris piano housed in a former Roman cistern, and breakfast served in a private garden under a massive fig tree.
Where You'll Stay
5 room types available
La Badessa
From EUR600 / nightNamed for Stendhal's novella 'The Abbess of Castro', this is the grandest statement in the house. The wrought-iron canopy bed is an authentic piece that once belonged to the abbess of a monastery — Cristiana and Paolo tracked it down at an antique dealer in Bologna. A 19th-century walnut fireplace from France, a large freestanding cast-iron bathtub, and a private balcony overlooking the Vescovado garden round out a room that knows exactly what it wants to be. Panoramic views over the calanchi (erosion gullies) and the town of Lubriano.
Queen canopy bed · 40 sqmLa Intrusa
From EUR490 / nightThe most intimate room in the house — a ground-floor, 35 sqm suite dedicated to the works of Jorge Luis Borges. The window faces out toward the distant house where Argentine poet Rodolfo Wilcock lived and died. Above the wooden fireplace hangs an early 19th-century painting by French artist Pierre Sallé, lending a Gallic softness to the Latin-American literary soul of the room. In late August, guests can pick ripe figs from an ancient tree that shades the space. Quietest of all the suites, with a view over the Vescovado garden.
Queen bed · 35 sqm
La Maestà
From EUR380 / nightThe penthouse and largest unit — essentially a self-contained house across two floors. Enter into a living area with a historic stone fireplace divided between kitchen/dining on one side and a lounge with early 19th-century French walnut sofas on the other. A cast-iron staircase leads to the upper bedroom with an 18th-century desk from Emilia Romagna. The bathroom was fitted with double washbasins salvaged from a Florentine hotel and has a Jacuzzi. Cross the lane and a private garden awaits with a pergola, olive trees, and a breakfast table.
Double bed · 90 sqmLa Scrittrice
From EUR550 / nightThe only room at Corte della Maestà with its own private entrance — accessed via a small stone staircase just beside the main gate. A rose-covered pergola frames the private terrace, and the study and bathroom walls are papered with a faithful reproduction of the wallpaper from Virginia Woolf's London home. The bedroom preserves a rare fragment of a 16th-century fresco. The suite stands on the ground of a 14th-century cloister. Equal parts scholarly and wild — the hand-painted flowers on the walls reflect what the official site calls 'her wild, untamed spirit'.
Queen bed · 40 sqmLa Sonnambula
From EUR600 / nightSet within the medieval tower of the original Episcopal Palace, this suite is a tribute to Vincenzo Bellini's opera of the same name. The defining piece is the majestic theatrical backdrop hanging above the queen-size bed — built for an early 19th-century stage production and now dominating the room with theatrical authority. Wide windows face both the Vescovado garden and the inner courtyard of the Corte, giving two completely different views. The bathroom has both a bathtub and shower; a separate sitting area with a wood-burning stove is ideal in cooler months.
Queen bed · 40 sqmThe Property
Eat & Drink
2 venues on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
La Tana del Lupo — a 50 sqm lounge carved from an ancient Roman cistern, with tuff-stone arches, a majestic stone fireplace, comfortable sofas, a curated library, and a large cinema screen. The 1924 Forneris piano from Berlin sits here. Complimentary for all guests.
Excursions into the surrounding Tuscia countryside on horseback, available by arrangement.
Guests can arrange an informal cooking class in the Cucina di Fratta kitchen with at least one day's notice. Not a formal program — think learning alongside the kitchen rather than a structured lesson.
A private boat on the nearby Lake Bolsena (20km, 30 mins) can be arranged. The lake is Italy's largest volcanic lake.
Civita di Bagnoregio itself is the main activity — cobbled lanes, the Church of San Donato, the Museo Geologico e delle Frane, and the dramatic calanchi valley views. Best explored at dusk after day-trippers have left.
Candlelit tasting of local wines and cheeses in the original episcopal winery — a cave beneath the property. Arranged on request.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Luggage is transported by tractor from the car park at the base of the footbridge up to the property. Service runs 9:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00. Advance notice required for late-night arrivals.
Fast Wi-Fi throughout the property.
A private chef can be arranged with advance notice. Included complimentary for stays of 7 nights.
Elaborate, multi-course continental breakfast served on English china and French silverware. Includes fresh-baked cakes, aged cheese, hand-sliced prosciutto, moka coffee, and seasonal fruit. Served in the garden under the fig tree in fine weather or in the Cucina di Fratta kitchen.
Two private gardens: the Corte garden (Mediterranean plants around Roman columns and a 17th-century marble basin) and the Vescovado garden (Civita's largest private green space, with fig tree, fruit trees, roses, and hydrangeas). Breakfast is served in the Vescovado garden seasonally.
Car park permit included with stays — parking lot at the base of the Civita footbridge.
Current official room pages list air conditioning and a large ceiling fan as standard inclusions. Older sources noted the intentional absence of TV and A/C as part of the property's analog charm — the no-TV policy remains, but A/C has since been added.
Mini bar stocked with soft drinks and wine, included in room rate.
Exclusive ORTIGIA Sicilian courtesy toiletry line in all rooms.
Transfers available on request. Suitcase pickup from Orvieto train station available until 17:45 for €50.
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