2. 59www.thefield.co.uk
T
HE art of the Renaissance has
fixed an image of the Italian
landscape as a bucolic idyll. We
visualise it punctuated by pic-
turesque ruins, vines and olive
groves, perhaps with a noble horse or some
browsinggamegivinglifetothescene;aland
thattimeforgot.ForalongtimeruralTuscany,
and especially Umbria, was a land the econ-
omy forgot, too, which has preserved its
uniquecharacterinrealityaswellasoils.
A healthy dose of NIMBYism with added
vision has seen Titian get a five-star make-
over at Castello di Reschio. Conte Antonio
BolzaboughttheparishhouseofSanMartino
with two acres as a holiday home but as his
son,ConteBenedikt,willattest,“Itgetstoyou
beinghere,youdon’twanttoleave.”
A small, ruined farmhouse on the edge of
thepropertyposedariskofdevelopmentand
rather close neighbours so Conte Antonio
madeunsuccessfulannualpetitionstobuythe
plot until, in 1994, he was given the opportu-
nity to buy the whole Reschio estate, some
3,000 acres on the border of Tuscany and
Umbria.It’sratheranextremewayofkeeping
localdevelopmentundercontrolbutonethat
seems to be benefitting the wider communi-
ties and, indeed, those of us who are lucky
enoughtostaythere.
Ahuntingreserveofaround2,000acresis
managed for Conte Antonio by Guenther
Mittenzweiandsupportsatantalisingarrayof
flora and fauna, appropriate for the region
that St Francis called home. Game cover for
pheasants and partridges is maintained over
around 50 acres but gamebirds and hare go
unmolested here. The strong fallow deer and
wild boar populations are actively managed
withahandfulofdrivendaysinseasonaswell
as culling from hides. In three days on the
estate,ridingandwalking,wesawawondrous
variety but a return visit will be necessary to
tickporcupinesandwolvesoffthelist.Riding
theestatewithConteAntoniooneseesittoits
fulladvantageandunderstandstheintention
to bring Reschio into the 21st century like a
frescobeingcleanedratherthanpaintedover.
Themedievalmezzadriasystemofanestate
beingtenantedassmallfarmshaslefttheland
dotted with 50 delightful stone buildings at
discreet distances from each other. Each
smallholding had a small farmhouse to
accommodate livestock on the ground floor
andthefamilyabove–theoriginalmethodof
underfloorheating–andprobablyaseparate
building for storing crops, drying tobacco or
making wine. Long abandoned, they have
beenovergrown,developingfetchinginternal
arbours, undoubtedly artistic but slowly
being reabsorbed by the landscape. Almost
half of these have been restored over the past
20 years for private clients and another 10
will be made available as development
projectsforprivatebuyers.Theofferingisun-
usualandappealing.
Conveniently, Conte Benedikt is an archi-
tect.Hewasstillatuniversitywhenhisfather
bought the estate but now lives in one of the
former ruins himself as he designs and man-
ages the transformation of the remaining
buildings. Using local artisans and keeping a
permanent staff employed with renovation,
maintenanceandtheproductionofarange
Guenther Mittenzwei’s Bavarian mountain hound (below and
far left) is, with his master, a quiet presence, observing and
managing the wildlife and game on the Reschio estate
The writer in a hide with Guenther Mittenzwei
(left); readying her rifle (above); and leaving
the hide (above, centre) at Reschio (right)
3. 60 www.thefield.co.uk
ofstylishfurnitureandfittings,heisfirmlyof
thebeliefthat“Italiansaresoflexibleandcre-
ative”. Making light and modern homes of
dark Tuscan farmhouses is a challenge
Benediktrelishes.Thatfatherandsonareper-
manently resident gives one confidence that
no part of the development will be allowed to
spoilthecharmoftheestateasawhole.
Neither would consider leaving. Conte
Benedikt has clearly fallen in love with the
estate,whichhedescribesas“veryromantic”.
Ideal, in fact, for raising a family with his
muralist wife, Nencia. Conte Antonio, too, is
tied to the landscape. He has finally created a
permanent home for the family having left
Hungary in 1949 as a five-year-old refugee.
Thefamily’sancestorshadleftItalyinthelate
1600stobebankersandofficersinthecourtof
Vienna and now the Bolzas have returned to
theirancientrootsandsettled.
This new home is managed to a tee while
maintainingitswildperipheries.Olivegroves,
some trees hundreds of years old, have been
reclaimed from scrub; winding stone tracks
connect the houses with the main hub of the
estate. Beside grand stables, the impressive
outdoor school is overlooked by a luxurious,
tentedviewingplatform.Here,residentsand
guests are invited for drinks and to watch a
dressagedisplayonbalmyMondayevenings.
Thereareponiesforyoungerridersandlocal
children may perform equestrian vaulting to
further delight the audience. A stone’s throw
away is the estate’s private osteria, serving
residents and estate guests exclusively and
warmedbyalargeopenfireoncoolevenings.
The kitchen caters to any residents not
keenoncreatingtheirowndelicaciesaswellas
providing a cookery school for those who
wouldliketolearn.Thechef,MarcoPellegrini,
was generous with his expertise and shared
his secrets for producing perfect pasta and
gnocchi. Red mountain potatoes, less flour
than most recipes advise, a little parmesan
andcombiningtheingredientsofthegnocchi
whenthepotatoesarestillpipinghotwillgive
thebestresults,headvises.Itmustbetruebe-
cause having spent a flour-covered morning
withhimcuttingtagliatelli,pinchingtortellini
and forming the fluffy potato dumplings, we
managed to plough through three courses of
theaboveforlunchwithoutdrawingbreath.
Afactorinsurvivingwhatcouldotherwise
havebeendeathbypastawasearlymornings
spentwithMittenzweihuntingboar.Thereis
limited driven shooting available in season
and further shooting is offered culling boar
from hides. Creeping into position as the sun
rose and mist hung around the trees and val-
leys was a beautiful experience and the boar
did not disappoint. Soon a sow came out to
feed, attended by her stripy piglets, the little
humbugsdashingfromcovertomillabouther
before retreating to the shade. One got in the
way of a particularly tasty morsel and his
mother tossed him lightly with her snout,
sending the piglet somersaulting before he
bounced up and rejoined his siblings. We
The boar did not
disappoint. Soon a sow
came out, attended by
her stripy piglets
Ready to go (above left). The writer (above) reluctant to shoot the piglets (right, centre top);
hacking with Conte Antonio (above right); heading home with Guenther Mittenzwei (below right)
4. 61www.thefield.co.uk
agreedthatthepigletswouldbedeliciousbutI
foundmyselfreluctanttopullthetrigger.
Puttingthoughtsofroastsucklingpigaside
there is an array of nature to enjoy from
Reschio’s hides. Perched up a tree at evening
wedetectedarustleofspringleavesthatpres-
aged a buck high-stepping into the open.
While waiting in hopes of boar Mittenzwei
pointed out their paths and wallows. “The
boar learn quickly so you must change your
behaviour,” he explained. “They know me
better than I know myself.” He and his dogs
areaquietpresenceobservingandmanaging
them. A fascinated observer of the natural
world, he described a wolf and boar passing
eachother,just20metresapartandshowinga
mutuallackofinterest.
A shootable boar stepping between the
treesmademegladofthewell-builthidewith
agoodbaronwhichtotakeaiminfailinglight.
The boar presented a good shot. As it fell
Mittenzwei’sdelightatasuccessfulconclusion
waspalpablewhilewesatinsilencetobesure
ofthekill.Itwasnotabigbeastbutagoodcull
animalandtheceremonyandrespectafforded
itwasworthyofatrophyboar.The“lastbite”
wasplacedinitsmouthandabranchgivenfor
myhatasweexchangedhisGermanhunter’s
salutation–Waidmannsheil,Waidmannsdank.
ConteAntonio,adevotedhorseman,estab-
lishedastudofpurebredAndalusiansin1999,
importingthefoundationmaresandstallions
from Seville. Four or five foals are bred per
year and the young stock is trained gently by
Antonello Radicchi using his own Tecnica
Etologica method. A four-year-old, only just
inserioustraining,couldachieveshoulder-in,
flying changes and the beginnings of a large
Spanish walk while looking happy in his
work. All this with one rein on the noseband
and the other on a snaffle. Dressage lessons
areavailableforallstandardsaswellasexten-
sivehackingontheestate–anditisastunning
environmentinwhichtoride.Beforehacking
out I got to know my mount in the outdoor
school. This warm-up ended with what will
doubtless remain my best and most glamor-
ous coffee break. Sitting on a well-schooled
greymareinabeautifullyappointedmanège,
Isippedespressounderacloudlesssky.
TheConte,whocutsadashingfigureonhis
whitestallion,toldofmeetingashe-wolfwith
two cubs in broad daylight while hacking;
apparently,afterabriefeyeballing,allparties
retiredquietlywithhonourintact.
This anecdote illustrates something of
Reschio’s otherworldliness. On leaving, one
wonderswhetheritwasreal.Wisteriacascad-
ingoveraNicFiddianGreensculpture,aclas-
sic sports car parked by the Spanish-style
stables, candy-striped signposts and a quiet
perfection combine to make one think it was
alladreaminspiredbyabeautifulpainting.
WeeklyrentalsatCastelloReschiostartat¤6,035
forafarmhousefortwo.Forfurtherdetails,call
0039075844362orvisitwww.reschio.com.
Chef Marco Pellegrini (above); his
osteria (far right); and a Nic Fiddian
Green sculpture (below right)
