When the Princess of Wales travelled to Reggio Emilia, Italy for a two-day visit to the small Italian town, she couldn’t really check in to the local Holiday Inn Express. Princess Kate and her small entourage actually stayed at the Relais Roncolo 1888 in Quattro Castella, a small hamlet just outside Reggio Emilia. The unique boutique hotel property must have been extra special to the Princess of Wales, as she has special memories of the Italian region.
“The Princess of Wales has long shared a special connection with Italy, having spent three months living in Florence as a student years ago,” Ludovica Stevan wrote for House and Garden. Princess Kate spent a semester in Florence, a short 1-hour train ride from Reggio Emilia, where she studied Italian and art history for three months during the summer of 2000. “The quiet elegance of this restored Emilian estate feels perfectly suited to her appreciation for the country’s slower and more discreet pace of life.”
The secluded location of the Relais Roncolo 1888 estate was ideal for the princess’s visit to be as discreet as possible. “Relais Roncolo 1888 is a luxury boutique hotel in the 320-acre eco-estate Tenuta di Roncolo, located in the hills of Emilia,” the website boasts. 320 acres from anyone else ensured the princess could enjoy some privacy during her short stay. The Villa Manodori, the unique 6-bedroom villa where Princess Kate and her team stayed, “sits among rolling vineyards at the foot of the Apennines” and features “original frescoes, antique architectural details and carefully chosen contemporary design pieces coexist in harmony within restored 19th-century architecture.”
As a passionate art history aficionado, the Princess of Wales would have deeply appreciated the murals, frescoes, and historical architectural details. The villa’s ‘Senior Suite,’ where the Princess of Wales most likely stayed, features “stunningly frescoed ceilings” with “open onto views of the formal gardens and the surrounding Tuscan-Emilian countryside.” The room costs around $1680 per night, but it is likely that her entourage rented the entire villa for privacy and convenience.
