6 new hotels in Italy – in Rome, Milan, Venice, Sicily and Umbria – from five-star luxury to affordable style, if you’re lucky enough to get there

For most of us who have spent the last year and a half mostly cooped up, laying eyes on the sun-dappled Tuscan hills would be like rediscovering the entire range of the visible spectrum.

Loosened coronavirus border restrictions now allow entry to Italy by travellers from across the European Union, the US and several other countries so long as they’re vaccinated or demonstrably Covid-free. Hong Kong and Macau remain on Italy’s E List, which forbids entry for tourism purposes, perhaps until the current state of emergency in Italy expires on July 30. By then, Hong Kong’s own quarantine regime may have been relaxed.

Whether you’re itching to get back to Italy as soon as possible or brainstorming a future trip, know that you’ll still find the cypress-lined landscapes, but they’re dotted with new hotels. Here are some worth building itineraries around.

Reschio, Umbria

Although he’ll tell you it was “a millennium in the making”, Count Benedikt Bolza and his wife took 26 years to restore this 3,700-acre estate in Umbria. That’s partly because the scope of the project – which includes 50 farmhouses and a 1,000-year-old castle – is massive, and it’s partly because Bolza, an architect, decided to design an entire line of custom-made furniture to fill its 36 wood-beamed guest rooms.

A visit is like entering an Italian fever dream, with cotton-candy sky and umbrella-shaped pine trees reflecting off a grass-lined infinity pool. Inside, the castle’s wine cellars have been converted into Roman-style baths, and a dilapidated courtyard has been turned into the “palm court”, a glass-domed spot for tea or spritzes.

The estate includes truffle-filled forests, olive trees and an abundant farm to supply the restaurant. There’s also a stable housing purebred Spanish horses and a “boot room” in which to lace up before rides through the surrounding pastures. Rooms from US$820.

Villa Igiea, Palermo

The family-owned brand Rocco Forte has been on a hot streak in Italy. Not long before the pandemic, the operator of the iconic Hotel de la Ville and Hotel Russie in Rome had celebrated the opening of Masseria Torre Maizza in Puglia, which was met with immense critical acclaim. Rocco Forte continues to impress in 2021, this time in Sicily, where Sir Rocco and his sister, Olga Polizzi, reopened the 100-year-old Villa Igiea on June 3, having infused its 78 rooms and 22 suites with their signature blend of streamlined classical design.

The goal is to honour what was already there, which is why the pool deck was built around Sicilian ruins and the rooms all have French doors to allow in the cool sea breeze. But the family also employs thoughtful staff who know just when you need a Negroni vs. a fresh-squeezed OJ or who can take you to the market for a crash course on abundant local ingredients. Rooms from US$765.