Relais & Chateaux Palazzo Seneca

It was just perfect. First amazing staff, super smart, super friendly but more importantly super knowledgeable. Second the food - delicious, innovative and surprising. The wines were also great but that you would expect. Finally the general atmosphere is special and charming. All stars are aligned here, they probably deserve a second one actually!

you can never (in my experience) go wrong with an R & C hotel and Palazzo Seneca was no different. it was truly excellent from our first arrival to our departure. we stayed three nights in june and ate at their amazing restaurant on one of the nights. this is a very interesting and (sadly) hard hit part of italy. i had not been there before but the location and surrounding scenery are well worth a trip off the beaten track. when we arrived in our (way too big) jeep rental (i didn't choose it-i'm not stupid-i know italian roads having lived there for 2+ years!) our gps took us in exactly the wrong way to get to the hotel. we were only across the piazza but there was no way to get there with the earthquake reconstruction and blockages. i walked to the hotel and told them where we were and they said "no problem, we will come and get your bags and one of our people will take care of your car". so we had our bags walked across the piazza and checked in and left them with the car keys. when we got to the room-a beautiful 2 room suite with two bathrooms- there were some artisanal beers (really good one's) and cured meats/cheeses waiting for us. check in was seamless and we loved the large room. we did have dinner at their restaurant on our second night. a magnificent meal. the woman who headed up the staff at the restaurant (she was originally from salerno and i had lived there for a couple of years so we were able to talk about that in italian towards the end of our meal) was excellent, and i think she may have been training one of her young staff that night as she supervised our service. anyway the food was outstanding and the risotto cinghiale is to die for. we don't normally eat red meat and got the vegetarian and fish option but i substituted the wild boar in for one of mine. the service, explanation, and pacing was perfect. breakfast were excellent as was the service and we loved momo from tunisia, and a couple of the other young servers who were there in the morning. also, sitting out on the back terrace and enjoying some wine or an aperol spritz is a great way to pass the time. thanks for a great stay.

It is lovely, and the food at Vespasia is definitely deserving of a second Michelin star. But what makes Palazzo Seneca truly special are the people who work there and bring it to life. We were only there a few days, but we felt like part of a small community. Staff members Mohammed and Argent were both outstanding and helped us in a personal way that would be almost unheard of in the U.S. I wish I could remember more names; there were so many memorable moments. And our cooking class with Michelin star chefs Fumiko Sakai and Fabio Cappiello was so much fun - they were funny, personable and incredibly approachable despite their culinary status. The owner stopped by a few times and really impressed us with his passion for his community. This is not a Four Seasons, and I mean that in the best way. If you want lots of shiny surfaces, extensive amenities and a certain corporate neutrality, you may want to look elsewhere. But for us, it couldn't have been better. I hope we get to return.

It was a pleasure to be back at ‘one of our favourite hotels’ after 10 years’ absence (Norcia is rather tucked away in the eastern part of Umbria). It was wonderful to see the building and charming spaces as we remembered them, to find very high standards of maintenace and housekeeping, highly caring and professional service from the small team and Vespasia restaurant producing superb meals and dining experiences. We only hope that the hotel may one day include a swimming-pool! It was moving and interesting for us to witness the ongoing restoration process in Norcia and to see Palazzo Seneca’s role in the rejuvenation of the town and region. We look forward to returning one day soon to help celebrate the completion of all these projects!

Delightful hotel. very careful in details, quality and service. We would like to thank, in particular, the restaurant manager Mohamed, extremely delicate, kind, careful, attentive, professional and talented. Mohamed, we will take with us the essence of your service. Thanks.

Wow, from the moment we entered the hotel to the time we left we were spoilt by the hotels wonderful and attentive staff. Thank you. The restaurant was first class and we tried the Spa and even had a chance to see the sun set on the hidden terrace. Thank you for some wonderful memories and will return when we visit this part of Italy again. David & Sarah (room 107)