Experiencing The Art of Doing Nothing at Corte Della Maesta

It’s interesting to hear that everybody who has visited Corte della Maestà, even if only for one night, always states that they will be back. That’s been the greatest, warmest reward for us.”  

-Paolo Crepet, Owner and Poet  

Located in the serene countryside just outside of Rome, Corte della Maesta is a haven for creativity, relaxation, and practicing “dolce far niente”—the art of doing nothing. Here we caught up with Paolo Crepet, renowned Italian poet and philosopher and the owner of Corte della Maesta to learn more about the property and his hopes for visitors.

Please tell us a bit about Corte della Maestà.  

Paolo: “The archbishop of the area used to live here up to 1684, which was the year of a tremendous earthquake. That was the end of the Civita as a place of strategic power of the church of St. Peters. From then on and for the next two centuries, it was a place dedicated to becoming a priest.   

Corte della Maestà is a part of our house. It has got its own garden and everything is totally divided, but originally it was the same building. When guests are in the hotel, they are part of my home, and my life.”  

 What was your inspiration to open a small boutique hotel?  

Paolo: “What I was looking for was a beautiful place to write in silence. I write in the chapel of the archbishop’s old place which was built in exactly 1500.   

A very close friend of mine, Giuseppe Tornatore, is a film director. He won the Oscar for Cinema Paradiso. He asked us if we had finished restoring the place because he wanted to have a meeting there for his new movie. So we opened Corte della Maestà to friends first and moved on from there until it became a small luxury hotel.”  

What kind of services do you offer at the relais?  

Paolo: “We offer an amazing breakfast and can offer more meals upon request. We are there any time of the day to help provide services for our hotel guests, for recommendations or whatever.  

We don’t like too much modernity at the relais, so there is no TV or air conditioning, but there are fantastic fans over the beds. And we do provide wireless internet and have a great home theatre in the common library room where you can select movies from a big collection.”  

How would you describe the atmosphere of Corte della Maestà?  

Paolo: “We’re in a natural place surrounded by art and glamour. The idea is to take a little trip to a hidden Italy in terms of its culture, past and history, and our real roots, which are beauty, music, good food & wine, as well as the pleasure to share a table together.”  

Please tell us a bit more about the hotel rooms and facilities.  

Paolo: “We have five suites at the hotel. Each one is named after a woman and is very different from the others, not only in its layout, but also regarding the furniture and art.   

 We have a large kitchen with a cook available if needed, but guests can do their own cooking or even take an informal cooking class as long as we have at least a day’s notice. Another common room is the library with a 1924 piano from Berlin.   

We have a private garden that belongs to Corte della Maestà where you can stay and have a meal. Guests often use their personal computers there for writing. A spot we just renovated is the archbishop winery, which is a cave. We use it on special occasions for wine or cheese tastings.   

We also have a little spa at the hotel which is open to everybody. It includes a Finnish sauna and a very large massage pool for two people.”   

 What made you fall in love with the village of Civita?  

 Paolo: “The first time I was here was because of a patient of mine. During the therapy, she asked me to come up to see her. I’m from Venice originally and went to Rome 30 years ago, so at that time especially I didn’t really know the region here. I went during the winter when it was raining, and when I was coming up on the bridge, I thought it was incredible. I was looking for a place where my father could come see me and where my daughter could grow up happy. That place was Civita.”  

What is the charm of Civita di Bagnoregio?  

Paolo: “There’s a famous photographer who came to visit me who said Civita di Bagnoregio is a place of the past and of the future. It combines the two. You can communicate from Civita to the rest of the world, but you still eat pasta as it was done two centuries ago.   

Civita itself is a bridge — a bridge between history and the future.”  

What do guests do at Civita, or the region of Lazio?  

Paolo: “The first thing I recommend guests do is relax, have a glass of wine, and just listen to the silence, which is an experience in and of itself. If you come from a city, you can feel the difference between the two places.   

Guests can visit the village of Civita, with its many good restaurants, go horseback riding, or visit Orvieto and the lake of Bolsena, where we have a boat you can rent. In half an hour drive, you have plenty of fantastic places to visit.”  

What's been the biggest reward to you personally renting out Corte della Maestà to guests?  

Paolo: “It’s interesting to hear that everybody who has visited Corte della Maestà, even if only for one night, always states that they will be back. That’s been the greatest, warmest reward for me.”  

Corte della Maestà is located in a pristine location in the countryside, roughly 2 hours from Rome and 2.5 hours from Florence. For a limited time, guests booking with Leslie Swanson Travel will receive a special bottle of wine.