Imagine a banquet enveloped in the steam of vegetarian soups and the scent of medicinal herbs, where the only music allowed is the crackling of two hundred candles and, occasionally, the solemn notes of a Morricone soundtrack. At L'Eremito, a gem set among 3,000 hectares of nature reserve in Umbria, dinner is not just a meal, but a liturgical ritual celebrated in absolute silence. Here, within the walls of a masterfully reconstructed medieval hermitage, luxury is not measured in megabits or plasma screens, but in the precious absence of distractions.
The hotel
In this “secular monastery” of hospitality, gastronomy marries the land. The dishes are a hymn to monastic simplicity: strictly vegetarian recipes made with produce from the hotel's own garden or sourced locally, served in handmade ceramics that enhance the texture of the food. The most curious element? The Silent Dinner, as Michelin recounts in a special feature. At the stroke of the gong, words give way to the senses. Guests, deprived of technology, rediscover body language: a nod of the head to thank for the red wine, an exaggerated smile to praise a course. It is a pure sensory experience, where the palate becomes the absolute protagonist, free from the buzz of everyday life.
The refuge of the solitary traveler
If the outside world wants us to be constantly connected, Marcello Murzilli — the eclectic creator of this place, former fashion designer and hotelier visionary — proposes a return to the essentials. The rooms, called “celluzze,” occupy just nine square meters. You won't find glass, but rather breathable materials: raw hemp sheets, wrought iron beds, marble sinks, and, for the winter months, the enveloping warmth of underfloor heating. Contrary to what one might think, l'Eremito is not a place for lonely hearts in search of a soul mate, but for souls in search of themselves. About 70% of guests arrive alone. “A solo traveler often has inner baggage to lighten,” explains Murzilli. “They come here to disappear, and then find themselves again.”
A social paradox in the heart of Umbria
The true magic of L'Eremito lies in its ability to transform isolation into community. Although you arrive alone, you find yourself united. After morning meditation and yoga, walks in the woods become fertile ground for deep confessions between strangers. It is a social hotel where, paradoxically, the lack of Wi-Fi accelerates human connections: in an hour, you get to know each other better than in years of virtual interactions. In this solar-powered retreat, where electricity is a distant memory and luxury is represented by a spa carved into the stone, the real challenge is for more conventional travelers. Murzilli smiles as he recalls the members of the Bonvoy circuit who, accustomed to international standards, find themselves in a stone cellar: the initial shock almost always turns into deep emotion at the moment of departure.
L'Eremito is not just a vacation; it is a return to humanity, a place where, as its founder says, you sit down at the table to nourish the spirit before the body.
