Antonello Colonna is a dear friend, a Michelin-starred chef, and the kind of person who builds a resort in the countryside and makes it feel like the most natural thing in the world. Less than an hour from Rome — just enough distance to forget the city entirely — his Colonna Resort sits in the middle of open land, quiet and assured, as if it has always been there.

The place is small by design: around ten rooms, each one shaped by the same raw concrete and minimalist sensibility that runs through the entire property. There is a pool on the roof. The architecture, signed with the same rigour you find in the plates, manages to feel both serious and welcoming — a rare combination. A red steel sculpture stands in the meadow. A vintage Citroën van is parked under a blossoming tree. Inside, USM shelving, Eames chairs and Italian ceramics coexist without effort.

But the real reason to come is the food. Antonello cooks with a lightness that belies the precision behind every dish — this is Michelin-star territory, but without the formality that sometimes comes with it. Lunch here is an event: one perfect plate, a glass of something well chosen, and the kind of silence outside the window that makes you want to stay much longer than planned. The elegance is absolute, and entirely surrounded by nature.

If you are visiting Rome and have the chance to stay a night, take it. If not, come just for lunch — it is more than worth the drive, and one of those experiences that quietly stays with you long after you have returned to the city.

For reservations and more: antonellocolonna.it