Palazzo di Varignana

Heritage of Italian Lifestyle since 1705

A surprising journey through flavours, aromas and sensations with ancient roots and an authentically Italian heart.

Hospitality

Palazzo di Varignana was born from the love of beauty, a place where nature, well-being, taste and emotions meet to give a new meaning to the word hospitality.

Legacy to The Future

There are countless times in which I found myself answering the same question: what on earth drove you, after an intense life of traveling around the world and working in the digital and intangible Fintech planet, to choose to invest in a project as complex and tangible as a historic resort in Varignana?

The answer has distant origins and has developed in me over time, from meeting many people of different cultures. I have locations and offices on four continents and have made myself at home in many hotels around the world.

I think that business travel and tourism are one of the main activities that bring people together, exchanging their experiences, their culture, lifestyle, food and traditions... and a hotel represents one of the most important points of meeting. Furthermore, particularly in America, there is a custom: if a person has been lucky in his existence, at a certain point he wants to do something that brings the results of a life of work where his roots lie, to leave a legacy to the future.

I wanted to create it in Bologna, in the Varignana hills, to which I have become increasingly attached over time, bringing value, work, attractiveness, works of art and artefacts from my travels. In 2005 I decided to restore Palazzo Bargellini Bentivoglio, a country castle, precisely to pay homage to a beautiful land, with marvelous hills and rich in memories preserved over the millennia, starting from ancient Rome with its Via Emilia and its hills where at the time olive trees were cultivated as well as vines.

It is also here, therefore, that the meaning of the rebirth of Palazzo di Varignana lies, a project that speaks of recovery and regeneration: of historic buildings, abandoned rural lands and farmhouses and related crops, such as olive trees and vines . Thanks to an important work of redevelopment of the agricultural land, these have returned to shape the profiles of the hills surrounding the Resort, where today our excellent 0 kilometer agricultural products are born and which we are proud to bring all over the world.

Our daily commitment at Palazzo di Varignana 1705 is therefore to welcome guests, giving them the opportunity to fully experience the history of this area, in the comfort offered by the Resort's services, surrounded by the beauty of the large park and ornamental gardens, between Spa experiences, Remise en forme programs and high quality cuisine: essentially everything that we call the "Heritage of Italian lifestyle".

Carlo Gherardi – founder of Palazzo di Varignana

Health & Wellness

At Palazzo di Varignana the holiday is transformed into an opportunity to get to know new lifestyles suitable for those who want to find better physical shape and greater mental balance, balancing stress and energy for total harmony between body, mind and psyche.

Resort

Wrapped in the silent magic of the Bolognese hills, the Palazzo di Varignana Resort is an original and sustainable model of widespread hospitality. The Resort hosts 150 rooms and suites, six independent villas, restaurants, a 4000 m2 SPA with 7 outdoor swimming pools, gym, sports fields with driving range, a modern conference center and event spaces.

Villas

A few steps from the resort, immersed in the natural spectacle of hills and gullies, our Villas are hidden.

Country House

A true taste of country life just 2 km from the resort, without giving up any comfort, perfect for those who want to treat themselves to an escape from the city and immerse themselves in the beauty of our hills.

Rooms & Suites

A union between nature and elegance, in which natural elements blend with precious artisan materials in large spaces with enveloping brightness.

Farm

Founded in 2015, our farm now has over 500 hectares of land. Thanks to the restoration of the ancient varieties of native olive trees, covering 200 hectares, we boast the production of one of the most awarded and recognized Extra Virgin Olive Oils in the world.

Restaurants and Bars

Il Grifone in The Michelin Guide

For the second consecutive year, Grifone fine dining has been selected by the Michelin Italy Guide.

Il Grifone

The charm and timeless beauty of Palazzo Bentivoglio welcome the most sophisticated culinary corner of the resort, the "Il Grifone" restaurant. Chef Francesco Manograsso's fine dining proposals are original, the result of an accurate and skilful interpretation of the tradition of creative cuisine and the territory.

“Each dish is born from the encounter between the 0 km raw materials grown at Palazzo di Varignana and my childhood memories, which trigger an ever new creative process. The resort's vegetable garden is an inexhaustible source of inspiration and the vegetal element has become, over time, increasingly central in the development of my menus: thanks to research and experimentation, I have understood its infinite expressive potential, up to create an entirely plant-based tasting menu.

For me, cooking is also a game: each dish represents a concentration of contrasts of flavors and textures. The study of ever-changing techniques, such as drying or fermentation, allow me to enhance and use the raw material as much as possible, preserving all its nutritional characteristics as much as possible and avoiding waste". Francesco Manograsso - Head Chef Il Grifone

Royal Train

The authentic vintage carriage, built in 1921, prototype of the royal train, after decades of abandonment, has come back to life, recalling its splendor and atmosphere, thanks to the philological study of architects, art historians and luxury trains of the era. The result is a unique artistic jewel, embellished with meticulous gold leaf decorations by expert craftsmen and the splendid pictorial work of Giovanni Bressana, an internationally renowned artist.

The refined and elegant cuisine accompanies guests on an original culinary journey that celebrates the historical period and the routes of the Royal Train, starting from a wise search for excellent raw materials.

Contest of Elegance | Varignana 1705

After an excellent debut in 2023, the Concorso d'Eleganza Varignana 1705 is already warming up its engines for the new highly anticipated edition.

United by the love of beauty, the search for absolute elegance and the passion for cars, collectors and guests from all over the world will meet from 27 to 29 September in the heart of the Motor Valley for the second chapter of this extraordinary motoring journey.

Palazzo di Varignana confirms itself as the perfect stage for this international event, in which 30 of the most spectacular cars built before 1973, icons of style and elegance, will celebrate not only the history of cars, but also the uniqueness of the Motor Valley and the authentic expression of the “Heritage of Italian Lifestyle”.

Where We Are

Palazzo di Varignana - Via Ca' Masino 611 A, Varignana, Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna), 40024, Italy