Castles and medieval villages turned resorts

Sleeping in a building that predates golf by several centuries has a particular charm, but also a practical logic: historic residences are rarely found where the fairways are. The eight addresses below occupy a castle, a tower, a Renaissance villa or a fortified masseria, and have a course on site or within reach by car.

There is also one village that is not historic, Borgo Egnazia: proof of how well the idea of a "borgo" works even when it is built from scratch.

Tuscany: the village of Montalcino and a hidden fresco

Castiglion del Bosco is the most complete case: the estate covers about 2,000 hectares around a medieval village, whose castle dates from around 1100 and whose walls were raised in the early thirteenth century by the Cacciaconti of Trequanda. Since 2003 the property has belonged to Massimo Ferragamo; in 2022 it passed to an international family office. The hotel has 42 suites in the village and 11 villas carved out of 17th- and 18th-century farmhouses, and the Michelin Guide awards it three Keys.

In the church of San Michele Arcangelo, about a mile from the village, Pietro Lorenzetti painted an Annunciation with six saints in 1345; the fresco stayed under plaster until 1876 and was identified as Lorenzetti's work by Cesare Brandi in 1930.

The golf course is by Tom Weiskopf, and it is the reason a clarification is needed here: The Club at Castiglion del Bosco is private. Hotel guests can play the 18 holes by booking a tee time in advance; for everyone else access is by invitation or by application approved by the club. The course also has a nineteenth hole, the "Brunello Hole".

South Tyrol: a hunting lodge and a thirteenth-century tower

Castel Fragsburg was built in 1624 as a hunting lodge for the local lords and has belonged to the Ortner family since 1954, now in its third and fourth generations. The twenty suites stand on a private hill within a park of 50,000 square metres; according to the hotel, the Deluxe Double Room starts at €490 per room with breakfast. The restaurant Prezioso has one star in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Golf means a drive: the hotel names the Golf Club Passeier, 18 holes, and the Golf Club Lana, 9 holes, as its reference courses, both about half an hour away by car.

The Romantik Hotel Turm occupies three houses and several towers in Fiè allo Sciliar: the old tower dates from the 13th century and the Turmstube is more than 800 years old. The father of the current owner, Karl Pramstrahler, was a collector and left the hotel about 2,000 works, with signatures such as Beuys, Kokoschka, Dix, Klee and de Chirico. The reference course is the Golf St. Vigil Seis, which the hotel places about five minutes away: 18 holes, par 69, at 850 metres, with a 20% discount and guaranteed tee times for guests. The course's 2026 season runs from 9 April to 25 October.

Lake Garda: the Renaissance villa with the course next door

The QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga occupies a 15th-century Renaissance residence with marble staircases and ancient frescoes. It borders Arzaga Golf, 27 holes by Jack Nicklaus II and Gary Player, but the two are separate entities: the club is run by a different company from the hotel, and green fees are paid to the golf club. In 2026 18 holes cost €110 on weekdays and €130 at weekends in high season (from 16 March to 8 November), €65 and €80 the rest of the year. The club's Stay & Play packages include accommodation in the apartments of Borgo Drugolo, not in the villa.

Apulia: three towers and a village built from scratch

In Apulia the fortified masserie were built as a defence against Saracen and Ottoman raids; two of these are in Savelletri, a third in Fasano.

Masseria San Domenico is built around a 15th-century watchtower of the Knights of Malta, which grew in the eighteenth century into one of the most important fortified masserie in the area. The Michelin Guide recounts that when it became a hotel in 1996, it was the first time the word "masseria" had been used for a hospitality property. It has 40 rooms and welcomes guests from the age of 14; according to the Michelin Guide it is closed from November to February. The San Domenico Golf has the same owner, a par 72 of more than 6,300 metres designed by Andy Haggar: in 2026 guests pay from €65 to €105 for 18 holes, against €95 to €150, and an EGA handicap of no higher than 36 is required.

Masseria Torre Coccaro began as a fortified farmhouse in the 16th century, with a tower that was part of the defence against the Saracens, and it preserves a chapel from 1730 and a walled garden, the Ortus Conclusus, still irrigated with wells and channels. Its home course is a nine-hole par 27 executive course of about 1,150 metres, 400 metres from the masseria: it is for working on the short game. For a full round the hotel points to San Domenico Golf, about a kilometre away, warning that it accepts outside players only at certain times.

Masseria Torre Maizza is a former 16th-century watchtower, opened as a Rocco Forte hotel in 2019 with interiors by Olga Polizzi. It has 51 accommodations and a nine-hole par 27 executive course of 1,150 metres within the estate, among centuries-old olive trees and almond trees: the same one that neighbouring Torre Coccaro presents as its own. The course is short and should be taken for what it is.

Borgo Egnazia is the counterpoint: a village of low stone buildings and narrow lanes, opened in 2010 on the model of Apulian villages, with 184 rooms in three clusters. It has no course of its own, but San Domenico Golf, owned by the same Melpignano family, is next door and from its clubhouse you can see the rooftops of the village; tee times are requested when booking.

How to choose

• If you want to really play: Villa Arzaga and Masseria San Domenico, with an 18-hole course next door or on the same property.
• If history comes before golf: Castiglion del Bosco and the Turm, where the course is within reach but the building is the star.
• If golf is an exercise in the short game: Torre Coccaro and Torre Maizza, with a nine-hole executive course.
• If you do not want restricted access: remember that at Castiglion del Bosco the club is private and that San Domenico Golf requires a maximum handicap of 36.

Curiosities

• A new word for hotels. According to the Michelin Guide, when Masseria San Domenico opened in 1996, it was the first time "masseria" had been used for a hospitality property.
• An 800-year-old stube. At the Turm the Turmstube is more than 800 years old.
• A Picasso in the bar. The Turm holds an authentic Picasso, hanging in the bar named after Oswald von Wolkenstein.
• One tower for two. Torre Coccaro and Torre Maizza present the same nine-hole course as their own.