Escape to Italy’s Gavi region and settle into one of the new experiential summer-stay packages at Locanda La Raia. This intimate, 12-room boutique mansion sits between Milan and Genoa on a 180-hectare estate of vineyards, meadows and chestnut, elderflower and acacia woods that provide a peaceful habitat for birds and wildlife.
© Locanda La Raia
The estate was given a new life in 2017 when the Rossi Cairo family restored an old post station and transformed it into a pastoral luxury retreat that preserves original architectural features like arches and vaulted ceilings. The property now offers 10 guestrooms and two private apartments, a spa with organic treatments, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, a private arts foundation and an estate-to-table restaurant. Its organic vineyards and winery produce two styles of Piemonte D.O.C. Barbera as well as a trio of acclaimed Gavi D.O.C.G. wines: Gavi, Gavi Riserva Vigna della Madonnina and Gavi Pisé.
Led by chef Tommaso Arrigone, the restaurant highlights ingredients grown on the estate and in its gardens, including honey, wine, herbs and Fassona beef. Seasonal plates may include Arrigone’s knife-pounded beef with mustard ricotta and sautéed spinach finished in butter. Around the grounds, site-specific art by visiting international artists creates a dialogue with the landscape — examples include sculptures by Remo Salvadori and Adrien Missika’s inverted stone pyramid, designed to shelter bees and other pollinators.
© Locanda La Raia
The Experiential Stays let guests select a room from their preferred category and include two nights with breakfast, two tasting-menu dinners at the on-site restaurant (beverages excluded), a guided tour of the permanent collection at Fondazione La Raia and a wine tasting at the estate winery. Afternoon tea and aperitivo are provided, and guests enjoy full access to the sauna, steam room and both swimming pools.
Whether you’re drawn by wine, food, art or tranquil countryside, Locanda La Raia blends rustic charm with refined comfort for a restorative summer retreat in the heart of Gavi.