Le Cattedrali Relais by Laqua Collection

Stone, Silence, and the Piedmontese Countryside

The road to Frazione Valleandona climbs out of Asti's urban edge and into a countryside that feels decades removed from the city below. Vine rows and limestone outcrops mark the hillsides; the light in late afternoon turns the stone facades of old farm complexes into something close to amber. It is in this landscape that Le Cattedrali Relais by Laqua Collection sits, housed in a medieval structure whose name — the cathedrals — refers to the dramatic stone formations visible across the surrounding hills, geological pillars that local tradition has long compared to sacred architecture.

That naming is not incidental. The property's identity is rooted in its physical and geological context in a way that distinguishes it from the category of Italian countryside hotel that imports its aesthetic from elsewhere. Here, the architecture and the terrain are the same argument, made in different materials. The Laqua Collection, the group behind this relais, has built a portfolio around properties where the built environment and natural setting inform each other rather than compete. Le Cattedrali is arguably the clearest expression of that editorial position within the collection.

Where This Property Sits in the Italian Relais Category

Italy's premium relais market has bifurcated over the past decade. On one side sit large-footprint, high-amenity properties that operate closer to resort logic , full spa programming, multiple restaurants, event infrastructure. On the other are smaller, atmosphere-led conversions where the building's history and the surrounding region do most of the heavy lifting. Le Cattedrali lands firmly in the second category, and that positioning is a deliberate editorial choice by the Laqua Collection rather than a function of scale.

The Michelin Selected designation, awarded in the 2025 Michelin Hotels guide, places the property in a peer group that includes some of Italy's most considered countryside stays. Michelin's hotel selection , separate from its restaurant stars , applies criteria around character, quality of welcome, and the integrity of the experience rather than pure luxury amenity count. Being Selected in that framework signals something about the property's coherence more than its size. For comparison, properties like Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco in Montalcino and Borgo San Felice Resort in Castelnuovo Berardenga occupy the larger-footprint end of converted Tuscan estates, while Le Cattedrali's Piedmontese address and tighter configuration put it in a more specialist bracket , closer in spirit to Corte della Maestà in Civita di Bagnoregio or Castel Fragsburg in Merano in terms of the intimacy of the proposition.

The Architecture as Primary Material

The conversion of medieval agricultural and ecclesiastical structures into hospitality spaces is a well-worn Italian tradition, but the quality of execution varies considerably. The better conversions , and Le Cattedrali belongs to this group , treat the original fabric as primary material rather than backdrop. Exposed stone, vaulted ceilings, and irregular floor plans are retained and worked around rather than smoothed into generic luxury finishes. The result is accommodation where no two spaces are identical, where the ceiling height in one room might reflect a former hayloft and the arched window in another a chapel annex.

This architectural honesty has its own demands on guests. A medieval stone property in Piedmontese hills is not the place for those whose priority is the ergonomic consistency of a large international brand. The appeal is specifically in the irregularity, in the sense that the building has a prior life that the renovation has chosen to acknowledge rather than erase. That is a particular kind of luxury, one that properties like Castello di Reschio in Lisciano Niccone have pursued with considerable success in Umbria, and that Le Cattedrali pursues on Piedmontese terms.

Asti, Monferrato, and Why the Address Matters

Asti is underrated as a base for serious wine and food travel. The city is leading known internationally for its sparkling Asti Docg, but the surrounding Monferrato hills produce Barbera d'Asti at a level that commands serious attention, alongside Grignolino and Ruché , varieties that rarely travel far from their home territory. Staying in the hills outside Asti, as Le Cattedrali's address at Frazione Valleandona allows, puts guests within range of small-production estates that have no particular reason to accommodate walk-in visits. A countryside relais with local connections changes that calculus.

The broader Piedmontese wine circuit , Alba, Barolo country, the Langhe , is reachable from Asti without the tourist density that has built up around Montalcino or central Chianti. For guests who have covered Castiglion Del Bosco's Brunello territory or want an alternative to the more heavily trafficked Tuscan wine routes, Monferrato represents a credible next step, and Asti a logical base. See our full Asti restaurants guide for the dining picture around the city.

The Italian relais category at this level , Michelin Selected, countryside conversion, wine-region adjacent , is reasonably well populated elsewhere in the country. Casa Maria Luigia in Modena and Borgo Egnazia in Savelletri di Fasano represent the category in Emilia-Romagna and Puglia respectively, while Bellevue Hotel & Spa in Cogne and Therasia Resort in Lipari illustrate how the formula adapts to Alpine and island settings. Le Cattedrali's specific combination of medieval stone, Piedmontese hillside, and the Laqua Collection's considered approach to character-led hospitality gives it a position within that broader field that is difficult to replicate in the same region.

Planning a Stay

Le Cattedrali Relais is located at Frazione Valleandona 1/b, outside Asti , a setting that requires arriving by car or arranged transfer rather than on foot from the city. Asti is served by rail from Turin (approximately 50 minutes), and the drive from Turin's international airport runs under an hour in normal conditions. Given the rural address, guests planning wine-country excursions into Monferrato or the Langhe will find a car the most practical arrangement for the stay. The Michelin Selected recognition for 2025 suggests advance booking, particularly for shoulder-season weekends when Piedmontese agritourism demand peaks. For those building a broader Italian itinerary, the property pairs logically with an urban stay in Milan , Portrait Milano is one reference point at the design-led end of the city's hotel offer , before or after the Piedmontese countryside segment.

Other Italian Properties Worth Considering

Travellers weighing Le Cattedrali against other Italian properties in the character-led relais category might also consider Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Borgo Santandrea on the Amalfi Coast, or Il Sereno in Torno on Lake Como for lakeside architecture. Urban alternatives at the leading of the Italian market include Aman Venice, Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, and Bulgari Hotel Roma. For those extending travel beyond Italy, Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, and The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City represent the category across different international markets.