La Locanda di Castromediano - Al Becco della Civetta

Where do I begin? Perhaps at the beginning. When we arrived on a Sunday afternoon the reception was locked and dark. We wandered around the side of the building to rest and have a snack before trying to figure out what to do next. Quickly someone emerged from the restaurant attempting to chase us away before we could explain that we were hotel guests looking to check in. Once language barriers were crossed we were able to check into our room which was clean appearing but smelled oddly of cat litter. We then realized there was no air conditioning. We spoke with someone at the front desk who explained they needed to get a technician out to turn the AC on because it was a “system uniquo”. We also learned that despite making reservations at the restaurant months ago and confirming the restaurant was closed for dinner and we were encouraged to use the internet to find an alternative place to eat. At no point was the front desk ever occupied and we had to ask someone at the restaurant to unlock the front door before they left to keep us from being locked out. That being said the view from our room was unreal snd we slept well enough with the door to the balcony open (no screen). For dinner we were lucky to stumble across the street to Hotel Dolomiti where we were received graciously and fed well. I wish we had stayed there instead! Castlemezzano is an enchanted place, you should definitely see it, but do not stay at this hotel.