Pellicano Hotels Expands to Umbria With Acquisition of Historic La Badia Estate

Pellicano Hotels, led by CEO and creative director Marie-Louise Sciò, has acquired its fifth property, according to Business of Fashion. Backed by private equity firm Aermont Capital, the move to purchase the 25-room La Badia Estate in Orvieto, Umbria, marks a calculated push inland for the group best known for Il Pellicano, its cult hotel on the Tuscan coast. The sixth-century Benedictine abbey, recognizable by its striking dodecagonal tower, has long served as a four-star hotel. But under Sciò’s direction, it will undergo a 43 million euro transformation to bring out its character while infusing it with Pellicano’s signature soul. “It’s not about making it like the Pellicano or any of the others—it will have its own life and legs,” she told BoF. La Badia Estate. Photo: Courtesy of Il Pellicano Hotels The acquisition opens a new frontier in Umbria—an area still largely untapped by major luxury hotel brands. Orvieto, set atop volcanic cliffs and accessible via direct rail from both Rome and Florence, offers rich Etruscan history, dramatic architecture, and growing appeal among upscale second-home buyers. Yet, as Sciò points out, there’s currently “no luxury hotel group there,” making La Badia a potential category-definer in the region. This addition also underscores Pellicano Hotels’ expansion strategy: scaling a highly curated vision of Italian hospitality while preserving the ineffable “Pellicano feeling”—a relaxed, familial approach to service that favors individuality over uniformity. The recent 60th anniversary of Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole highlighted the enduring power of this ethos, drawing a who’s-who of fashion, film, and design for a celebration steeped in retro glamour. With ambitions to grow to 10–12 properties in the coming years, the group presently has a growing portfolio that includes Il Pellicano, La Posta Vecchia (near Rome), Mezzatorre (Ischia), and the forthcoming La Suvera in Tuscany.