I make my way to the small town of Castel di Sangro in central Italy’s Abruzzo region, home to three-Michelin-starred restaurant Reale. Framed by lush pasture, mountains and the Adriatic Sea, it’s in stark contrast to the Mediterranean coastline I’ve just left behind. It’s autumn, and much to my delight, the countryside is blooming with local saffron, the bright-purple flowers with their highly prized orange stamens flooding fields ahead of harvest.

Casadonna Reale is an extraordinary hilltop destination set in a 16th-century monastery that has been converted into a luxe hotel, restaurant Reale (recently awarded number 36 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list) and food laboratory, conceived through the vision of chef-owner Niko Romito and his sister, Cristiana Romito. The hotel feels contemporary, with its pared-back design and interior motifs hinting at its monastic origins. The light-filled rooms overlook the property’s pecorino vineyard – one of Abruzzo’s iconic white wine grapes – and are immaculately curated with a minimalist fit-out of natural fabrics, sculptural lamps, freestanding bathtubs and a separate hammam (Turkish-bath-style) shower.

The experience at Reale makes it difficult to believe Niko is self-taught. Intricate, creative and thoughtful dishes reflect the environment and the rich food culture of his native Abruzzo. These references are understated – nuances that you might miss without an understanding of the countryside and its surrounds, from the honey to the local lamb. Close relationships with local growers are at the forefront of his ethos: starting with the best produce is key, and the role of a chef is to “awaken the intrinsic power of the ingredient”, he says with the poetic flair of fellow countryman, chef Massimo Bottura.

A flurry of bread courses signal the start of the meal. Needle-thin grissini stretch across the table alongside a heavenly warm potato bread, thin wafers of lavosh and cultured butter. Threads of toasted red saffron – cultivated in the region for almost 500 years – floating in a savoury onion reduction are a nod to the autumn harvest. Seasoned with Parmigiano Reggiano, the dish is earthy and simple – a reflection of the environment and the idea of paddock to plate in the most surprising way. A bowl of artfully rolled ravioli follows. The fresh pasta is filled with creamy buffalo milk ricotta and floats in a warm buffalo milk water sauce – an inspired use of ricotta’s by-product, whey – seasoned heavily with black pepper and capers. The dish looks light and subtle, but the viscous texture of the buffalo milk water is complex and bold. A rich course of lightly fried veal sweetbreads is balanced with a salty lemon cream and a glass of the Reale vineyard’s Pecorino Terre Aquilane, a dry white with lingering minerality.

As the meal comes to a close, I accidentally tip my steaming cup of cioccolata calda over and watch as the hot chocolate soaks into the impossibly white tablecloth. No less than six waiters rush to my aid and, in under a minute, the table has been reset and I have a new drink in front of me. Led by the incredible warmth of Cristiana, the attention to detail displayed by the front-of-house team is impeccable but not stuffy; that elusive Italian balance of elegance minus pretension.

Greeted by name in the morning, we’re escorted to breakfast where, with just as much theatre as the previous night, a series of courses ensue. Cold-pressed green juice of fennel, celery and lemon is a refreshing cleanser before we’re treated to an opus of pastries that includes Abruzzo specialities such as pizzelle, a traditional olive oil ‘waffle’ with a chewy cookie-like texture, plus fresh hand-churned butter, local honey, yoghurt made daily, and a selection of sheep’s milk cheeses. There’s even ‘bacon and eggs’ Abruzzo-style – a slow-cooked egg adorned with wafer-thin slices of local prosciutto. If you’ll excuse the pun, a stay in this Italian wonder is most certainly the real deal.