The fastest growing holiday trend of 2025: Castlecore

Castlecore is, first and foremost, a lifestyle aesthetic. Starting as a design trend, it brings together the romanticism and opulence of medieval castles into modern spaces. It embraces history and all its opulence. Think textures, rich velvets, Medieval inspired light fittings, use of wood, wrought iron and stone. This is a world away from minimalism and a move towards romantic escapism.

We have already seen Castlecore spill over into fashion too. Plenty of celebrities have donned Medieval inspired clothing and tapped into the Gothic trend, whether that’s Natalie Portman in a chainmail dress or Taylor Swift in corset capes.

And, arguably, popular TV shows such as The Traitors have further played into this trend for castle fantasy.

In short, we’re very much in agreement with Pinterest who are calling this trend out as one of the ‘hottest of 2025’. And, what is more, we are now seeing this spill over into travel too.

As a business, Italy villa rental specialists Bookings For You have seen an 8% increase in interest for our Medieval castle stays in 2025. There is no disputing that our Italian castles are certainly proving popular with the new Castlecore trend followers.

And that does not surprise us one little bit. After all, what other country can claim to have as much history on show as Italy? Italy oozes history from every pore! And perhaps no region in Italy more perfectly epitomises this trend for romantic escapism than Tuscany. The walled hilltop town of Volterra in Tuscany was made famous by the Vampiric-romance series of Twilight novels and now perfectly encapsulates this new trend for Castlecore. As do the Medieval towers of San Gimignano, the palazzi of Certaldo or the fortress of Montalcino. Each small village and town is enchanting – breathtaking architecture, frescoed ceilings, quaint courtyards, dramatic palaces and historic castles are almost around every corner.

And there are so many castles in Tuscany where you can stay and experience this lifestyle for yourself.

Castello Firenze is a stunning Medieval castle dating back to the 1300s. Over the years, it has been home to countless Italian nobles. In fact, one of these families was the illustrious Benzi family. Baron Ego Benzi would once have hunted in the surrounding woods with his friend and world-famous composer, Giacomo Puccini. These days, it’s available to rent to anyone who wishes to experience a unique stay in Italy.

It’s a similar story with Castello Toscana or Castello Ruggero which has also been the home to countless noble families such as the Scolari, Patti and even Medici families.

And this Tuscany castle was not only home to Tuscan nobility but it actually provided refuge to Dante during his exile too. Interestingly, this castle is steeped in so much history across every single century. Etchings on its walls from the British Army shows its more recent history during the world wars of the 20th century, when the British army liberated this area of Tuscany from German occupation. And, for those who want the ultimate Castlecore experience, guests staying here can enjoy the complete Medieval experience, right down to getting dressed up for an authentic Medieval dinner.

But, the good news is that holidaymakers don’t need to break the bank to be able to stay in a Medieval castle either.

Casa Maggia, for example, is one of the cottages that surround the castle at Porciano. This and other cottages in the grounds allow smaller groups and even solo travellers to experience castle core for themselves on their next holiday.