Il Battistero Siena - Residenza d'Epoca

Just off Siena’s Piazza del Campo, and literally straight across the road from the gorgeous Gothic building that is the Baptistery of San Giovanni, is a beautiful little boutique hotel that goes by the name of Il Battisterio Siena - Residenza d’Epoca. The “little” part is apparent simply from the fact that it comprises just seven suites. And the “beautiful” bit you’ll simply have to take on the evidence presented in the photos — or from the fact that a balanced mixture of contemporary Italian furnishings, heritage antiques, and historical architecture, in the hands of a capable designer, are a typically winning combination.

Period architectural details like rough-hewn exposed beams provide the historical atmosphere, while the design style, for the most part, sticks to the low-key, neutral-toned minimalism that’s become something of a modern Italian trademark. An exception is the throwback-style Papa Alessandro VII suite, a pair of interconnecting bedrooms named for a 17th-century resident who went on to become Pope — auspicious footsteps to follow in, to say the least. There’s an impressive wine cellar, and a bistro right out front serves breakfast, lunch, aperitifs, and dinner — and the rest of the city center is right at your feet.