Siena House

For all their other charms, Italian hotels, as a rule, don’t really do understatement — so when you find a place that’s confident enough simply to call itself Siena House, it’s a good bet there’s something a bit special going on. (The proprietors are British, in fact, which goes a long way, now that we think of it, towards explaining the understatement.)

As a description, of course, Siena House is perfectly accurate. With just two double rooms and two two-bedroom suites, it’s certainly on the scale of a guest house rather than a hotel. Stylistically, it’s certainly distinctive, marrying contemporary Italian design with an impressive collection of modern art. And its location, near Montepulciano in the province of Siena, is a foodie’s paradise and an oenophile’s dream.

What’s on offer here is a more casual, more personal form of hospitality. The place is small enough that the staff are perfectly capable of keeping track of your comings and goings, and as the neighboring estates and the surrounding towns contain a number of very fine restaurants, it’s not out of the question that the house might be vacant for dinner.

Then again it might not. There’s a fully modern garden kitchen for guests’ use, as well as space for guests to chill their own wine. In the morning, a proper English breakfast is served, using eggs from the house’s pastured chickens as well as home-cured smoked bacon. It’s a fine home base for exploring the countryside, but it’s also a fine place for staying in.

Please note: Siena House requires a two-night minimum stay and is open seasonally from April 1 through December 12.

How to get there:
Siena House is located 32 miles (about a 45-minute drive) from Siena proper, and 64 miles (about a 75-minute drive) from Florence. There is a small local train station 3 miles from the hotel, in Torrita di Siena. The train trip from Siena proper takes about an hour. There is no direct train service from Florence.