Castello Banfi - Lodging In Montalcino, Italy

Montalcino, ringed by her medieval walls, rides like a ship on her hilltop overlooking Brunello country. The proud fortress-castle at her southern end, like a prow parting the waves, gives her a commanding profile: many a visitor, thinking to drive nonstop to Rome or Siena, finds himself summoned, or irresistibly lured - to her summit instead.

Those who decide to stop are well rewarded; Montalcino is one of the prettiest hilltowns in Tuscany, rich in history and deserving of the overused word

"unspoiled." And as a base for explorations among vineyards and antiquities, Montalcino is almost perfect.

Because the town is unspoiled, you will be too. It's a small price to pay, but be prepared. Hotels are few, small and--with one spanking-new exception--anything but high luxe (happily, the same goes for the prices, which are more than reasonable). But if you're addicted to five-star hostelries with all the trimmings and trappings - bathrooms the size of apartments, baskets of Crabtree & Evelyn amenities, 24-hour room service and nightly turn-down service complete with pillow candies - well, you'll be disappointed. If you can't live without two-line phones, VCRs, CD-stereos and liveried servants rushing exercycles to your room - you'll be crushed.

The plus side is that you don't have to put up with, let alone pay for all that. Italy is by nature a small-scale country, and so you'll find that rooms outside the major cities tend to be small too. Many Italian hotels are low-key family operations, intended to provide a good night's sleep after a long day in the countryside. If you need anything, the staff will always try to help, and they'll do so out of their deep sense of hospitality not the hope of extracting a tip.

In short, the small-hotel experience is comfortable and personal - more like staying in an old-style B&B than in some global hotelier's mammoth "sleep factory."

The Ghirardi family left the fast pace of the Milanese banking scene to fix up the seven guest rooms in this farmhouse surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, with a great view of Castello Banfi in the distance. Located on the road to Montalcino just outside of Sant' Angelo in Colle, the grounds have a discretely positioned and well shaded swimming pool. Breakfast is served in a small nook in winter, while it is taken on the terrace in the better weather. Large bathrooms complement the individually named rooms. Breakfast is included.

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Hotels In Montalcino

There are now four hotels "within the walls," in Montalcino proper, now that the town's first four-star-style hotel has opened:

Hotel Vecchia Oliviera Porta Cerbaia
Angolo Via Landi, 1
Tel: 0577 846028
Fax: 0577 846029

Opened only a couple of years ago and currently the top end of Montalcino's hotels: It's luxe; the rooms are spacious and beautifully furnished; there's a breakfast room on the main floor, a handsome lounge downstairs, and a large terrace for drinks before dinner or after a dip in the pool. Built into a reconstructed olive mill at the south end of the town, it has on-site parking and superb views to the east. For all that, it's still a comfortably small place with only 13 rooms: 1 suite, 1 triplex, 10 matrimoniali (rooms with double beds) and one single. All rooms have air-conditioning, TV, frigobar, phone and en-suite baths with Jacuzzi-type tubs.

Hotel dei Capitani
Via Lapini, 6 (below Piazza Cavour)
Tel: 0577.847227
Fax: 0577.847239

The three-star Dei Capitani opened in 1996. An old structure at the north end of the town was renovated top to bottom, inside and out, and the result--an anonymous exterior with a sleekly modern interior--is serene and comfortable. It offers panoramic views to the east and north. Three baths have tubs, the rest showers. All twenty-nine matromoniali rooms have TV, phones, frigobars and a.c.. There is a small pool beside the generous terrace. A small private parking lot is supplemented by nearby public parking. No restaurant, but breakfast is included. Amex, Visa, Mastercard and Diner's cards accepted.

This old two-star establishment, overlooking the piazza near the north end of Montalcino, has recently been renovated. Rooms (many with TV) are on the small side (No. 12 is the best of the lot). Most baths have small showers; one has a tub. Lounge; convenient parking; cash only (though the owner is thinking about adding Visa). The restaurant on the ground floor is operated independently.

Il Giglio Hotel
Via Soccorso Saloni, 5 (at the corner of Via Donnoli)
Tel./Fax: 0577.848167
Email: hotelgiglio@tin.it

This recently renovated but not flashy three-star hotel, in a building dating to 1800, is on a corner a few steps downhill from Piazza Garibaldi. There are twelve rooms in all: nine doubles and three singles. Some rooms have fine views to the east; one of the singles has a spacious terrace; all have showers, frigobar, telephone and TV. All of them have the kind of decor that's good to come back to after a busy day: It's calm and unassertive; instead of demanding your awe-struck attention, it lets you kick back and take it easy.

Innkeeper Anna Maria Pinzi--who also has rented rooms just down the street--nicely upholds the Italian tradition of "bella figura" by placing a free bottle of Rosso di Montalcino in every room as a gesture of welcome to parched travelers. Breakfast 6 Euro extra. Restaurant on premises (see the Dining listings). Parking is available nearby and Internet access is available to guests. Amex, Mastercard and Visa accepted.

There are two more hotels worth noting, both just a mile from Montalcino. They are easily found on the right as you head south to Castello Banfi:

Bellaria
Bellaria
Tel: 0577.849326
Fax: 0577.848688
Email: hotelbellaria@tin.it

Positioned with a dramatic vantage point overlooking the scenic Val d'Orcia, the construction of this new building has paid homage to the historic building style of the area, with lots of wood and stone. The 25 rooms include one single and twenty-four doubles; an additional single bed can be had in any room for an additional fee. A breakfast buffet is included. Rooms to ask for are those on the ground floor with access to the rear garden. There's parking and a 15' x 8' pool for cooling dips--not laps. Cards: Amex, Visa, MasterCard, Diner's, Americard.

Al Brunello di Montalcino
Strada Provinciale Traversa dei Monti
Tel: 0577.849304
Fax: 0577. 849430
Internet: www.hotelalbrunello.it

This visibly modern structure is not so large as it looks; much of it is taken up by its restaurant, leaving space for only eighteen rooms: 12 doubles and six matrimoniali. Though a thoroughly modern structure, the rooms are as small as those in older hotels, each with shower or bath, phone, TV, frigobar, a.c. and safe. Breakfast included. At the rear is a large terrace with a decent-sized pool, plus a wader for kids, and fine views west and south. Parking on premises.

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Rooms In Town

Also within the town walls are accommodations called affittacamere, or furnished rooms. These vary widely from small businesses to sidelines, ways of making ends meet. Some are in private homes (like the rooms American empty-nesters rent out when their kids leave home); others are carved out of small apartment buildings, with the owner living off-premises. In either case there's a good chance your room will be comfortable but a bit eccentric in design and style, and unless you call ahead, you may have to search out the owner at his favorite caffe bar or behind the counter of his enoteca.

Affittacamere are usually named for their owners (last name first), although a few have their own names, as hotels do.

Montalcino's affittacamere scene has changed recently, and for the better. Although a few of the older ones have closed down, two new ones have opened to broaden the range of rooms (and prices) available. All are worth your attention.

Garni Palazzo di Pescatori Maria Grazia
Via Panfilo d'Oca, 23
Tel: 0577.847.251
Fax: 0577.846.900
Email: eqrses@tin.it

Maria Grazia Pescatori's old family palazzo is a little below the Fortezza at the south end of town. You enter through an arched double doorway, go along a stone passage into a plant-filled courtyard and then down a flight of steps, to reach the reception area.

Rooms and suites are equipped with old family furniture and linens, and some have wood-burning fireplaces. At the same time, all the baths are brand-new, and there's a lounge with TV and heaps of books.

Accommodations include a single, a double with single beds, a double with a matrimoniale, and a triple (matrimoniale plus single). There are also a matrimoniale suite with kitchen and living room, and and bi-level apartment for six. This has two bedrooms with matrimoniali and an attic bedroom (two singles) with a whole wall of windows looking east. (Forget about alarm clocks; just leave the curtains open.) There's only one bathroom, but shower room and lavatory are separate for efficiency. The apartment has a rudimentary kitchen and is not really set up for those who want to hit the markets and and then indulge in a frenzy of cooking.

All guests have access to a small dining terrace. American-style breakfasts, included in the price, are served in the dining room; dinners can be arranged.

Palazzina Cesira
Via S. Saloni, 2
Tel/Fax: 0577.846.055
Email: p.cesira@tin.it

For us the charm of affittacemere (furnished rooms in private homes) has always been their unpredictable nature: If you want "no surprises," go to Holiday Inn. Still, that hardly prepared us for this new venture. It was built in the 13th Century but its recent renovation makes it truly a "little palace."

The guest rooms are large, light and spacious, with roomy double beds rather larger than Italy's customary matrimoniali. There are friezes, frescoes and high coffered ceilings dating to the 18th and 16th centuries, and handsome furnishings--in short, a fine combination of old furniture and new plumbing.

The courtyard garden is small but the lounge and dining room with its refectory table are large; the atmosphere is one of relaxed elegance. Continental or American-style breakfast is included; dinners can be arranged. The owners are multi-lingual: Lucilla Locatelli has French and some English as well as Italian; her husband Roberto was born in Italy but reared in the U.S.

Rooms are: doubles, mini-suites, and the frescoed "pink mini-suite".

Associated with--and around the corner from--the restaurant of the same name, this new establishment offers a fine balance of price and value. It has five bedrooms. One is so small the owners rent it only if you're desperate--but the others are excellent. The four matrimoniali to ask for are spacious, handsomely furnished and have new baths. All have eastern exposures. Two on the second floor are high enough to have views; those on the lower floor look out mostly onto tile roofs, compensating for that "flaw" by providing a giardino or small garden with table and chairs for al fresco dining. Also on the first floor is a large sitting room/eat-in kitchen shared by all. On arrival, pick up the key at the restaurant.

Call this one "Room With No View," because it is exactly what its name means: the bed in a wine cellar. That might not sound appealing, but give it a chance: this little winner may change your mind.

Located just inside Porta Cerbaia, the ancient gate at the south end of town, this largish space is indeed in a wine cellar--you can see where the walls were hollowed to make room for huge barrels--but it has recently been completely and handsomely reinvented as a furnished room with all modern facilities. The sleeping area contains a large matrimoniale (vintage frame, new mattress) and the front portion of the room contains a kitchen and a bathroom--both small but efficiently designed with all-new fixtures. All in all, if the shelter magazines were really on the ball, they'd have discovered this little jewel before we did.

Okay, so there's no window. But spring, summer and fall are outdoor seasons in Montalcino, so its reasonable to ask, "Who needs one?" Anyway, there is a vestibule; that allows the opening of the outside doors to admit natural light while preserving complete privacy.

Mariuccia di Antonio Pierangioli
Piazza del Popolo 28
Tel: 0577.849113 (or cellular: 0347.3655364)

Only three rooms: two matrimoniali (see Notes, below), one double with twin beds. All are very small, with bath but without views (though there are skylights to provide natural light). Though this place won't be your first choice, the location compensates a little: it's just past the narrow end of the handsome Piazza del Popolo and next-door to the owners' very good pastry shop. Just opposite the pastry shop is their enoteca, where you pick up your key, and beyond the other end of the piazza, on Via Matteotti, is their caffe bar, also called Mariuccia. It has, behind the bar area, a veranda room with a magnificent view.

On the budget-conscious side, Nada has a lot to offer, just a short (but steep!) walk down from Piazza Cavour, which is at the quieter north end of town. No priceless antiques here, but the furnishings are all serviceable and the premises are neat and well kept. There's a matrimoniale with an en-suite bath that has an old-fashioned shower, and a pair of rooms with two single beds each; one of them has a bath with a tub. All have a comfortable homey feel and are good deals.

This place eluded us for years--we never got an answer at the first phone number; the second we thought was a wrong number: it rang at the Restaurant Grappolo Blu. And whenever we dropped by, no one was in. Recently, while sampling Banfi's grappa (in the new frosted "Castello" bottle) we happened to mention this problem to one of the Ilcinesi (as Montalcino's citizens or "cittadini" are called).

There we learned that the restaurant and rooming house had the same owners! That settled, we went for a look. Externally it's not very promising, resembling something out of an Italian neo-realist film, but a makeover is on the schedule. Inside, two doubles, each with a large matrimoniale, and one triple (matrimomiale plus a single bed). All have showers and comfortable, well-cared-for furniture. There are no kitchen facilities, but a common lounge is available to all, as is a dining room for those indulging in take-out meals.

This slightly eccentric establishment, below the fortress at the south end of the town, has five accommodations. There's a standard matrimoniale, and two more that are big enough for three people, one single and a small apartment for two, three or four (There is a small fee for the use of the kitchen). Up to date baths; TV in all rooms, and welcoming bottles of Rosso di Montalcino. This hospitable touch is reminiscent of Il Giglio, the hotel around the corner, with good reason: Anna Maria runs Il Giglio too, and it is there you must go to find her. Amex, Mastercard and Visa accepted. Breakfast for a small additional fee.

Il Barlanzone is a superbly restored ancient palazzo located on the highest point of Montalcino’s historic center Its windows open onto Montalcino’s scenic fourteenth-century fortress. Its front door opens onto the Via Ricasoli, which will lead you directly to the village’s heart, the Piazza del Popolo.

Il Barlanzone offers its guests an attractive fully furnished one bedroom apartment located on the top floor, with a small modern kitchen and a large outdoor terrace. Four additional fully furnished, and impeccably clean, bedrooms (all with private baths) are also available. The location is ideal for those seeking comfortable accommodations while touring Montalcino and Tuscany. For rates and availability, e-mail info@barlanzone.com

On the ground floor of Il Barlanzone you'll find the family-owned enoteca and a collection of carefully selected Brunello di Montalcino as well as other local wines. In addition to wine, a variety of local delicacies is also available.

Your host, Simone Biliarsi, is always available to assist you in selecting your wines and to offer you a tasting of a range of personally selected Brunellos.

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Short-Term Apartments In Town

Far better known in Europe than the U.S., "residences" provide fully equipped apartments. They generally cost more than all but the fanciest affittacamere but less than the better hotels, and they provide what neither can offer: a home away from home. Visitors staying a week or more--especially small groups of four or more friends--should consider the advantages of residence living. Under certain circumstances, in fact, it's a no-brainer. You get enough space to lounge about, reading, talking or watching the news, in comfortable privacy. You can invite friends in for drinks. And once you get a look at the gorgeous produce and other foods available in the shops and markets, you'll surely want to try cooking up some Tuscan specialties yourselves--instead of stuffing your pockets with recipes you won't be able to try until you get back home.

Dott. Armando Cavalli has been restoring this 17th Century palazzo, a handsome pink-stucco edifice below the Fortezza at the south end of town, one floor at a time over the past couple of years. It's now complete--and very attractive. The apartments are two "2+2s" (a double room and a sofa bed) and six "4+2s" (two double rooms and a sofa bed).

All have excellent kitchen facilities and baths. Some apartments overlook the street, others the large stone-walled garden with wooden gazebos and swimming pool. All have individually controlled heating for cold weather (for a small additional fee), TV/SAT/radio and phone. Furnishings blend antique and modern pieces as well as paintings and art objects. All prices include utilities, bed and bath linens. Apart from heat, the only extras are final cleaning (after you depart) and a refundable security deposit.

Villa Santa Maria is an old farmhouse completely renovated in 2002. Retaining the house’s original features, it has been subdivided into four flats,accommodating 3 to 4 people, that preserve the typical stone walls and authentic terracotta and wooden-beamed ceilings. The Villa is ideally situated in an olive grove and provides a perfect place to spend a quiet and pleasant stay with the opportunity to make several excursions.

Situated inside the ancient town walls of Montalcino, about 400 metres away from the main square, it enjoys a wonderful panorama of the Orcia valley with a particular view on Montepulciano and Pienza.

Flats are available on a weekly as well as a mid-week basis (with a minimum 2 day stay). The following services and facilities are included in the price: water, electricity and gas consumption, bed and bathroom linen with a weekly change, private and lighted car parking. Prices are available on the website.

Even in modern times the sanctity of the family permeates Italian life to the extent that, in hotels, a room called a matrimoniale is one with a double bed (i.e., a marriage bed), while a doppia has twin beds, presumably for the unhitched and chaste.

And what about those optional-at-extra-cost breakfasts? Unless otherwise noted, they're Italian breakfasts, which are seldom more than espresso and a sweet roll; even when bread and marmellata (which is jam, not marmelade) or a few other touches are provided, they're no bargain. Veteran travelers breakfast at the nearest caffe bar instead, saving money and rubbing elbows with the local population.

Hotels accept most major credit cards; most affittacamere accept cash only. To call Montalcino from the U.S., dial 011 (international code) followed by 39 (country code), 0577 (area code) before adding the local phone number. Important: a recent change in the Italian telephone system requires use of the "0" with the area code for both international and domestic calls.