If you think these events happened long, long ago in the dark recesses of a dust-encrusted past, ask any Senese to talk to you about the Florentines. This is the kind of first-hand history you live when you linger more than an afternoon in Siena, and few accommodations can make it come so vividly to life than Palazzo Francesconi, one of the rare surviving products of il rinascimento senese . T oday the palazzo is nearly 500 years old, but it has aged brilliantly. It stands as it did in the 16th century, its ground-floor rooms occupied by the shops of merchants, its piano nobile the domain of the owners, and its two upper floors are reserved for honored guests. Your hostess, Patrizia, has tastefully considered every detail in these beautiful historic lodgings, choosing a pleasing color scheme and applying it to plenty of comfortable seating and sleeping arrangements.
Sheets are silk and upholstery is damask, linen or silk.
Rooms are spacious and inviting, modern kitchens have fridge, burners and stove, and bathrooms are efficient. There is no elevator, but it seems they even designed steps better in the old days, because climbing them is surprisingly effortless. G iada measures just under 900 square feet. Unlike the other apartments, which are on the top floor, it has low frescoed ceilings which give the rooms a cozy, country cottage feel. Here, under soaring wood-beamed ceilings, you'll find a double sleep sofa, more seating, and a table for six.