One of the most beautiful urban areas not just in Tuscany, but in all of Italy (and therefore Europe), Siena is a mediaeval daydream, an ochre-tanned spiral of cobbled stairs, winding streets, bustling piazzas and secluded passageways. The Grand Hotel Continental obligingly places you right in the middle of it. Siena protects its historic districts with dogged loyalty (merely driving through most areas will get you slapped with a massive fine), so to bed down inside the city’s cherished core is a privilege indeed.
The hotel itself, a bolshy 16th century palazzo, is a memorable dose of baroque grandiosity (check out the absurdly lush former ballroom lounge). What used to be the courtyard is now the dizzyingly tall lounge, a vertiginous ancient chamber topped with glass. Our room, by comparison, was more laid back; terracotta-coloured stone floors, bare white walls and an astonishing view of Siena’s higgledy-piggledy rooftops (which film fans will remember from a Quantum of Solace chase scene).
If you want your Siena experience laced with marble, old-world charm, ornate decor and decorum, you won’t do better than the Grand Hotel Continental. Staff were obliging and efficient throughout our stay, and arriving back at the property's doors, after hours spent perambulating up and down the city’s alleys, was always a joy.
Neighbourhood
Siena is the neighbourhood. A topsy-turvy city of towering mediaeval architecture, hidden backstreets and intense local pride. The best part about staying slap-bang in the car-free centre of Siena is the fact most tourists don’t stay the night. The result? You can enjoy a sunset negroni on Piazza del Campo once all the day trippers have emptied out. You can’t have a bad time wondering up and down Siena’s historic alleys, particularly in the run up to the biannual Palio horse race, when all the streets are decked out in their team’s colour schemes.
Nearby
Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico Saint Catherine’s head resides in this looming and imposing gothic cathedral.
II Bocconcino Extremely fun sandwich place, on an alley off Piazza del Campo, which does high-quality street eats at a sensationally reasonable price.
All'Orto de' Pecci An eccentric cross between a petting zoo, a pizzeria and an art space. It’s fun to get to as well, what with it being in a sort of basin at the foot of the city.
Time Out Tip
Oenophiles (or even just fans of atmospheric old chambers) should have a gander at the hotel’s wine cellar, too. It’s hidden in the basement of a mediaeval tower, no less.